TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

TECHNIQUES

BY
ENGR. M.T.H.WILLIAMS,
FNSChE,MNIM
 Learning outcomes

 Examine and appreciate the importance of

well produced reports
 Identify the actions and features that can
lead to a good technical report writing
 Organise your points and structure your
arguments when writing reports
 Write clear and readable reports
 Package your reports.
 INTRODUCTION

 Reports are a vital part of the communication

process, and a powerful management tool.
 Reports can be used to record action already taken,
proposals or suggestions. The purpose is for the
reader to understand something new and usually to
persuade them to take a particular course of action.
 A well written report benefits the reader, the writer
and the organisation. The skills of good reporting
writing can be learnt like any other, and the
principles apply whatever the purpose.
INTRODUCTION- WHY WE NEED
REPORTS

PURPOSE OF REPORTS:
 The purpose of a report is not communicating with
oneself but communicating with the reader(s).
 Reader to understand something they did not know
before
 To persuade a reader to take an action.
 To communicate simultaneously with different
readers.
 Permanent reference.
PUT THE OBJECTIVE IN WRITING

 To put a clear objective in writing is the first

thing to do when asked to write a report
 Summarise what you are trying to achieve in
a simple sentence helps the writer to have a
clear focus.
 Be specific as possible. As you work on the
details, referring to the objective will help sort
out what is relevant from what is irrelevant.
PUT THE OBJECTIVE IN WRITING

 Put the report in the readers shoe. Consider:

 Who wants the report?
 Why they want it?
 What will be done with it?
 What precisely the report should cover?
 What the report should not cover?
 What should happen as a result of the
report?
ORGANISING & STRUCTURING A
REPORT

 There is a strong temptation to include every detail

you have in a report and to put every piece of
research and background available, but this will lead
to confusion for the reader. To avert such confusion,
it is essential to establish the points that need to be
included in a report once the report objective is
known. Establishing the points requires organising
and structuring skills.
 Organising is a mental process that helps the writer
to produce a report, while structuring is a written
process that helps the reader to understand a written
report.
ORGANISING

The key points to organising your report are:

 Gather all raw materials.
 Patiently work through all the materials.
 Sort out the individual points.
 Discard points which are repeated
unnecessary.
STRUCTURING THE ARGUMENT

 Structuring the argument arises from an

effective organisation of the raw data.
 The classic structure has four vital stages-
the four P’s:
 Outline the Position (what is on the ground)
 Describe the problem
 Examine the various possibilities
 Put forward the proposal
(recommendations)
STRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
CONT’D

 The argument has to be logical, with a beginning, a

middle and an end.
 All key facts, figures and arguments can be fitted as
appropriate into the four P structure
 Avoid generalisations not supported by the facts.
 The more complex the issue being tackled by the
report, the more complex the proposals. Strive to
keep them concise. If there are multiple proposals,
state the options separately. Be sure to present all
facts clearly, fairly and objectively.
USING PLAIN ENGLISH

 A complex or important report does not necessarily

have to contain alien and difficult language. Use
language readers can understand.
 Individual style must be clear and easy to read.
 Too much jargons make many reports unintelligible.
Technical reports may contain a certain amount of
jargon which may be unavoidable. In such cases,
including a glossary of key terms is useful.
 The glossary will prevent misunderstanding between
technical experts where certain terms may have
multiple definitions.
USE OF PLAIN ENGLISH CONT’D

 Avoid complex phrases where a simple word would

suffice.
 At this moment in time------- Now
 Owing to the situation that----Because
 In the event that -----------------If
 There is some reasonable expectation—Probably
 Avoid general statements. Be precise.
 Use of abbreviations: when using abbreviations,
write the full name the first time with abbreviation in
bracket, so that subsequently you can use the
abbreviation.
USE OF PLAIN ENGLISH CONT’D

 Spellings: too many wrong spellings might

give the wrong impression. Slipshod spelling
can suggest a slipshod report, even the work
that has gone into it was very thorough. So
take care with the spelling. Asking a
colleague to proof-read the report before
submitting it is worthwhile.
WRITING AN ENGINEERING
REPORT

 Writing is one of the most important tools

available to an engineer. The final report of
any project is not just a formality. It is a
primary product of the effort and is often the
basis for the evaluation of the reporter's
professional abilities. The report is also a
service to those in need of the information.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

 Before starting to write a technical report, make sure

that the goal and scope are well defined. It is
common to find a report that inadequately addresses
the main point(s) of the report. The report should be
as short as possible while still retaining all the
relevant matter. How well one provides this depends
on the scope of the project and on one's ability to
extract only those items that need to be reported.
The value of the report depends not on its length but
on its accuracy and utility for its readers.
WHAT THE TECHNICAL REPORT
SHOULD CONTAIN

 The Engineer who reads a project report needs to be

told enough about the project work carried out by the
writer so that he or she can place it in its general
scientific context, judge the adequacy of the method
used and thus form an opinion of how seriously the
findings are to be taken.
 In order to give the reader the necessary
information, the report must cover the following
points.
GENERAL NSE PROJECT
REPORT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS

OVERVIEW: All NSE Corporate Membership

exams projects should follow certain basic
style and format guidelines and also adhere
to basic standards of clear, correct English
and careful presentation. Prospective
members are encouraged to hire a
professional typist to assist in the preparation
of the final draft.
GENERAL NSE PROJECT
REPORT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS

Basic Appearance: Computer/Printer:

Prospective members are expected to use
computer word processing software to prepare
the project report. Laser printers are preferred,
but letter-quality dot-matrix and ink jet printers
may be used.
 Type Face: The type size should be 12 point. A
common font such as Geneva, Arial or Times
should be used, and it must be dark and uniform
throughout.
GENERAL NSE PROJECT
REPORT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS

 Proportional spacing should be avoided. These type

styles cause problems with centering, column alignment,
and justified right margins.
 Bold type should be used sparingly. Outline, shadow, or
similar "trick" forms are not allowed anywhere in the
report. Type used for charts, graphs, drawings, tables,
etc., may differ according to format and space
requirements but should always remain consistent.
 Italics may be used for appropriate purposes, i.e., for
foreign words or phrases, for book and journal titles, etc.
You may also choose to use underline in place of italics.
In either case, consistency of form is required.
GENERAL NSE PROJECT
REPORT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS

 Pagination: Each page must have a number

designation, though numbers may be left off the title
page and pages of chapter headings if the
prospective member prefers. All pages must be
numbered consecutively as follows:
 Lower-case Roman numerals (i.e., i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi,
etc.) are used for preliminary pages. The numerals
appear centered at the bottom of the page,
approximately 1/2" above the bottom.
GENERAL NSE PROJECT
REPORT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS

 Arabic numerals (i.e., l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) are used for

the body of the project. The numerals appear in the
upper right of the page, approximately 1/2" down
from the top and 1/2"in from the right margin.
 Material inserted after final typing should be
numbered as in this example: 21, 21a, 21b, etc. This
expedient should be used sparingly.
 Appendices and the bibliography or reference list
should be numbered consecutively with the rest of
the project report.
PRELIMINARY PAGES OF THE
PROJECT REPORT

 i - Title Page: This page includes the approved title

for the project.
 ii-Attestation: I certify that the work in this report
was carried by--------. It must be signed by your
project supervisor. Usually, name, signature and
membership no. are required.
 iii-Preface or Acknowledgement: This page should
acknowledge and/or thank individuals for their
assistance and may cite reasons for the study.
(Optional)
PRELIMINARY PAGES OF THE
PROJECT REPORT

 vi - Table of Contents: Titles and subtitles are to

correspond exactly with those in the text. (See sample at
the end of this write-up.)
 vii - List of Tables or Figures: This is separate from the
Table of Contents. The tables/figures are numbered in
the order in which they appear. Titles are to correspond
exactly with those in the text.
 viii - List of Illustrations: This is also a separate page.
Illustrations are numbered in the order in which they
appear in the entire thesis/project, not within each
chapter or appendix. Again, titles must correspond
exactly with those in the text.
PRELIMINARY PAGES OF THE
PROJECT REPORT

 Abstract or The Executive Summary: It

consists of a brief statement of the problem
or nature of study, the method and design
used, the major findings, and the conclusions
drawn from the findings. It may not exceed
two pages and must be single-spaced.
PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT

 Introduction: The function of the

Introduction is to describe the purpose and
scope of the project. Specifically, the
statement of the problem with which the
study is concerned shall be clearly stated.
 The remainder of the report should be tied to
this section. Generally, the reader is first
introduced to the overall topic and then to the
specific areas addressed in the report.

PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT CONT’D

 The Procedure: The function of this section is to

describe how one went about answering the
"question" posed in the Introduction. Testing
procedures should be described. Describe the type
of data that each procedure is supposed to provide
and what part of the "question" it would help to
answer.
 The study design, the method of manipulating the
independent variable if the study took the form of an
experiment, the nature of the sample, the data
collection techniques, the method of statistical
PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT CONT’D

 The Results: This section should include some text,

mainly to describe the tables and graphs containing
the data.
 Short tables can be included directly in the text, but
extensive tables and graphs are put on separate
pages following the one on which they are first
mentioned in the text. Units should be given in the
heading of each data column and not after the
individual values listed in the table.
PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT CONT’D

 Discussion of results: The purpose of the

discussion section is to communicate what
was learned and how the results lead to the
conclusions.
 The results are discussed in terms of what
they show about the findings and what they
mean in the context of the goal of the study.
The discussion forms the bridge between the
original observations and what they will
ultimately mean to the reader.
PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT CONT’D

 Conclusions: The conclusion

section is a concise statement of
the key final results and their
significance. It is answer to the
"question" posed in the
introduction.
TECHNICAL REPORT CONTENT
CONT’D

 Reference: The reference list should include

only those books and articles from the
technical literature which are used for this
report. Use the following format:
 L.H. van Vlack, Elements of Materials
Science and Engineering, 6th Ed., Addison-
Wesely Publ. Comp.,Reading, Mass., (1989),
pp100-105.
PROJECT REPORT BODY
CONTENT CONT’D

 Appendix: The appendix section is available

for raw data, sample calculations, list of
symbols, computer printouts and programs
etc.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

 Appearance: Spelling, grammar and neatness are

important components of report writing. Word
processing or typing is required. Tables and graphs
should be well organised and clearly labelled. They
should be able to stand as separate entities. Scaling
of graphs should be done in such a manner that the
graph is not crowded in a corner or on the side but
covers a major part of the sheet. The divisions on
the graph paper should coincide with whole numbers
of the units plotted along the axis. The use of S.I.
units is encouraged.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

 Deadlines:
 Be aware of the deadline for the completion
of the report and meet it. This is one of the
key responsibilities of a practicing engineer.
There will be a penalty assessed to the
report grade for late reports.
 KEEP YOUR REPORT SHORT WITHOUT
BEING INCOMPLETE.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

 All tables and graphs should have titles.

Graphs should be neatly and carefully drawn
on graph paper or plotted with a computer,
and axes must be properly labeled and
scaled. Raw data and sample calculation are
normally placed in an appendix. A comment
on the accuracy and reproducibility of the
results is also appreciated in this section.
REFERENCES

 Sherman, Alan T., ``How to solve and write

up homework problems'' (January 29, 1991).
 Higham, Nicholas J., Handbook of Writing for
the Mathematical Sciences, SIAM Press
(1993).
 Technical Report Writing Article for
Registration with NSE by Engr. Sam Itopa,
FNSE.
QUESTION & ANSWERS SESSION
END OF TOPIC

THANKS FOR LISTENING