Report (Research) Wizard

Use Report (Research) Wizard whenever you need to create a report or essay. The Wizard walks you through the basic steps [image] from choosing a topic to polishing the final draft. Along the way, you'll get lots of advice on research and writing.

Click on any of the following topics for more information.

How to use Report (Research) Wizard

Saving your report or essay (and finding it again)

Common questions about Report (Research) Wizard


How to use Report (Research) Wizard

To start the Wizard

1.	Do one of the following:

•	From the Control Panel, click [image] and then click [image].

OR

•	From the Main Menu, select Homework Wizards.

2.	In the Select a Wizard window, click [image].

3.	If you are:

•	Creating a new report or essay, the Wizard will prompt you to create a file name. This allows the Wizard to save your work so that you can retrieve it later.

•	Opening an existing report or essay, the Wizard will prompt you to type in the file name.

The Report (Research) Wizard Menu will appear and you can begin working on your report.

Working in the Wizard

The Wizard Menu includes 12 steps for creating a report or essay. The Wizard will walk you through each step, providing instructions and advice, and prompting you for input when needed. After you have completed a step, the Wizard will put a check mark next to it on the menu. You can return to any step to make changes to your work.

In each of the 12 writing steps, you may see the following controls at the bottom of the screen: (1) Print, (2) Back, (3) Next, (4) Cancel, and (5) Finish.

•	Click Print [image] or press Alt + P [image] to print out advice for the step you are in.

•	Click Back [image] or press Alt + B [image] to get to the Wizard menu.

•	Click Next [image] or press Alt + N [image] to move to the next screen in that particular step. If Next is dimmed, there are no more screens for the writing step you are in.

•	Click Cancel [image] or press Esc [image] if you’ve made changes in your work that you don’t want saved.

•	Click Finish [image] or press Alt + F [image] to leave the step you are working on.

See also

Saving your report or essay (and finding it again)

Common questions about Report (Research) Wizard


Saving your report or essay (and finding it again)

When you write your first draft and create a bibliography, Report (Research) Wizard will prompt you to create a word processing file in which to save your work. It is important that you remember the name of this file and where it is kept on your computer, since you will need to work on it in your word processor. When you see a prompt to save, you must (1) specify a name for your file, and (2) specify a directory (sometimes called a folder) for your file.

1.	File name. Pick a name that you can easily remember. The default name is the name of your report. (You name your report when you first begin working in the Wizard.)

2.	Directory. You can save your report file in any directory you wish. For example, you may want to create a directory folder with your name and put all of your essay files in it. If you do not specify a different directory folder, your work will automatically be saved in a sub-directory folder called Reports or Research. You can find this folder within the folder where World Book is stored on your computer.

It’s a good idea to write the name of your file and the directory down. If you are not familiar with working with and saving word processing documents, you may wish to review the manual for your word processor program.

See also

How to use Report (Research) Wizard

Common questions about Report (Research) Wizard


Common questions about Report (Research) Wizard

How do I open my first draft and bibliography in my word processor?

You can open your files in two ways:  (1) from your computer's desktop or (2) from within your word processor program. Not all computers will open a file from the desktop, so if (1) doesn't work for you, try (2).

From the desktop, open the directory where the files are located. Find the first file icon. Double-click on the icon for the first of your files. Your word processor will boot up and the file will open.

OR

From within your word processor, open the file the same way you would open any other word processing file.

1.	In most word processing programs, you can click the File pull-down menu and select Open.

2.	From the Open screen, select the directory where your files are located. A list of files in that directory appears.

3.	If you do not see your files, reset the type of files your system is displaying. Select either files in Rich Text format (rtf) or Text only (txt).

4.	Select your file, then click Open.

Not all word processors function the same way. If you cannot locate your files as described above, please check your word processor’s User Guide or Help system.

When I’m working in the Wizard, the article that I need to read is blocked. How can I get a better view of the article?

You can move the Wizard around the screen so that you can view the whole article. To move the Wizard, click and hold down the mouse button on its title bar. Drag the Wizard to a position that allows you to see more of the article. (To get the maximum article viewing area, drag the two Wizard windows on top of each other.)

How do I copy text into a notecard?

1.	Highlight the text you want to copy in an article or Web page. If you have trouble highlighting the text, try starting your highlight at the bottom right and dragging your cursor to the top left.

2.	Go to the top Menu Bar and select Edit, then Copy.

3.	Click the spot on the notecard where you want the text to appear. The blinking cursor will appear.

4.	On the notecard window, click the Paste button.

When sorting notecards, how do I move a card from one group to another?

From Group mode:

1.	Move your cursor over the top of the pile of notecards until you see the card you want to move.

2.	Move your cursor until it changes into a single card with an arrow. Click and hold down the mouse button.

3.	Drag the card to the desired pile.

From Order mode:

1.	On the left side of the screen, there’s a pile of cards (may be empty) to be sorted.  Drag the card to that pile.

2.	Click the Group button.

3.	On the group screen, drag the card to the desired group.

I’m ready to write my first draft and I made two files, but now I can’t find them. Where are they?

To find your file, you need to know (1) the file names and (2) the directory where the files are located.

1.	File names. The Advice file is named either Advice.rtf or Advice.txt. To find the file that contains your report or essay data, you need to know what you named it.  If you used the default filename, then the file has the same name as your report or essay. The file will have an extension of either .txt or .rtf. For example, if you named your report or essay CARS, then your filename will be either CARS.TXT or CARS.RFT.

2.	File directory. When you saved your files, the Wizard allows you to place them in any directory. (It's always a good idea to write the directory name down somewhere.) However, if you did not specify a particular directory, your work was automatically saved in a sub-directory called Reports or Research. You can find this folder within the directory folder where World Book is stored on your computer.

It’s a good idea to write the name of your file and the directory down. If you are not familiar with working with and saving word processing documents, you may wish to review the manual for your word processor program.

If you save your work in the Reports or Research folder, which is the default location, you can easily locate the files you want to open from this folder. And, you'll be able to open .rtf and .txt files directly from the Reports or Research folder that World Book placed on your Windows desktop.

I created a bibliography and now I can’t find it or open it in my word processor. Where is it and how do I open it?

You find your bibliography the same way that you find your report or essay file, except that your bibliography file has a different filename. Report Wizard automatically gives your bibliography file a name starting with the letters "BIB" and ending with the first five letters of your essay name. For example, if your essay was "HURRICANES," your bibliography file would be named BIBHURRI.

Is my bibliography ready to hand in to my teacher?

Not necessarily. Be sure to double-check the following three elements of your essay:

1.	Bibliography style [image] The Report Wizard bibliography style may not match what your teacher expects from you. You need to make sure your bibliography is in the correct style for your assignment.

2.	Completeness of bibliography [image] Did you use sources for which you did not create notecards? If you did, be sure to enter these sources into your bibliography.

3.	Unused notecards [image] Did you create notecards that you did not use in your essay? If you did this, then you may want to delete entries for unused sources before handing in your essay.

See also

How to use Report (Research) Wizard

Saving your report or essay (and finding it again)