Technical Report Writing

A Guideline for MECH 2100

Darrel Doman
Dr. Andrew Warkentin
Mechanical Engineering
Dalhousie University
1360 Barrington Street
Halifax (Nova Scotia)
B3J 1Z1 (Canada)

December 2009

Document Version 3.0

Summary
This report was written as a guideline for MECH 2100-Design and Graphics II students for writing a
basic technical report. Significant focus was placed on structuring a report properly, identifying each
component and their parts, and which sections to include. Referencing of figures and tables within a
report was discussed at length, as well as the referencing of information sources. Some basic
information on automatic formatting (numbering) of section headings, figures, and tables using
Microsoft® Word was provided.

i
Table of Contents
Summary ........................................................................................................................................ i
Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures............................................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ iii

1 Introduction ................................................................
................................................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................1
..... 1

2 Report Structure ................................................................

...............................................................................................
...............................................................2
............................... 2

2.1 Basic Report Structure..................................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Front Matter .................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Report Body ..................................................................................................................................... 4
2.4 Back Matter...................................................................................................................................... 6
2.5 A Note on Formatting ..................................................................................................................... 6

3 Methodology for Writing a Report ................................................................

..................................................................
..................................7
.. 7

4 Figure & Table

Table Usage................................
Usage................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................8
........................ 8

5 Referencing Information Sources................................

Sources ................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................9
..... 9

5.1 How to Document Information Sources ........................................................................................ 9

6 Conclusions ................................................................
................................................................................................
....................................................................
.................................... 10

7 Bibliography ................................................................
................................................................................................
...................................................................
................................... 11

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................. 12

ii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Basic structure of a technical report. ............................................................................................ 2
Figure 2: Basic idea presentation using a figure........................................................................................... 8

List of Tables
Table 1: Example of report sections for a design competition..................................................................... 5

iii
1 Introduction
In the technical world, the engineer’s primary role is to solve problems. However, communicating the
technical solutions to these problems to management, laypersons, and other technical groups is just as
important. The challenge for the engineer is to present technical data (design drawings, specifications,
calculations) clearly and concisely with no ambiguity. To this end, the technical report is the most
common form of communication that the engineer employs.

This report is an introduction to technical report writing. The basic structure of a technical report is
discussed as well as referencing practice for figures and tables. Plagiarism and its effects are discussed
with instruction on how to reference information sources. Some useful tools and techniques for
computerized word processors are also provided.

1
2 Report Structure

2.1 Basic Report Structure

Structure
A technical document is composed of several basic components, as shown in Figure 1. The main
components of a technical report are: front matter, back matter, and report body. Each of these report
components has several parts such as the summary, title page, etc. Together, these components form
the whole of the report.

Technical Report

Front Matter Report Body Back Matter

Title Page Introduction Section References

Summary Background Section Appendices

Table of Contents Results Section

List of Figures/Tables Conclusions

Figure 1: Basic structure of a technical report.

2
2.2 Front Matter
The front matter consists of:

Title page

Summary

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

2.2.1 Title Page

The title page usually contains the author(s), date, publication location, and most importantly the
report title. The title should be concise and to the point; avoid using ‘wordy’ terminology such as ‘The
Making of the Best-Ever Robotic Stone Machine’. A better, more technical, title would be ‘The Design
and Development of the Stone Machine’.

2.2.2 Abstract, Summary, Executive Summary

The summary, also known as an abstract (laboratory or research reports) or an executive summary
(management document), is a distilled version of the entire report. Engineering managers and
supervisors have neither the time nor the inclination to read every word of a 200-page document. An
abstract is typically less than ½ a page of single spaced text. An executive summary may be up to 4
pages of double spaced text. An abstract is intended for a technical audience while an executive
summary is intended for a layman (avoid technical jargon). The summary provides a miniaturized
version of the report, introducing the topic, highlighting the most important statements of the body
and the concluding remarks. It is important to emphasize the objective (which states the problem) and
the analysis of the results (including recommendations). Avoid the temptation to copy a whole
paragraph from elsewhere in your report and make it do double duty. Since the abstract condenses and
emphasizes the most important elements of the whole report, you cannot write it until after you have
completed the report.

3
2.2.3 Table of Contents

The Table of Contents is the road map to the report. Each section and subsection is listed along with
the corresponding page. See the Table of Contents on page ii of this report for an example.

2.2.4 List of Figures & Tables

Tables

In many reports figures and tables are used extensively, a List of Figures or Tables provides a quick
reference for the reader to find a particular item. See page iii for an example.

2.3 Report Body

The report body is the key, or ‘meat’ of the document. This is where the authors present their
argument or hypothesis along with all of the supporting evidence or data. Typically, the body is
composed of several sections, each made up of a combination of text, figures, and tables assembled to
communicate information to the reader in a clear manner. For each report the sections of the body
will differ, but will always include the following parts:

Introduction

Background

Results

Conclusions

The introduction defines the problem and the background section gives the reader the ancillary
information needed to solve the problem. The results section reports on how the problem was solved
and the conclusions sum up the solution. The background and results sections may consist of many
sections. The naming of the background and results sections depend on the topic. For example, Table 1
shows the possible sections for a technical report on the design of a machine entered in a robotic
competition.

4
Table 1: Example of report sections for a design competition

Part Sections Details

Introduction Introduction
statement of the problem

motivation

objectives

organization of report

Background Background
relevant background material

Requirements
list of essential, important and optional requirements

rational for selecting requirements

Results Alternative Designs
briefly describe your 3 alternative designs including the
advantages and disadvantages of each design

illustrations of the design

indicate your final design selection and the reason for
the selection

Final Design
describe your final design be sure to refer to your CAD
drawings

give a prediction of the performance of your design

present a cost analysis of your design

Conclusions Conclusions
summaries the important aspects of your design

any recommendation
It is of critical importance that the sections of the report body tie into one another so that the
document reads as a coherent entity. In other words, the introduction leads into the background
sections, which leads to the results sections, and finally the conclusion review all of the previous
sections. The conclusions section must observe two rules:

Statements, tasks, or problems posed in the introduction are addressed in the conclusions

No new information or statements are made in the conclusions

5
2.4 Back Matter
Composed of a list of references and any appendices, the back matter can be considered to be of
secondary importance to the reader. The list of references contains the fully cited sources directly
quoted or used in the report. The list of references allows the reader to find any cited sources should
the reader wish to gain more in-depth information. A bibliography consists of a list of background
material not directly quoted or used in the report that may be relevant to the reader.

The appendices contain any information that the reader may be interested in, but is not critical to the
body of the report. A good rule of thumb to use is to only place material in an appendix when its
content can be summarized in the body, while still communicating the idea clearly. For example, in a
report for the design of a machine, the technical drawings of a part need not appear in body; a simple
explanation of its function, dimensions, etc. will suffice. Should the reader wish to manufacture the
part, he/she may retrieve the technical drawings in the appendix.

2.5 A Note on Formatting

There exists a multitude of formatting ‘guidelines’ and even a few so-called rules. However, in a
technical report the primary concern above all else is clarity. The formatting of the text and headings
should not detract from the information being presented. Therefore consistency is key; if a heading
level formatting is not consistent the reader may become lost.

6
3 Methodology
Methodology for Writing a Report
Report writing can be a daunting task for many students. The process is often easier if you write the
easy parts of the report first and use a structured approach similar to a formal design process. The
following approach to writing a report should make report writing a quicker less tedious and more
successful process.

1. Identify and analyze the audience for your report so that you can determine the content
and level of detail required for the report. Ask yourself, “What exactly is my instructor
looking for?” Usually this question can be answered by reviewing the project
requirements and the course material.

2. Write and outline of the report consisting of the key material that will be included in the
report and the order the key material will appear. This outline should look very similar to
your table of contents.

3. Create the graphics and figures that will appear in the report, and place them in your
outline.

4. Write the main body of the report starting from the easy parts. A significant amount of
your report will consist of describing these figures using the approach described in Section
4 of this report which should be relatively straight forward.

5. Write the appendices.

6. Write the conclusions

7. Write the introduction.

8. Compile the reference list.

9. Construct the table of contents and list of illustrations.

10. Write the title page

11. Revise, revise, revise…

12. Write the letter of transmittal if required.

7
4 Figure & Table Usage
Proper referencing of figures, tables, and cited materials is critical to an unambiguous and clear
manuscript. Figure 2 shows the basic form of presenting an idea. It begins with an introductory
sentence. Next a figure or table is referenced, and then it is discussed. This paragraph structure makes
it easier to both follow the author’s train of thought and to write the report itself.

Proper referencing of figures, tables, and cited materials

Introductory
sentence for is critical to a unambiguous and clear manuscript. Figure 2
idea
shows the basic form of presenting an idea. It begins with an
Figure or table
introductory sentence. Next a figure or table is referenced reference

Discussion and then discussed. This paragraph structure makes it

of idea
Easier to both follow the author’s train of thought and to

Write the report itself.

U RE
G
FI
Figure or
Figure 2: Basic idea presentation form using a figure. table caption

Figure 2: Basic idea presentation using a figure.

Figure and tables are considered to be items, or objects, in the document and therefore must have a
label, or caption. This caption is typically of the form ‘Figure X: yyyyyyy ’ and ‘Table X: yyyyyyy ’,
where X is the sequential numbering (1,2,3,…) and yyyyyyy is a description. Whenever a figure is
inserted into the document, two references must be made; the figure or table caption and an
appropriate reference to the object in the text. Special care should be taken to reference the object in
the text before it actual appears. This ensures that the reader is expecting to see the figure or caption in
the intended context.

8
5 Referencing Information Sources
The following information on referencing information sources and plagiarism was adapted from [3]. It
is important to document your sources because it is ethical and honest, gives credit where it is due,
helps reader can find your cited material for further research, and shows you did your background
research. Failure to reference your sources is considered a form of plagiarism which includes quoting
verbatim or almost verbatim from a source, copying a table chart or figure, presenting someone else’s
line of though, stating someone else’s ideas in your own words, summarizing another’s argument, and
making a diagram from data provided by others. Incidents of plagiarism must be reported to the Senate
or Academic Disciplinary committees the result can be, a zero for assignment, a zero for a course,
failure and notification on transcript or suspension or expulsion.

5.1 How to Document Information Sources

There are many different systems for documenting information sources. We will use the Author-Date
system in this course. In the Author-Date system, when you refer to someone else’s work, you place
the authors name and date of publication in parenthesis in the main text immediately after it is
mentioned. You then place a complete citation of the source in a reference list. The reference list is
ordered alphabetically according to the author’s last name. Several examples of source citations, for
both the report text and references section, are given in Appendix A.

9
6 Conclusions
This report outlined the structure of a basic technical report, identifying three main components: front
and back matter and the body. The various parts that make up the each of these components were
described. Referencing of figures and tables was discussed at length, with emphasis on the general
presentation of an idea using an introductory sentence, a figure or table reference, and a discussion of
the idea. Finally, automatic numbering of headings, figures, and tables using Microsoft® Word was
briefly discussed.

10
7 Bibliography
1. G. C. Andrews and H.C. Ratz, Introduction to Professional Engineering, 5th ed.,
University of Waterloo, Canada, 1997.

2. D. Hacker, A Canadian Writer’s Reference, 2nd ed., Nelson Canada, Toronto, Canada,
1996.

3. M. Markel, Mike, ed., Technical Communication Situations and Strategies 5th ed. St.
Martin’s Press, New York, 1998.

11
Appendix A
Below are some additional report-writing tips and information collated from references [3].

Books

Text: (Foley, van Dam, Feiner and Hughes, 1996)

Reference List: J. D. Foley, A. van Dam, S. K. Feiner and J. F. Hughes. 1996, Computer Graphics
Principles and Practice 2nd Ed. in C, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley,

Articles

Text: (Suh, Lee, and Lee, 1996)

Reference List: S.-J. Suh, S.–K. Lee, and J.–J. Lee, “Compensating probe radius in free surface
modeling with CMM: simulation and experimentation”, International Journal of Production Research,
Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 507-523, 1996

Electronic Sources

Text: (Lehman and Brown, 1994)

Reference List: Lehman, M.A. and R.H. Brown. (1994). Intellectual property and the national
information infrastructure [Online]. Available: http://www.uspto.gov/nii/ipwg.html [1995, May 15].

Figures

Text: Figure 1. Barrier free clothing storage for children and adults. (Reznikoff 1986)

Reference List: Reznikoff, S.C. 1986. Interior graphic and design standards. London: Architectural
Press.

12