Tarek A.

Tutunji
Philadelphia University, Jordan

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Technical Writing: Most common problems
 Poor Organization
 Spelling and capitalization
 Grammar and punctuation
 Misused words
 Redundancy
 Unclear positions and statements
 Lengthy paragraphs
 Lengthy sentences
 Passive vs. active language
 Inappropriate tone
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Technical Writing: Helping Elements
 Visual Imagery
 Examples
 Comparisons
 Descriptions

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Start to write
 Define objectives for writing
 Define the audience
 Plan the type and format of writing
 Draft the document
 Evaluate the document
 Revise the document

Writing is a process, a series of steps.

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Starting strategies
 Start with the visuals
 Start with figures and diagrams
 Write text to describe them and connect them together.
 Start with an outline
 List ideas, topics, or keywords
 Then expand on them
 Start with the research summaries
 Summaries the literature review that you collected
 Start with free-writing
 Start writing without stopping
 Then evaluate what you wrote

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Engineering Documents
Engineers are expected to produce different documents:

 Business Letter
 Proposal
 Technical Report
 Technical Paper

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Contents of Business Letter
 Date
 Recipient address
 Salutation (Dear or Sir)
 Text
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 Closing (Sincerely)
 Signature
 Enclosures

1-5 pages without enclosures

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Contents of Proposal
 Title page
 Contents
 Background
 Scope of work
 Methods
 Time table
 References
 Appendixes

5-1,000 pages
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Contents of Technical Report
 Title page
 Contents
 List of figures
 List of tables
 Executive summary
 Text
 Introduction
 Math derivations
 Methods
 Results
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 References
 Appendixes
10-1,000 pages
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Contents of Technical Paper
 Title
 Abstract
 Text
 Introduction
 Math derivations
 Methods
 Results
 Conclusions
 References
 Appendixes
2-20 pages
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Main Sections in Documents
 Abstract
 brief one-paragraph description of the contents of an article
 Brief overview of the most important elements of the report
 Must be very concise and direct
 Introduction
 A description of the system (or problem) under consideration
 Provides a clear statement of the problem to be solved
 Summarizes the needs and goals
 Background
 The design specifications
 Population to be served
 Prior work in the area

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Main Sections in Documents
 Methodology
 The procedure that was followed in developing the
solution
 Comparison among the solutions
 Solutions should be described in details
 All assumptions and decision points should be
elaborated
 Final Design Solution
 Detailed description
 Include equations, figures, and tables
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Main Sections in Documents
 Conclusions
 A summary of the report findings
 Comment on the final solution and how it meets the goals
 Recommendations
 Suggest future work
 Appendices
 Additional technical data, marketing studies, other material that do
not fit continuity of the report
 References
 Listed at end of publication that details where the information was
gathered

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

 ABSTRACT

In this experiment, chromatography was Description aim/

used to analyse amino acids in solution. objective
Standards were used to identify unknown
amino acids in a mixture. Ascending layer
chromatography with an isopropanol-based Method
solvent was used to separate the amino
acids, which were then detected with
ninhydrin. The unknown mixture analysed Results
was found to contain aspartate and
histidine. It was observed that hydrophobic
amino acids were most mobile. This
technique was shown to be an effective Conclusion
way of analysing unknown mixtures of
amino acids.

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Producing Engineering Documents
 Employ headings and subheadings to break the
document into parts.
 Paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence to
inform the reader what the paragraph is about.
 Paragraphs should contain more than one sentence.
 Use transitional words, such as but / however, to
connect ideas between sentences.

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Producing Engineering Documents
Use white space to set off important or “different” items:

 Figures and tables

 Titles of sections
 Headings and subheadings
 Paragraphs (sometimes)

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Producing Engineering Documents
Visual Elements of a Page
 Text
 Heading and titles
 Graphics
 Simple separators like lines and boxes
 White space

Page Design Tips

 Use same design for all pages
 Use same font
Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji
Producing Engineering Documents
Headings play an important role in helping the reader
to identify information quickly.

Many options exist to differentiate the headings. The

following is one way to do that
 Use numbering.
 Use Font style BOLD.
 Capitalize first letter in each word.

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Headings Example
1. The Engineer
1.1 Problem Solving
1.2 The Need For Engineering
1.2.1 Resources
1.2.2 Economy
2. Engineering Ethics

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Style Sheet Checklist
 Document
 Cover page
 Single sided or double sided
 Margin width
 Sections, Heading, and Subheadings
 Position
 Font style and size
 Main Text
 Font
 Paragraph indentation or skip line between left justified
 Line spacing (single, 1.5, or double)

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji

Style Sheet Checklist
 Page Numbering
 where on page?
 What size?
 Tables and Figures
 Integrated with text?
 Where do labels go?
 References
 Citations in text
 Format
 Equations
 Style
 Position
 Number

Engineering Skills, Philadelphia University Dr. Tarek A. Tutunji