94 Classifying Report – How to Organize
Organize information into logical groups.
As with describing, narrating, defining, and comparing, classifying is a component of all writing genres. Just as writers pause to describe ideas and events or define new concepts in most documents, they routinely classify information--that is, show or tell readers how information can be grouped into categories.
Occasionally, an entire document focuses on explaining a taxonomy–that is, a scheme of classification.
Why Classify Information?
To make knowledge, we routinely categorize information. A biologist might refer to the periodic table. A musician might speak about country music, new age music, jazz, or techno. A movie critic might talk about suspense, thriller, drama, or comedic movies. A religious studies professor might discuss Christian religions, Muslim sects, and Buddhist practices. As a college student, you might talk about specific colleges’ sports teams according to the divisions their teams play in. Universities often subdivide areas of specialty according to the following categories:
- Natural sciences
- Agriculture
- Geology
- Biology
- Zoology
2. Social sciences
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Social work
3. Applied science
- Biomedicine
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Physics
4. Humanities
- English literature
- American studies
- History
- Interdisciplinary studies
- Modern languages
- Architecture
- Art history
5. Fine arts
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Ceramics
- Theater
Likewise, you would group information in a classification report by logical groups aimed at communicating your message. For example, suppose I am going to write a report on the different activities that a visitor can engage in when he/she is in town. I would probably group them like this:
Activities of historical significance or at historical landmarks
Musical Activities or Events
Theater Activities or Events
Outdoor Activities or Venues
Restaurants and Bars
Depending on whether I wanted to persuade visitors to attend these events or simply to inform them, I would adjust my tone and language. I would also probably make several versions. One would target a young, single audience; one would target families; one would target businesses that may want to come to town for a convention. Audience analysis is crucial because it affects the tone and language, but it also affects the categories you come up with. For example, if my audience is families, I would probably change the last group to just Restaurants or Family Friendly Restaurants.
