Ieee memo format

Memo Format Description, ENGR 2367 Page 1

To: Name(s) of reader(s)/audience From: Name(s) of writer(s) Date: May 6, 2017 (always write out the month; do not include superscript on date) Subject: Example memo format, including tips and directions This document is an example of the format for a typical memo for this class. Always begin your memos with a brief description of its purpose and scope. The text below provides directions for how to format the memo’s text and information about images and citations. Memo text basics Notice that there is more white space before the heading above than after. The white space is one way to help visually organize the information, thus helping the reader to find the information they seek. Use this as a guide for headings in memos and other documents for this course. Helping the reader to get the message is the prime objective of technical communication.

• For this course, memo text should be in standard font style and 11-­‐12 point font size. • Headings should be in 12-­‐14 point font size and bolded. Every memo should feature headings. • Memos use a blocked style: paragraphs are not indented, and there’s a line of white space between

paragraphs. • Paragraphs should be short; 7-­‐10 physical lines long is the typical maximum. • Memos longer than one page must include a footer listing page number and title or purpose of the

memo. Memos often contain:

• Bulleted lists • Numbered lists • Color for emphasis • Images, charts, tables and other visuals with clear labels and descriptive captions

Information about citations It is vital to your academic and career success that you provide information about where you have found information and images of any kind that you use in your assignments. In the USA, citing your sources is required in any academic or work environment. NB: Most memos for this class will not require citations. Therefore, cite every source of information that you have directly quoted, summarized, or paraphrased from any credible source using APA Citation Format. If in doubt, cite the source, even if your source is me! However, in general, for this course, your memos will only rarely have anything to cite. You can find information about paraphrasing and summarizing at this address: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/9/ Information about APA can be found on the OSU Libraries website, Citation Guides area, on our Carmen site, or in your textbook Appendix, or at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/9/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Memo Format Description, ENGR 2367 Page 2

NB: If you wish to use IEEE citation format, please discuss this with me. It may be reasonable to do so, but I must be notified of your interest in advance. IEEE format is described in your textbook appendix. There are easy-­‐to-­‐use web interfaces for formatting bibliographic information in APA format. Be sure when using any service to help you build a Works Cited list to choose APA format. Please note: citation generators can be useful, but they can often have missing information as well. Always double check any citation before submitting an assignment. See Figure 1 below as is example of an image inserted into this memo and labeled with a Figure number and caption.

Figure 1: Bibme.org website banner (n.d.) Below is an example of an image reference for the image inserted above. The citation below is an example of a Citation that would appear on a References list. A References list for APA format is arranged in alphabetical order using the author’s last name or the first word of the title. In a memo, the References usually come at the very end of the document, after the conclusion (see the References list example below the conclusion). Conclusion Always provide some type of conclusion for each memo. This does not have to be very long, but it should do more than simply regurgitate the content of the memo. See the paragraph below for what a conclusion for this specific memo might look like. This memo has provided the reader with details about memo format and content for ENGR 2367. Though many of the conventions highlighted in this document are common across contexts—such as purpose statements, headings, and block formatting—some details are unique to our particular context. Always be sure to confirm the format and content expectations when composing a memo for a different course or in the workplace.