Get documents about "How to write a technical report
Document Sample
8/26/2008
Fundamentals
• The main purpose of a technical report
(Theses) is to convey information.
Additional Considerations for Writing
Technical Reports and Theses • The report should place as few hindrances as
possible between the mind of the writer and
Mohamed El-Sharkawi the mind of the reader.
University of Washington • A secondary function is to stimulate the
Seattle, WA 98195
http://cialab.org reader
Fundamentals Fundamentals
• Your report should have clear answers to the following • It is simply impossible to write a technical
questions
– What is the report about? document that will be equally easy for
– What are you trying to say? everybody to read
– Who are you writing for?
– Write a report that can be understood by the
– How long can the report be?
decision makers
• Keep in mind that not everyone will read the whole report
– Your report should start with a summary that can be read in a • It's generally harder to write a short report
few minutes.
– You should arrange things so that key facts and conclusions are
than a long one, because it requires much
very accessible. better organization.
– Ensure that your message will get across even if a person only
skims the document. – Short reports are likely to be fully read
The Standard Model Components of the Standard Model
• It has been widely used in the western world for about • Abstract or summary
50 years. • Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• The first major section is an introduction • Objectives
• The last section is a conclusion. • Theory
• Factual material and measurements are kept • Method or methodology or procedures
• Results
completely separate from opinion and interpretation, • Discussion or interpretation
often in different chapters or sections. • Conclusion
• Formal, and rather impersonal, language is used. • Recommendations
• The report usually refers quite extensively to the work • References and/or bibliography
of other individuals. • Appendices
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8/26/2008
Language, Style and Presentation Language, Style and Presentation
• Grammar and Spelling • Presentation: Your report will be based to a
• Style large extent on the first impression made by
– Formal the presentation.
• The operator should click on the button labeled ”start” – Consistency
– Informal – Graphs and figures
• now you should click on “start” – Margins
– Switching between formal and informal is not – General appeal
acceptable
What to Avoid What to Avoid
• Clichés and stock phrases: phrases that were probably witty
and stylish when introduced, but their very appeal has made • Avoid giving too much data.
them so over-used that they are likely to annoy the reader. – Too much data gives the impression that the writer don't
• `at the end of the day...', have much to say.
• `explore every avenue‘
– Include only a summary of experimental data in a report
• `not to put too fine a point on it...‘
• `going foward, we will...' • Avoid poems and other non-technical material
• `at this point in time...‘
• Avoid computer program listings and long
• `in the opinion of the author...‘
• These phrases often add nothing to the content
mathematical proofs.
– Do you really think that anyone will want to read them?
• They could be replaced by a single word.
– `at this point in time...' can usefully be replaced by `now...'
What to Avoid
• It is a bad idea to include statements about
– how difficult the work was
– how the report would have been better had the
author had more time.
• People often say these sort of things in
reports, and they don't look professional.
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