1. Writing Professional Technical Reports
ME 195 – Senior Project
Writing Professional Technical Reports
Presented by: Dr. Raghu Agarwal
October 12, 2016
Mechanical Engineering Department
An Jose State University
San Jose, CA

2. Report Writing - October 12, 2016
Key Questions
What is the purpose of writing a technical report?
To communicate information gained in the process of completing a project, which follows a logical sequence
Should it be written in first person, second person or third person narrative?
Always use a third person narrative
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The Report Structure
Title Page
Executive Summary/Abstract
Table of Contents
Introduction
Theory
Design
Sample Calculations
Results and Discussion
Conclusions
Appendices
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1. Title Page
Title Page: Includes Project Title Authors’ Name Course name, number, and section Instructor’s name Date University and department affiliation
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5. Title Page (continued)
How to Choose a Project Title:
The Project title should be short, meaningful, and indicative of the project contents
Good Title:
Design of a Hydraulic jack
Bad Titles:
The lifter
Car Assist
Magic Jack
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6. 2. Executive Summary/Abstract
Include either an Executive summary or an Abstract (check with your professor for the preference)
An Executive Summary is an extended version of Abstract, generally used when writing project reports
Use of Abstract is common in research papers
Both give reader the summary of why, how, and conclusions of the results
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7. Executive Summary/Abstract (continued)
Executive Summary/Abstract is always written last, after the project has been completed
Abstract:
One paragraph, less than half-page length
Single-line spacing
Third person narrative
Describes the why, how, and conclusions of the results
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8. Executive Summary/Abstract (continued)
Maximum length is generally one to two pages
Describes the Why (the need, objective),
How (methodology), and conclusion of the outcome (results, functionality, etc.)
Written in third person narrative
Has an easily readable format (line spacing and fonts)
Intended to give a descriptive overview of the project
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9. Executive Summary/Abstract (continued)
What not to include?
Abstract or executive summary shouldn’t include:
General information
Why you are carrying out the project
Reference to diagrams or references.
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10. Follow any of your standard text books
Table of Contents
Follow any of your standard text books
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3. Introduction
Define the work carried out in the project
Define the objective of the project
Include description of the problem and reasons for the work being done
Give sufficient background information of the problem
Must answer the question: Why was this project done? What is the specific purpose of the study?
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4. Theory
Described the theory being used: Formulae, equations, hypotheses, etc.
Provide references of the original source
Include only the necessary and sufficient mathematics in the text, rest in the Appendix
The theory section ascertains that your project is not ‘Jerry- rigged’, it is based on the advanced engineering concepts
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5. Design
This section will depend on the type of project being done. For design projects:
Give a detailed list of engineering specifications
Description of preliminary design and the steps leading to the final design
Reasons for the selection of parts, material, processes, etc.
Governing theories, formulae, equations, etc.
In the appendix, provide:
A compete list of Bill of Materials
Detailed parts-drawings and vendor catalog
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6. Sample Calculations
Sample calculations are part of the Results section
They are based on mathematical relations mentioned in the Theory section
If the calculations are repetitive and too many, include only one sample calculation in this section, the rest should be included in the Appendix
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15. 7. Results and Discussion
Results should be analyzed, interpreted, and stated clearly
Use figures and tables that are fully labeled
Any deficiency, errors, or poor results should be discussed and explained how they affect the objective
Numerical data should be presented in the form of graphs or tables
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16. Results and Discussion (continued)
This section should answer:
What do the results clearly indicate?
What was the final outcome?
What is the significance of the results?
Are the results fully discussed and conclusions drawn based on the knowledge gained?
How did error or deficiencies occur?
Did any of the errors or deficiencies affect the conclusion of the project?
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8. Conclusion
Summarize the significance of the results:
Answer any questions raised in the introduction regarding the objective and the purpose of the project
Explain the significance of the project
Avoid discussion of new information not already mentioned in the report
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References
Journal articles
Books
Web sites
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References
A journal paper that you have cited in the text:
Babuška, Ivo; Banerjee, Uday; Osborn, John E. (June 2004). "Generalized Finite Element Methods: Main Ideas, Results, and Perspective". International Journal of Computational Methods 1 (1): 67– 103
Referencing a book you have used:
Reddy, J.N. (2005). An Introduction to the Finite Element Method (Third ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 
Referencing a web site:
Finite Element Methods. Retrieved from Wikipedia 10/15/2014:
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9. Appendices
Include the useful information that was too lengthy to include in the main body
Sample calculations
Raw data
Detailed drawings
Bill of Materials
Vendor brochure
Any item included in the Appendix must be referenced in the report.
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Check List
Do the paragraphs within a section flow in a logical manner?
Do the ideas in each section flow from general to specific, big picture to small?
Does the report shows readers how the project was carried out?
Are the tables, figures, and diagrams fully interpreted and understandable?
Are the tables, figures, and diagrams appropriately labeled and referred to within the text?
Is the report written in third person narrative?
Is the writing clear and thoroughly revised for spellings, syntax, and grammar?
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Miscellaneous
When to use Numerals & not words:
If the number is larger than nine (double digits: 10, 11, 12, etc.)
When the number is connected to units of measure: 3 lbs, 2 sq-ft, etc.
Decimal and fractional numbers: 1.5, 2.7, etc.
A combination of numerals and words for very large numbers (especially in money): The Light Rail System will cost over $6 billion
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Miscellaneous
When to spell out the numbers:
A number less than 10 (single digit)
A number in the beginning of a sentence:
Fifty million dollars is a large amount.
When single and multi digit numbers appear in a sentence:
We have two labs with 6 computers in one and 20 in the other.
Round numbers:
About a thousand units have been ordered
To avoid confusion:
We ordered eleven 8 foot pipes
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Summary
Report purpose: Communication of work done
Use third person narrative
Include:
Title page
Executive summary
Table of Contents
Introduction
Objective
Methodology: Theory and Design
Results and discussion
Appendix
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25. Report Writing - October 12, 2016
Thank you
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