EGR3102 Lecture 1

EGR3102: Technical Writing and Presentation

Course outline:

 Principles of effective communication

 Professional use of English Language

 Principles of Technical Writing

 Oral Presentation of Technical Idea

Introduction

 Technical Writing

 Examples

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 EGR3102 Lecture 1

 Assignment

 Laboratory
Reports

 Technical Report
(SIWES I and II)

 Final Year
Projects

 Journal Paper

 Conference Paper

 Extended
Abstract

 Book,

 Thesis

 Etc.

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 EGR3102 Lecture 1

1st Assignment: write short notes on the above mentioned examples and submit
through your class representative.

Planning: Before You Begin

 Identify your audience and their expectations

 Know your purpose

 Know your material

 Understand the writing task at hand

 Organize your thoughts and materials

 Budget adequate time to write

 Review

 Revise

 Edit

Clarity: Avoid Jargon

Jargon: a vocabulary particular to a place of work (abbreviations, slang).

Audience familiarity with the topic determines appropriate use of jargon.

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Example 1: For the first year, the links with SDPC and the HAC were not
connected, and all required OCS input data were artificially loaded. Thus
CATCH22 and MERWIN were not available (should be avoided).

You should rather say: Because some of the links in the computer system were
not connected the in first year, we could not run all the software codes.

Your write up should be as clear as possible.

Brevity: Use Words Efficiently

 Never use two words when one word will do.

Example: The relationship between the nature of salt water to fresh water in
BUK Pond that fluctuates often is extremely important to everyone including
scientists, residents, and environmentalists.

The above statement can be summarised as:

The fluctuating salinity of BUK Pond concerns many environmentalists,

scientists, and residents.

Remember that “Less Is More”

Brevity: Remove Redundancy

• Combine overlapping sentences when possible

Example: Water quality in JAKARA River declined in March. This decline

occurred because of the heavy rainfall that month. All the extra water
overloaded the Dala water treatment plant.

The above statement can be summarised as:

Water quality in JAKARA River declined in March because heavy rainfalls

overloaded Dala water treatment plant.

Simplicity: Use Details Wisely

•Specific details are desirable, but be careful to balance details with audience
needs for clarity: significance is more important.

Example: The average house in the area has a PM10 level of 20 micrograms per
metre cube

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The statement should rather be:

The average house in the area has a PM 10 level of 20 micrograms per metre
cube, which is considered low by WHO. Levels between 21 and 50 micrograms
per metre cube are considered high, and levels above 50 micrograms per metre
cube are considered dangerous.

Simplicity: Use Details Wisely

• Many engineers want to provide as much specific detail as possible, but

this can come at the expense of readers’ understanding and their main
point

Example: The number of particular hydrocarbon combinations in our study is

enormous. For example, the number of possible C20H42 is 366,319 and the
number of C40H82 is 62,491,178,805,831.

The statement should be:

The number of hydrocarbon combinations in our study is enormous. For

example, the number of possible C40H82 is over 60 trillion.

Language: Needless Complexity

Language: Avoid ambiguity- Order the words in your sentences carefully.

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Example: In low water temperatures and high toxicity levels of oil, we tested
how well the microorganisms survived.

The statement should rather be:

We tested how well the microorganisms survived in low water temperatures and
high toxicity levels of oil.

Do not overuse pronouns—particularly “it” and “this”— because it is often

difficult to identify the antecedent.

Example: Because the receiver presented the radiometer with a high-flux

environment, it was mounted in a silver-plated stainless steel container.

The statement “It was mounted” is it the receiver or the radiometer?

Read again?

Because the receiver presented the radiometer with a high-flux environment, it

was mounted in a silver-plated stainless steel container.

Language: Weak vs. Strong

Avoid too many “to be” verbs: “is” “was” “were” “has been” “have been”

Avoid excess words, which slow comprehension of the main point.

Active Voice: Natural Sound

•When in doubt, read passages out loud to determine the natural sound*

Example: A new process for eliminating nitrogen oxides from diesel exhaust
engines is presented. Flow tube experiments to test this process are discussed. A
chemical reaction scheme to account for this process is proposed.

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It might be:

We present a new process for eliminating nitrogen oxides from the exhaust of
diesel engines. To test this process, we performed experiments in flow tubes. To
explain this process, we developed a scheme of chemical reactions.

*always refer to your professor, your journal, or your company style guide for
use of “I” and “we” in technical papers.

Writing Is a Process

Good writing doesn’t happen overnight; it requires planning, drafting,

rereading, revising, and editing. Learning and improvement requires self-
review, peer-review, subject-matter expert feedback, and practice. There are no
shortcuts; practice makes perfect!

In summary:

Plan your project before you begin drafting. Understand basic qualities of good
technical writing; use the examples presented to guide you in your writing and
revising process. Good writing is a habit that takes time to develop; practice
makes perfect

Structure of a technical report

What is a report?

A report addresses a particular subject or issue. It uses information and/or data

that may be historic or current or a mixture of both. Within a report there will be
description; analysis; and critical evaluation leading to informed-conclusions
supported by evidence. A report is a statement of an investigation or of any
matter on which definitive information is required.” (Oxford English
Dictionary, 2008)

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“Essays are an intellectual exploration of a topic involving looking at different

arguments and evidence and developing the writer’s perspective.”

Differences between Report and Essays:

Layout of a Technical Report

Title page: Title of report, student Name and Reg., date,

Table of Contents page: List of chapters/section headings with corresponding

page numbers; list of illustrations (tables and figures); list of Appendices

Abstract: An overview, stand-alone, not numbered a numbered section

Chapter 1 - Introduction: What the report will be about.

Chapter 2 - Literature Review: Includes as appropriate all relevant literature

that will aid understanding of the project (Include subsections e.g. 2.1, 2.1.1
etc.)

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Chapter 3 - Methodology: Include the description of all the methods used in

the project (Include subsections e.g. 3.1, 3.1.1 etc.).

Chapter 4 - Results and Discussion: analyse the results obtained and discuss
it in the context of the research question).

Chapter 5 - Conclusion: what are take home messages from the findings,
normally in line with the objectives of the project.

References: Precise details of the work of others.

Appendices: Lengthy and detailed material that informed the report but does
not necessarily need to be read. It can be used to check for accuracy. It includes
statistics, questionnaires, interviews, etc. Each appendix is numbered but the
section itself is not.

Abstract
It brings together all the essential elements of the report.
 Provides a concise overview of the main themes.
 Should be able to be read as a stand-alone section (for someone who
doesn’t have time to read the whole document )
 Should reflect the topic or question, the methodology, key findings and
conclusions
 Is not a detailed discussion
 Citations/references should NOT be included.
 Is written in the past tense (e.g. data showed, research found, etc.)
 Goes at the start of the report but is written after the report has been
finished
 Is usually no more than 10% of the word count of the assignment (e.g. a
2000 word report has a summary of about 200 words)
 Is NOT a numbered section

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Chapter 1 - Introduction

A good introduction should grab the reader’s interest! It should explain what the
report is about. It should explain why the report is being written. What is the
background, history and current state of events? What is known already in the
subject matter? What is the context/background against which the current report
is set? It can include examples and interesting details.

It should clearly articulate the scope of the report – what it will cover and
importantly, if relevant, what will not be included. This is sometimes known as
the ‘terms of reference’.

It should give an indication of how the material will be dealt with – a ‘road
map’ of the report – what should the reader expect and in what order:- e.g.

 “This report will analyse the relative advantages and disadvantages

of the different operating systems.”

 “Based on interviews, this report examines three problem areas.”

It is written in the present and future tense (e.g. shall, will etc.). It should be
about 8 – 10% of the length of the report (e.g. 2000 word report should have an
introduction of 160 – 200 words). It is numbered 1.0 and comes after the
Abstract.

Acknowledgement: Most of the content of this presentation was obtained from

MIT Writing Center http://web.mit.edu/writing/

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