Robert A. Paz Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM
8/8/2005 Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering New Mexico State University Box 30001, MSC 3-O Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
ABSTRACT Writing a project report, like any technical report, requires more than just scribbling down a few paragraphs and tacking on a graph and a program listing. The report requires that attention be given to the format as well as the content. Good structure and organization is needed. Thorough discussion of difficult or important points is vital. Explanation of results is critical. Only when these things are included will the report communicate effectively.
CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Statement of the Subject..................................................................................... 2 1.2 Purpose............................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Scope.................................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Topic Development ............................................................................................. 2 1.5 Intended Audience .............................................................................................. 2 METHODS, ASSUMPTIONS, AND PROCEDURES ................................................. 3 2.1 Investigation Procedure ...................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 The Introduction............................................................................................ 3 2.1.2 The Body of the Paper.................................................................................. 3 2.2 System of Measurement ..................................................................................... 4 2.2.1 Formatting Components ............................................................................... 4 2.3 Investigation Instruments or Apparatus............................................................... 6 2.3.1 Technical Paper Equivalents of Instruments................................................. 6 2.4 Precision of Instruments...................................................................................... 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................................. 7 3.1 Analysis of Plots, Charts and Figures ................................................................. 7 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................ 8 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 9 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................... 10 LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND ACRONYMS................................... 11 WRITTEN REPORT EVALUATION......................................................................... 12
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List of Figures No. 1 Title The Step Response of a Linear System page 8
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SUMMARY Scientific and technical reports convey the results of basic or applied research and support decisions based on those results. A report includes all of the essential information necessary for interpreting, applying, and reproducing the results or techniques of an experiment or investigation. The primary purposes of such a report are to communicate and pass on the results of scientific and technical research and to recommend any appropriate actions. Thus, the task of writing a report is an important skill to learn. The following description of a technical report contains all the essential components of an actual technical report. It is written in the basic format of a technical report. It is written in the style of a technical report. It is thus intended to serve as an exemplar of a technical report except that no actual, technical content is contained here.
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Statement of the Subject
The purpose of reports in engineering courses is to enhance the technical writing skills of the student. It is not intended to be a punishment for mortal sins, even if it feels like it. Good communication skills are essential in an engineer's career, and too many students exit without having really exercised them. The goal of good writing is communication. Since many engineering problems are of an abstract nature, clear communication is essential to convey the ideas.
1.2 Purpose
The report criteria considered here reflects the importance of various parts of the report. They are not intended to be the outline of your report. All reports should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. These should be part of your outline, but the body, for example, should not be called Body, The Body etc. The project itself will usually have various parts that furnish the sections needed in the body of the report.
1.3 Scope
This paper describes a typical report that may be written for a project at the undergraduate or graduate levels. The basics for both reports are the same. This paper does not cover all possible styles of technical reports, nor does it cover literary aspects of reports. Grammar, style or composition are not specifically delved into. What is covered are the overall bare-bones essentials of the report.
engineering course, to picture an engineering supervisor having handed the project to you, and you must report your findings.
breaks. Pictures, tables, flowcharts, program code and other inclusions in the report that take up a lot of space and interrupt the flow of the report should be placed in an Appendix. If they are small enough, they may be included in the Body. Equations should be word processed if possible.
Numbers must be provided to quickly identify the figure. Each should have a unique number. A caption may be included along with the figure number. Organization The organization of the report is very important. A well-organized paper is easy to read because the reader doesn't have to flip back and forth to find the desired information. A well-organized paper can be read straight through. Each part should flow smoothly into the next part. Parts of the report are broken up into logical sections. Data, charts, graphs and program listings that are cumbersome are placed in appendices. Small pictures, or figures are placed near the place in the text where they are referenced. Important equations are numbered for easy reference. Descriptive titles and subtitles are chosen and placed in the proper places. Appearance The report should be word-processed. Equations may be hand-written, but it is preferable that they be typed. Some word processors (Word Perfect, MS Word, AmiPro, etc.) have built-in equation editors. Departmental computer labs have such capability, and there are other computers accessible on campus that also do. For example, if we wished to examine the Laplace transform of a signal, we could include the basic formula for the Laplace transform
U (s) =
for the signal u ( t ) . It is customary to have the equation number to the right of the equation. Sometimes a longer derivation is used. For example, if the signal u ( t ) is a unit step function, i.e., u ( t ) = 0 , for t < 0 , and u ( t ) = 1 for t ! 0 , then we can compute the Laplace transform as
U (s) =
# u (t ) e
0
"
! st
dt
(2.1)
(2.2) e 1 =0! = !s s where we have assumed the region of convergence Re ( s ) > 0 . Note in this case the entire derivation has its own equation number. It is also useful at times to label individual lines in a derivation if a certain intermediate step is to be referred to.
0 !0
"
e! st (1) e dt = !s
! st
"
Graphics should be crisp and well defined. If possible, bold or larger type should be used to set off titles or subtitles. Margins should be one inch all around except possibly when headers or footers are used. This includes program listings. Use 12 point fonts if possible for the main text, with at least 1 1/2 line spacing (double spacing is fine). Margins may be justified if desired, but this is not necessary. Clarity of Presentation The writing should be in good English. Care should be taken to use proper spelling and grammar. Some computer programs have built-in spelling and grammar checkers (e.g. MS Word, Word Perfect, etc.). All pertinent issues in the project should be addressed
thoroughly. Being too wordy is not helpful. Concise statements are often more readable than verbose. Plain vocabulary is often more expressive than flowery language.
Explanation of Results This is the "punch-line" of the paper. How did it turn out? Was it as expected? Did it turn out according to the theory? What were the sources of error? Were the results repeatable? Do not understate the significance of the results. After reading this section, the reader should know exactly what happened and why. If this is not clear, then the entire paper has been in vain.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The conclusion of the paper is the part of the paper that fills in any blanks left over. It should tie together any loose ends. It should summarize all that took place in the body. There should be a brief, general restatement of the goals of the project. There should be a restatement of the approach taken. There should be a restatement of the results and their relevance. The conclusion should also extrapolate to other possible applications for the technology employed in this project. Writing a paper is not as simple as reading it. Planning and foresight must go into it in order for good communication to take place. The factors of Format, Organization, and Analytical Discussion each have their contribution. Following the principles of this paper will enable the writer to have a good start in preparing a technical report. It should be noticed that the principles that are described in this handout are also applied. Each of the points has been followed in order to provide the reader help in understanding each point. These principles would also be a good basis for more advanced writings such as theses, technical reports or conference papers.
5 REFERENCES
Some General References for Technical writing are: [1] Eisenberg, A. (1998), A Beginner's Guide to Technical Communication, Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. [2] Findelstein, L. Jr. (2000), Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. [3] (1993) The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. [4] Swanson, E. (1979), Mathematics into Type: Copyediting and Proofreading of Mathematics for Editorial Assistants and Authors. Rev. ed. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society. [5] (1984) U.S. Government Printing Office. Style Manual. Rev. ed. GPO S/N 21000068. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1984. The folks at ANSI have put out a slew of standards relating to technical documents: [6] ANSI Z39.4-1984, Basic Criteria for Indexes [7] ANSI Z39.14-1979 (R1986), Writing Abstracts [8] ANSI/NISO Z39.23-1990, Standard Technical Report Number (STRN) Format and Creation [9] ANSI Z39.29-1977, Bibliographic References [10] ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992, Permanence of Paper for Printed Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives [11] ANSI/NISO Z39.72-199X, Format for Submission of Data for Multimedia CD-ROM Mastering (draft standard) [12] ANSI/IEEE 268-1982 (R1992), Metric Practice [13] NISO/ANSI/ISO 9660, Volume and File Structure of CD-ROM for Information Exchange [14] NISO/ANSI/ISO 12083, Electronic Manuscript Preparation and Markup And finally, the source of that unusual quote: [15], Ziegler, P (1971), Quoting William IV in, King William IV, New York: Harper & Row
6 APPENDICES
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