ENG 160 – Ramberg – Recommendation Report “Redo” Assignment – Page 1 of 3
Recommendation Report “Redo” Assignment
English 160 • Ramberg • Horry-Georgetown Technical College
If you are unsatisfied with the grade you received on your group project/report, you may complete this
assignment to replace that grade completely. For this assignment, you will write an individual formal
recommendation report on a suggestion you have for improving Horry-Georgetown Technical
College.
You may choose any topic of recommendation you have, but you must write a new report – you cannot
use anything from your group report, from written sections to sources; basically, you need to start with a
“blank slate” to ensure this is a completely individual assignment.
Chapter 18 discusses the requirements and expectations of recommendation reports, and Chapter 6
reviews the research aspects. Additionally, you should consult the chapters we have discussed so far
to ensure your work meets the expectations of a well-written technical communication document in
terms of content, design, etc. A sample report is available in D2L for you to review as well.
Assignment Guidelines
1.) Compile all relevant research on your topic/suggestion—the final recommendation report must
include all of the following:
• One (1) scholarly source (from library databases or published books ONLY)
o These may be articles, e-books, Films on Demand, printed books, etc.—no
websites allowed here (anything in any library database counts, though)
o When searching the databases, remember to use appropriate keywords and
operators—consult a reference librarian for additional guidance
o You may include more than two scholarly sources if you wish
• One (1) website that is credible/reliable
o Use the Guidelines on pgs. 130-131 of your textbook to assess credibility
o You may include more than one website as long as all are credible/reliable
2.) Construct the Recommendation Report—your final report must include all of the following:
• An executive summary that summarizes the entire body of the report
• An introduction section (titled as such) that states subject and purpose of report,
background information (including necessary definitions of any key terms), relevant
sources (use some research here), the scope and organization of the report, and the
specific recommendation(s)
• Relevant additional body sections that explain the research you conducted, the
findings, and any information that demonstrates support for your recommendation
o Use any sections/headings you see fit – your textbook offers suggestions of
“Methods” and “Results,” and while you should include the content discussed in
ENG 160 – Ramberg – Recommendation Report “Redo” Assignment – Page 2 of 3
those sections, you do not have to use those specific headings; recall what we
have discussed about coherent, effective headings and follow those guidelines
• Quotes from each of your sources (scholarly source and website) in APA format
• A conclusion section (titled as such) that expresses and emphasizes the implications
of your results
• A References page in APA format that provides citations for your primary sources
o It must be a separate page, not just a section
o Alphabetize your sources
o Consult the Purdue OWL’s “APA Formatting and Style Guide” or Appendix B for
citation format help and examples—additional resources also available on D2L
Additionally, you should employ all the techniques we have discussed this semester; the document
should be well-designed, the headings should be coherent, the sentences should be effective, etc.
(Note that you may design your document however you choose—we are following APA format for the
citations, both on the References page and within the text, but the rest of the design is up to you. You
do not have to follow APA format for the cover page, etc.).
The best document to view as a “model” for this assignment is the sample recommendation report
provided on D2L. Your report may not be as long as the sample one, and that is okay—there’s no
length requirement, as the content quality is more important than the quantity.
Once you have finished your Recommendation Report, submit your work to the appropriate D2L
Dropbox by the deadline. Make sure you submit in .docx or PDF format, and double-check that you
submit the correct file.
Your report will be graded using the same general rubric as the group report; however, you will not be
scored on the elements no longer being required (primary research, email of transmittal, etc.).
ENG 160 – Ramberg – Recommendation Report “Redo” Assignment – Page 3 of 3
Assessment Rubric for Recommendation Report (worth 150 points)
(to be used by instructor when grading assignment)
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor or Missing
Front Matter:
email of
transmittal
and executive
summary
(20 points)
Email of transmittal states
purpose and content of report
and is written with a
courteous and professional
tone; executive summarize
effectively summarizes the
body of the report
Email of transmittal has
minor errors with content
and/or tone OR executive
summary fails to effectively
and fully summarize body of
report
Email of transmittal
has significant errors
with content and/or
tone OR executive
summary fails to
summarize body of
report
One or more of the
required front matter
components is
missing
Body:
Introduction
and
Conclusion
(20 points)
Introduction includes all
necessary information and
effectively prepares reader for
rest of document; conclusion
offers final implications and
restates or emphasizes
recommendation(s)
Introduction includes most
necessary information and
generally prepares reader
for document; conclusion
offers final implications and
restates/emphasizes
recommendation(s)
Introduction is missing
or fails to meet
necessary
requirements OR
conclusion is missing
or fails to meet
requirements
Introduction and
conclusion are
missing OR both
sections fail to meet
expectations and
requirements
Body:
Supporting
Content and
Graphic(s)
(50 points)
Report provides logical
reasoning and evidence to
support recommendation, and
reader would be convinced to
see value in idea; graphic is
well-placed and clearly
displays data gathered from
survey, and data further
supports recommendation;
data is also discussed in
writing in the report; each
source from References page
is quoted in the document as
is the interview; quotes are
properly formatted, introduced
and discussed, and effective
in supporting
recommendation
Report provides reasoning
to support recommendation
but more would help OR
graphic(s) is not wellplaced, doesn’t clearly
reflect survey data, or isn’t
addressed in report; each
source from References
page is quoted in the
document as is the
interview; quotes are
properly formatted but not
introduced, discussed,
and/or effective
Report doesn’t
provide adequate
reasoning to support
recommendation OR
graphic(s) doesn’t
support
recommendation or
clearly reflect survey
data OR quotes are
included but have
significant format
errors and aren’t
effectively used in
report
Report lacks logical
reasoning and
evidence to support
recommendation OR
no graphic is
provided (or it
doesn’t meet graphic
requirements for
assignment) OR
quote requirements
are not met
Back Matter:
References
page &
Appendixes
(20 points)
A References page is
included that provides
citations with little to no errors
in APA format; sources are
well-chosen and all source
requirements are met;
appendixes include interview
transcript and copy of
questionnaire, and both items
seem complete and are
helpful to the reader
References page provides
citations with little to no
errors in APA format;
source requirements met
but sources don’t seem
well-chosen and effective;
appendixes include
interview transcript and
copy of questionnaire
References page
provides citations with
significant APA format
errors; source
requirements met but
not clearly wellchosen OR
appendixes are
incomplete
One or more of the
required back matter
components is
missing
Design and
Organization
of Document
(20 points)
Document follows all design
principles and is easy to
navigate; headings are
included and coherent;
document is well-organized
Document follows design
principles and is easy to
navigate; headings are
included but could be more
coherent/effective or
organization could be
improved
Document requires
effort to navigate; no
headings are included
OR document is
poorly organized
Document doesn’t
include headings OR
document is poorly
designed and
organized, and
difficult to
read/navigate
Language and
Grammar
(20 points)
Sentences and paragraphs
are correctly structured;
appropriate language is used;
there are few to no errors with
grammar/mechanics
Sentences and paragraphs
are correctly structured;
appropriate language is
used; there are minor errors
with grammar/mechanics
Significant errors with
paragraph structure,
language, or
grammar, but writing
is still generally
readable
Excessive errors
with structure of
sentences or
paragraphs,
language, and/or
grammar
