Plan Complex Documents

Whilst the length, format, and order of the document may vary according to what you are trying to achieve, there are similar basic requirements in every document. This includes following your organisation's policies, procedures, and preferred format. This will help to ensure consistency and productivity while writing. When writing complex documents, it is always essential to determine your document's audience, purpose, and requirements before writing.

Let us consider each of these in more detail.

Audience

Knowing your audience is an essential part of the planning process. It is too easy to forget who you are writing to when you are engrossed in writing your document. However, this can be avoided when you consider who your audience is. You must first determine who you are writing to so you establish how your document will appear in writing. Your document needs to be reader-friendly, which is why you must ensure that you have a specific audience in mind. Remember, the way you write can impact how they understand what you have written.

Writing documents always involves rhetorical decisions (the way words are used to persuade the audience). For example, the way you address an executive in a business letter will differ from how you address your colleagues in an email. Knowing who your audience is can help you adjust how you approach certain situations based on your audience's expectations.

Purpose

Your purpose is the single reason for writing your document and refers to what you intend to achieve. Selecting your goal is a crucial step in writing. Expressing your purpose in one clear and concise statement will clarify your thoughts and prepare you for the next steps. Keep a note of your purpose in clear view while working to check to ensure you are not drifting off course. If you discover that your writing has taken you in a different direction, stop and reassess what you are trying to achieve.

The various uses of documents that you will learn about in this unit include:

• Conveying research findings
• Influencing attitudes, opinions, and beliefs
• Meeting legal requirements
• Meeting other data, information, or knowledge needs of an audience
• Proposing recommendations, options, and actions.

Select the headings to learn more about each.

Requirements

Choosing the right style, format, and structure can help you make an excellent first impression on your readers. They can also help you convey a sense of professionalism when writing your document. Each document type has requirements, whether it is a specific format, writing style, or genre.

You can communicate your thoughts better by following the requirements set by your organisation. These requirements of documents may include those in the following list.

• Genre
• Proformas and standard reporting requirements
• File types and sizes
• Languages other than English
• Layout and format
• Writing styles
• Visuals and graphics
• Page numbers
• References, citations and footnotes
• Rules and conventions
• Policies and procedures
• Style guides.

Let us look at each of these in more detail.

Genre

A 'genre' is a socially agreed upon and recognised form of communication that people have developed over time to communicate more effectively and efficiently with one another. There are many communication genres, including speech genres and genres of writing. An email message would be an example of a genre of writing.

A genre consists of formatting and structure.

• Formatting: Formatting refers to how the contents of a document are arranged and laid out on the page and whether the contents are visually appealing based on their arrangement and layout and the styles used to present the information (i.e., font style, use of lists and columns, spacing, etc.). Formatting can be reproduced as a template, however, a template provides little or no assistance to writers for generating the content of their documents.
• Structure: The term' structure' refers to the set of topics that readers of a particular genre of writing expect to find included. When you imagine an outline or a table of contents for a document, you also imagine a structure. Structures can help writers generate and organise their documents' content. The structure is made up of sections, subsections, paragraphs, sentences, lists.

When you need to write an unfamiliar document at work, collect similar documents produced by others in the organisation. Observe these documents to determine what they have in common, how they differ and most importantly, why they differ when they do.¹ The level of formality you write with should be determined by your audience's expectations and the document's purpose.²

Proformas and standardised reporting requirements

All organisations have fixed rules, regulations, and requirements. Understanding how these are implemented is a crucial step in the planning process.

• Proforma: A proforma is most often used to describe a practice or document provided as a courtesy and tends to be performed routinely and is considered a formality. For example, a commitment to customer satisfaction statement at the end of all emails.
• Standardised reporting requirements: Standard Business Reporting (SBR) is a standard approach to online or digital record-keeping that the Australian government introduced in 2010 to simplify business reporting obligations. SBR incorporates common terms in government legislation and reporting. These terms link to terms in the business/accounting software creating consistency for business and government.

File types and sizes

Most businesses will have preferences for the types of files that can be sent or stored online. This especially applies to graphic files. The size may also be important because the sending and receiving systems must have the capacity to send and receive. If there is a need for items to be altered (or not) will impact the choices of software used. For example, if nothing is permitted to be changed, you would convert a file to PDF. Ensure that you are clearly aware of and strictly adhere to the requirements of your business.

Languages other than English

Microsoft Office supports the typing and editing of text in any language supported by Microsoft Windows. Although your Microsoft Office program tries to automatically identify each piece of text that you type with the correct language, there are things you can do to assist. Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office should be set up with the necessary functionality and settings before working with text in another language.

However, your organisation may prefer to use a translation service. Regardless, professional proofing is essential.

Format and layout

Formatting refers to how the contents of a document are arranged on the page. This concerns whether the contents are visually appealing based on their arrangements and layout. It also concerns the styles used to present the information (i.e., font style, use of lists and columns, spacing, etc.).

Factors to consider when formatting your document include:

• graphics placement
• margin size
• indentation use
• text justification.

Your document's layout refers to the overall look of your page – from the typefaces you choose to your effective use of white space. The term 'white space' refers to empty space on the page. White space shows your organisation and section breaks visually. It also emphasises important ideas and presents your ideas in more manageable bits. Readers react favourably toward white space. For example, readers would be more inclined to read one that set out the main points with headings and indentations.

The following table lists points of comparison to help you distinguish a well-formatted document from one that is poorly formatted.

Point of comparison	Well-formatted document	Poorly formatted document
Readability	A well-formatted document directs the reader's eyes to the information that follows a previously read passage. This makes it easier for readers to understand the complete thought of the text.	A poorly formatted document makes it difficult for readers to identify which information follows what was previously read. This makes it difficult for readers to understand what the writer intended to say with the document.
Cohesion	A well-formatted document uses uniform standards for formatting (e.g. font size, font). This allows readers to know that each document's content is related to each other and aims to discuss the same things.	A poorly formatted document uses different standards for different parts of the text. If the formatting becomes too different, readers would have trouble understanding if individual sections are still connected.
Appearance	A well-formatted document is visually appealing. It directs a reader's eyes efficiently from one section of the document to the next. The chances of readers reading the content of the document also increase.	A poorly formatted document looks disorganised and unprofessional. Readers may dismiss the document without reading the content.

Visuals and graphics

Including visuals in your document helps attract readers and enables you to save space when writing text. Visuals help link knowledge and raw data together. When using visuals in your document, ensure that they are:

• appropriate
• able to be interpreted correctly
• artfully arranged
• labelled, titled, or captioned
• properly cited and referenced.

Page numbering

All documents that are more than a couple of pages long should have page numbers and a contents list (table of contents) linking page numbers to sections of the text. Long letters, memos, or faxes will also need page numbers. Numbered sections will also provide quick access when discussing the report with somebody who may ask you to look at a specific section. You must also remember to outline your document's content according to your organisation's preferred style.

References, footnotes, and citations

• References: A referencing style is a set of rules telling you how to acknowledge the thoughts, ideas, and works of others in a particular way by citing your sources. Referencing is a crucial part of successful business writing.
• Footnotes: Footnotes are superscript numbers ^{1, 2, 3} placed within the body of text. They can be used as a form of citation in certain citation styles or as a provider of additional information.
• Citations: A citation is a formal reference to a published or unpublished source that you consulted and obtained information from while writing.

There are different referencing styles, including APA (American Psychological Association) or Harvard. Your organisation will have a preferred option.

Rules and conventions

When it comes to writing in English, it is always important to follow standard rules and conventions.

• Rules: In writing, rules refer to a set of guidelines that must be followed whenever specific conditions are met.
• Conventions: Conventions, on the other hand, refer to grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and capitalisation. They help make your writing comprehensible and understandable.

When writing in English, consider the following. Select each reading to read more.

Writing styles and Plain English

Writing styles

Select the following headings to learn about the four common writing styles.

Note, however, that writers may produce text that combines these styles. Recognising different styles and discerning what a given piece of writing aims to accomplish will help you become a critical reader and a stronger writer. The following video is a light-hearted presentation on the four writing styles. It is aimed at school students, but the information supports what is outlined in the previous table.

What is plain English?

Plain English is a style of writing in which the language, structure, and presentation of a document all work together to help the reader. A document written in plain English is easy to read, understand, and act upon after just one reading.⁵ When writing in plain English, you should:

• use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar
• use short sentences and paragraph
• use headings and breaks to signal or signpost sections
• avoid unfamiliar jargon or provide definitions of jargon or specialist terms
• use tables, visuals and graphics where appropriate to replace or support text.

Apps such as Grammarly can also assist you to write in plain English.

Policies and procedures

What do they mean?

• Policies: Policies are statements that state a set of principles that help organisations achieve their set goals and objectives. They are a precise plan of action that guides the decisions and achieves outcome(s). They clearly state the goals and conditions and are like a report in length. They are also formally written and may use very technical language.
• Procedures: Procedures, meanwhile, are a list of steps an employee must adhere to when completing a particular task or activity defined by an organisation. They are detailed actions that must be executed in the same manner to obtain the same result described in the policy. These are written to make the policy workable and achieve the intention of the policy.

It is easy to get confused by the differences between policies and procedures. Refer to the following guide to differentiate policies from procedures:

Point of comparison	Policies	Procedures
Frequency of change	Rarely changes once finalised and implemented	Frequently changed and updated for continuous development
Conditions needed for best implementation	Best implemented when all employees fully accept the requirements written within it	Best implemented when they are created and listed in a logical process that can be easily followed
What it reflects	Reflects and supports the fulfilment of an organisation's mission statement	Represents a policy statement's practical application

If you are unsure of the policies or procedures that apply to documentation in your workplace, ask a more experienced co-worker to assist or refer to your organisation's guidelines or manuals.

Style guides

A style guide is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. It is used to guide internal or external communications or documentation, for example, in marketing and branding. Like policies and procedures, they provide rules and guidance, including planning, drafting, and finalising documents. A style guide encourages a standard approach to write a document and keep a consistent format, style, and structure. It may provide templates for completing documents.

In this topic we will discuss further:

• what is meant by format, style and structure
• the purpose of a style guide
• the purpose of templates.

We also discuss the key features of written communication methods, including those in the following list.

• General emails
• Procedures
• Business letters
• Meeting agendas
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Business cases
• Reports.

Your document's visual appeal affects how your message is conveyed to your audience. Your audience will more easily understand what you are writing if it is presented in a visually appealing way. When it comes to how your text is presented, it is essential to consider your document's required format, style, and structure.

The following sections will discuss these requirements.

Format

As mentioned, formatting refers to how the contents of a document are arranged and laid out on the page and whether the contents are visually appealing based on their arrangements and layout and the styles used to present the information (i.e., font style, use of lists and columns, spacing, etc.). Your organisation may have specific formatting requirements such as using a specific font or the way you use bullet lists. The format may also depend on the purpose of the document. For example, a profit and loss statement will use a particular way to record numerical figures.

Standard formatting conventions

• Traditional fonts such as Calibri, Times New Roman or Arial
• Font sizes 10-12 font size
• Left-aligned text
• Single-spaced paragraphs
• Consistent line spacing
• Short headings use a larger bold font.

Capitalisation

Capitalisation will vary between writer preferences and organisational requirements. Many contemporary style guides require minimal use of capitalisation in written texts. Let us look at the general formatting guidelines on capitalisation in the Bounce Fitness Style Guide.

• Use capitalisation on proper names, including names of a department, e.g., Operations Department and at the beginning of sentences.
• Do not capitalise job roles/titles in between sentences, unless used as a form of address, e.g., Director John Murphy, Governor Edwards. Otherwise, it should be in lowercase.

The following video will expand on how to format a business document. Note the emphasis on consistent formatting.

Style

The term style can be used in several ways. Firstly, style can refer to the four common writing styles:

• Expository (straightforward information and data)
• Descriptive (detailed)
• Narrative (storytelling)
• Persuasive (present evidence and justification to back up an opinion and which may lead to a call to action).

The following tables lists when these styles may be applied but remember a document may contain more than one style!

Style	Document
Expository	Financial report, sales report
Descriptive	Market analysis, incident reports, project plan
Narrative	Promotional materials, testimonials
Persuasive	Business case

However, when writing documents, the term 'style' is used more broadly and distinguishing the difference between a document's format and style can often be confusing.

Style also focuses on the format of citations. For example, people in scientific fields of study use the APA style in writing to report or review research. They use this writing style since it quickly cites scientific sources and encourages a straightforward communication approach. Businesses will generally use the Harvard referencing style.

The following video from Swinburne explains how to reference using the Harvard Style Referencing Guide.

Standard writing style

There are standard writing style criteria that apply to any document type.

• Use language that is appropriate for the audience and purpose of the document
• Explain the purpose of the document
• Present ideas and information logically
• Use headings and numbering to signpost information
• Use visuals and graphics that are appropriate for the document
• Use appropriate referencing style
• Use templates where available
• Refer to your organisation’s style guide.

Structure

There are different ways to define ‘structure’. When you imagine an outline or a table of contents for a document, you also imagine a structure. Structures can help writers generate and organise their documents' content. In this topic, we use the term ‘structure’ to refer to how a document is organised or sequenced into logical and predictable graphical parts. The sections will appear in the Table of Contents.

Standard document structure

• Sections
• Subsections
• Paragraphs
• Sentences
• Bulleted lists.

Key features of written communication methods

General emails

Email is an abbreviation of electronic mail and is used to send small amounts of information. This can be expanded by using the attachment function to attach documents. It is usually reserved for less formal communication but the use in a formal sense is growing and gaining approval.

Emails can be formal or informal text, but both will include specific criteria.

• From: Your email address
• To: The receivers email address
• CC: Carbon Copy. This will be the email address of the receiver you would like to carbon copy into this email. Carbon copy simply means to include someone to receive the email which it is not formally addressed to but needs to be included in the communications.
• BCC: Blind Carbon Copy. The email address of the receiver you would like to blind carbon copy into this email. Receivers in the ‘To’ or ‘CC’ sections cannot see receivers in the ‘BCC’ section.
• Subject: The subject of the email.
• Message: This will include a greeting to address the receiver, the message in the body of the text, and an email closing. The formality of the email will depend on who your audience is, and the message you are sending to them.

General procedures

There are many templates for creating procedures and every organisation will have their preferred format, style and structure. However, the following Bounce Fitness template for writing a procedure provides a systematic way to write a procedure.

Procedure Title	Short and straightforward. It must reflect what the instructions are about   Written in title case, e.g., Instructions for Scanning Documents, or How to Scan Documents.
Purpose of the Procedure	Describe why the procedure was created and when it must be followed
Audience	Include who must follow the procedures listed.
Related policies and procedures or other information sources	List any related policies and procedures, legislation, relevant information such as websites or videos.
Procedure	Use a numbered list (i.e., 1, 2, 3…) to write the steps.   Steps must be written in a logical, step-by-step order.   Use simple sentences and words to write instructions.   Start your instructions with action words, e.g., Open the file from your computer.   Use boldface to emphasise important points in your steps.   Visuals or images may be used but need to comply with the Style Guide.

General business letters

When writing business letters, remember to keep things short, simple, and accurate. It is also important to strictly follow the formats in which they are written. The block format is the most common layout being used when writing business letters. It consists of eight main parts.

• Letterhead: Letterheads are commonly found at the very top of business letters. They contain the business logo of the sender company, the company name, as well as where the company is located. This can be a full or shortened address (containing only the state/territory). The letterhead should also contain your information. Here, you can write your name, job title, email address, phone number, company name, and return address.
• Current date: Including the current date is important because it informs the recipient of when the letter was sent. This is useful since it helps them know when they should respond, and it also helps them document your correspondence.
• Inside address: The inside address includes the recipient’s name, position, and address. When writing your recipient’s name, always remember to include personal titles like Mr., Dr., Engr., or Ms., especially for cases wherein the recipient’s name is not available.
• Salutation: Salutations are found right before the message body. This section identifies the recipient of the letter. Recipients listed can be very specific, such as a single person and their position in their company, a team or department, or it can be left vague if the sender is unsure as to who to address the letter to.
• Body: A letter’s body contains your purpose in writing your document. For business letters, always remember to keep your message short and simple. You can begin your letter with a friendly opening before transitioning into your main purpose.
• Closing: Closing statements usually appear two lines below your body’s last line. Examples of closures include Yours truly, Regards, Sincerely, and Best wishes. Always remember to capitalise only the first letter of your closing statement and end the line with a comma.
• Signature: Signatures are placed at the very end and indicate the end of the letter. This contains information about the sender such as their name, position, and often also contains the sender’s contact details for the recipient’s response. Remember to affix a signature at the end of your document. Allot about four to five spaces for your signature and use only blue or black ink.
• Identification: Your identification should contain your typed name with your title located below it. You can also affix your email address or phone number instead of your title if you wish.

Here is a sample letter for reference.

General meeting agendas

Meeting agendas are written to discuss the topics covered in a meeting. A meeting agenda has three main parts.

• Basic information: This part contains your meeting’s date, start time, and location. It is important to include these in your meeting agenda because they inform your attendees of where and when your meeting is. Without this, attendees might miss the meeting or arrive late.
• Agenda details: Your agenda details contain your meeting’s goals. Here, you may identify the expected time frame each goal should be discussed. You may also identify the speakers who will be leading each discussion.
• End of meeting review: This contains your meeting’s end time and a recap of what was discussed in your meeting. Here, you may also identify areas in the discussion that may need improvement. You may also identify things that you and your team did well during the meeting.

Here is a sample general meeting agenda for reference.

General PowerPoint presentations

Organisations will usually provide a template for PowerPoint presentations that include a preferred format, style and structure. A standard logo will be provided and text boxes may be set up with a prescribed font. A recommended standard format includes:

• limiting content to at least two sentences or three to five bullet points per page
• using font sizes 30pt or larger
• limiting font styles (italics, bold, underline) to at least one per slide
• including headings and subheadings (if required)
• using plain English and language suitable for the audience.

There are three main steps to creating a PowerPoint presentation.

1. Select the title page, and add images if required
2. To duplicate the slide for including body text, go to the top menu bar then ‘Insert > Duplicate Slide’. This will create a new slide with the body page style.
3. Create your presentation.

General business cases

Business cases are written to capture the rationale for initiating a task, project or other business activity. They should be presented in a well-structured written document and often accompanied by a presentation (for example a PPT presentation to senior management). There are different templates for writing a business case which can range from simple to highly complex documents. They all provide a structure for researching and presenting a clear and comprehensive document to stakeholders.

Your business case should include four major sections. Select the headings to learn more about each section.

Reports

A report is a piece of informative writing which means that the audience wants to find out information and sometimes act on the information provided in the report. Business reports are formal or problem-solving reports. Your investigation may be a series of observations at work, a site visit to a supplier, or research into a process or a new product or service. They will all need to report specific information.

A business report will have specific sections based on the requirements of the organisation and the purpose of the report. However, they will typically include most of the following sections. To learn more about each select the following headings.

Using visuals and graphics

Writing reports is as much about visual communication as it is about written communication! Much of what a reader learns from a report is conveyed through the structure which includes the headings, lists and bullet points and through findings which are usually conveyed in tables, graphs and diagrams.

The following table lists common visuals and where they are good to use and where not.⁶

Type	Good for	Not good for
Tables	Presenting exact numbers	Showing overall trends
Line graphs	Showing changes over time or how two variables interact	Showing precise numbers
Bar charts	Showing comparisons between the total amounts in different categories	Showing complex multiple comparisons on a single graph
Pie charts	Showing large-scale relative proportions	Showing the size of the whole ‘cake’, total figures of fine differences in proportions
Photos	Illustrating what things look like in real life	Detailed and precise technical representations
Diagrams	Representing complex processes and detailed information in visual form	Showing ‘real life’ three-dimensional perspectives
Maps and plans	Showing spatial representations and geographical locations	Showing ‘real life’ three-dimensional perspectives

When it comes time to review your draft and final documents check it has a predictable and logical structure. Pay attention to how the content is laid out on the page, and the sequence used to present information to the reader.

Templates

Templates can also assist by providing a pre-determined structure to follow. A template is a file that serves as a starting point for a new document. The purpose of using templates is to save time and provide consistency. In other words, a template controls the overall format, style and structure of a document. It also provides the framework that brings together common elements, modules and components.

The Bounce Fitness Style Guide provides the required structure for the most common organisational documents, listed below.

• Reports
• Letters
• PowerPoints
• Business case
• Emails
• Agendas
• Meeting minutes
• Procedures.

Methods of communication usually refer to verbal, non-verbal, written, visual and listening communication. In this topic, we discussing written communication and refer to the methods we identified previously.

• General emails
• Procedures
• Business letters
• Meeting agendas
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Business cases
• Reports. 

Written communication occurs daily, so it is essential to know how to communicate your purpose clearly and effectively. In addition to choosing the most appropriate method to suit the purpose and audience, you must also choose software that will help you write and communicate your preferred communication method.

Common software

There are many types of software that are available in the market today. Each type has its purpose of assisting you in achieving your goals.

MS Word

Microsoft Word or MS Word (often called Word) is a graphical word processing program that users can type with. It is made by the computer company Microsoft. The purpose of MS Word is to allow users to type and save documents. Similar to other word processors, it has helpful tools and functions to create documents.⁷

• Font: This function allows a user to change the styles (e.g., bold, italic, etc.), design, size of the words in their document. This function also allows the user to add specific effects (such as adding shadows or an embossing effect) to the words in their document.
• Bullets: This function emphasises or highlights certain words, sentences, or phrases by putting them in a list and preceding them with a heavy dot or another such symbol.
• Header and footer: These allow the addition of text or even graphics in the upper and bottom margins of a page. These are used to indicate page numbers.
• Spell-check: This function enables the user to catch spelling errors in the document easily.

MS Excel

Excel is a spreadsheet program in the Microsoft Office system. You can use Excel to create and format workbooks (a collection of spreadsheets) to analyse data and make more informed business decisions.⁸

Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a popular app used by graphic designers to create projects in digital and print formats. It is made for creating magazines, newspapers, flyers, posters, brochures, and various types of documents, images, and illustrations. You may download Adobe InDesign on both Mac and Windows computers.

MS PowerPoint

When you create a presentation using PowerPoint, the presentation is made up of a series of slides. The slides that you create using PowerPoint can also be presented as overhead transparencies or 35mm slides. In addition to slides, you can print audience handouts, outlines, and speaker's notes.⁹A PowerPoint template is a pattern or blueprint of a slide or group of slides you save as a .ptx file. Templates can contain layouts, theme colours, theme fonts, theme effects, background styles, and even content. You can create your custom templates and store, reuse, and share them with others.¹⁰

The design of a text must cater to its content. However, the design must also be geared to what you can do with your software. It is no good planning a multi-column document if you do not have the software to produce one. Ensure that you are informed of the different types of desktop publishing software to match what you use with what you want to make.

Desktop publishing software

There are three different classes of desktop publishing software.

• Word-processing: This type of software is commonly used for more straightforward documents. Word processing software is also used for correspondence and for finalising text.
• Drawing: Drawing software is used for creating visuals, graphics, drawings, digital art, and other illustrations. What makes this type of software great is that it allows you to isolate and move some aspects of a picture.
• Page makeup: This type of software is used to make complex layouts, reports, and tables. It is also used in preparing posters or charts that combine pictures with small amounts of text. If you combine software, check carefully for compatibility; make sure your page makeup software will take in text and illustrations from your word-processing and drawing software.

Your content is the most essential part of your document. A content overview helps you organise the data you want to present in your document. It lists out the ideas you want to convey to your audience (often through bullet points or numbered lists). Think of your content overview as your strategy in creating your document. It helps you:

• identify your target audience, purpose and goals in writing your document
• tailor your content to suit your audience better
• identify and refer to relevant information sources.

Because of this, always ensure to create a content overview before you begin writing.

Basic 5-step step model to create a simple content overview

Developing a content overview does not happen overnight. It takes time to think of ideas and link them together. The steps to creating a content overview will depend on organisational requirements and what the organisation considers essential to include. The five steps to creating a content overview are shown in the following table.

Step	Description
Step 1: Brainstorm topics you might want to cover in your document	The first and most essential step to creating a content overview is thinking of what you want to write.   You can begin brainstorming content for your document by thinking of keyword phrases of topics you might want to talk about. There is no need to be specific during this step. You only need to jot down any idea you have that may make for a good piece of writing.
Step 2: Narrow your topics down to your main idea	After brainstorming potential ideas that you might want to write about, you may then begin narrowing these ideas down. Narrow your ideas down based on what you think matters most. You may establish the idea you choose to go with by basing your content's body on your chosen topic. Here, you may also bullet points or headings of what you want to discuss per chapter or section of your document.
Step 3: Create an outline of the subtopics you want to discuss	The next step to creating general bullet points for your document's body is to develop subtopics that will help you expound on your discussion. Here, you may add levels beneath your main topic. Doing so will help you narrow down what you want to discuss. The more detailed your subtopics are, the less time you will spend comparing your content to your sources. You may also choose to add even more levels to your outline if you want to make your discussion more specific.
Step 4: Think of a title	After you get an idea of what you want to write about, you may begin thinking about your document's title. When creating your document's title, ensure that it catches your audience's attention. A compelling title should be:  short and catchy   reflect the tone of your writing   describe your content  contain key words.
Step 5: Think of the introduction and conclusion	Once you think of a title and have bulleted your headings and subheadings, you may begin writing your document's introduction and conclusion. Your introduction and conclusion are essential parts of your document.   Your introduction informs your audience of what they can expect from your document.  On the other hand, your conclusion reminds your audience of what your paper's all about and why your topic is important.

How information is selected and presented can impact how your message is conveyed to your audience. Readers can easily misunderstand your message if your information is presented poorly or incorrectly. Because of this, it is important always to be aware of how you collect and present your information to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts with your audience.

Selecting information

Maintaining an unbiased opinion on your subject plays a significant role in writing documents. Regardless of what type of document you are writing, one should remain objective and avoid presenting a personal preference when communicating your purpose. Select the following headings for tips on selecting and using information free from bias.

Classifying data

What is data? The term data is used in different ways, and so definitions vary considerably. Data can be described as facts, figures, or information stored in or used by a computer; or facts, figures or information found in evidence, records, statistics, etc., from which conclusions can be inferred.

When writing a complex document, you must always classify your data according to the category to which they belong. This will significantly help you with writing a cohesive document that is easy to read. Data can be categorised into two categories.

• Qualitative or categorical data
• Quantitative or numerical data.

These are briefly described.

Qualitative or categorical data

Data under this category would describe the qualities or characteristics of something discussed or observed. This kind of data is observable and difficult to count or measure accurately. Examples of this can include colour, quality, names, or sex.

Qualitative tools and techniques 

• Interviews
• Groups
• Autobiography
• Observations
• Written documents.

Quantitative or numerical data

Data under this category would answer questions that relate to exact measurements or quantities. This data is often collected and presented using instruments that show accurate measurements, including rulers, thermometers, or questionnaires with rating scales.

Sequencing data

Always follow a logical sequence when presenting your ideas. For context, a sequence refers to succession or order. In writing, this refers to how your thoughts are arranged throughout your paragraphs. There are several commonly used sequences when writing:

• Chronological
• Order of importance
• Cause and effect.

What do these mean? A brief description follows.

Chronological

Chronological sequences refer to an order of time. Under this method, one must first identify how they want to present data according to the time it occurred – from present to the oldest data or from the oldest up to the present. After deciding on that, data can then be ordered based on when they occurred.

This sequence is helpful when you want to arrange your thoughts in steps. They can also be used to enumerate points in your argument. You can use transitional devices when using this type of sequence. For example, you want to enumerate reasons why dishwashing soap must be used in wash plates and might write:

People should use dishwashing soap for many reasons. First, dishwashing soap is mild. It will not irritate your skin or cause allergies. Second, dishwashing soap is cheaper than other household cleaners. You can easily buy them at any supermarket. Lastly, dishwashing soap is a good disinfectant, and it can be used for many purposes.

Compare this to when you want to provide instructions on how dishwashing soap can be used to wash plates.

1. First, gather all your dirty dishes and put them in your sink.
2. Second, rinse all the dirty dishes with water.
3. Third, use dishwashing soap to remove dirt from your plates.
4. Lastly, wash your plates and arrange them on your dishrack.

Order of importance

Data ordered using this method is based on how important they are to the reason for the presentation. Data can be ordered from most to least important or from least important to most important.

Cause and effect

Data ordered using this method is first categorised into 1) data that occurred first and thus caused a change and 2) data that occurred because of the change, in other words, the effect. Data that caused change are then often presented first to build up to presenting the data that occurred afterwards.

The different ways of sequencing information can prove to be very useful in writing complex documents. You must never forget to match your chosen sequence depending on the type of document you are writing. For example, you may also choose to follow a cause-and-effect sequence when writing a report or a paper.

Key points for this topic

• Your purpose is the single reason for writing your document.
• You must first determine your audience so you can establish how your document will appear in writing.
• You can communicate your thoughts better by following the requirements set by your organisation (for example, in a style guide)
• Communicating your purpose involves using the best software that will help you write your document.
• Regardless of what type of document you are writing, you should remain objective and avoid presenting a personal preference when communicating your purpose.

The final activity for this topic is a set of questions that will help you prepare for your formal assessment.