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Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports Authors’ guide for NCVER research rep

Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports 2 Contents Writing style 3 Audience 3 Editing 3 Data checking 4 Templates 4 Report structure 5 Referencing 6 Graphics 7 A to Z of NCVER’s publications style guide 8 Introduction “Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought.” The Economist Style Guide <http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=673899> This guide is for researchers preparing reports according to NCVER style, which aims to make them informative and readable for our target audiences—primarily policy-makers and practitioners in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Please read this guide before starting your report. Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports 3 Substantial edit As a guide, this includes: Â Â ensuring that the educated layperson can understand what is written Â Â ensuring the accuracy of what has been written and examining the text for any legal issues, where necessary Â Â restructuring the document to aid natural progression of the argument, if necessary Â Â making sure that the executive summary is a stand-alone document and can be easily understood Copy edit As a guide, this involves: Â Â looking at sense and suggesting alternative wording for clarity of meaning, where necessary Â Â correcting grammar, spelling and checking cross references Â Â replacing unnecessary acronyms and ensuring that those used are explained in full Â Â checking for consistency throughout the document Â Â making sure tables and graphs are easily understood Â Â checking table and figure numbers run consecutively Â Â checking tables and graphs for headings and consistent presentation Â Â checking that the reference system has been used correctly and all details are included Â Â checking that NCVER’s house style has been applied correctly Â Â checking that the contents page has the appropriate entries. Writing style NCVER published reports should: Â Â be written in plain English for the educated layperson Â Â be simple, clear and concise Â Â contain a strong line of argument and tell a good story Â Â be based on evidence, not opinion Â Â use acronyms as sparingly as possible Â Â use minimal capitalisation. Audience NCVER promotes research reports to a wide audience, including policy-makers, education specialists, teachers and trainers, education and training providers and employers. Reports need to be easily accessible to this range of readers. Where the subject matter is highly technical, it should be accompanied by a clear presentation and analysis of the research findings. Technical reports are produced as supporting documents (see ‘Support documents’ section). Editing It is a contractual requirement that external researchers follow good professional practice and submit reports to NCVER after they have been given a substantial edit according to NCVER style and using NCVER templates. Reports will then be subjected to NCVER’s quality assurance procedures. As part of the publication process, NCVER will give the final report a copy edit. Should a more substantial edit be required, NCVER will arrange this but at the researcher’s expense. The report will also be proofread just prior to publishing. See below for definitions of different types of editing. Write clearly and concisely, with a general audience in mind. Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports 4 Your report will also undergo NCVER’s own data checking procedures. It is our policy to check all NCVER data that are cited in a report. This involves checking the accuracy against the original data, whether it is cited from another NCVER report or gained through a data request. It also involves a check of all data references in the text against data reported in tables. NCVER will not check data sourced from other places. This is solely the author’s responsibility. Templates Reports must be submitted using NCVER’s templates. These are available at <http://www. ncver.edu.au/research/information/templates. html>. The NCVER template provides the essential house style elements for formatting your report in Word for Windows and for Macintosh. It includes pre-set type styles for: Â Â text (with automatic paragraph spacing) Â Â headings Â Â dot points Â Â tables Â Â quotes Â Â references. If you are unsure of how to apply the style sheet, please contact our production help desk on (08) 8230 8417. Blurbs You will need to supply a blurb when submitting your final report, which is then displayed on the web with the report in NCVER’s publications catalogue. Blurbs are important because they are usually the reader’s first point of contact with a report and will help them to decide whether it is of interest to them. Proofread As a guide, this includes: Â Â correcting any typographical errors Â Â checking that placement of figures, diagrams, tables etc. are satisfactory Â Â checking that page lengths are suitable, and that formatting and the contents page are correct Â Â checking that the imprint page has the necessary details Â Â checking that page numbers and footers are correct. Basic style guidelines To help speed up the editing process, please follow these commonly missed style tips. Â Â NCVER promotes acronym-free reports. Where acronyms must be used, they should be spelt out in full the first time they are used. Â Â Use minimal capitalisation throughout. Â Â Don’t add extra line space after each paragraph (the template will automatically generate a space). Â Â Don’t use colour without consultation with your NCVER project officer. Â Â For more details about NCVER’s writing ‘house style’, see the ‘A to Z of NCVER’s publications style guide’ section. Data checking In addition to editing your report, you will need to check the accuracy of all data. This includes checking any data cited against the source (if it has been cited from elsewhere) and also checking that any data mentioned in the text match data reported in tables. Keep your report acronym free and use minimal capatilisation. Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports 5 The blurb should be a maximum of 100 words and include: Â Â an introductory context sentence, where necessary—for example, a technical report discussing recognition of prior learning would need a sentence explaining what this term means Â Â the aim of the study Â Â one or two of the main findings. It should be clear and jargon-free, for anyone to understand, and methodology should not be included. Report structure Title page The title of your report should give the reader a clear idea about its contents. Keep it short and succinct (no more than 14 words including subtitle). Ensure the authors are cited in order of their contribution to the report. Only include those who have made a significant contribution. List those whose contribution has been minor under the Acknowledgments section. Arrange authors’ names in alphabetical order if all contributed equally. Imprint page Also known as the reverse title, this is for printing and copyright details. NCVER will fill in the necessary information required here. Discuss with the NCVER project officer when special copyright permission is required. About the research All NCVER publications carry an introduction from the Managing Director, which places the report in context and distils its key messages. This section is written by NCVER. Authors will see this page during the pre-production process. Acknowledgments Use acknowledgments sparingly. They should outline those who have given particular help with your report, not necessarily everyone involved in it. Contents Entries should be in sentence case—first word capitalised; the rest in lower case. A contents page is automatically generated in the template. Â Â Cite only first and second-level headings. Â Â List any tables and figures separately after the general contents. Executive summary (for standard reports) Most reports will include an executive summary of no more than three pages. This should stand alone as a synopsis of the research and its key findings. Abstracts (for Monograph series reports) Monograph series reports will include an abstract instead of an executive summary. It is important to stress that monographs should be written with the same audiences in mind—policy-makers and practitioners, rather than academics. Body of the report The report should be approximately 10 000 to 15 000 words, or about 25 pages in length. It should be a concise analytical work, with a well-structured argument. Â Â Begin each chapter on a new page but don’t add blank pages. Â Â Don’t number the chapter headings. Â Â Use the footer style shown in the template, with even-numbered pages showing the publication title and odd- numbered pages showing NCVER. Break the text into logical sections to give your report structure. Authors’ guide for NCVER research reports 6 Â Â NCVER encourages the use of sub- headings to describe the content of sections succinctly. Â Â Summarise the main points of the chapter at the beginning rather than the end. Â Â By all means, summarise data in tables, graphs or charts, but don’t restate everything contained and evident in them. Large amounts of data should be included in your support documents, together with detailed explanations. References NCVER referencing style is based on the Harvard, uploads/s3/ ncver-author-guide.pdf