CO1010 IT Skills in Science Lecture 3: Good Practice in Report Writing

Outline Points to consider in writing technical information General considerations Help in writing project report What makes a good document Consideration of the audience How to plan your writing Graphical communication Using a computer

Characteristics of a good document Meets the audience’s needs Well organised Appropriate jargon & humour Readable

Aim What is the purpose of your document? What you trying to achieve?

Audience Document must meet the audience’s needs So: –Who are the audience –What do they know about the subject –What do they need to know –What will they do with the information

Who is the audience? Peers Students Teachers Management Experts Computer-phobics Home computer users A combination

What do they know? What do they know already How much background is necessary

What do they need to know? What information does your audience need How should it be slanted - –informative –instructional –technical

What will they do with the information? Perform tasks Increase their knowledge

Humour Can make a difficult subject easier to understand Can get in the way of the subject Your sense of humour may not be the same as the reader’s

Jargon What does the audience understand? Explain terms when first introduced Expand abbreviations at least once Examples: stands for electronic mail, and describes personalised messages sent between computer users. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a popular subject nowadays. There are many HCI courses taught at UK universities.

Organisation Most difficult part is getting started Due to difficulties getting organised So, –Plan the layout of your document –Plan the layout of each section –Start writing

Why plan? Easier to start writing Provides a framework for the document Helps you get organised Can be in sentences, words, diagrams What is NT? Desktop Start menu Icons Right click menus Taskbar

Document layout Beginning –Title –Contents –Introduction Middle –Chapters cover sub-topics –Each chapter has a beginning, middle & end End –Conclusion &/or summary –References –Appendices

Writing Write a draft first Only writer needs to be able to understand it Edit it later (leave for a day or two, if possible) Correcting: –Logic & Organisation –Style & Clarity –Spelling

Spelling Spelling is incredibly important! USE your spellchecker Dobn’t just ignor wiggley red liunes, they are there for a reason.

Readability Sentence length Word length Sentence structure Tests may oversimplify the issue If reader has to re-read to understand, then the less readable (and usable) your document is

Grammar Grammar checker: use with care “Technical” setting

Gunning ‘Fog Index’ Just a guideline Take a sample piece of writing (100 words) Calculate average words per sentence Count words with 3 or more syllables –Except capitalised words –Except combinations of easy words, e.g. bookkeeper –Except words ending -ed, -es Add the two numbers & multiply by 0.4

Readability Score 5 fairly easy 7,8 standard 9-11 fairly difficult difficult 17 or over very difficult

Graphical Communication Tables & figures Everything that is not a table is a figure Can carry more information per space than the same amount of text Only if clearly explained in the text Types of graphics: –Data displayed in table form –Graphs: line, bar, pie –Drawings –Diagrams –Photographs

Data in table form Table 1: Pollution data from some UK rivers

Data in graphical form 1: Bar charts

Data in graphical form 2: Line graphs

Data in graphical form 3: Combinations

Data in graphical form 4: pie charts

Drawings & diagrams

Photographs

Placement of graphics As close as possible to the text which refers to it Conventionally at the top or bottom of the page (unless very small) In formal writing, don’t wrap text round graphic If only included for accuracy, may be put in an appendix instead

Figure Captions ALWAYS include a figure caption Simple explanation of what the figure (or table shows) Give the source of data (e.g., data from Smith et al., 1986) or the figure (e.g., after Jones et al, 1997)

Writing using a computer Easy to produce good quality-looking documentation on a computer But, easier to read and edit on paper Don’t forget a back-up of each version, so you can change your mind Use Word Outline to plan sections, then fill in details

References Use Harvard system: Library worksheets Always cite sources –Be careful of web sources Plagiarism = cheating –DON’T cut-and-paste –Give references

Writing using a computer Word processed documents NEED TO BE CHECKED Remember WP guidelines - don’t dazzle readers with the output of your technology May be more appropriate to produce on-line rather than paper document!

Proof reading Re-read your document, preferably aloud Note changes to spelling, use of words, grammar Use spell checker (carefully) Use grammar checker (carefully) Often good to ask someone else to read it (if time permits)

Summary Guidelines for writing Remember to consider the audience A well planned document helps you to write it and the reader to read it Checking cannot be overstated Don’t forget any additional rules given, such as assessment guidelines, or exam question