Technical Report Writing

Sara Anwar

Classes BSSE Semester IV

Credit Hours ( 3)
 Key Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to know,
 Applications in Report Writing (Types of report)
1. Laboratory Reports

2. Periodic Reports

1. Activity reports

2. Progress Reports
3. Annual reports

3. Design Reports

4. Proposals
5. Field Reports

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1. Laboratory Reports

 It is a report based on experimentation and

research done by individuals or teams.
 The lab report aims to develop scientific
knowledge or to solve an industrial problem.
 Success in engineering depends as much upon
the ability to present results as it does upon the
ability to perform the work.
Laboratory Reports

 School or university Lab report:

• Replicating an experiment. It is a simulation
• The goal is to acquire knowledge and to learn
experimental procedures
• A record that you have engaged the experiment
and, presumably, learned the procedure
Laboratory Reports

 Industrial Lab report:

• Indicate the results of experimentation aimed.
• Answering a question or solving a particular
problem
• A usability report aims to answer a particular
question regarding the users of a manual,
software program, or piece of machinery
Examples pp. 93-94
 Ethics and the Lab Report

 Lab Report should be a truthful and

accurate representation of your findings
 Don’t falsify data or misrepresent
findings.
Audience for the Lab Report
An academic lab report is written for a
teacher and perhaps your classmates.
Your audience mostly are familiar with the purpose of
your project. But you have to play the simulation
 In industrial or academic Lab report the
audience may be:
1. engineering or science-oriented audience.
2. management-oriented audience.
Parts of a Lab report

A title page provides the basic reference

information for a report or article:
1. Title
2. date of publication
3. author(s)
4. place of publication (journal, city/state, web
 URL, class assignment, corporation)
5. reference or project number (if applicable)
6. source of funding (if applicable)
 Parts of a Lab report
 Abstract
 Table of Contents
 Introduction Theory and/or Survey of Literature
 Equipments
 Procedure
 Subjects provide a description (if human subjects are
involved in the project)
 Results
 Discussion of Results
 Conclusion
 References
 Nomenclature (or Glossary)
 Appendix
2. Periodic Reports
 These reports help the corporation maintain a
sense of organizational stability demonstrate
accountability to the corporation's mission.
 This section discusses three of these periodic
reports:
1. Activity reports
2. Progress reports
3. Annual reports
1. Activity reports
 Completed by employees to update others on the work
that they have completed in a given time period.
 This report is a categorized list of what activities you
completed during a given time period.
 They are one tool for assessing productivity, and they
are particularly helpful in learning more about what
researchers are accomplishing
 The formats for activity reports are crafted to meet the
particular goals of companies, we cannot offer you a
preferred format for these reports
2. Progress Reports
 Completed by individuals or groups to update others
on the progress of a project that is underway.
 Progress reports are periodic reports that discuss the
status of a particular project.
 Progress reports can take many forms: memoranda,
letters, short reports, formal reports, or presentations.
 They are used to keep projects on track so that
deadlines are met and to ensure that resources are
appropriately used
 Progress Reports
 if you encounter problems, you can be seen as a
valuable member of the organization if you
explain the key problems and offer solutions.

 Main items included in a progress report:

1. Background on the project itself.
2. Discussion of achievements since last reporting.
3. Discussion of problems that have arisen.
4. Discussion of work that lies ahead
5. Assessment of whether you will meet the objectives
 Annual reports

 Completed by the corporate leaders to update

stockholders (and potential investors) about the
accomplishments of the company in the past
year.
 Annual reports present the company's
accomplishments in as positive a light as
possible and usually downplay any difficulties
 The annual report is a very important document, and is
usually written by seasoned writers.
3. Design Reports
 Introduce and document engineering and
scientific designs.
 these reports have two audiences.

1. engineers and scientists interested in how

the design works and how effective the
design is.
2. management interested in the application
and effectiveness of the design.
3. Design Reports
 design reports which includes:
 Summary,
 Introduction,
 Discussion,
 Conclusions,
 Appendices.
4. Proposals
 A proposal is a plan for solving a problem. It is
submitted to universities and academic
institutions or to companies and industrial
organizations
5. Field Reports
 Field reports are set as assignments
in a variety of disciplines and usually require
the student to combine theory and analysis
with observation and practice.
 Examples field report
3. Elements of field reports
 Description - what you have seen or observed

 Analysis - strengths and weaknesses, reflection

or evaluation of observations in light of
theory and key concepts of your course or the
broader context of your discipline.
 Appendix - information that supports your
analysis but is not essential to its explanation
5. Field Reports
A. Description
What: Describe what you are observing.
Where: Describe background information that
sets the scene or context of observations.
When: Record factual data about day and time.
Who: Note the participants in the situation.
Why: Describe why you selected the particular
situation to observe that you did.
5. Field Reports
A. Description
What: Describe what you are observing.
Where: Describe background information that
sets the scene or context of observations.
When: Record factual data about day and time.
Who: Note the participants in the situation.
Why: Describe why you selected the particular
situation to observe that you did.
 6.5. Field Reports
B. Techniques of observation
1. How to record your observations
• Notes
• Video recorder or tape recorder
• Checklist of behaviors or physical characteristics.
2. Things to look for when observing
• Physical location:
• Language and behavior.
• Behavior cycles:
• The order and the setting in which events unfold.
• Exterior physical signs such as age, sex, clothing.
• Expressive body movements.
Field Reports
C. Analysis
You should have kept in mind the theories and
issues you encountered in your course when
making your observations.
Part of your task in analysis is to determine which
observations are worthy of comment and
evaluation, and which observations are more
general in nature.
It is your theoretical framework that allows you
to make these decisions.
6.5. Field Reports
C. Analysis (cont.)
You have to ask yourself some questions that are
useful when analyzing your observations
 Lecture Summary

• Lab report: The lab report aims to develop

scientific knowledge or to solve an industrial
problem.
• Periodic report: These reports help the
corporation maintain a sense of
organizational stability demonstrate
accountability to the corporation's mission.
• Design report: Introduce and document
engineering and scientific designs.

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Key Terms
• Laboratory Reports
• Periodic Reports
• Activity reports
• Progress Reports
• Annual reports

• Design Reports
• Proposals

• Field Reports

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