Technical Writing (AEEE299) LECTURER: Dr. Alexis Polycarpou HOURS/WEEK: 2 TEACHING AREA: Classroom EMAIL: eng.pa@fit.ac.cy

LECTURE 1

Plagiarism The University takes the most serious view of academic misconduct. This includes cheating in written examinations and plagiarism of others’ work. Cases of alleged academic misconduct will be reported to the relevant Head of School or Head of Department and, if necessary, to the appropriate Faculty Director, and the Standing Committee on Academic Misconduct or Disciplinary Committee. A proven case of academic misconduct is treated as a disciplinary matter. Refer to the Students’ Regulations for academic misconduct. 3

Types of Academic Manuscripts Memos (Memorandum) An Article A Technical Report A Conference Paper A Survey Paper Final Year Project Preliminary Report Final Year Project Dissertation 4

A Memo Memos are relatively brief professional documents, generally written to decisionmakers—whether public, private, or nongovernmental. “Brief” typically means 250 to 1500 words, but many effective memos are on the short end of that range. 5

An Article Scholars write academic articles to share their ideas with their peers, usually within their own academic discipline (e.g., physics, computer science, computer engineering). Because they already share a highly specialized background, they often assume that their readers already understand some of the fundamental knowledge of the field as well as the jargon, which is the "the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group," according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 6

A Technical Report Provide a clear, continuous and readable account of research, and be written in the third person. It should include background information to place the work in its proper context, and some thoughts about the meaning and significance (if any) of the research. It should not contain trivial detail of routine experimental techniques or design calculations, and repetition should be minimized. Targeted at a scientifically literate person who, a priori, knows nothing about the research described. It should be clearly labeled with headers and footers. FUC students should submit assignments and project reports in the form of either an academic report following the ‘Style Manual for Electrical Engineering and Engineering Project Reports’. For project reports, students should also refer to their departmental guidelines for additional guidance that may be given. 7

A Conference Paper This is normally much more concise than a technical report, and usually contains significantly fewer technical details. For Example: A technical report detailing a Universal Wheelchair Trainer may contain in-depth material on its construction and maintenance. A Conference Paper on the subject would only describe the particularly novel features of the research. Some students will have to write a 4 or 6-page conference paper describing their project. A conference paper would not normally have headers, footers or a contents section (table of contents). 8

A Survey Paper This is a specific type of academic paper that provides a summary of current knowledge on a specific research topic. Some students may have to write a survey paper as a component of the course. A survey paper would not normally have headers, footers or a contents section 9

Final Year Project Preliminary Report The length of the project report should not normally be less than 5,000 words (from introduction to conclusion). • Style guide for technical reports and academic papers: – Title page, – An abstract page, – An acknowledgement page, – A content list, – List of figures and/or table as appropriate, and – Should be divided in chapters. • The student’s research plan (with Gantt chart) of the remaining time for completing the project • A section describing further work, • Milestones and tasks laid out in the Gantt chart. • Appropriate use of the Style Manual. 10

Final Year Project Report Each Final Year Project is unique • Work may differ quite significantly from that of another student. • Supervisors will know what constitutes a good work and how to write up the work. • When writing Final Year Project Reports: – The project is intended for the student to develop and demonstrate – Organisation and extended study – Demonstrate understanding of appropriate techniques – Develop skills to produce academic report and communicate orally (presentation) – Demonstrate an ordered, critical and reasoned approach to the work the have achieved. • The length of the project report should not normally be greater than 5,000 words (from introduction to conclusion). 11

Final Year Project Report Style guide for technical reports and academic papers: – Title page, – An abstract page, – An acknowledgement page, – A content list, – List of figures and/or table as appropriate, and – Should be divided in chapters. • ‘Style Manual for Electrical Engineering and Engineering Project Reports’ using the recommended typographic style and layout will be given at the end of this course. 12

Other Specific Applications Resumes and Job Letters (CV, Cover page) Emails Letters Proposals Manuals 13