Step 2 - Report Markup.

Starting at the beginning of the document, find each explicitly stated actor and action in the document. Underline reported name of each actor and what actor reportedly did on the narrative.

AFTER you have marked up your document to flag the explicitly stated actions, compare your markup with those provided:

• Click here to view marked up report with reported actions underlined.

• Click here to view marked up report with reported actions numbered.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q 2.1. What should I mark during this step? Mark all explicitly stated actions reported in the document. An action consists of a named person or object (actor) with words stating what the person or object did (act). Underline the name and words that describe what the actor did. The words should but may not always enable you to visualize the person or object and what they did.

Q 2.2. Should I use a pen or pencil to mark document? Pencil is preferred on paper documents, so you can erase your marks if you change your mind. Use your word processor to mark words in digitized document files that you can process on a computer.

Q 2.3. How do I handle pronouns? Underline pronouns like he or she or it if followed by a verb. You will determine and assign one name during a later step.

Q 2.4. How do I handle different names for same actor? Underline names as reported. The multiple names for the same person or object will get straightened out during later steps.

Q 2.5. How do I handle plural names like "the crowd" or "they?" Underline them, too. Read about inferred actions.

Q 2.6 - How do I handle multiple acts by an actor? Depends. If two or more verbs follow a named actor, and the acts are linked by words such as "and," "then" or "before," etc., underline both acts if you are reasonably certain from the report that the same actor did both acts. ("He raised.. then proceeded..)

Q 2.7. How do I handle two people doing the same thing? You have two actions. Underline both actor names, and then underline both acts. Keep reading.("Pilot and passengers exited. ")

Q 2.8. What if a person or object is named, and the report does not describe anything they did? See inferred actions below.

Q 2.9. What parts of a document should I mark up? All sections. Mark any actions reported in the document, because you never know where a writer will report an action. Often you will find acts for the first time in the conclusions or appendix sections introductions, while in other reports they may be reported in the introduction, descriptions, analyses, or findings sections of reports. Read the whole document looking for acts by named people or objects, and mark what you find.

Q 2.10. What should I do with acts I don't think are worth underlining? Underline everything anyone or anything reportedly did. At this step of the report quality assurance process, it is premature to make judgments about the validity, relevance, significance, or value of any of the acts described in the report. Those judgments can only be made when the acts can be placed in the context of other known actions.

When a report attributes the data to someone, as in "He stated" and "he claims" underline these reported actions. Their importance or relevance can not be assessed critically at this step. If for example the pilot said he thought the speed was 30 knots, and it turns out other reported data such as aircraft damage indicates it was 60 knots, this conflict might indicate a problem that should have been investigated. Was the difference due to a) a misunderstanding between the witness and investigator, b) the pilot's skill in judging speed, c) the pilot is misleading the investigator for reasons as yet unknown, d) instruments were giving false readings, etc. Value can only be determined when more is known about what happened. (During data entry, whoever "he" was would be shown as the source of the stated or claimed action.)

Q 2.11. What should I do if the report describes what an object did NOT do? Do not mark it on the report. This information becomes part of your analysis task later during the process. DID NOT in a report often reflects a conclusion that some action was expected (by the investigator) and did not happen. Stick to what people or objects reportedly DID.

Later, you will try to identify what should have happened, and what established your expectation for each such action. Then, record that in a DID rather than DID NOT format. For example, if some procedure or rule or standard said the person or object was supposed to do something, use the procedure or rule or standard as the actor, and express the expected action as ""Rule called for x to do y at this time." If expectations played a role or were supposed to play a role and didn't, it is good practice to put the data into the actor/action format, or you will find yourself getting subjective about things like errors, failures, etc. Any actions that have no value in understanding or explaining what happened will be filtered out during subsequent steps.