E100, Winter 2021

E100: Introduction to Engineering

Technical Communication Expectations & Style Guide
by Lisa Grimble and Walburga Zahn

NAMING CONVENTION FOR ELECTRONIC FILE SUBMISSIONS

[Last name]_[First name]_(name of assignment)_W21

Example: Falke_Otto_Tech Description_W21

PROVIDED TEMPLATES AND EXAMPLES

 Use all wisely.
 Understand the choices made in each.

GENRE CONVENTIONS AND AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS

 Understand the constraints presented by each.
 Take advantage of the opportunities afforded by each.

STYLE
 Write in first person using past tense and active voice whenever appropriate and possible.
 Use the appropriate language for the audience for whom you are writing.
 Use left-justified text, no indents.

CONCISION, PRECISION, AND ACCURACY

 Combine sentences when verbs/subjects allow you to do so.
 Use coordination or subordination to combine sentences.
 Put most important information first in a given sentence.
 Use sound writing strategies to increase concision:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/572/1/
 Avoid words such as about, approximately, around. Instead, provide actual (and accurate)
numbers, measurements, data.
 If you imply a comparison (larger, smaller less, more, etc.), give the data.
 Be consistent and realistic with significant digits.

PARAGRAPHING
 Write topic sentences that use section/subsection heading language and provide a comprehensive
base for the paragraph’s contents.
 Consider the topic sentence as a claim and the body sentences as support (evidence) for this
claim.
 Make paragraph length manageable for all readers. A good rule of thumb is that a report page
should usually contain about three or four paragraphs.
 Use left-justified text to avoid gaps.
 Do not indent paragraphs.

VISUALS
 Include figure # and descriptive caption for all visuals in reports.
 E100, Winter 2021
 

Example: Figure 1: Main parts of NASA’s shuttle system.

 Place figure #/caption in a consistent location (above or below visual) throughout entire
document.
 Center each visual on the page and do not wrap text around any of them.
 Introduce/refer to any visual by number before reader encounters it on the page.
 Use/create visuals with uncluttered backgrounds.
 Include labels that are easy to read and that are clearly associated with a “piece” of the visual
(ex.: use line with arrowhead pointing to resistor with label “center photodiode”).
o If you labeled an item, discuss it.
o If you did not label an item, do not discuss it.
 Provide dimensions when appropriate for the associated discussion.

1. Example for visuals in reports (or any other written document). Please use the format below for
all your visuals in written work.

Envelope

Inflation Tab

Internal Gondola

Video Camera (Payload)

Motor and Propeller
(sample, 2)
Figure 1: Design of Finished Airship: Front View.
(adapted from final presentation by Aggarwal, Cook, Greer, Lenhardt).

2 
 
 E100, Winter 2021
 

2. Example for visuals/slides in presentations. Please use the format below for all your visuals in
presentations.

Source: Design of Finished Airship: Front View.

(adapted from final presentation by Aggarwal, Cook, Greer, Lenhardt).

TABLES
 Include table # and descriptive title for all tables.
If conclusions can be/should be drawn from information presented in table, include this
conclusion in the table title (including as a subtitle works well).
 Place table #/title in a consistent location (above or below table) throughout entire document.
 Align as follows:
o Center-align column headings.
o Left align row headings (if any).
o Left align words.
o Decimal align numbers.
 Use consistent number of significant figures for like data (within columns) when technically
warranted.
 List unit of measure in column/row heading if unit of measure is consistent throughout
column/row.
 Use minimal lines (ex: bold horizontal line above title, bold horizontal line below title, horizontal
line below column heading, and bold horizontal line below last data row only).

3 
 
 E100, Winter 2021
 

VARIABLES
 Define and italicize all variables.
 Redefine all variables when they appear in subsequent sections.

EQUATIONS
 Introduce and explain each equation before it appears on the page.
 Avoid strings of equations without text to support them.
 Insert equations using the equation editor (Insert > Equation). Doing so automatically formats
each equation.
 Center each equation.
 Number each equation in parentheses toward the right margin.
 Define each variable under the equation in which it is used.
 Example:
𝒔 𝒄𝒕 (1)

s = distance (meters)
c = speed of light (meters/second)
t = time (seconds)

SECTION AND SUBSECTION HEADINGS

 Avoid double headings (section heading immediately followed by subsection heading). Instead,
provide an overview statement/paragraph that provides context for your readers and/or previews
the content that follows.
 Use informative and content-specific wording for headings whenever possible.

4 
 
 E100, Winter 2021
 

 Use consistent format/style among section levels to visually indicate hierarchy and relationships
of sections and sub-sections.
 Consider using the following format/style or carefully adopt your own.

First Level Heading

(Bold, flush with left margin, same size type as report text, line space before and after, section content
begins as a new paragraph.)

Second Level Heading

(Italics, same size type as report text, use double-spacing after. )

Third Level Heading: Text of paragraph starts here.

(Resembles the second-level headings, but the subsequent text begins on the same line rather than a new
line. This heading is also referred to as “in-text heading.)

CITATIONS
 Cite in text and on references page all content from outside sources.
 Cite sources as ‘adapted’ any time you alter source material (such as with adding labels to previously
published figures).
 In presentations: If you are showing a visual that you got from a source, cite the source under the
visual this way: Source: name of source or/and title. (Remember that your listeners will see this
citation for a few seconds only.) Add a List of References page after your last slide with the entire
bibliographical information for visuals and in-text citation of sources.

5