WRITING THE PAPER… A PROFESSIONALMEMO: In this final assignment, students will write a 3-4 page memo to an individual who has a decision-making role in the field of Maternal and Child Health. Students will identify the appropriate person as the audience for the memo, depending on the nature of the topic selected. Students do not need to address the entire issue selected, but identify a specific activity that is under the control of the recipient of your memo.
Students should review the guidelines below in order to write an effective memo. There is also an excellent source of information on memo writing at this website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/590/01/.
Memo Writing
There are two reasons for writing a memo: the first is to bring someone’s attention to a problem, and
the second is to solve a problem. Memos are formal documents and need to be written in a professional manner. Writing a memo is different than the writing a term paper. Memos are read by busy individuals, and they do not want long background sections and flowery language. Memos are short and very specific. The purpose of a memo is to persuade an individual to do something. The person writing a memo has a number of responsibilities, as the recipient may act based upon the information provided. If a superior acts upon a memo that is based in error or does not consider the consequences of the action recommended, that person’s career may be at risk and harm may be done to his or her constituents. Thus, the writer needs to provide a short and clear analysis of the situation that is balanced and the writer need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of any recommended action before making recommendations.
Although memos are short, usually no more than 3-4 pages, they need to address the key issues, provide a framework for understanding these issues, and include a specific recommendation for taking action. The writer needs to consider the audience and not make recommendations beyond what that person can do. For example, it would be foolish to recommend that a teacher change the length of the school day when that decision is in the hands of the school board and furthermore needs to take into account state and federal regulations. A memo recommending that a large team of individuals be assigned to a specific task may be ineffective if the recipient does not have the resources to assign individuals. Thus, the memo writer needs to clearly consider the recipient of the memo, and the practicalities of any recommendations. There are distinct parts to a memo: a) heading, b) body of the memo, c) attachments.
A) Heading:
The heading identifies who wrote the memo, who it was sent to, the date, and the subject. TO: Recipient’s name and title
FROM: Your name and title
DATE: Current Date
SUBJECT: The purpose of the memo
B) Body of the Memo
This section provides a description of the purpose of the memo, and includes any important background information, as well as the specific recommended response. You should describe the background as succinctly as possible but provide sufficient detail. The challenge is to provide only as much information as is necessary but enough detail so the recipient can understand the problem. If relevant, you can
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indicate what you have done so far. You need to close the memo with a polite ending that clearly indicates what action you want the recipient to take.
C) Attachments:
You can attach any documents needed to provide detailed information that the recipient may need. Be sure to identify any attachments in your memo under the closing. It should be listed as follows, under the body of the memo.
Attached: List the name of the attachment
CONTENT REQUIREMENT FOR THE MEMO:
The student must answer the following questions in his/her memo:
1) What is the problem? Define and explain its significance as a public health problem. 2) How big is the problem (e.g., magnitude, overall trends, statistics)?
3) Who does it affect the most, and why?
4) Why is this problem important to MCH?
5) What policy change and/or program intervention do you propose to address this problem, and why? 6) What specifically do you want the person reading the memo to do? Why should this person/group care and why is this topic important to this individual or group of people? Make your objectives and intended outcomes clear.
The concise answers to these questions will help the student make a persuasive argument within the memo, to move his/her specified decision maker to action. This argument must be research-based; students should review the research literature (using at least 3 scholarly journal articles and his/her choice of other sources, such as the CDC website). The information learned from those research studies and publications should be used to inform and support the student’s argument and thoughts.
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:
References: You must use at least 3 articles that are from peer-reviewed scholarly journals (articles must be published between 2006-2016). Use databases such as PUBMED, OVID, CINAHL, Google Scholar, or other databases in the social sciences to find appropriate articles. It is strongly recommended that students take the following short tutorial from the HSC Library, for details on how to conduct a literature review and seek peer-reviewed scholarly publications using these databases: https://www.health.usf.edu/library/education/firstpom/.
Grammar, spelling, structuring: It is highly advised that you consult the USF Writing Center for assistance in constructing your paper: https://usfweb2.usf.edu/learning/writing/index.htm
** Never submit a first draft as a final draft. Always have someone else read your paper to review for content (are you answering the questions above) and grammar. **
Formatting, page length and other requirements: The page length must be between 3 and 4 pages, not counting the reference page. This means the minimum length must be 3 full pages (2-3?4 pages will not meet the length requirements). Regarding formatting, for full points, use 12 point font,
1 inch margins, double-spaced. Use a separate reference page. Cite your articles within the body of
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the memo and write your reference page using the American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please see the APA guidelines in your textbook and on Canvas; it provides the basics of APA style that you must follow without having to purchase the APA book.
