ELE 3EMT Engineering Management

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ELE 3EMT Engineering Management

• Report Writing
  
• Prepared by Dr Jean Armstrong

8 March, 2007
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Written report

• Recent research has shown that a sample group of
  manufacturing and production engineers spent 72
  of their time on documentation
• One common form of documentation is a report
• Requirements for reports vary greatly
• before starting on any report find out as much as
  possible about what is required

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Format required for this report

• title page including executive summary
• introduction
• body of report
• sections and subsections
• conclusions
• bibliography
• possibly
• acknowledgements
• appendices

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Title page and executive summary

• all on one page - as such a short report
• title page
• title
• your name
• student number
• partners name
• subject for which this is being submitted
• executive summary
• become common in recent years
• include all main points of report, so busy
  executives need only read this

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Introduction

• Give background to your topic
• something about GSM (or other topic assigned)
• where your specific topic fits into this

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Main Body

• Information relevant to your topic
• Logical sequence
• Divide into sections and subsections.
• Break text into paragraphs.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Use lists and point form to make information
  easier to understand.
• Use diagrams and graphs, properly referenced if
  not your own.

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Conclusions

• Usually an engineering report is the result of
  some original work
• Typically the conclusion would contain
  information such as
• The evidence in this report indicates that a
  bridge should be built from .
• It is clear that the high failure rate of the
  widgets was due to a transistor being overloaded
• This report is simply a survey of the literature
  so put a brief summary of what you have found

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Bibliography/Plagiarism

• Do not copy material directly from any source
  without explicitly acknowledging the source
• Give a complete bibliography, including all the
  sources which you have used in compiling your
  report.
• Do not include references to sources you have not
  used
• Use the IEEE format in giving references

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Plagiarism

• Refer university policy on plagiarism attached to
  the subject guide.
• Make sure you understand the policy.
• Ask me if anything is unclear.
• Non-compliance with the policy could result in
  failure in this unit.
• There is a Plagiarism Training Module for
  students available via WebCT.

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Assessment of report

• Report is worth 35 of marks for this topic
• 25 for technical content
• 10 for presentation
• Technical content
• located information, understood it
• information relevant
• information correct
• range of information sources not just web
• presented in logical order, appropriately linked

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Assessment of report

• Presentation
• does the report adhere to the guidelines
• length, format, content of sections
• use of diagrams
• English, correct, clear and appropriate
• overall appearance of report
• Due Monday May 28
• marks deducted for late submission

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Lessons from previous reports

• Information relevant, understand, organise,
  explain clearly and simply.
• Dont rely too much on one source. Remember books
  and journals in the library.
• Seek advice if you dont understand something.
• Structure report with headings/subheadings.
  Compare books/articles which are easy/difficult
  to understand.
• Clear and simple writing
• Re-read draft after hour or two or overnight.
• Get friend to read and comment.
• Avoid lots of information with little linkage.
• Key sentence concept

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More lessons from previous reports

• Remember report guidelines
• Some had no executive summary.
• Some over the maximum length
• References not in the correct format,
  particularly diagrams
• Diagrams should have title below the diagram
• Fig.1 Title Ref. No.
• Feedback received from talks was ignored in the
  report.

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Common Errors refer handout

• Incorrect use of its
• Incorrect use of abbreviations
• Abbreviations
• Labelling and referring to figures
• Spelling CHECK!
• Writing numbers
• Brackets
• Large and small font sizes
• Executive summary

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Thanks for listening