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i-----.flPPsndix
- --l
Trrparing
Business
Documents
4 ,
'
"
, ' , '
r"t'
r l i
addressingbusinessenvelopes
forrnlttinpl letters
d o c u r n e n t i n gs o u r c c s
Nlechanics, refer to the "technical" aspectsof preparing a document, and they are
desigrred to imllrov.e comrnunication bv setting up clear standordsfor written docunlents. These standards are used consistently throughout the business community.
Appendix I describesthe trusinesswriting mechanics that apply to the lemers,
memos, repor$, and proposals exarnined in this text. \\/e begin by focusing on the
irnportance of document appearance.
[orttrnertts
ofBusiness
Iheflppedtnncs
Before your readerreadsa single word you havewritten, dre appearanceof your
It hastold your readcrhow much careand
documenthascommunicateda message.
concern you have put into your document,and it has testifiedto the profeisionalism of your approach.First of all, the appearanceof busines documentsis influenced by paper qualirl' and the accuracyof your word procesing.
I',.11'EII
Paper qualiry is usually taken for granted-unless it is substandard.Paper that is
ttrnrpri.nt, foo light, colored,or oddly sizedmay not.be acceptablefor business
purpor.r. Here are the basicstandardsthat all businesspapershould meet:
V
I
Apprruotx
Bustruess
PnepRnrruo
rurs
Docutue
558
Weight.Paperis categorizedby the weight of four 500-sheetreamsof letuse 2O-poundpaper for correspondence,
ter-iize paper.Most businesses
used for busines letters may be heavStationery
proposals.
reports, and
paper,espcially if it is transparLighter
paper
is
common.
ier;Z4-pound
ent (onion skin falls into this category),is not acceptablefor businessuse'
mail.
althoughit may be usedfor file copiesor overseas
Color.The standardcolor for businesspaperis white, although off-rvhite
Unlessthere is a spestationeryin ivory or gray tonesis alsoacceptable.
cial reasonto use thetn, pastels-including grecn, blue, yellow, and
lavender-are generalll'no, appropriatefor businesscorrespondence.
Colored paperis sometimesusedin massmailingpas a way of attracting
attention.
stadoneryand paper
Stzc.The standardsizefor Nonh Americanbusiness
lettersare rvritbusiness
most
and
is 8l by ll inches.Reports,proposals,
sizes:
in
two
other
comes
Stationen'also
ren on paperthis size..
(used.for
notes,memos):
5l by 8i incha
Baronial
correspondence):
brsiness
for personal
l{onarch(usedby someexecutives
7i b1'l 0l i nches
Conon Content.The best stationery has 100-percent cotton content; inexpensive paper bond is used primarily for routine mailings and docurnents.
\
li
p
tt
i j
Lgttgrs
-------r'-----------r'-of[usingss
Pnrts
-'--'
can
as seventeenindividualelements'fu you
Businesslettersmay contain as many
letters,
.r.,,,.n$ are includedin ail business
seein Thble r-r, *rrrilJ;;;;;i,h.i.
we have arrangedtheseitems in the order
optional.
ten othersmay be .onrid.r.d
leners'
in which they appearin trusiness
I I f uI DI iV G
.osuoften consistsof the brsinesslettnhead,
The headingof the businessrerter,which
ally containsthe following elements:
Y
v
v
]:
ui
G I
nl
,l
^r';;;;;should
two-tofou.rlinesbeneath
aPpear
*:]:f:*f
-.- ,:-^
,HF:r?:"Iil:
:;i::t::'dletd';;:;;;;,r'-"i:;iyi'-:*':::*i:1:i*Jm11'il"'J;
'J:::;ffifulF#fi
bvbenveen
followed
be
should
r-a"^i^ii-oir,,,,thedatetine
of lct-,.
rdence,
: heavmsper-
l.j:fi
H.iii'i,r;
t ---t^e^*
^f '|ifforpnt
different
lettersof
accommodates
,pr..r. The variedspacing
en$n'
'rr
of the datelinein reference
:e later in this appendix,
*"' s(
you wlll
/\svou
As
' the position
- ^re
--^ --^i-rnnd
simandsim":::::;";"-;il"
tull-block
In G,ll-hln"L
using.
il fonttat.yov
to the left margin dependson the Imer
modified,gtint' the left riargin; in the
plified formas, the datelin. ,pp.rrr'flu'rtt
3SSUSe,
f-white
i a sp-:
w, and;
rdence.'''
racting
ofoEusinesqlgllgl
l-l tlements
Inble
StandardElements
Optional Elements
- - - - F - - - -
J paper
re writ-
heading
referenceline
dateline
personalor confidentialnotadon
insideaddress
attention line
salutation
subjectline
middle
identificanonline
close
cornplirnentary
enclosurenotation
signarure
mailnotation
copy notauon
posscriPt
continuation-Pageheading
. '',,i
. ; ,.,.,*l
..
,'.;t,,rii
,.Itii.
ri;
!i i
I
Apperuotx
Bustruess
PnrpeRtttc
DocuueHrs
559
your
plac-gpgr-rt
characte-L.of_{e-&ElneJg3,1n,
e-f={fi:fgE!F- .liiedry,,en-{9.-upon
-letter
and
writer
both
of
codes
aerign"iJfriTeFrence
for*rt. n*l;fe;;i'iinis
-
l!07)rrIo^l
CONFIDENTI,AL
Confidential
IA/S7DEIDDRESS
companyto whomthe lener
whichidentifiesthe personand"/or
The insideaddress,
It canbebenreentwo and
leners.
is beingsent,is an obligatorypaft of all business
or personalor corifi-line,
reference
.i.ggry-d-q!gli"e,
twelve"linesafte1th. lL,
four linesbefore
allows
spacirig
common
*ort
lineiTL.
the
Alica noo,ion-of
+
**'-#-*
addreqs.
inside
the
U.ji""ing
**---The insideaddress
andappeanin uPPeI:endlower-case
ii alwap single-spaced
should
fu a rule,the insideaddress
l letters.It is positionedflush.gri*ffi; left-margin.
to
riiiintiin-tlils
ne&ssary
if
title
;.-;; ;n,i' than fve lines.-Omitthe recipie-nt's
-T-feng.h.
Xk
TllrCiie'io*eldciirional guidelineifor composingthe insideaddress:
FigureI-I SamPle
Letter:DualReference
Codes
t't"
'l'hc
the
ven
ava
May21, 199X
:tlt rl
:t si
OurrsfennceA8C33221'4
I
Apperuotx
BustHess
Pnepnntruo
Docullterurs
's6o
YourrlferenceciCccu*{
..-F-
Ms. AlexandraBcnninglon,Tieasuier
exantple:
Longer dtles should appear on separate lines. For
Mr. futhur HawleY
Vice President,nd Director of Fluman Resources
the name of his or
The name of the recipient's colnpany should precede
her departrnent.
complete and official name. It is acceptableto abbrev
use the company's
'Corporotion
(Corp; and Incorporated (*.).
viate words like
an individual, the inside
When you are addressing a comPany rather than
Y' -';ilr;;r"ttoura
V
directions are
Use cardinal numbers (14, 15, 16, " ') when compass
(l4th, l5th,
numbers
ordinal
Use
adclress'
the
of
part
included as
For
reference.
l6th, ...) whin the numberedstreet makesno compass
example:
3r3 East 30 Street
201 29th Sueet
..t/"/'/t.\'I'lON L/\'Ii
to a companybut directedto
ithe anentionline is used when a letter is adclressed
the attention li'e id to preof
purpose
The
the arrentionof , ,p..in. indivi<lual.
nanredin the line is not
person
the
If
artention:
immediate
*"r-a.r.ys and ensure
elsein the company'
,*ilrbl. io ,e..in. the letter, it will be opened by someone
flush left
It always.appcars
The attentionline ,horri,lfollow the insideaddress.
tn
.n,l?i.i.
rinc
,pr..r-L.f,ir.
with
ancrshouldbe set off frorn the other crcnrenrs
line:
attention
forrnitf triple-Splcebeforerrnclaftcr'ihd
a sin',plifiecl
r\{cDonald'sCorPoration
Plaza
McDonald's
'O
ak
B r o o k ,I L 6 0 5 2 1
Attention MargaretO'FIara,Public l{clations Departnrent
. ,::ir' i r* I r
'i' ',;
'il'.
.L ,l r*,:
'3' . "rt,;;'l;'
1.,,i.,1i+*.{
.-i,ti::,lil',";',lr-
.:f.i:
){
'ti:f,r;r,ll.i
.
.'t
,'1 $;
:.' r,,
...'llr:;,
i '1-'
;, ,rr{i i l
I
Apprruotx
Bustruess
PnepRRtruc
Docuuerurs
561
SALL]TATION
The official greeting that appears immediately before the body of the letter, the rslrrtiltiurt, follows eidrer thc inside address or the anention line. As you will see later in
usillg the sjmpl!fied f,qlmrt.
this appendix, s'.rlutationsappear il all fenels 3gg-ep--t-$ose
In nrost cases,uritcri should double-spa-ce-0.*ine on. bl*k lin.) befoie'and
woiilD-car foli6wed by the
after thc salutation. Salutation, urrfrily Ggin tidithi
saluution
that you usc rvill
The
specific
l)ro[)cr form of address for thc recipicnt.
letter
is
known
of
the
or unlmown
whcther
rccipient
the
factors:
threc
depend on
to you, rvhether a titlc precc<lcsthe recipientts name, and whether you rrc writing
ro onc or more than one person. The salutationjg a business letter is always followecl [r], a c<-,lorrunless tlic u'ritei it uti\g-0.W.^poo@LOpen
Puncnration is I
funcruaiion*iryle in which drcTritcr does not use a colon aher the salutation or a
.orn,rl. after ihc complirrrentary close. Examples of salutations puncruated with
}f
P"
I
t
I
colons follow:
s
I
,.
'
,1
,s
'
I
tt
.: i '
t'
r
t
t
(
1
u
f
t
d
t
d
u
c
d
SUBJECT LII{E
The sattjcctline summarizesthe purposeof the letter. ln most formatswriters usea
doublc-spacebeforeand after the subjectline,.lg3glggge !!ank-!inea&er-{e saluJatloh and one blank line before the body of thA lener. In a sinplifiedformat (which
tft.i-ih. subigqqlinc.
?oei not'-iiclude a saiutation),wriiilrs-triilelspicf6ifottfrI
'fhe
subject line begini flu5[-'againstt]re left marginlli *tf U.gin *ith the
word SUB|ECT follorvedby a colon, or it may state the subiectwithout inuoduc-lo
its irnportance,sonlewriters capitalizeall or pan of the subject
ernphasize
tion.
For example:
line. (In the simplifiedforrnat,the subjectline is usuallycapitalized.)
l)carAIr. L.vcrhartlt:
I
Apperuotx
PnrpRRrruc
Busrruess
Docularurs
for Februaryl.
for the annualsalesmeetingscheduletl
IIcrc arc prclirninan'plans
562
I r r c l u d e r li l r c . . .
1
u
c
Or:
Dear Mr. I'lverhardt:
SUBJECT:Annual SalesMeeting
for Februaryl'
plansfor rhe annualsalcsmcetingschetluled
Ilere are.prelirninary
I n c l u d e da r e . . . .
tt
. MIDDLE
It follows.t::lt"oggl.ot
,
rThe middleof the letter contains the letter'smessage.
' subiectline and is separatedfrom the previouselemint by a 1i1gfe-lin1!p1e' Line
---J---!-.:--..1--.
_:--L
ti;-f:;;'*L^
^^,-^limantanr
nlncp
***;1i#
;p.;fif*;;;--''.t
closerEtheaoinplimenEfu
11
;." gaph;".d-bafo
format.
')
, Prrrgrrph linesare almost alwaysryp.q in single-spaced
,
In the full-block and rirnptin.i formats,paragraphsbegin_flush left. In'the
il moain.a-UIo"f. format, writers may chooseto begin paragraphsflush left or indent
jlx tojgl characterspacesfrom the left \
, . paragraphs.If indented, start paragraphl
margln.
r l
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
of the lener' It is
The cwnplinancry closeappearsone line space-1fter the middle
flush left in the
appears
It
format.
simplified
the
,"osdin att lett.r'for-ro,.*..p,
characterspaces
three
two
to
appe.ars
it
sry19,
modified-block
n fl-lio.f. sryle;in the
a.lwap aligned
is
close
complimentary
The
page.
the
of
..n,..
,h,
rishiof
to the
t;ir;;t[.n.r*
margin. In
right
the
with
flush
is
the date, .*..p, *li.n the date
ithat casealign the close direcdy beneaththe inside address'
of
The first word'of the complimenrarycloseis capitalizedand the last word
Ithe closeis followed by a commr. Not., however,that the comma is omitted when
relationshipwith the reader,the close
,.,usingopen puncruador,.Depending on your
used closesin businessletters are
:i[, ts"?o#rr or informa!. the r6rt commonly
;rtltOr. in the "Less Formal" categoryof the following examplecloses:
' ,,'.
'i
For'rrrnl
qt,yours'
Y.ry
RespectfullY,
-VerysincerelYYours,
Itss Fonnat
'
SincerelY,
SincerelYYours,
CordiallY,
CordiallY Yours'
Least Fonul
Best wishes,
Ilest regards,
Regrrds,
Kindest regards,
SIGNATURE
closc' The
The letter writer's signatureappearsdirectly under the cornplimentary
after the
spaces
line
fogr
signamre-usually
the
belo*
rhen"typed
writer,s neme is
'{
rvriter's'business
the
close. fth.n the letterhead does not include
;;;Iil;;ry
I
Apprruotx
Bustrursso
PREpRntrue
Docuurrurs
563
ri,l;,. ,. i
title, a sccorrdtine rnly alsobc addedto includethis information.In all letter styles,ggB.
tlie gypeclnanri-anclii,l" ;r.. aligneclclirectlybelow the cornfliinenteiy'cltis6."Tor
'rFrt
(Jr:
exantple:
Sinccrcll',
Ql,ce 0. 4ro/n,,
Altet
Alicc l). I;clttotr
\ 4 c c I ) r e s r t l c r r t ,l { c c r t r i t i n g
sigrrature blocks clo not include courtesy titles such as IVIs.,Mrs., Mr,
An
c.rccptir>n, horvcver, can llc nrade when the titlc is needed to clari$r
and Miss.
M6st
l,
MA.
:
i
i
Ant
thel
For
5tncercl\'.
ELVIM
ELECTRONICS
loaallarl / ?'Bo,;a-
Her
JonathanJ. O'Brian
\tce President
assistantsoften do
If sorneone signs the letter for the writer-administrative
initials just below
orvn
her
his
or
place
should
person
this for their employers-that
I
ApprNotx
Pnepnnrtre
Bustness
Docuurrurs
Illii
'l'hc
nor;rtion ntav als<ltcll tlrc rcadcr solncthing about the cncloscd.Filr cxattrplc:
trvo clrccks
I'.nclosurcs:
CA
OR
cot
c0fr
sur
on
Cat
wh
mc
col
y,
C)r:
Enclosures
l. conract
2' rnectingagenda
of itenls enclosetl:
may simply indicate the nurnber
Alternately, the notadon
3 enclosures
NOT/TION
indicatesdrat
the enclosurenoration. This enrry
[, mair not'tionmay appear after
that is of interestto the recipicnt'
*;; ;;;;""t"
the letter was mailed in a special
For examPle:,
fhb
Enclosures
Certified
used mail notations:
Here are some other commonly
;
rr
BY messenger
Bv Federal ExPress
Bi United Parcel Service
fyfax
Mail'notadons
'
'
]
COPYNOTATION
t ,,..^is not the only personrecelvrge
a letter is addressed
whom
a
often, the personto
other thanthe addressec'
individuals
.r. ;;;;"
endocopyof the letter.Wh;;;"pi.,
the
flushleftafter
end.This notationapPears
nototimrry o.'riil*!a;
copy
the n3mesares*&ed
,...iu.'.opies,
sureandmailnotations.wher, ,*.ri;;.0].
list to indinttt:
tht'
pfJ." cf,ectmarks
T:
on top of_one.n",t.i. iufrny*rit"r,
coS.npaniet::,1"":imost
pas,
h-,t.
catewhich,copygoesto which.indiffi;. fu--o:t:t::sses makecarboncopiesany*py"'.Btttu"
which starrdwforq;;b""
to&y's
to copy notationthat accuratelyreflects
more, many firms t r". ,*i,.lr.d
copying technology. .
|
,-r^ :- -orraral'r'wq.
made in several w8|s'
The copy n6tation can be
dihis
CoPY to
CoPiesto:
copy:
c:
pct (standsfor "PhotocoPY")
lines and
various combinations of identification
The following examples show
notauonsr
enclosure, mail, and coPY
br
,le:
Enclozures
l. check
2. conuact
By FederalExPress
c: John'McCoY
I
APPeHotx
BustHrss
PnepmtHo
DocuturHrs
565
:!. r
, l '
.!
btt
Copy to Ann Hastings
\\AA:nra
Iinc.
Oopiesto: Carolpr Millcr
RonaldYang
Sonretirnescopies of a document are disuibuted to people whose names are
not listed on the original document. Blind copiesare copies sent to individuals n'ithout the knowledge of the addressee.The initials &cshould appear on both the copy
of the letter sent to the blind-copy recipient and the file copy. The notadon must
?t\t ^ppelr on the copy sent to the addressee.
Regardlessof format, all notations, including the enclosure notation, mail notation, and copy notation, appear flush left. Double- or single-spacingmay be used
benveen notation items. Double-spacing is generally preferred.
POS'TSCRIPT
Some letters end with postsoipts-afterthoughtsabout subjectsessentiallyunreleted
to the rnain topic of the lettersthemselves.Posecriptsshould not containcomments
directly relatedto the topic of the lener: Relegationof relevantmaterialto a postscript may be perceivedas an indication of a poorly organizeddocument.
A single posscript beginswith the initials PS. If a secondpostscriptis necessary use the initials PPS. All postscriptsshould end with the ryped initials of the
writer. For example:
P.S.The budgetmeetinghrs beenrescheduled
to May l. MRB
P.P.S.
Call me nextweekto ulk aboutthe Andersondeal.MRB
CONT/N UATION- PAGE H MDING
Long lenersrequirecontinuatinn
sheets-blanlgquality stationeryusedfor secondend
all subsequentpagesof the lener. Each continuation page includesa headingwith
the addresseetname,the'date,and page number. This information is usuallypldced
flush againstthe left margin, with each item starting a new line. Unlessthe letter is
in block format, the continuadon-pageheading may also be spreadout on a single
l i n c . F o r e x a m pl e:
EdithSakura
Ap ri l 1 4 ,l 99X
page2
Or:
April 14, 199X,page2
EdithSakura,
O r:
Ildith Sakura
Apprruorx
I
Pneplnrrue
Busrnrss
0ocur'leHrs
566
.,t.,'
April 1,+,l99X
page2
flddressing
Business
[nvelopes
First impressionsare fclrmednot rvhen vour recipient llegirrsreaclingvour lettcr, but
rvhen he or she receivesthe envelope containing it, Tb lnake thc best impression,
be sure that your envelopelooks professional.rvith every elernentcorrectly forrnatted in its proper place.
'I'he
U.S. Postal Service reconunends the follorving sn'lc fr;r the varigus elem e n t s o f t h e e n v e l o p e .U n l e s so t h e n v i s ei n c l i c a t e da, l l l i n e s s h o u l d b e s i n g l e - s p a c e d .
re
h-
?v
The addressee's
name appearson the first line. If there is space,include
the person'stitle on that line as well, using a comma ro separatethe name
and tide. Place long titles on the second addressline.
The company name comes next, followed by the conrplere street address
or post office box nunrber.
The last line of the addressblock showsthe ciry and the nvo-letterstate
abbreviation.
Use a cornnlato separatethe city and state.Nlow rwo spaces
after the stateabbreviation,then add the ZIP code.fu a generalrule, the
envelopeshouldbe adclressed
in the samemannerasthe insideaddress
on
the letter itself.
tst
a-
:d
:d
itS
rt-
s1e
rd
rh
:d
is
Ie
Fign'e I-2
Elementson
anEnvelooe
l-/,*-f
-l ltttr' .r'l,,ttt:'
litttt lrtlt --
Cynthla Deal
Antlques and CollecUbtcs,Inc.
255 Flrst Straet
Los Angeles, CA 9005$5678
\.o'
SPECIAL DELIVERY
of
Jt'
- : _l . / : t u r l , r . . t( l i t t t I \ t l l _ _ - - _ _ .
| 1 1 tl ) o l r l r t l ti r r t t l 1 i t r i l ' r ,
l ) ' , , r i tl r l ' t L t l . q t
.l
i / i t t t . \ ' l t / t ( (r. rt l , o l t , r t r , l
i t',\'--j11,'1,
lrt ltollutrt tt/rrt rint
l>.
l'lemos
Preparinq
lefters,they print lllenro{ontrs
itr lrusiness
Justascoprplniesprint stationeryfor usc
evenincludetear-offforms'
may
and
sizes
various
iri
conle
I{crnos
1sc.
for iptelral
is printedat the top of thc tttettlo.Just
rcturn adclrcss
In sor.rccasesthc comllany'.s
rnav bc tlrc printcd title I4EMO or lt4ENIoRAl{DUA4'
:rl)or,c'r 6cl6rvrhc aclilrcs.s
;:
0rnr
r-rE
Art
abr
f'ess
ingr
t'l /,
Un
rvic
2t
a -
ln.s
ns.
JSt
w.
For
lL
red
lb9nt
rde
rd-
Societyof ManufacturingEngineers
Ml 481281
OneSMEOrive' Dearborn'
(e-mait)l
(fax)'arne@xxx'com
'
(313)
555'1696
(phone)
(313)555-1695
Ml 48128
OneSMEDrive' Dearborn,
(fax)' 36t6*t''com (e'mail)
555-1696
(phone)'(313)
(313)555-1695
To:
To:
n
From: (:, nii '^!i' - "
Societyof ManufacturingEngineers
Date:
Date:
Subject:
From:
Subiect:
the
nrord
out
rnd
lt.
)oatlnt.
ers.
;in.
are
bllph
by
, of.
'ad;.
ers.
iltr,
nes
ials.
ifir
ple:
,rnv
Headings
FigureI-3 MemoGuide
Proposols
nnd
fleports
Preporing
nronths to researchand rvrite can still nlake
A report or proposal that takes wccks or
doctttttentis sloppy or inconsistent'A proa bad impression if the appearanceof thc
,n.l .u,,ett use of margins' heaclfessional ,pp"rrrrr.. .o,r',., fronr the consistcnt
ings, line spacing, and page nttttrbcrs'
,f{,rlR(;INS
in thc bocly 9f a rel)ort should be I ipcl'r
Unless your report is bguntl' lll ttrrtrgins
or fl section. T'h"rt pllge reqtrircs a 2- ttl
rvide, except for the first pagc of ,r c6',rptcr
2l -inch top rnnrgin'
is l.st in thc 6i'ding 'rocess' As "'r
If binding is usctl, :rllout i inch of prr'cr
loss'
result, margins rnust be rrtljustctlfirr thc
'lt
lclve r r l ] - i n c h t r t a r p g i n t h e t o p o f
In top-botttrclttt:ttrttscripts'
v
Top-bortnd:
or sectiott.r\fter binding, thc
aa.l', p.g. exceptthe first p''rgc of :r chrrptcr
-lir
ensrrreth'.rta 2- or 2!-inch nrarp.ge tuilishow I inclr of toll tttrtrqittsllrrcc'
2J to l-inch ttt:rrgin for the first
gin t"ntrins aftcr the bintlirtg, 'tllou' rr
page of a clrapter or il scctlotl'
a I l - i n c h l c f t r n a r g i r rs o t h a t a
Y Left-Bormd:In lcft-lr<ltttttlttrrtntlscrll)ts'
l-inch margin rctnirinsafter bintling'
I
ApPeruotx
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PRrpRRtruo
DOCUtr,ttrufS
569
IIr.,{DINGS
Likc thosc itt lcttcrs nncl rnernos, thc hcarlingsin rcprlrts ancl pnlposrls rnust lrc
lllanncclin advanccand rtrust be irnplcnrentcclconsistently.I{eadings shoul<lalso usc
p:rrallclstrurcftre.You can use any clcirr and rersonablc hcading systcnl,lrut rcrncrnbcr that yclu havc onc g<lal in rnind: to nukc infrlnnation casy to fincl.
For
'l'he
/
on rh
rlatcli
letter:
perso
I.INE SI",ICII\,IG
I)cpcnding ul)orl citltcr yorlr pcrsonal prcfcrenceor the choscn srvle of X)ur organization, your report or prol)osal can bc single- or double-spacccl.
Sirrglc-spacingis
Illore cotlttllon. In double-spaceddocunrenls,I)aragraphsarc indcnted fivc spaces;in
singlc-spaccdclocurncnts,paragraphs usually begin flush lcft and arc scparatedfrorrr
onc anothcr by single line spaces.
Prollcr spacing around primary', secondary and paragraph headings nrakes
thcm ttrore lloticeallle-and more effective.Here are some gcncral guidelines fcrr
spacingarouncl hcadings:
Y
Y
FUL]
Every
left n
graph
NIOL
Unlili
choot
five t
Ti'iple-space
before and after llrirnaryheadings.
'lriple-space
before secondaryhcadings;double-spaceaftcr secondary
headings.
Do not add any extra line spacingbeforeor after paragraphheadings.
Iine,
usual
Thesr
bewt
all th
grapt
with
\A/hereas quotations of fewer than four lines generally are incorporated into
-fhey
the tcxt, quotations longer than four lines rre typically set apart frorn the rexr.
appear below the regular text and are indented five to ten spacesfrorn both thc left
and right margins. When the text is doubfe-spaced,the excerpt is generallv singlespaced. In addition, at least one blank space is added above and one blank space
bclow the excerpt to separate it further from the regular text.
*f.
PAGE NUMBERS
Obviously,page numbers are crucial in long reports and proposals.Placement
dependson whetheryour documentis left-boundor top-bound.
V
'fhe
Apprruorx
I
PnrpRRrrue
Busrrurss
DocurrlErurs
570
SIM)
Lette
two f
All li
grapt
knorv
ci{ic
"f)ea
struc
Ioc
Whe
must
Formnllinq
Letters
1'hefonnnf of a letterrefersto the rvayin which the elcrncntso[ a lcttcr :rrcplacctl
on thc page-for example,whethcrparrgrallhsarc indcrrtctllnrl rvlrcreto lllaccthc
'l'hree
and salutation.
rlifferentfbrrnirtsarc rrsctlin ltusilress
dateline,insideaddress,
Your choice of frrrrrrattlepcnrlson
lemers:rhefull bloch,modifedhlock,andsimpliJierl.
personalpreferenceand on the sryleaclopte<l
by your orgnnizrrtion.
i1
FULL BLOCK
Everyline in a full-blockformat-fronr the clatelineto the postscript-beginsat the
left margin. Paragraphsare single-spacecl,
and a double spaceseparatesone paragraph frorn andther.Figure I-4 depictsa lettcr in full-block forrnat.
| **l'
ii
,{
'l
.t
i
t
iil
MODIFIED BLOCK
Unlike the full-block sryle,writers using the modified-blocksryle may or may not
If paragraphs
chooseto indent paragraphs.
are indented,writers shouldindent thern
five to ten characterspaces.
Also in contrast to the full-block style, the position of the dateline,reference
line, complimentaryclose,and signarureblock are not flush left. Instead,they are
usuallytfped two to three characterspacesto the right of the center of the page.
These elementsmay also be placedflush againstthe right rnargin or sorliewhere
betweenthe right margin and the centerof the page.fu you can seein Figure I-5,
all the other letter elementsare placedflush againstthe left margin, and the paragraphsare not indented.Figure I-6 showsa sampleletter in modified-blockformat
with indented paragraphs.
;li
{
il
r{
li
i
't;
Ir
T
iI
rl
I
it
SIMPLIFIED
Lettersusinga simplifiedformat look somewhatdifferentthan lettersusingthe other
two formats.There are three main differences:
V
V
Iocumenlin0
$ources
VVh.r, your report or proposal relies on secondary sources for information, you
must acknowledgethese sources.You can rnake your acknowledgment either by
il
Apprruorx
I
PReplnrrvc
Busrrurss
Docuurrurs
571
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tt
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Dear San:
vlcc
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Congratulltlone
but not
I ea dcllghted'
ln charge of real aatrte'
prefldent
the good
h
a
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t
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c
a
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l
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g
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n
aurprleed. by your auccesa.
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senae to cholal thc rogt quallfied
Callneonceyougetrettled.lJe'llhavclunchanddigcusg
for both our
leveral deala that look llke opportunltlcr
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FigureI-4 SamPle
Format
Full-Block
Letter:
inserting parentheticalreferenceswithin your text or by footnoting.or endnoting
includyou, ..F.i"nce material. Footnoresand endnotescan also add meaningby
your
of
end
at
the
appear
should
ing adclitionalcommentary.Complete sourcelists
document.
I
Apprruotx
Bustruess
PnrpeRtruc
Docul.ttrrurs
572
M
p2
pt
N
th
ap
re
Fc
'
'
t.y,
ltul .l/ usb ltJi
FigureI-5 Sample
Letter:
Modified-Block
withoutParagraph
Format
lndentation
MLA Srn r In MLA style parentheticalreferencesincludethe author'snameand
page number after the materialrequiring documentation.In its simplestform, the
parentheticalreferencelooks like this:
(Thnnenl4).
communica.tion
Men and women often suffer from cross-culrural
Notice that the author's name and the page nunlber are enclosedin parenthesesand
that the reference includes no internal puncfuation. Note also that the reference
appears before the puncruadon that ends the sentence.
When the author's name is used in the documented sentence, you need not
repeat it in the parenthetical reference, which will include only the page number.
For example:
According to Deborah Tannen, men and women often mffer from a form of crosscultural communication (14).
Apperuorx
I
PnrpnRruo
Bustruess
Docurr,teHrs
573
Aptl I 1, 199X
Tltc dttcline,
ond
ctttnrTclose,
coaryli?n
signann'eblockoppearto
thc rigltt of thecentcrof tbc
page. Pnragrnpbsare
indentedfue to tan
characterspaces.
Parag'aphsare singlewith double+pacing
spaced
paragraphs.
between
Ii
It
(l
II
l1a,n/toWi//p,
MartraWllder
Chld ExecutlveOfflcer
lr
Enclosurs
,l
.f/
((
l(
FigureI-6 SamPle
Letter:Modified-Block
withParagraph
Format
lndentation
Referencesto works written by ruo mthors cite both names (oined by and) and
the pagenumber. When the source has too or threeauthors,all the namesare cited
in the ieference.\4rhen a work hasmoretfun tlme oathors,use the first author'sname
plus the Latin abbreviation et al, For examPle:
mustnot be takenfor granted;theymustbe
in the workplace
Culruraldifferences
(FlarrisandMoran 3).
rnanaged
in the
the negativesiruationdescribed
lenersshouldavoidemphasizing
Adjustment
originalcomplaintletter,but shouldfoarson the actionsbeingtakento correctthe
(Brusarv
et al. 23).
situation
I
Apprruotx
Bustruess
PnepnRrrue
Docuurrurs
574
v.
F
sl
al
rl
I
u
''rj
. I ll tlrrtrL'ul.t tt ltlttrrt' f/ trtlt
, t q ( t i t t i l t l , c l t ' l t t t t t t t ' . \t t
ccbcJ'orr
t I I rtss.'I i'ipIc-sprr
tnl tlirr thcsullrctlinr
9:.
'o
',i
'
iii:; .- 4n;
'
t,'.
.!
.:l>l
'":-.;i.
.
: "'5ri
" {
.l r
{il'
'l'ltr
lt'llcr contninsa
si{truttrreblock irt tll
mpittl lfit(r's but no
tottrpl it trt'rtI ur1 d osa
FigureI-7 SamPle
Format
Simplified
Letter:
end
ited
n$e
.Notice, by the way, that a comma separetesthe author's name and the tide and
that the title is either italicized or underlined.
If the author of the work is a corporation or other organization, and if no individual author is cited, use the organization's name in your parenthetical reference.
For example:
(Xerox Corp. 57)
When no author, indiviclual or corporate, is citedr /our parenthetical reference
should use the title of the u,ork itself or an abbreviated version of that title. The
ab[reviatccl title sh<lul<lstart with thc rvord by u'hich the rvork is alphabetizedin
the \\ilrk Cited list at the cnd of t'our clocument.For example:
(Stotistical,345)
Hcre the titlc is italiciz.erl(or untlerlincd) bccauscit is a book. \\'hen citing articles.
use quotation marks.
I
Apperuorx
ParpaRrruc
Busrrurss
Docutr'tErurS
575
I
tl
ll
lill
'I'herc
are tirnes, of course, when nrore than one sourcc rvill contribute to an
iclerrcirccl in vour clocurnent.In this casc both sources(separatedby a semicolon)
shoulcl bc incluclcclin your parentheticalreference:
1l
:,,
(-Fannen167;Ilaron 6'l)
( G i l l i g a nq t d . i n T h n n e nl l 3 )
In this citation, the abbreviation qtd. tells the reader that Deborah Tlnnen's book
includes a quote by Carol Gilligan rnd that the source list at the back of the document includes an entry under Thnnen's name.
Always place parenthetical reftrences immediately after quoted material, even
if the quote ends in the middle of a sentence.For example:
According to Deborah tnnen, "For most women, the languageof conversationis
primarily a languageof rapport" (77) to establishconnectionsand form relationships.
If the quote ends the sentence, place the parenthetical reference immediately after
the quoted material, but before the closing period. For instance:
"For most women, the languageof conversationis primarily a languageof rapport"
flannen 77).
This format gives the reader enough information to locate the source of the quote
t,
lr
(Thnnen,
1990,p. 101)
Notice that commasseparateeach elementand that a period is used afterp:
or ntmmarizedmaterialmay or may not includepage
Referencesto poraphrased
numbers;as a rule, the writer may decidewhetheror not the readeris likely to need
the exactlocationof the cited material.
Although the samebasicrules govern both MLA and APA citations,there are
a few notervorthyrequirementsin APA style:
v
Apperuorx
I
PnrpnRrruc
Busrrurss
DoculvrErurs
576
. 1 ., '
(lannen,1990a,
P.39)
/
I
I
\,Vhcn your source cites another source, the names of both authors should be
ntentioned in your parenthetical reference.For example:
APA Sryr-r, In APA style parentheticalreferencesalso point the reader to the full
citation at the end of your documenLThe purpose,then, is the sameasthat of MLA
sryle; it is format that differs.
First, APA referencesdistinguishbeween quotedmaterialon the one hand and
paraphrasedor summarized material on the other. When citing quotedmaterial,
include the author'sname, the year of the work's publication,od page nurnber(s),
rvhich should be inuoduced with p, for one page andpp, for wo or more pages.For
example:
lt
tl
r'-
t/sr.s
.5()L/R(;n
577
Nexis.
4 Jan. 1996.
Appenorx
I
PRrpRnrrue
Busrrurss
Docurumrs
578
rtarn
tion '
:ion,
to
frot
bli-
late
ry
t4
the
brthe
rce
leess
Ya
nal
rle.
il
r#
li,
,i
r
g
)
f
Apptrvorx
I
Pnepnnrrvc
Busrr,rrss
Docuvrrui
s
579
I
I
I
BII.
d,
ten
in
tio
no
I
i
'otc
rrc s()lrle rirst-rctcrcnce
r;irst Rc.rit.r:ttttsI Icrc
tr'1lcs'I
S()tlrCcS.r\sy<lttrvilIscc,su|tsetlttetttrcteretrccsllscllshtlrtenedfornr'
l9tt6) I i{'
( \ c s t l r l v c n : - Y a l cU n i v e r s i n ' P r e s s '
rl)ctrtris ll:trotr, (irtnutdr rtnrl
-(ictriar
'lrtl etl'
culttn'nlDifl'erints'
rPhilirrR. rr,..r,.ir'.L,i
ir,,r,.r, Il ril,;";r, I lu,,usi,,,(t
na
th,
Accrc'lrrtrinI;a*etr
l{cp.rt-s
Rcwrotc
tii:ntl,ll'ii.l",rll;';fii,fii),i,tfir,,n,',,r
'l'ima
,i,,n lli,l,"'Ncrl )irrl
oK..r1'J. fr.,i".il"rg.i
ll M';rrch1992:.\l
"'
';ffictive
Conr'un'
Lff'ectiveConrlltuntcator:
"Crn a'''tyt"tt IJcc'tnca i\lorc
US
rh
so
n'
SnIes lt hL''iii ng-'rto"'-g*'n'r.AugustJ,o^?l
;,1k
JrHllitt,if fi '}:L:Til'Lt'fi
"i;iil*::a-:j::lyl?1",i#,iusincss
Co**ttnicttion55'4(1992)10-12'
of tbeAssuiorirr'i{r"ilrt;'rri
Writing,,,Bultetiri
I
ApPtruotx
Bustltrss
TEPARING
Docuturrurs
580
')SnrYthc,
234'
Conmunicntion
'iliti"fi., Corporotc
Culwe 49-54'
is to grride
A t l x r r l a l r c p o r t r n a y a l s o - i n c l t r c l e a bbitrliographies
i b l i o g r , a p l r ynext'
whosepurpose
We rvill examine
renclersto adtlitior;;i:";;;"t
tJ
T
t
ri
ci
tl
(?
BIBLIOGMPHIES
L bibliograpby
is n alphabetizedlist of the sourcesused to prepare a body of rvritten material.A bibliographydiffers frorn lists of works cited, ,.f...n..r, and notes
in that it may include worla not specificallyreferred to in rhe document. In addition, the bibliographyusesinclusivepagenumbersfor entire articlesin periodicals,
not iust the pagesspecificallyreferredto as sourcesof citcd infornrarion.
Eachentryin thc bibliography
bcginsat the lefr margin,with the author'slast
appearingfirst. L,ntriesrvith no authorare listeclalphabetically
bv title (use
1t-9
the first significantword). Nl subsequent
lines are indent.d 6u. ,pr..r. Entriesare
usually-single-spaced,
with a doubleline spacebetu,ecnentries.fu you can seefropr
the following examples,the tlate in a billliographyappcarslater than it does in a
sourcelist:
Adler,litnqJ "CulruralSlnergy:Managingthe Irnpact_of
CulruralDiversiry."In
The1986-A!!yl:p*rlopiris Humai R-rrourrrr.
SanDiego:universityfusoci_
ates,1986,229-jB.
Copeland,-l*nnie.
"ValuingDiversity:Makingthe Most of CulruralDifferences
at
peionnel,42
the Workplace,,'
fuu"ef lfSy, iZ_AO.
Hymowitz,Carol."One Firm'sBid to KeepBlacks,Women:CorningBanlesto
overcome
Ingrained
Biases."
walt sieetJournal,l6Februaryiqg9, gr.
Intcrnatianal
Dimensions
of Organizationdl
BehaalbrBoston:Kent Publishing,19g6.
Johnston,William3., andArnoldE..Packer.
Worlforce
2000:Workand Workers
for the
Twntyfm century.Indianaporis:
HudsonInstirute,June 19g7.
Leffler,Ann,DianeGillespie,andJoanC. Conary."The Effec6of StarusDifferenriationon NonverbalBehavior,"Srial Psychilog
Quanerty45:3 l5i-61.
Thnnen,Deborah.Tltat'sNotWat I Meant!HoatConaenational
SryleMakes
or Breaks
YourRdttionswitb othm. New york wlliam Morrow, lggi6.
Whgn you cite severaldifferent sourcesby the sameauthorsin a bibliography,
you crn eliminatethe.need to repeat authors' namesby using a long dash insiead
'
v
e
of the samenameeach tinie.
To make an extensivebibliography more manageable,you can divide the
e.ntriesintg cltgqoriesaccordilg subjea. For exampl-e,
in r i.pon on workforce
!o
diversity,the bibliogra-phymiglt be divided into the fbilowing headings:age, communication, orln'al diversiry disabiliry,gendeEand race aniethnicitlr. It can also
be divided by q?o of entries:boola, journal afticles,magazineand ne*spaper articles,and governmentpublications.
To help readersevaluatethe usefulnessof sources,annotatedbibliographiesprovide shon cornmentson eachentry. For example:
Ilit !t,JamesS. "OlderWorkersChafeunderYoungManagers."Wall Street
Jountal,
Bl. Discusses
howthe 3.4million"*.if,.ir .g.d;t'."d olderin
lj
theT.,bfty^1990,
unlted Statescreateuniqueproblemsandopportunities
for-themselves
andtheir
corporations.
If you decideto annotateyour bibliography,rememberthat all of the entriesmust
be annotated.
Apprruorx
I
PRrpRRrrue
Busrruess
Docuuerurs