B211 Guidelines for Programming

Guidelines for Reports

Content

Completeness - how much material (facts and opinions) you include, ALL of which must be relevant to the topic/question.

Conciseness - how much you write to make your point. It is usually very tiring to have to read long-winded passages just to get one point.

Clarity - how easy is it for the reader to understand what you are saying.

Currency - how up-to-date your data is, and whether there are newer findings which makes what you say obsolete.
In most cases, you must find a happy balance between the first three criteria, sacrificing one for another. For example, by writing pages and pages describing a certain concept (ie. for clarity), the passage becomes cumbersome (ie. no conciseness) and less appealing to read. Or if you include pages and pages of facts (ie. for completeness), the point you are trying to make may get lost (ie. no clarity).

The fourth criterion usually does not conflict the first three - you should always strive to have the most up-to-date data.

Also, for all your contents, make sure you reference all sources of your material. All material regurgitated from web-sites and other sources with only minor changes will not be assessed. All material not referenced is deem to be plagiarism, and is subject to disciplinary action.

Presentation

Tidiness- clean, properly-collated pages; legible text, tables and diagrams (if any).

Structure- have proper sections of title, author, date of report, introduction, ending/conclusion, references, appendices (some may not be necessary in very short passages); clear sections in the main body using paragraphs and indentations; use sub-headings if appropriate.

The above criteria (content must be complete, concise, clear, and current; presentation must be tidy and structured) applies in many cases for reports and essays. If you think about it, it also applies to program source code. Keep them in mind when you write in the future.

H.L. Hiew
Unit Coordinator