vdoc

324 Part IV: Quality Assurance
Throughout this book tools and techniques have been provided that enable
readers to interpret quantitative and qualitative data. Repeating how to use these
tools and techniques for interpretation would not help convey the intended meaning.
Rather, what is necessary here is a discussion of tools and techniques that help
the CQI access information in technical reports.
Accessing Information in Technical Reports
Part IV.E.3
Critically important to the use of a technical report is the ease or difficulty in
accessing key information. There are several features of which the CQI should be
aware that enable accessing information in technical reports, as follows:
• Table of contents. The table of contents is located in the front of a
well-written report and identifies the structure and basic contents.
By structure we mean major sections of the report and by basic
contents we mean titles of the major sections.
• Headers/footers. Headers and footers identify on each page the major
section of the report to which that page belongs. Headers and footers
provide a valuable navigation tool in terms of understanding and
tracking a reader’s location within the report.
• Index. The index is a detailed listing of the location of selected content
by the pages within the report where it is located. The table of contents
and the index are two distinctly different tools. The table of contents
is provided to identify the major sections and their respective titles,
which may or may not clearly identify content. The index is provided
to identify specific topics within the major sections.
• Glossary. The glossary is a list of terms as defined for use within
the report. For the CQI not familiar with all the content, acronyms,
or jargon, the glossary is an invaluable source of information.
Accessing information quickly and easily is critically important for any reader. A
technical report may be read by many different people trying to access different
pieces of information. For this reason, use of these tools for accessing information
is considered the most basic of skills. For more information about writing technical
reports, there are numerous sources, and readers are encouraged to consult
any of the following:
The Handbook of Technical Writing (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 2005)
Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings. 7th ed. (Reep 2006)
Technical Writing: Process and Product. 4th ed. (Gerson and Gerson 2002)