report writing for engineering

8/10/2019 Report Writing for Engineering

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English for Academic Purposes

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Introduction

Report writing is an essential skill for professionals in almost every field: accountants,teachers, graphic designers, information scientists (the list goes on). Thats one of the reasons

why your lecturers will almost certainly require you to write reports during your period of

study at the University of Canberra.

A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible. It should be easy to read, and

professional in its presentation.

Exactly what you include in your report and how you present it will vary according to your

discipline and the specific purpose of the report. Here we give some general guidelines, but

you should check with your lecturer for more detail on what is expected.

Reports and EssaysWhats The Difference?

A common problem is that students transfer what they have learned about essay writing to

report writing.

Both essays and reports need:

formal style

careful proof-reading and neat presentation

introduction, body and conclusion

analytical thinking.

But there are some essential differences between the two.

A Report An Essay

Presents information Presents an argument

Is meant to be scanned quickly by the

readerIs meant to be read carefully

Uses numbered headings and sub-

headings

Uses minimal sub-headings, if any.

May not need references and

bibliography/reference list

Always needs references and bibliography/reference

list

Uses short, concise paragraphs and dot-

points where applicable

Links ideas into cohesive paragraphs, rather than

breaking them down into a list of dot-points

Uses graphics wherever possible

(tables, graphs, illustrations)Rarely uses graphics

May need an abstract (sometimes called

an executive summary)

Will only need an abstract if it is very long, or if

your lecturer asks for one specifically

May be followed by recommendations

and/or appendices Seldom has recommendations or appendices

Meeting

13REPORT WRITING FOR ENGINEERING


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How to Write a Report

A. Plan to write your report

Ask some questions first: Who has requested the report?

Why have they asked for a report?

What do they need to know?

How will the report be used?

Who is/are my audience or audiences? (e.g. clients, lecturers, assessors, managers

etc.)

B. Analyze your task

Analysing your task is very important. Here are some questions to explore:

Do you understand the type of report needed? (e.g. experimental report, technical

design proposal, business report.)

Do you know how big your report needs to be?

Do you know what is required in the report?

What is the problem/question to be solved?

What is the aim of the report?

What key points or issues need to be addressed?

What information do you need to collect?

Types of Report for Engineering

All reports have to ensure that the conclusions that you draw are supported by the evidence

that you find. At university you will mostly be writing business, experimental / laboratory or

technical reports, but this handout will only focus on experimental/laboratory or technical

reports.

A Technical design reportaims to:

solve a problem

recommend a design

An experimental report / lab reportaims to report on:

an experiment or research

what was achieved during the course of the experiment

what was concluded and how this compares with previous published results.

Writing Technical Report

In Engineering, one of the major forms of communication is the technical report. This is the

conventional format for reporting the results of your research, investigations, and design

projects. At university, reports are read by lecturers and tutors in order to assess your mastery

of the subjects and your ability to apply your knowledge to a practical task. In the workplace,

they will be read by managers, clients, and the construction engineers responsible forbuilding from your designs. The ability to produce a clear, concise, and professionally


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presented report is therefore a skill you will need to develop in order to succeed both at

university and in your future career.

While reports vary in the type of information they present (for example, original research, the

results of an investigative study, or the solution to a design problem), all share similar

features and are based on a similar structure.

Note: This document contains general engineering report-writing guidelines only.

Key features of reports

Reports:

are designed for quick and easy communication of information

are designed for selective reading

use sections with numbered headings and subheadings

use figures and diagrams to convey data.

Basic structure of a report

A report usually has these components:

1. Title page

This page gives:

the title of the report

the authors' names and ID numbers

the course name and number, the department, and university

the date of submission.

The title of the report should indicate exactly what the report is about. The reader should

know not only the general topic, but also the aspect of the topic contained in the report.

Compare the following pairs of titles:

Bridge Analysis vs. Analysis of a Pre-stressed Concrete Bridge

Internet-based ATIS vs. An Evaluation of Internet-based Automated Traveller

Information Systems

Most of the reports you write at university will form part of the assessment for particular

subjects. You will therefore often talk about Assignment 1 or the Water Project, for example,

especially where several reports will be submitted in the course of the semester or as part of

an ongoing project. These terms form part of the title, but the report will usually need a more

specific title also. Compare the following examples:

Assignment 1 vs. Assignment 1: Water Consumption Data Collection

ATIS Project vs. ATIS Project: An Investigation of ATIS on the Monash Freeway


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Sample title page

This section contains the framework sections of a first-year Civil Engineering concept design

report. A good and a weak example of each section are given, along with explanatory notes or

exercises to check your understanding of the requirements. To begin, choose the most

informative title for the report yourself.

2. Summary

The summary (sometimes referred to as the executive summary) provides a brief overview of

the substance of the report; usually no more than half a page. It is not an introduction to the

topic. The summary should outline all the key features of your report, including the topic,

what you did and how you did it, and the main outcomes of your work. A busy manager who

might not have time to read the full report should be able to get the gist of the whole report by

reading the summary.

The summary:

states the topic of the report

outlines your approach to the task if applicable gives the most important findings of your research or investigation, or the key aspects

of your design

states the main outcomes or conclusions.

The summary does NOT:

provide general background information

explain why you are doing the research, investigation or design

refer to later diagrams or references.


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Example summary

This summary is from a report entitled Preliminary Design of a Bridge.

Sample summary

Read the following summaries and select the best one for the report.

3. Table of contents

The contents page sets out the sections and subsections of the report and their corresponding

page numbers. It should clearly show the structural relationship between the sections and

subsections. A reader looking for specific information should be able to locate the appropriate

section easily from the table of contents. The conventions for section and page numbering are

as follows:

Number the sections by the decimal point numbering system:


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Number all the preliminary pages in lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, ...).

You don't have to place the number i on the title page. Just count it and put ii on the

second page of your report. Preliminary pages are any which come before the

introduction, including the summary and, where applicable, acknowledgements. Number all the remaining pages of your report with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, ...).

Thus the report proper begins on page 1 with your introduction, which is usually

Section 1.

Provide a title in your table of contents to describe the contents of each appendix

(Note: one appendix, two or more appendices). Don't just call them Appendix 1 or

Appendix 2.

Example: Appendix 1: Sample Calculations

Example contents page

This contents page is from a report entitled Preliminary Design of a Bridge.


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4. Introduction

The introduction provides the background information needed for the rest of your report to be

understood. It is usually half to three-quarters of a page in length. The purpose of the

introduction is to set the context for your report, provide sufficient background information

for the reader to be able to follow the information presented, and inform the reader about how

that information will be presented.

The introduction includes:

the background to the topic of your report to set your work in its broad context

a clear statement of the purpose of the report, usually to present the results of your

research, investigation, or design

a clear statement of the aims of the project

technical background necessary to understand the report; e.g. theory or assumptions

a brief outline of the structure of the report if appropriate (this would not be necessaryin a short report)

Example introduction 1

Introduction from a report entitled "A Review of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Actions and

Opportunities: the Current Status of the Kyoto Protocol".

Example introduction 2

Introduction from a report entitled "Preliminary Design of a Bridge". In this report, two

alternative designs are presented and evaluated according to the given criteria, and then the

better design selected.


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5. Body of the report

This is main part of the report, where you present your work. The introduction and

conclusions act as a frame for the body only: therefore all the details of your work (including

a summarized version of material in the appendices) must be included here in the appropriate

section. You will need to put some thought into the ordering of the sections; the presentation

of information should flow logically so that the reader can follow the development of your

project. It is also essential that you choose concise but informative headings and subheadings

so that the reader knows exactly what type of information to expect in each section.

The body of the report:

presents the information from your research, both real world and theoretical, or your

design

organises information logically under appropriate headings

conveys information in the most effective way for communication:o uses figures and tables

o can use bulleted or numbered lists

o can use formatting to break up large slabs of text.

Headings in the body of the report

As for the title, section headings should tell the reader exactly what type of information is contained

in the section. They should be specific and content-focused rather than just labels. Devising

informative headings as opposed to label headings right from the planning stage will help you to

clarify exactly what you want to achieve in each section and subsection. Compare these pairs of

headings:

Consumption patterns vs. Changes in water consumption patterns 1995-2005

Survey results vs. Results of peak hour turning movement survey

Example: Uninformative headings

The Organization

Management

Example: Informative headings

Overview of the Organization

Communication in the Organization

Groups in the Organization

Management Style and Methods

This means that headings should follow a similar grammatical form. In the following example, each

heading is structured differently:


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Example: Inconsistent headings

The Company Structure

Do the Communication Channels Work?

Participating in Groups

How to Develop an Effective Management Style

Usually, it is not difficult to convert such headings to a common form. In this example, all have been

changed to noun phrases. This is the most commonly used format for section headings in an

informational report.

Example: Consistent headings

Company Structure

Communication Channels

Group Participation

Development of an Effective Management Style

Sample headings

Which of the following section headings are grammatically consistent?

Option 1

2.0 Car A

2.1 The Materials we selected

2.2 Emissions

2.3 How the safety features Work

2.4 What Accessories are included?

Option 3

2.0 Car A

2.1 The Materials Selected

2.2 Emissions

2.3 safety features of the car

2.4 Accessories included

Incorporating figures, tables, and equations

There are conventions for using figures and tables in a report. Usually only these two

categories are used; anything other than tables (maps, charts, diagrams, drawings, graphs) is

called a figure. Figures and tables should be placed as close as possible to the point at which

they are referred to in the text.

Give all figures and tables a number and title

Example : Table 1 Existing communication channels

Refer to each figure and table in the text of the report.Example : The communication channels in the organization are shown in Table 1.

Option 2

2.0 Car A

2.1 Materials selection

2.2 Emissions

2.3 Safety features

2.4 Accessories


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The title of a table goes above the table, while the title of a figure goes below the

figure.

Figures that are copied from someone else's work, published or unpublished, must be

correctly referenced. Give the source of the diagram or the data if you have takenthem from published sources. The citation should be placed in brackets after the

figure or table title, and the source included in the References list.

Equations

You will often have to include equations in your reports. The conventional style for

presenting equations is as follows:

Centre the equation on the page

Place the equation number in round brackets at the right-hand margin

In the text of your report, refer to the equations as either Eq. (1) or equation (1). Use

whichever format you choose consistently throughout your report.


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6. Conclusions

The conclusions section provides an effective ending to your report. The content should relate

directly to the aims of the project as stated in the introduction, and sum up the essential

features of your work. This section:

states whether you have achieved your aims

gives a brief summary of the key findings or information in your report

highlights the major outcomes of your investigation and their significance.

The conclusions should relate to the aims of the work:

Example 1:

Aim

The aim of this project is to design a mobile phone tower.

Conclusions

In this report, a design for a mobile phone tower has been presented. The key features

of the tower are... It was found that...

Example 2:

Aim

The aim of this investigation is to analyse the bus delays at the intersection of the bus

loop and Wellington Road at Monash University.

Conclusions

In this report, bus delays were analysed. It was found that... Based on these findings,it is recommended that...

Example conclusions

Conclusions from a report entitled "Preliminary Design of a Bridge".


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Sample conclusions

Read the following conclusions and select the best one for this report.

Example A

5.0 Conclusions

This report introduced two environmentally-friendly designs for a car. We presented

information about the engine and fuel, materials, safety and accessories and provided

sketches for each car. These cars would be more expensive than normal family cars, but it is

important to develop cleaner technology for the future.

Example B

5.0 Conclusions

Two alternative designs for an emission-free fuel cell powered car have been presented: Car

A, a luxury sedan which runs on hydrogen, and Car B, a medium-sized family hatch which

uses hydrogen and oxygen. Each car features recyclable materials and conforms to Australian

design standards in terms of performance and safety features. However, Car B is

recommended as it was found to be more economical in terms of both manufacturing and

running costs.

7. Referencing

The two parts to referencing are:

citations in the text of the report

a list of references in the final section

A citation shows that information comes from another source. The reference list gives the

details of these sources. You need to use in-text citations and provide details in the references

section when:

you incorporate information from other sources; e.g.:

factual material graphs and tables of data

pictures and diagrams

you quote word-for-word from another work (when you do this the page number must

be given in the in-text citation)

In Engineering, the most common referencing style is the author-date (Harvard) system.

However, in Electrical Engineering the IEEE system is used. Full details of these referencing

styles are available from LLS Online Resources or through the Library Online Tutorials.

Example of in-text citation and reference list entry using the Harvard referencing style:


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In-text citation

Corrosion is defined as a 'chemical action which harms the properties of a metal'

(Glendinning 1973, p.12). Because corrosion reduces the life of the material and

protection procedures are expensive, special corrosion-resistant metals have been

developed, including Monel metals which are particularly suited to marineapplications (Glendinning 1973).

Reference list entry

Glendinning, E.H. 1973 English in mechanical engineering, Oxford, Oxford

University Press.

Sample reference list

Look at the following reference lists and select the best one for this report.

Reference list A

Reference list:

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell technology, Warrndale PA, Society of

Automotive Engineers, 1999.

http://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htm

Jay Pukrushpan, Stefanopoulou, A.G., Peng Huei. (2004) Control of fuel cell power systems:

principles, modeling, analysis and feedback design, Call number at Hargrave-Andrew

Library: 621.312429 P979C2004

Reference list B

6.0 References

Pukrushpan, J.T., Stefanopoulou, A.G. & Peng, H. 2004 Control of fuel cell power systems:

principles, modeling, analysis and feedback design, New York, Springer.

Society of Automotive Engineers 1999 Electric and hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell

technology, Warrndale, PA, Society of Automotive Engineers.

Society of Automotive Engineers 2005 How fuel cells work, Society of Automotive

Engineers, viewed 26 August 2005,http://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htm
http://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htmhttp://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htmhttp://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htmhttp://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htm


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8. Appendices

These contain material that is too detailed to include in the main report, such as raw data or

detailed drawings. The conventions for appendices are as follows:

each appendix must be given a number (or letter) and title;

each appendix must be referred to by number (or letter) at the relevant point in thetext.

Example:

The data obtained are summarised below. The detailed data are given in Appendix 3.

Lab Reports in Engineering

Experimental work is fundamental in developing your understanding of the theoretical

knowledge in Engineering. It also gives you practical experience in the use of equipment and

the experimental techniques in your field.

Lab reports should follow a set format and use appropriate language. This resource explains

the tasks involved in doing a lab report and covers some important points you should keep in

mind. It outlines the structure of this kind of report, and what is required in each section. It

also gives practical examples of how to write in an impersonal style.

Tasks involved

The lab work consists of a number of tasks:

the preliminary work to be completed before the beginning of the lab

the questions asked by the lab supervisor at the beginning of the experiment to check

that you have understood the theory behind the calculations and the experiment

the experiment itself

a written lab report to be handed in at a later date.

Points to remember

Here are some important points to keep in mind when preparing a laboratory report.

The purpose of any lab report is to report the rationale, procedure and results of an

experiment in sufficient detail to allow someone else to replicate it.

As part of your university studies, the laboratory report is also a means of assessing

your experimentation skills and your understanding of the applications of theory.

The presentation of the report is very important.

Results can be presented in figures or tables so that it is easy for you to compare the

calculated and the measured values.

Report structure

Your lab report should include the following sections:


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1. Title page

The title page should include:

the name of the unit

the name of the experiment

the date you did the experimental work

the names and ID numbers of students in the group and

the name of the lab.

2. Introduction

This section introduces the reader to the experiment and briefly outlines theory and

background information relevant to the experiment. You need to state any relevant laws,

equations and theorems you will be using or investigating, and you need to explain the

different analyses used, such as nodal analysis and mesh analysis.

3 Aim

This section states the aims of the experiment. In any experiment, you aim to do something.

For example, you aim to verify, to investigate, to measure, to determine, to compare or to

calculate.

Use the verb form starting with 'to' (eg 'to investigate').

Avoid the noun form which often ends in '-ion' (eg 'investigation').

Aims can be written either in point form or in complete sentences.

Example in point form

Aims

To measure the resistance of a specimen of wire.

To determine the resistivity of iron.

Example in a complete sentence

Aim: The aim of the experiment is to determine the resistivity of iron by measuring the

resistance of a specimen of wire.

Choose the better wording from these examples of the aim section from two student reports.

a

Aimo To investigate the effects of passing electric current through water.

o An investigation of the effects of passing electric current through water.

b

Aim

o The aim of the experiment was to verify Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.

o Verification of Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.

3. Method

This section briefly reports the steps that you followed in carrying out the experiment. Do not

repeat word for word what is in the lab notes but concisely summarise in your own words thekey steps which were taken in the experiment.


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The Method section describes what was actually done and so the verbs are usually written in

the past tense, passive voice (for example, were connected, was measured, was calculated).

When you carry out an experiment, you usually follow a set of instructions. Here are

the instructions for an experiment to determine the density of a steel sphere.

Example

Determination of the density of a steel sphere using a balance

First find the zero reading of the balance.

Then put the sphere in the left pan and put weights into the right pan to bring the

pointer to zero and obtain the apparent mass.

If you were writing up the Method section, you would have to change these instructions to a

report of what was done. These instructions might then be reported as follows.

Example

Method

First the zero reading of the balance was found. Then the sphere was put in the left pan and

weights were added to the right pan to bring the pointer to zero. In this way the apparent mass

was found.

In this Method section, the verbs are was found, was put, were added and was found which

are all verbs in the past tense using the passive voice.

Change the verb in the instruction to the past tense passive form. For example: changefind to was found.

Choose the better of these two examples from the Method section of two student reports.

a Method

Connect four resistors with a 10 V supply and measure the open circuit voltage, and the

short circuit current between A and B. Determine the voltage and resistance of the

Thevenin equivalent circuit.

b Method

Four resistors were connected with a 10 V supply and the open circuit voltage was

measured. The short circuit current between A and B was also measured. The voltage and

resistance of the Thevenin equivalent circuit were determined.

4. Results and Discussion

Note that sometimes in lab reports it may be more appropriate to present the results in one

section, called Results, and then to discuss them in a separate Discussion section.

In the Results and Discussion section, you present your results and discuss them by:

commenting on the results obtained interpreting what the results mean and


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explaining any results which are unexpected

You present the measurements made in the experiment and you then compare your

measurements to the calculations you made in your preliminary work or the published

theoretical values.

You need to:

identify any discrepancies and

to state them as a percentage.

You also need to:

identify any sources of error in your measurements and

if possible, suggest how your experiment could have been performed more accurately.

Conclusions

What should you aim for?

Clear comparisons made between the calculations and the measurements with the

discrepancy expressed as a percentage.

Good explanation of the possible reasons for the discrepancy and the possible sources

of error in the measurements.

Example

Here are some useful expressions to use if your measurements correspond well with your

calculations: The measurements are consistent with the preliminary calculations.

The measured values agree well with the calculated values.

Example

Here are some useful expressions if your measurements do not correspond well with your

calculations:

The measurements are significantly different from the preliminary calculations.

The measured values do not agree well with the calculated values.

Example

Here are some useful expressions for explaining the source of errors:

The discrepancy may be due to human error.

The difference may be the result of incorrect calibrations.


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5. Conclusions

This section states whether the aims of the experiment were achieved or not, and briefly

summarises the key findings.

In the Conclusions of this kind of report you need to: comment on how closely your measurements and calculations agree and

summarise the main reasons for any discrepancies.

Choose the better of these two examples from the Conclusions section from two student

reports.

a Conclusions

Despite some errors, the law was verified.

b Conclusions

Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws have been verified. The superposition theorem

for a two source network has also been verified. The experimental results were always

within 1.1% of the calculated values. The discrepancies may be due to ... ... ...(provide

a reason here!).

REFERENCES:

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/engineering/index.xml

https://student.unsw.edu.au/extended-lab-report

http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/reports

http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writing

Silyn-Roberts, H 2002, Writing for Science: A practical handbook for science, engineering

and technology students, 2nd edn, Longman, N.Z.

Hargrave-Andrew Library
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/engineering/index.xmlhttp://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/engineering/index.xmlhttps://student.unsw.edu.au/extended-lab-reporthttps://student.unsw.edu.au/extended-lab-reporthttp://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/reportshttp://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/reportshttp://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writinghttp://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writinghttp://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writinghttp://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/reportshttps://student.unsw.edu.au/extended-lab-reporthttp://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/engineering/index.xml

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