A GUIDE TO WRITING AS AN ENGINEER David Beer Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Texas at Austin David McMurrey IBM Corporation JOHN WILEY & Sons, INC. NEW YORK + CHICHESTER + BRISBANE + TORONTO + SINGAPOREACQUISITIONS EDITOR Charity Robey PRODUCTION EDITOR Ken Santor DESIGNER Harry Nolan MANUFACTURING MANAGER Dorothy Sinciair COVER ILLUSTRATION Harvey Chan ‘This book was set in 10/12 Times Roman by Publication Services, Inc. and printed and bound oy Port City Press. The cover was printed by Lehigh Press. In. Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been writen, itis @ Policy of Joha Wiley & Sons, Inc. to have books of enduring value published in the United States printed on acid-free paper, and we exert our best efforts to that end. ‘The paper on this book was manufactured by a mill whose forest management programs include sustained yield harvesting of its timberlands. Sustained yield harvesting principles ensure that the number of tees cut each year does not exceed the amount of new growth Copyright © 1997, by John Wiley & Sons, Inc All rights reserved. Published simultaneously in Canad Reproduction or tanstation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright ‘owner is unlawful, Requests for permission or further information should be addressed 10 the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Dat Beer, David F. ‘A guide to writing as an engineer by David Beer and David MeMumey Includes index. 1. Technical writing. 1. MeMurrey, David A. Tide 11.8396 1997 8087,0666--c20 96-13162 ISBN 0-471-11715-3 (pbk. : alk.paper) ce Printed in the United States of America 10987126 CHAPTER 6 WRITING AN ENGINEERING REPORT Transmittal letter Covers and label Title page Table of contents List of figures Executive summary Introduction Body of the report Appendixes (including references) The following sections guide you through each of these standard sections, pointing out the key features. As you read and use these guidelines, remember that these are guidelines, not iron-clad laws. The standard for engineering reports is not intended as a straitjacket, but as a focal point to enable writers in the pro- fession to maintain a familiar “look and feel” to their documents. You'll notice in your career that different companies, professions, and organizations have their own standards for reports—you'll need to adapt your practice to these as well. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL ‘The transmittal letter is a cover letter. An example is shown in Figure 6-1. Usu- ally, it is attached to the outside of the report with a paper clip. It is a communi- cation from you—the report writer—to the recipient, the person who requested the report and (who knows?) may be paying you for your expert consultation. Basically, it says “Okay, here’s the report that we agreed I'd complete by such- and-such a date. Briefly, it contains this and that, but does not cover this or that, Let me know if itis acceptable.” The transmittal letter explains the context—the events that brought the report about. It contains information about the report that does not belong in the report. In Figure 6-1, notice the standard business-letter format. If you write a report internally, you'll use the memorandum format instead; in either case, the contents and organization will be the same, Notice the contents of the letter: + The first paragraph cites the name of the report, putting it in italics (if italics is available), underscores, or all caps. It also mentions the date of the agree- ment to write the report + The middle paragraph focuses on the purpose of the report and gives a brief overview of its contents.