Technical Writing Guidelines

Technical writing is both a science and art. No matter how good an experiment or how brilliant a
discovery is, it is worthless unless the information is communicated to other people. This
communication must be as clear and unambiguous as possible. Usually, the general objective of a
report, or a technical paper, in Engineering and Science is to communicate the ideas and
information gained in the experimental work. The care and skill with which the discussion and
conclusion are drawn will determine the overall success of the report. An old rule in army
communication always applies in report writing which is: Tell them what you are going to tell them;
tell them; and then tell them what you have told them.

There are many methods and techniques available and accepted for technical writing. The method
provided in this document is a very common one and is recommended as a method for technical
report writing. This document will refer specifically to parts of a technical report or write-up. There
can be other format and methods for technical writing based on the requirements of the
organization receiving or sponsoring the written material. In that case, the writer should follow the
writing guidelines set by the relevant organization or journal to which the communication material is
intended. In addition, a course instructor might choose to keep or eliminate portions of this document, or select a
completely different method, as a requirement in written material submitted by students in that particular course.

Report Contents:

1. Memo: Also known as a letter of transmittal. The memo should be attached on top of the
report. A memo can be as short or as long as needed, and should include the following
general elements:
a. First four lines should be [To:], [From:], [Date:], and [Subject:]. Make sure you
address people with their appropriate titles, and correct name spelling!
b. Organizational Problem (OP): This is the part where an explanation of the big
picture, the problem, and a frame work of context are provided.
c. Technical Task (TT): In this part, the technical details and the completed task to
solve the problem are detailed.
d. Rhetorical Purpose (RP): This is the last part of the memo where the writer describes
the specific reaction required of the reader in response to the memo. Be
professional and polite when asking for a response (e.g. Do not use a statement like:
Please grade appropriately. Instead, use something like: Your feedback and
comments would be greatly appreciated!).
e. Initial(s) by the name(s) in the [From:] part. Memos are not normally signed, but the
rules might be different in certain organizations.
f. List of attachments to the memo.

2. Front matter: Front matter includes the title page, with author affiliation(s), sponsor of
report activity (if any), table of contents, list of nomenclature, list of figures, preface (if any),
and a letter of transmittal (memo). Not all these elements have to be included in every

Technical Writing Guidelines – Dr. Barakat Page 1 of 4

 technically written report. Only the elements that are relevant should be considered.

3. Executive Summary (ES): This is a brief overview of the entire laboratory experiment or
technical topic discussed. This should contain a statement of the overall purpose of the
laboratory experiment, a statement of the objective and tasks performed, and a statement of
the major/significant results with a quick comparison between the theory and measured
results. It should also contain the inferences that could be drawn from the whole
experiment. The ES should stand alone as an explanation of the report! This is the most
important part of the report. Some people receiving the report will have time only to read
this part. In physical sciences this is called an Abstract. The difference is that in
Engineering, the ES is expected to be more object orienteda.

4. Introduction: In the introduction, lay the groundwork for the more detailed discussion in
the body of the report. Include a review of previous work if necessary. In addition, use the
introduction to state the motivation of the work and define the problem. This part should
ramp-up the reader’s frame of context to a level sufficient to view the big picture of the
report. Provide a forecast of the following sections of the report.

5. Theory: This section contains an explanation of the concepts and equations used to
conduct and analyze the experiment. It enables the reader to understand the implications of
the experimental work and aids in proper interpretation of the data. Detailed derivations
should be relegated to the appendices.

6. Experimental Apparatus and Procedure: This part should include lists and figures
showing the equipment used, the specifications or accuracy of the equipment, etc. Details
covering how the experiments were performed, difficulties that were overcome, and
demonstration that care was taken to be accurate and consistent should be included here.
All of the steps taken to carry out the experiment as precisely as possible should be shown in
this part.

7. Results and Discussion: In this section results of the work are presented and logically
linked to the theory, previous work, and predictions. Clear tabular and graphical
presentations of results should be used. Some verbal discussions of the graphs and tables
should be given, but only to focus the reader’s attention on salient features of the data.
Moreover, the writer of the report has the responsibility of interpreting the results in light of
the theoretical background and previous work in the area. “Bad” results are only bad if you
fail to give a reason why your theory and experiments don’t match up well.

8. Conclusions and Recommendations: By the time the reader has reached this part, most
of the conclusions should have been drawn. Never mention anything new or unexpected at
this part of the report. This part is where you wrap up the report with a summary of all the
important results and interpretations. It is always helpful to show a clear quantitative
comparison of the different results, as well as a percentage error. This is the second most
important part of the report next to the ES. When you are done with your report, check
that the Executive Summary and Conclusion are consistent. Have you “promised” anything
in the Executive Summary that you have not delivered in the report?

Technical Writing Guidelines – Dr. Barakat Page 2 of 4

 9. References: References should be cited in the report and listed in this section. Citation and
listing can be of many styles, just make sure you are consistent. Two examples of citation
are by number e.g. [5], or by name and year (Frank et. al., 1999). The reference should show in
this section as follows:

[5] Frank A., et. al. (1999), “title….” Publisher, and pages.

References from the internet should include the title of the referenced article or part, site
address, author name and affiliation, and the sponsor of the site. The following is an
example:

Armstrong, J., “writing guide,” Version 3, Retrieved from the Web 9/1/98,
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

10. Appendices: Wide latitude is available on what to include as an appendix. The writer may
choose not to include any appendices. However, appendices should always be referenced in
the body of the report. Some examples of material that should be in the appendices are:
detailed mathematical derivations, tables of raw experimental data, calibration information
for instruments, uncertainty analysis of the experiment, material property tables and graphs,
calculations charts, and computer code and programs. Irrelevant material or appendices and
content that is not used or referenced in the main report should not be included in this part.

General Guidelines:

1. Be specific and straight to the point. Extra wordiness is as destructive as the lack of
explanations. Ensure consistency and logical flow of the complete report as well as each
paragraph individually. In the report, and each individual part, ideas should flow from
general to specific and tie up to the parts preceding and succeeding it.

2. Use third person, passive voice.

3. Check the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and upper/lower case letters in your written
material. Such mistakes are very irritating and confusing to the reader.

4. Equation Presentation: Equations should be written in the report as they are presented in
any text, and with a reference number. Computer jargon and awkward type equations
should be avoided. The general rule for use of brackets is to move outward from
parentheses to brackets to {} signs. If more than three levels is required, it is best to define
new variables. A multiplication sign after variables is not necessary, except to avoid
confusion. The two following examples acceptable:

S=
(1 + I )N − 1 ( 1)
I

[ ]
S = P{ (1 + I )N −1 / I} ( 2)

Technical Writing Guidelines – Dr. Barakat Page 3 of 4

 5. Graphs, Figures, and Tables presentation: Ensure that any figures in the reports are
relevant and referenced in the text of the report. Reference to figures and tables should
precede them. Each graph and figure should have a number and title under it. Label the
graph and coordinates consistently. Each coordinate should have a scale markings and units
for each variable labeled. Numbers and titles for tables should go on top of them. Use full
names and units for variables as possible. Make sure you abide by the significant figures rule
and that less than unity numbers are written properly written by adding a zero preceding the
decimal point.

6. Any Questions asked in the handout or by the instructor should be specifically answered
with facts, figures, and references in the discussion part.

7. Format: Your report should be visibly organized. Balance the amount of ink on the page
between not leaving extra white space and not cluttering the page. As a nominal format use
single space, 12.0 true type font (e.g. Garamond or Times New Roman), 1.0 inch margin
from each edge of the page, and boldface for titles. Indent each paragraph and make sure
that your numbering system flows consistently. Also make sure that the same set of
variables is used throughout the report.

a
Abstract: Some engineering reports are required to have an abstract replacing the ES. The
rule is: there can be either an ES or an Abstract in the report but not both. The abstract
describes the nature of the project/experiment, major tasks and outcomes. It should include
some background information and the circumstances leading to the project/experiment. The
memo format should not be used, and the narrative should not include a rhetorical purpose.
The abstract needs to be written carefully because it will be the only piece of text that will be
read by multiple technical and non-technical audiences. In addition, the writer will have no
control over who reads the abstract, and thus should be sensitive to proprietary or confidential
information. The abstract should avoid negative words such as inferior, failure, sub-standard,
etc. Note that the abstract is different from the executive summary style of a document. A well-
written abstract requires time and several drafts to complete.

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