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Lecture 07 technical writing
- 1. Technical Report Writing Originally created by J. Ayers Edited by R. Magnusson and J. Chandy February 7, 2011 ECE 4901 .
- 2. Technical writing • Journal paper • Thesis • Dissertation • Report
- 3. Elements of a Technical Report • Title • Abstract (Executive Summary) • Introduction • Theory and Analysis • Experimental Procedures • Results and Discussion • Conclusion(s) • Acknowledgments • References • Appendix
- 4. Writing Style • Depends on the audience • More Lively Writing (usually preferred) – First Person, Active Voice, Past/Present Tense • More Formal Writing – Third Person, Passive Voice, Past/Present Tense • Never use slang
- 5. Writing Style • Use First-Person, Active Voice, Past Tense or Third-Person, Passive Voice, Past Tense • Not Recommended: Clean the gallium arsenide substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene. • Not Recommended: I clean the gallium arsenide substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene. • Acceptable: The gallium arsenide substrates were cleaned by boiling in trichloroethylene. • Recommended: We cleaned the gallium arsenide substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene.
- 6. Writing Mechanics • Check Spelling • Check Grammar • Minimize the use of Acronyms • If Acronyms are necessary, always define them at the first use • Number all equations, tables, and figures • All tables and figures must have captions. • All figures must have labeled axes • All quantities must have units
- 7. Writing the Report: An Approach • Decide on a title • Create a brief outline with only main section headings • Create a more detailed outline with subheadings • Create an executive summary • Create the main body of text • Insert tables, figures, references, and acknowledgements
- 8. Abstract or Executive Summary • Think of it as a substitute for the report for a busy reader • Length never less than three sentences or longer than a full page. Often 200 words. • Sentence One: expand on the title • Sentence Two: why the work was done • Remainder: key results, with numbers as appropriate, conclusions, recommendations
- 9. Introduction • This is not a substitute for the report, and so does not echo the abstract • Here is the place for context, relation to prior work, general objective, and approach
- 10. Theory and Analysis • Briefly describe the theory relevant to the work • Provide design equations • Include calculations and computer simulation results • Provide values for all key parameters
- 11. Experimental Procedures • Describe Apparatus and Materials • Show test setups • If this section is well written, any electrical or computer engineer should be able to duplicate your results.
- 12. Results and Discussion • Use tables and graphs • Consider moving large quantities of raw data, detailed derivations, or code to an appendix • Methods of plotting which produce well delineated lines should be considered • Results should be critically compared to theory • Consider limitations in the theory and engineering tolerances
- 13. Conclusion • Similar to executive summary • Must be concise • Reinforces key ideas formed in discussion • Includes recommendations for future work, such as implementation of a design
- 14. Figures and Tables • Every figure must have a caption • All tables must have a title • Figure/tables are placed after they are mentioned in the text (all must be mentioned/discussed) • Make figures/tables first, and then insert into the text • Put the figure/table number beside its title, and put this in a standard location • Don’t start a sentence with an abbreviation: Figure vs. Fig.
- 15. Acknowledgements • Keep track of those to be acknowledged- keep a diary so that you don’t forget anyone • Include: your sponsor, outside sources (companies or agencies), other departments on campus, individuals outside of your team who have helped • Be brief
- 16. References • Various formats have been developed. Pick one you like such as the IEEE Transactions format • Decide on a sequence, such as the order they appear in the text • Always give full references such that others may find the item
- 17. References (examples) • [1] A. Student and B. Professor, “Very Important Project,” in Journal of Irreproducable Research, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 25-31, Nov. 2004. • [2] C. Dean, The Book of Earth-Shattering Research, Husky Press, Storrs, CT, 2005.
- 18. Plagiarism • Never take the work of others without giving proper credit • Never take verbatim sentences/paragraphs from the literature • If you feel that you must use verbatim material, use quotation marks and a reference. Do this sparingly! • There are search engines that can find if verbatim material has been stolen. Professors fail students who do this. Additional disciplinary action may follow.
- 19. Top Five Quotes from ECE Engineering Reports. #5. “We connected the citrus machine...” Jane Doe, Spring 1999 The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
- 20. Top Five Quotes from ECE Engineering Reports. #4 “The other wildly used configuration of the dc commutator machine is the series field motor.” David Doe, Fall 1999 The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
- 21. Top Five Quotes from ECE Engineering Reports. #3 “…the power rating was doubled by about a factor of 2.5…” Joe Doe, Spring 2000 The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
- 22. Top Five Quotes from ECE Engineering Reports. #2 “From the result section we see that the transformer was rated at approximately 20 kHz from 10 kHz to 2 MHz and the results were consistent.” John Doe, Spring 1999 The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
- 23. Top Five Quotes from ECE Engineering Reports. #1 “A sketch of the setup for both tests depicting relative positions and connections is featured in showing the relative posit featuring the relative setup of the tests is featured in the following section.” Mr. Doe, Spring 2000 The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
- 24. References – William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style (New York: Macmillian, 2000). – H. R. Fowler, The Little, Brown Handbook (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980). – G. L. Tuve and L. C. Domholdt, Engineering Experimentation (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966). – Craig Waddell, Basic Prose Style and Mechanics (Troy, NY: Rensselaer Press, 1990). – Joseph Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1981). – ECE Dept, “Engineering Report Writing,” September 2003.