Imrad structure

Imrad structure

• 1.
  How to useIMRAD Structure in a Recommendation Report Project 3:
• 2.
  IMRAD Structure is awidely used way of organizing a technical report that shares your research methods, your results, and your conclusions in a way that demonstrates careful and ethical study.
• 3.
  IMRAD Stands for… Introduction Methods Results and Discussion Reports usingIMRAD structure usually include a cover page, table of contents, abstract, bibliography, and appendices, too. 3
• 4.
  Introduction • What didyou test? Why? What is the goal of this paper? [answer: to recommend whether we should adopt this product!] Methods • How did you design your test? Where did you test? What equipment did you use to test? When did you run your test and how long did it take? Results • What were your findings? • [Make a graph of your Likert scale findings for the ten criteria you tested] Discussion • Do you recommend this product? Why or why not? What are the pros/cons of adopting this product? If you don’t recommend it, what should we look for in an alternative?
• 5.
  Your recommendation reportshould include… • Title • Table of contents • IMRAD structure for major section headings. Introduction Methodology or Methods Results Discussion/Conclusion or Recommendations • Bibliography • Appendix
• 6.
  Title Page: usedocument design to create visual interest but pay attention to what you learned previously about graphic design. Color choices and design elements support the purpose of these white papers.
• 7.
  Comparing Wix and Weebly ACognitive Walkthrough and Analysis by Elizabeth Hernandez Examples of title pages by former students.
• 8.
  Table of Contents •Use the Headers and Page Numbers features in Word, and then use those to generate an automatic Table of Contents using the Table of Contents feature in Word. • Update your Table of Contents as your document grows and page numbers shift.
• 9.
  Introduction • Rhetorically, the introductionof a technical white paper creates a record of what was tested and why.
• 10.
  Rhetorical moves forthe introduction. Option 1: start with a purpose statement that includes the definition of the product or website. Example: This white paper describes the findings from a usability test of two free blogging tools: Tumblr and Blogger. Example: This white paper evaluates how Gimp, a free cloud computing tool, compares to its pricey counterpart: Adobe Photoshop.
• 11.
  Option 2: startwith a phrase or sentence definition and then move to a purpose statement. Example 1: Weebly and Wix are popular website-builder tools. This white paper presents the results of a usability test that compared how well the tools performed in five component standards that define usability. Example 2: Image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop often have steep learning curves, deterring most novices from trying them. This white paper describes the findings from a comparison of two image editing products aimed at novice users: [name the two products].
• 12.
  Methodology (or Methods) •Just as in an engineering tests or scientific experiments, the methodology section explains the design of the test or experiment. • Rhetorically, it explains how you designed the test.
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  Methodology: What toinclude. • Criteria/Tasks. Share the list of criteria/task statements you are testing (you should have 10!). • Test Environment. State when you did the test, where, and anything else that helps a reader understand the testing methods you used such as type of computer (laptop, desktop, PC or Mac etc.?). Version of the products tested etc. • Metrics/Rating Scale. Share the metrics I provided last week (Effective, Efficient, Engaging, Error Tolerant, Easy to Learn), share the Likert Scale that you are using. This subheader should show how you are collecting your data during your test.
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  Results • Rhetorically, theresults present the findings and what the findings mean. • How you organize this section is your choice, but the organizing pattern should take readers logically through the findings.
• 15.
  Results need toinclude: • Clear, concise technical descriptions of what happened when you did the task and how you evaluated usability. • Incorporate visuals to help reader follow the test findings: • screenshots that support descriptions. • graphics that represent the scoring data either in the results and/or at the end in a summary. • you may also choose to include the criteria statements with Likert scale in the results’ section. And, if needed, make • suggestions about how to improve the product or website for each task.
• 16.
  Recommendation(s)/Conclusion • Rhetorically, thissection should make an overall conclusion about how the products compared. • The recommendations in this section should list, in order of importance, any justifications for why we should or should not adapt this platform of communication for our course.
• 17.
  Bibliography • Include forwebsite(s) or fully online products you tested. • Include the URL for any specific information you cited when considering how a feature worked, such as claims made on the product’s website etc. • You may find an endnote system (i.e. superscript that refers to bibliography end note page) is easiest to use but any documentation style is fine.
• 18.
  Appendix • You willneed to include the raw data in this section, which is the completed data collection forms or spreadsheet. • Consider multiple forms to be pages of a single appendix. See the next page for how to move from portrait to landscape when inserting a collection form made in landscape. Appendices is the plural of appendix. Since you have only one appendix (consider data collection forms to be one appendix with multiple pages), use Appendix in the title of yours.
• 19.
  Acknowledgement These slides weremodified for the purposes of our class based on an assignment and content that was created by Professor Karen Thompson, Director of Professional Writing at the University of Idaho, with her permission. Thank you, Professor Thompson.