Look up entries on that subject in both general and specialized encyclopedias to help develop this topic list also. The audience and purpose of your report act like filters, screening out the unnecessary topics. Audience and purpose used to narrow a report topic If you are not familiar with the different audiences that reports commonly have, see the section on types of audiences . The steps there show you how to analyze your audience systematically and what to do if you're not sure who your audience is. One last step in the narrowing process is to decide how to discuss the topics you've selected.
General discussion can be for either specialist or nonspecialist readers.
In a general discussion for specialists, you save space by assuming those readers have a certain level of knowledge. Specific discussion gives much detail about a topic and thus usually takes up more space within a report. Specific discussion can also be for either specialist or nonspecialist readers. In a specific discussion for nonspecialist readers, you make sure every detail is explained thoroughly so that those readers can understand. A common component found on modern launch vehicles is the fairing.