Source: TCM 32000 Progress Report Evaluation Rubric
Tags: progress report, research progress report, TCM 32000, memo format, literature review, Purdue, technical communication, research status report
Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: None, though familiarity with academic research databases helps.
In TCM 32000 (Technical Communication at Purdue), the Research Progress Report is a short memo-format document that updates your instructor on how your literature review research is going. It sits between choosing your research topic and submitting the finished literature review itself. The report forces you to take stock: what sources have you found, what problems have you hit, and what is your plan to finish on time? If you have never written a formal memo or a progress report before, this is where you learn both skills at once.
The progress report is a 1 to 1.5-page memo addressed to your instructor. It covers four things: what your research project is about (Introduction), what you have done so far (Status), what challenges you have faced (Discussion), and how you plan to finish (Project Completion). It is worth 15 points and graded on content, memo format, grammar, and formatting.
Progress report
A document that updates a supervisor or stakeholder on the status of an ongoing project. In simple terms, it is a formal "here is where I am" update, written partway through a project rather than at the end.
Memo format (memorandum)
A standard business document layout with TO, FROM, DATE, and SUBJECT lines at the top, used for internal communication. Think of it as the professional way to send someone a structured update without writing a full letter.
Literature review
A written survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic, summarising and synthesising what existing research says. In simple terms, it is a paper that reports what other researchers have already found about your subject.
Search parameters
The keywords, filters, date ranges, and Boolean operators you use when searching a database for articles. Think of these as the instructions you give the search engine to narrow results down to what you need.
Scholarly articles (peer-reviewed sources)
Academic papers reviewed by experts in the field before publication. In simple terms, these are the "gold standard" sources your professor expects you to find and cite.
Library resources (databases)
Subscription-based search tools provided by your university library, such as Purdue Libraries, EBSCO, ProQuest, or Google Scholar. These are where you go to find the scholarly articles, as opposed to a general Google search.
References page
The list of sources cited in your report, formatted according to a specific citation style. It must match the sources you discuss in the Status section of your progress report.
The report must open with a standard memorandum header. The layout is:
TO: Instructor Name
FROM: Student Name
DATE: Date of submission
SUBJECT: TCM 32000 Research Progress Report
There is no signature line at the end. Do not add one. The memo format alone is worth 2 of your 15 points, so getting this right is free marks.
The Introduction describes three things in a few sentences:
What your research project is about
The scope of the project (how broad or narrow)
The goal, which is preparing your individual literature review
Keep it brief and specific. A reader should finish the Introduction knowing exactly what topic you are researching and why.
This is the heaviest-weighted content section. It must cover:
What you have accomplished so far toward finding scholarly articles
The search parameters you used (keywords, Boolean operators, date filters)
Which library resources or databases you searched (e.g. Purdue Libraries, EBSCO, ProQuest, Web of Science)
The articles you have found, which must be consistent with your attached References page
You can drop sources later if they stop being useful, but at the time of this report every listed source must be relevant to your current research focus. The Status section earns the most points (3) because it shows the instructor tangible evidence of your work.
The Discussion puts your progress in context. It should address:
The circumstances of your research so far (time constraints, resources available)
Specific challenges or hurdles you have faced (e.g. too few results, sources behind a paywall, difficulty narrowing the topic)
Anticipation of the reader's questions: the rubric explicitly says you must "anticipate the reader's questions and be prepared to answer them specifically"
Think about what the instructor would ask if they read your Status section. Then answer those questions here before they have to ask.
This is forward-looking. It must include:
Your expectations for completing the project (finding enough reliable sources)
Your confidence level in meeting those expectations
Detailed modifications you plan to make to your research strategy going forward (new keywords, different databases, adjusted scope)
Be specific. "I plan to search more" is not enough. "I plan to add the keyword 'sustainability' and search the Environmental Science & Technology database" is.
Correct use of language with no grammatical errors. This is straightforward: proofread your report before submitting.
The report must follow these specifications exactly:
Font: 11 pt. Arial or Calibri
Line spacing: 1.5
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
Total length: 1 to 1.5 pages
Do not exceed 1.5 pages. Do not submit less than 1 full page.
Progress reports are standard in professional and engineering environments. Project managers write them weekly or monthly to update clients and leadership. The format you learn here (memo header, status, discussion, next steps) transfers directly to workplace reporting. The skill of summarising research progress concisely is also central to graduate-level work, grant applications, and R&D roles.
"The Status section is just a list of my sources." It is not. The rubric asks for search parameters, databases used, and what you accomplished, not only what you found. A bare list of references will lose points.
"I can mention sources I haven't actually read yet." The rubric says sources must be relevant to your research focus at this point and consistent with your References page. Padding the list with articles you have not reviewed is risky.
"The Discussion is the same as the Status." The Status reports what you did. The Discussion reports the context and challenges around doing it. They are different sections for a reason.
"Project Completion means I just say I'm confident." The rubric requires detailed modifications to your research strategy. Vague optimism without a plan will cost you marks.
⚠️ The Status section is worth 3 points, the single highest-weighted section. If you only polish one part, polish this one.
⚠️ Memo format is 2 free points if you follow the template exactly. Forgetting the header or adding a signature line loses marks for no reason.
⚠️ "Anticipate the reader's questions" is quoted directly from the rubric in the Discussion section. If your Discussion does not pre-empt obvious questions, expect to lose points.
⚠️ The Project Completion section must include specific modifications to your research strategy, not just a statement of confidence.
⚠️ Formatting is strictly specified: 11 pt. Arial or Calibri, 1.5 spacing, 1-inch margins, 1 to 1.5 pages. Deviating from any of these costs you 2 points.
True or false: The progress report should include a signature line at the end. (False. The rubric explicitly says no signature line.)
Fill in the blank: The section worth the most points is the ______ section. (Status, worth 3 points.)
True or false: The Discussion and Status sections cover the same material. (False. Status covers what you did; Discussion covers challenges and context.)
Fill in the blank: The total length of the report should be ______ pages. (1 to 1.5 pages.)
True or false: You can list sources on your References page that are not relevant to your research focus. (False. All sources must be relevant at the time of submission.)
Q: What four sections make up the body of the TCM 32000 Research Progress Report?
A: Introduction, Status, Discussion, and Project Completion.
Q: What must the Status section include beyond a list of sources found?
A: It must identify the search parameters (keywords, filters) and library resources or databases used to find and retrieve articles.
Q: What does the rubric mean by "anticipate the reader's questions" in the Discussion section?
A: You should think about what your instructor would want to know after reading your Status (e.g. why you chose certain databases, why results were limited) and address those questions proactively.
Q: In the Project Completion section, what is required beyond stating your confidence level?
A: You must describe, in detail, the modifications you plan to make to your research strategy to find the sources you still need.
Q: What are the formatting specifications for the progress report?
A: 11 pt. Arial or Calibri font, 1.5 line spacing, 1-inch margins on all sides, and a total length of 1 to 1.5 pages.
This progress report feeds directly into the literature review assignment that follows it. The sources, search strategies, and scope decisions you document here become the foundation of that larger paper. The memo format itself connects to broader technical communication skills tested throughout TCM 32000, including audience awareness, concise professional writing, and document design.
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