Relevance of the Writer's Purpose

You've just looked at two short documents and evaluated their purposes. Let's pause for a moment and consider why the purpose is important. First, the purpose is important for your readers because it answers their first likely question: "Why are you writing this?"

Second, the purpose is important for you, the writer, in planning a well-organized document. The purpose should represent what you want the reader to do or know as a result of reading the report.

When planning your report, it is best to formulate your purpose statement in the following manner:

"to" + verb + object (with the verb preferably being action oriented)

Here are some typical purpose statements:

• To seek approval for the project
• To evaluate the economic situation in Country X between 2004 and 2006
• To recommend alternatives to the current efforts in the area of XYZ
• To provide step-by-step guidelines on how to implement the ABC procedure

Determining your purpose is the first step to planning an effective report.