Bazerman, Charles. “Chapter 2: Knowing Where You Are: Genre.” A Rhetoric of Literate Action: Literate Action, vol. 1, The WAC Clearinghouse, Parlor Press, 17 August 2013, pp. 21-41, wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/literateaction/v1/chapter2.pdf.

In this textbook chapter, Bazerman analyzes the theory, practice, and manifestation of genre in the context of activity systems. Bazerman uses a variety of examples to explore how readers can recognize, learn from, and harness genre to enhance the effectiveness of technical and professional writing.

Cruthers, Arley. “Chapter 6: Writing Emails, Memos, Letters, and Instant Messages.” Business Writing for Everyone, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 7 May 2020, kpu.pressbooks.pub/businesswriting/part/chapter-6-writing-emails-memos-letters-and-instant-messages/.

In this textbook chapter, Cruthers explores the foundations of genre norms, expectations, and names, including brief introductions to some of the most common genres in business writing (e.g., memos, letters, emails, instant messages, etc.). Cruthers also uses the “CMAPP model” to help students effectively craft their writing and select the appropriate genre based on elements such as context, audience, message, and purpose. Furthermore, Cruthers primes the chapter with questions for reflection and finishes the chapter with knowledge tests, key takeaways, and activities for further reflection. According to Cruthers, this chapter will enable readers to do the following:

“Review the CMAPP communication model.
“Get introduced to the genres of business communication.
“Learn how to select a genre for your purpose.
“Explore ways to effectively send emails, memos, letters and instant messages.”

Gross, Allison. “14.2 Genre, Genre Sets, Genre Systems.” Technical Writing, Open Oregon, Open Oregon Educational Resources, openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/chapter/14-2-genre-genre-sets-genre-systems/.

“Put simply, writing researchers study genres–what they are, and how they are used by people acting in, and interacting with, the world around them. In other words, genres are their main object of study. So what are they? In the following sections I provide some explanation of genres and the different ways that you might encounter them. In a subsequent section, I describe the tools and strategies that researchers use to analyze and understand genres.”

Gross, Allison. “14.3 Methods for Studying Genres.” Technical Writing, Open Oregon, Open Oregon Educational Resources, openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/chapter/14-3-methods-for-studying-genres/.

“The previous section outlined some key terms and definitions for the study of writing. This section builds on that by providing an overview of research tools that can be used to better understand writing-in-context. Some of these tools–like an interview–may seem more familiar to you than others (such as genre analysis). At the same time, an activity you probably engage in every day–observation–achieves importance when done in the context of research and analysis.”

Indeed Editorial Team. “A Complete Guide to Memo Writing (With Tips and Examples).” Indeed, 26 Apr. 2019, indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/memo-writing-guide.

In this Indeed article, the Indeed Editorial Team explores the basics of the memo genre, addressing the genre’s core components, basic design, purpose, and practical uses. In addition to exploring these foundational aspects of the memo genre, this article also gives a step-by-step guide for writing a memo, supplemented by a memo template and recursive-centered tips for writing an effective memo.

Noga, Tracy. “Module 3: How to Write a Tax Research Memo.” KPMG University Connection, 2015, kpmguniversityconnection.com/University/view/curriculum/?module_id=96.

In this 15-minute video, a KPMG specialist “walks through an example of a well-crafted memo,” thereby developing greater genre awareness among those new to the memo genre. This engaging, clear video explores, in particular, the way “Tax professionals document the results of their research in internal ‘memos to the file’ in order to support their work.” Furthermore, this video examines effective memo-writing on both  micro- and macro-levels, addressing general best business writing practices and the nuances of the memo genre.

Pope, Adam Rex. “Chapter Five: Writing in Genres.” Open Technical Writing: An Open-Access Text for Instruction in Technical and Professional Writing, Open Educational Resources, University of Arkansas, 18 April 2019, pp. 126-142, scholarworks.uark.edu/oer/4/.

In the following chapter, Pope examines the structures, fluidity, contextuality, and expectations of genres in technical writing. Pope explores the norms of individual genres, like reports and technical descriptions, while also investigating the function/nature of genres writ large. Throughout the text, Pope also provides a variety of questions that students can use to address issues of genre in the future (e.g., about audience and research, institutional practice research, general genre research, etc.), as well as section review questions that encourage more nuanced reflection and application of lesson knowledge.

Spors, Kelly. “Memo Formatting: Everything You Need to Know.” SmallBiz Ahead, The Hartford, 2018 Aug. 20, sba.thehartford.com/business-management/marketing/memo-format/.

In this online article, Spors introduces her readers to the basics of memo-writing, including what a memo is, its purpose, its seven basic parts, how to write a memo, and how to send a memo. This article also includes other supplementary materials, such as a one-minute how-to video, a business memo format example, and instructions for getting a memo template on MS Word.

“Writing Memos.” Department of Environmental Resources Engineering, Humboldt University, engineering.humboldt.edu/resources/technical-communication/memos.

In this online article, individuals from Humboldt University’s Department of Environmental Resources Engineering explore how to write technical memos, using concise guidelines for formatting, memo types, and best writing practices. Furthermore, this article also describes how to access and use memo templates from MS Word.