A SHORT GUIDE TO WRITING TECHNICAL REPORTS

A SHORT GUIDE TO WRITING TECHNICAL REPORTS

Richard E. Poore

I. INTRODUCTION

The impact of a written report on a reader depends not only on its content but also on its format, style, and level of errors. The most brilliant ideas can be obscured by poor writing because it projects to the reader an image of the writer that is less than flattering. While there are many accepted variations in the style and format of technical reports, there are some general guidelines that should be followed. This paper summarizes some important points and emphasizes policies that will be followed in grading laboratory reports for Electronics Design Lab.

II. ERRORS

Outright mistakes are to be avoided at all costs. A reader can become skeptical about the scientific validity of a paper whose author evidently does not understand high school English or does not take the time to proofread the paper. Therefore, it is essential that the paper be proofread, preferably by someone in addition to the author, because extreme familiarity with the material makes it easy to miss mistakes.

All spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors are to be avoided. Reference books on these subjects are available [1].

Especially important in a technical paper is the correct usage of scientific terms and expressions. Misuse of terms implies a lack of understanding of the phenomena involved and a lack of familiarity with appropriate technical literature, such as textbooks and journal articles.

All spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage errors will be corrected. Excessive numbers of such errors will result in deduction of points.

III. STYLE

Very formal reports of any type are written only in the third person (she, he, it, they) as opposed to first (I, we) or second (you). However, technical reports usually describe work done by an individual or a small group, and are directed to a small audience. Therefore, these reports are often written in first person, even in respected refereed journals. For Electronics Design Lab reports, either style is acceptable. Second person is not appropriate except for informal instructions; the word "you" should not appear in any lab reports.

IV. FORMAT

With the exception of involved mathematical equations, the entire report must be typed. Neatness of appearance is a necessity. Suggested margins are one inch on the right and one and one-half on the left, to allow for binding. Top and bottom margins are generally at least one inch. These are not absolute requirements, however. The report must be double-spaced.

Any handwork must be done neatly. This includes corrections to typed pages, insertion of symbols into text, pages of mathematical derivation, and especially tables, graphs, circuit diagrams or other illustrations, where not created by computer.

Each section of the paper should have appropriate headings (see Section V on ordering of sections). All figures and tables should be given a number (Figure 1 or Table 2, for example) and a title. In the text, reference to figures and tables should be made by number, rather than by phrases such as "the following table".

As emphasized in Electronics Lab I, presentation of graphical data is very important. Independent variables are generally presented on the x-axis and dependent variables on the y-axis. Variable values should increase from left to right and bottom to top. Both axes must have labels and units; on the y-axis, these read bottom to top. The title should be more descriptive than a mere repetition of the labels; in other words, a good title would be "Frequency Response of a Two-Stage Bipolar Voltage Amplifier" rather than "Gain vs. Frequency". If several curves are presented on the same graph, preferably the curves should be individually labeled. Only if that results in an awkward or difficult-to-read graph should a key be used to differentiate individual curves.

V. ORDER

The required order for the Electronic Design Lab reports is as follows:

Title page: course name, names of team members, project title and number, and date.

Problem statement: basically the description as given on the Project List, but possibly modified with additional requirements.

Design considerations: substantive discussion of the most important decisions that were made in the design process, including alternative designs, the reasons for the design decisions which were made and, where appropriate, human factors pertaining to the design.

Theoretical analysis: equations pertaining to the design process. Where IC's are involved, the analysis may be more qualitative than quantitative. Computer analysis is optional and should be included here. If SPICE was used, the run should have an appropriate title including the student's name; the lab report should include the circuit input listing (with an accompanying schematic complete with node numbers) and a sample of the output, whatever is important for the analysis (transistor bias points or output gain calculations, for example). All SPICE output must be in the form of separate sheets, neatly cut or folded to standard page size. In cases of voluminous output, only a sample of the output should be included in the lab report, with the rest of the results summarized separately.

Circuit schematic

Results: graphs, waveform photographs and important measured variables.

Data: in tabular form

Cost analysis/component list: all components necessary to the design, including power supplies, but not including printed circuit board or assembly costs.

Conclusions: overall assessment of design success.

References: any sources used should be attributed

Appendix: data sheets or application notes downloaded from the Databooks web site.

VI. REFERENCES

[1] Turabian, Kate, "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," University of Chicago Press, 1973.

This is a good guide to punctuation, style and format, although many of the format rules are stricter than is generally required for technical papers. It can be found in the Engineering Library in the reference section or possibly on reserve for another class.