1. SIMPLE REPORTS DIGITIAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Objective 5.05

2. Bound Reports Typically longer reports are bound with covers or binders. Top, right and bottom margins are the same as for an unbound report (1”) The left margin is increased to 1.5” to accommodate the binding. This is the only formatting difference between bound and unbound reports.

3. MLA Style Most academic reports are keyed in MLA style. MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA style features brief parenthetical citations in the text keyed to an alphabetical list of works cited that appears at the end of the work. MLA style has been widely adopted by schools, academic departments, and instructors for over half a century. The MLA's guidelines are followed throughout North America and in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Taiwan, and other countries around the world. http://www.mla.org/style

4. Academic Style Bound/Unbound Reports No title page is used for Academic style reports. Instead, key a heading in the top left corner on the first page. Double space between lines and include the following: Name of Student Name of Instructor Course Title Date in military style (21 November 2004) Double-space the body of the report—no exceptions.

5. Works Cited A listing of only those works that were cited in the report; located on a separate page at the end of the report. Follow the same formatting as that of a Bibliography. The difference is that you will only include those sources that were quoted or paraphrased. Do not include other reference materials on a works cited page.

6. Note: Always consult style manuals for specific formatting requirements as there are several accepted methods. Become familiar with your particular software. There are many automatic formatting features which provide ease in designing and formatting.