How to write E-mail

E-mail Guidelines

E-mail: Inbox To:  All members of staff  From:  Jennifer Ranford <j.ranford@firm.com>   Date:   25 July 2011   Subject:  E-mail Writing Guidelines  Please note and follow the guidelines below concerning the writing of company e-mail messages.   Subjects Give the message a subject/title. E-mail messages without a subject may not be opened because of a fear of viruses and especially note that it is very easy to forget to type this important information.   Subject contents Keep the subject short and clear but avoid such headings as: ‘Good News’, ‘Hello’, ‘Message from Mary’. These headings are common in messages containing viruses. Short but specific headings are needed, e.g. Order No. 2348X Delayed Shipment Laboratory Equipment Order Greetings Start the message with a greeting so as to help create a friendly but business-like tone. The choice of using the other name versus the surname will depend on who you are writing to. If you have communicated with the receiver previously and he/she is at a similar level to you, then the use of the other name would be appropriate. If the receiver is more senior to you, or if you are in doubt, it would be safer (particularly in the first communication) to use the person’s surname/family name together with a title, e.g. Dear Mr Smithson, Dear Ms Stringer. It is also becoming quite common to write the greeting without a comma, e.g. Dear Miss Lawson e.g. Dear KK   Purpose Start with a clear indication of what the message is about in the first paragraph. Give full details in the following paragraph(s). Make sure that the final paragraph indicates what should happen next. e.g. I will send a messenger to your office on Tuesday morning to collect the faulty goods. e.g. Please let me have your order by the beginning of the month.   Action Any action that you want the reader to do should be clearly described, using politeness phrases. Subordinates should use expressions such as 'Could you...' or ' I would be grateful if...'. Superior staff should also use polite phrases, for example, 'Please...'.   Attachments Make sure you refer, in the main message, to any attachments you are adding and of course make extra sure that you remember to include the attachment(s). As attachments can transmit viruses, try not to use them, unless you are sending complicated documents. Copy-and-paste text-only contents into the body of the e-mail. If you use an attachment, make sure the file name describes the content, and is not too general; e.g. 'message.doc' is bad, but 'QA Report 2011.doc' is good.   Endings End the message in a polite way. Common endings are: Yours sincerely, Best regards, Best wishes, Regards, If you did not put a comma after the greeting at the beginning of the message, then do not put a comma after the ending either, e.g. Best wishes e.g. Regards   Names Include your name at the end of the message. It is most annoying to receive an email which does not include the name of the sender. The problem is that often the email address of the sender does not indicate exactly who it is from, e.g. 0385915d@polyu.edu.hk Please follow these guidelines with all e-mail messages that you send. Kind regards Jennifer Ranford Human Resources Manager

How to Write a Report

Style
To be completely successful, a report which makes recommendations must ensure that the persons for whom the report is intended:

• Read it without unnecessary delay.

• Understand everything in it without undue effort.

• Accept the facts, findings, conclusions and recommendations.

• Decide to take the action recommended.

Achieving this demands more of you than merely presenting relevant facts accurately. It also demands that you communicate in a way that is both acceptable and intelligible to the readers.
Selectivity
Careful choice of words can enable you to convey many subtleties of meaning.
Accuracy
Check that everything you write is factually accurate. The facts should be capable of being verified. Moreover, arguments should be soundly based and your reasoning should be logical. You should not write anything that will misinform, mislead or unfairly persuade your readers. If you do, you will be doing a disservice not only to yourself but also to your department and organisation. Accurate information is essential for effective communication and decision making.
Objectivity
A report should not be an essay reflecting personal emotions and opinions. You must look at all sides of a problem with an open mind before stating your conclusions.
Making it clear that you have an open mind when writing your report will, in most cases, make your conclusions and recommendations more acceptable to your readers. The emphasis, therefore, should be on the factual material presented and the conclusions drawn, rather than on any personal beliefs, biases or prejudices.
Conciseness
Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered). That is how Julius Caesar reported his visit to our shores. While none of your reports will be as short as this, you should aim to keep them concise. In doing this, do not mistake brevity for conciseness. A report may be brief because it omits important information. A concise report, on the other hand, is short but still contains all the essential details.
To ensure you do not include material which can safely be left out, you should not ask: 'Can this information be included?' Rather, you should ask: 'Is it necessary for this information to be included?'
Clarity and Consistency
The best way to achieve clarity in your writing is to allow some time to elapse between the first draft and its revision. Try to leave it over the weekend, or at least overnight. If you are really under pressure and this is simply not possible, at least leave it over a lunch or coffee break. It is essential to have a period of time, no matter how short, when you can think of other things. In this way, when you come back to the report, you can look at it with a degree of objectivity.
Simplicity
Usually, if your writing is selective, accurate, objective, concise, clear and consistent, it will also be as simple as it can be. You should guard against over-simplifying, for example to the point of missing out information which the reader needs to fully understand what you are trying to say. You should again keep your readers firmly in mind and keep asking yourself whether or not they will be able to follow the logic of your presentation.
Avoid Pointless Words
Some words and phrases - like basically, actually, undoubtedly, each and every one and during the course of our investigation - keep cropping up in reports. Yet they add nothing to the message and often can be removed without changing the meaning or the tone. Try leaving them out of your writing. You will find your sentences survive, succeed and may even flourish without them.

How to use Academic Report Writing Template

This is an example long report template for you to copy to your word processor or print out. Then you can fill in your own details.

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Title Page

The Title; e.g. 'A Report on ....'
'An Investigation into...'
'An Analysis of ...'
'A Comparison of ... and ...'

Your Name

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the
............................course.

If you are a HKPU student, your student number.

The date.

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Acknowledgments

"I would like to thank my supervisor, Mr. _______, for the valuable advice and support he has given me in the writing of this report. I would also like to thank my teachers, Mrs. _______ and Mr. _______ for their encouragement and guidance. Thanks also to my typist, Ms. _______, for her immaculate job and her suggestions. My deepest thanks go to my wife/husband, for her/his love, understanding and support."

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Summary / Abstract

This study was to ______________________________
It was requested by ____________________________
It was requested on (date).
The investigation was done by ____________________
The main findings were that ______________________
It was concluded that __________________________
The recommendations are that _______should be ______

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Contents Page

Section......................................................Page Number

1. Introduction.............................................................................1
2. Literature Review....................................................................3
3. Methodology...........................................................................5
4. Findings...................................................................................7
5. Conclusions............................................................................14
6. Recommendations...................................................................16
7. Appendices............................................................................18
8. Bibliography...........................................................................25

List of Figures

1. Bar Chart of Answers to Question 1...................................8
2. Pie Chart of Socio-economic Status of the Respondents.....9

List of Tables

1. Survey Findings by Gender and Age Group........................10

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1. Introduction

BackgroundThis report has been written because ....
It was requested by ...
It was requested on (date).
ObjectivesThe objectives of this report are to ....
ScopeThis report examines .... . It does not examine ..... because ...... .

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2. Literature Review

The area of investigation has been commented on by Channel (1994), Hoey (1993), Halliday (1993) and Lesser (1979), who are in agreement that...
However, they have different opinions on ....
Due to the differences highlighted above, it was decided to investigate ....

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3. Methodology (also called the 'Method' or 'Procedure')
___ respondents, chosen by the method of _____ were surveyed from (start date) to (end date). Of these, ______ were invited for interview on (date).
The statistics were analysed using a _______ test because .........
The significance of the results was __________

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4. Findings

4.1. Introduction
In general, the findings indicated that...
The major finding of the investigation was that...
In addition, ....
Surprisingly, ........ , which was an unexpected consequence of .....

Related exercises:

• Trends - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe trends. Includes an exercise.
• Trends Headings - this exercise shows how to use headings when describing trends. Includes an exercise.
• Describing Satisfaction  - choosing between 'satisfy', 'satisfied', 'satisfying' and 'satisfactory', etc.
• Important or Importance? Explanation and exercise on which word to use.
• 'Lack' or 'Lack of'? - an explanation and an exercise.

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5. Conclusions

The main conclusion that can be drawn is therefore that...
In the light of this, it is recommended that... (+ a general recommendation; e.g. that something needs to be changed. The detailed recommendations should go in the Recommendations section below.)

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6. Recommendations

In the light of these conclusions, I recommend that _____ should be ____
In addition, a _______ could ______
Grammar Note:
To make suggestions and recommendations you should use 'could + infinitive verb' (if you are less sure), or 'should + infinitive verb' (if you are more sure). You could also use 'suggest + _ing' or 'suggest that + a subject noun (e.g. 'we') + a verb (e.g. 'could' + infinitive verb). Do NOT use 'suggest to'.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Sample Survey Form

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Appendix 2: Results of Statistical Analysis by ______

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Bibliography
(Click here to find out more about references.)

Channel, J. (1994). Vague language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Halliday, M.A.K. (1993). Quantitative studies and probabilities in grammar. In Hoey, M. (Ed.) Data, description, discourse. London: HarperCollins, 1-25.

Hoey, M. (1993). Data, description, discourse. London: HarperCollins, 1-25.

Lesser, R. (1979). Linguistic investigations of aphasia. Studies in language disability and remediation 5. London: Edward Arnold.

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Related pages:

Content and Organisation

• The Report Writing Process: an ordering exercise to re-order the stages of this process
• Academic report writing template: useful phrases and expressions to use in your report.
• Types of Report - the names of different types of report and what they mean.
• Report Stages and Content - what goes in each section of a report.
• Stages and Language of a Report - useful phrases for the sections of a report
• Report Headings - understand the type of information each section of a report should contain.
• Subject Headings - how to write correct subject headings.

Introductions

• Report Writing: Introductions - a page to help you understand the content and grammar of report introductions. It contains explanations, an example and an exercise.
• Report Introductions - a text-reconstruction exercise to help you remember the language of the introduction to a report.

Method / Methodology / Procedure

• The Procedure / Method / Methodology section of a report: how to write it.
• The Procedure / Method section of a report - a text-reconstruction exercise to help you remember the language of this section of a report.

Findings and Discussion

• Matching Nouns and Verbs for Reports - an exercise in choosing the right vocabulary for reports.
• Formality - an exercise to help you to write reports using formal language.
• Describing Numbers - an explanation, a program to write and speak a number, and an exercise
• Trends - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe trends. Includes an exercise.
• Describing trends in line graphs
• Trends Headings - this exercise shows how to use headings when describing trends. Includes an exercise.
• The Language of Approximation - an exercise in describing numbers in an easy-to-understand way
• Approximation Correction exercise - to check that you can use the language of approximation correctly
• Approximating Dissatisfaction - an exercise to help you describe dissatisfaction
• Describing Satisfaction in the Findings and Conclusion sections of a report - choosing between 'satisfy', 'satisfied', 'satisfying' and 'satisfactory', etc.
• Important or Importance? Explanation and exercise on which word to use when describing Findings and Conclusions.
• Concern - how to use concern correctly

Conclusion

• The Conclusion section - an explanation, an example and an exercise.

Recommendations

• Report Recommendations - an explanation, an example and an exercise.
• Report Recommendations Correction Exercise - correct the common errors.

Practice Materials

• Report Correction Exercise - correct these common errors made by students in report writing, so that you can avoid making the same mistakes.
• List of common errors in report writing assignments
• Common Errors in Report Writing - revision exercise.
• Report Writing Scenario Site - practice the whole process of report writing
• Scanner - a program that highlights the words in a text that are easy for a reader to find. Use it to improve the organisation and reader-friendliness of your writing.
• List of Materials in CILL for Business reports

How to Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps (cont.1)

6. Introduction: Now sit down and write the essay. The introduction should grab the reader's attention, set up the issue, and lead in to your thesis. Your intro is merely a buildup of the issue, a stage of bringing your reader into the essay's argument.
(Note: The title and first paragraph are probably the most important elements in your essay. This is an essay-writing point that doesn't always sink in within the context of the classroom. In the first paragraph you either hook the reader's interest or lose it. Of course your teacher, who's getting paid to teach you how to write an essay, will read the essay you've written regardless, but in the real world, readers make up their minds about whether or not to read your essay by glancing at the title alone.)

7. Paragraphs: Each individual paragraph should be focused on a single idea that supports your thesis. Begin paragraphs with topic sentences, support assertions with evidence, and expound your ideas in the clearest, most sensible way you can. Speak to your reader as if he or she were sitting in front of you. In other words, instead of writing the essay, try talking the essay.

8. Conclusion: Gracefully exit your essay by making a quick wrap-up sentence, and then end on some memorable thought, perhaps a quotation, or an interesting twist of logic, or some call to action. Is there something you want the reader to walk away and do? Let him or her know exactly what.

9. MLA Style: Format your essay according to the correct guidelines for citation. All borrowed ideas and quotations should be correctly cited in the body of your text, followed up with a Works Cited (references) page listing the details of your sources.

10. Language: You're not done writing your essay until you've polished your language by correcting the grammar, making sentences flow, incoporating rhythm, emphasis, adjusting the formality, giving it a level-headed tone, and making other intuitive edits. Proofread until it reads just how you want it to sound. Writing an essay can be tedious, but you don't want to bungle the hours of conceptual work you've put into writing your essay by leaving a few slippy misppallings and pourly wordedd phrazies..
You're done. Great job. Now move over Ernest Hemingway — a new writer is coming of age! (Of course Hemingway was a fiction writer, not an essay writer, but he probably knew how to write an essay just as well.)

How to Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps

Brief Overview of the 10 Essay Writing Steps

Below are brief summaries of each of the ten steps to writing an essay. Select the links for more info on any particular step, or use the blue navigation bar on the left to proceed through the writing steps. How To Write an Essay can be viewed sequentially, as if going through ten sequential steps in an essay writing process, or can be explored by individual topic.

1. Research: Begin the essay writing process by researching your topic, making yourself an expert. Utilize the internet, the academic databases, and the library. Take notes and immerse yourself in the words of great thinkers.

2. Analysis: Now that you have a good knowledge base, start analyzing the arguments of the essays you're reading. Clearly define the claims, write out the reasons, the evidence. Look for weaknesses of logic, and also strengths. Learning how to write an essay begins by learning how to analyze essays written by others.

3. Brainstorming: Your essay will require insight of your own, genuine essay-writing brilliance. Ask yourself a dozen questions and answer them. Meditate with a pen in your hand. Take walks and think and think until you come up with original insights to write about.

4. Thesis: Pick your best idea and pin it down in a clear assertion that you can write your entire essay around. Your thesis is your main point, summed up in a concise sentence that lets the reader know where you're going, and why. It's practically impossible to write a good essay without a clear thesis.

5. Outline: Sketch out your essay before straightway writing it out. Use one-line sentences to describe paragraphs, and bullet points to describe what each paragraph will contain. Play with the essay's order. Map out the structure of your argument, and make sure each paragraph is unified.