Technical Report

Writing
Final Term
What is technical report

A technical report is a formal

report designed to convey technical
information in a clear and easily
accessible format. It is divided into
sections which allow different
leaders to access different levels of
information.
1. Key features of reports
 Are designed for quick and easy
communication of information
 Are designed for selective reading
 Use sections with numbered
headings and subheadings
 Use figures and diagrams to
convey data.
2. Structure
 TitlePage
 Summary
 Table of Contents
 Introduction
 Middle sections –( body of the

report)
 Conclusions
 References
 Appendices
3. Presentation
 Script- The report must be printed single
sided on a white paper.
 Margins- All four margins must be at least

2.54 cm.
 Page numbers- Do not number the title,

summary or contents pages. Number all other

pages consecutively starting at 1.
 Binding- A single staple in the top left corner

or 3 staples spaced down the left hand

margin. For longer reports binders may be
used.
4. Planning the report
 Collect your information. ( handouts,
lecture notes, library, reference books,
and journals) journal-name of author,
title of article, name of Journal (italic),
year of publication, volume number,
issue number or page number. Book-
author’s name, title of the book (italic)
edition, if appropriate, publisher, year
of publication
 Creative Phase of Planning. Write
down topics and ideas from your
researched material in random order.
Next arrange them into logical groups.
Keep note of topics that do not fit into
groups in case they come in useful
later. Put the groups into a logical
sequence which covers the topic of
your report.
 Structuringthe report. Using your
logical sequence of grouped
ideas, write out a rough outline of
the report with headings and
subheadings.
5. Writing the first draft
 Who is going to read the report?
 Begin writing the main text, not the

introduction. Follow your outline in

terms of headings and subheadings.
Let the idea flow, do not worry at this
stage about style, spelling or word
processing. If you stuck, go back to
your outline plan and make more
detailed preparatory notes to get the
writing flow smoothly again.
6. Revising the first draft
 This is the stage at which your report
will start to take shape as a
professional, technical document. In
revising what you have drafted you
must bear in mind the following
important principle;
 6.1. the essence of a successful

technical report lies in how accurately

and concisely it conveys the intended
information to the intended reader.
 6.2.Does the sentence/ paragraph/
section say what I want and mean it to
say? If not, write it in a different way.

 6.3.
Are there any words/sentences/
paragraphs which could be removed
without affecting the information
which I am trying to convey? If so,
remove them.
7. Diagrams, graphs, tables and mathematical
symbols
 Itis often the case that technical
information is most concisely and
clearly conveyed by means other than
words.

 7.1. Diagrams. Keep them simple.

Draw them specifically for the report.
Put diagrams after the text reference.
 7.2.Graphs. Choose the
orientation of the graph paper –
portrait or landscape format – to
make the best use of the available
area. Leave enough room for
margins and captions.
 7.3 Tables. Is a table the best way to
present your information? Consider
graphs, bar charts or pie charts.
 Dependent tables (small) can be placed

within the text, even as part of a

sentence. Independent tables (larger)
are separated from the text with table
numbers and captions. Position them
near the text reference. Complicated
tables should go in an appendix.
 7.3Mathematical Symbols. Only
use mathematics where it is the
most efficient way to convey the
information. Longer mathematical
arguments, if they are really
necessary, should go into an
appendix.
8. The Report Layout
 The appearance of a report is no less
important than its content. An
attractive, clearly organized report
stands a better chance of being read.
Use a standard 12pt font, such as
Times New Romans for the main text.
Use different font sizes, bold, italic
and underline where appropriate but
not to excess.
9. Originality and Plagiarism
 Whenever you make use of other people’s
facts or ideas, you must indicate this in the
text with a number which refers to an item
in the list of references.
 If you have copied someone else’s words,

facts or ideas without reference, passing

them off as your own. This is a serious
offence. It is punishable by law.
 Acknowledge the author through citation or

referencing.
10. Finalizing the report

 Your report should now be nearly

complete with an introduction, main
text in sections, conclusions, properly
formatted references and bibliography
and any appendices. Now you must
add the page numbers, contents and
title pages and write the summary.
11. The Summary
The summary, with the title should
indicate the scope of the report and give
the main results and conclusions.

 Purpose – a short version of the report

and a guide to it.
 Length – short, typically not more than

100-300 words
 Content - provide information, not just

a description of the report.

12. Proofreading
 This refers to the checking of every
aspect of a piece of written work from
the content to the layout and is an
absolutely necessary part of the
writing process.
 When you have finished your report,

and before you staple it, you must

check it very carefully.
Seatwork (one half crosswise)
Why is it important to write
a rough draft? (10 pts)

What do you think are the

benefits of proofreading?
(10 pts)
The Structure of a
Report
Title Page
 This page gives the title of the report,
the authors name/names, the course
name and number, the department, and
university and the date of submission.
 The title of the should indicate exactly

what the report is about. The reader

should know not only the general topic,
but also the aspect of the topic
contained in the report.
The Summary
 Thesummary provides a brief
overview of the substance of the
report; usually no more than half a
page. It is not an introduction to the
topic. The summary should outline the
key features of your report, what you
did and how you did it, and the main
outcomes of your work.
 The Summary: a. states the topic of the
report, b. outlines your approach to the task
if possible, c. gives the most important
findings of your research, investigation or
design, and d. states the main outcomes or
conclusions.
 The summary does not: a. provide general

background information, b. explain why you

are doing the research, investigation or
design, c. refer to later diagrams or
references.
Table of Contents
 The content page sets out the
sections and subsections of the
report and their corresponding
page numbers.

 Number the sections by the

decimal point numbering System:
 Example
 1.0 Title of first main section (usually introduction)

1.1 First subheading

1.2 Second subheading
2.0 Title of second main section
2.1 First subheading
2.2 Second subheading
2.2.1 First division in the second heading
2.2.2 Second division
3.0 Title of third main section
3.1
3.2
 Number all preliminary pages in
lower-case Roman numerals
ex.i,ii,iii..
 Number all remaining pages of

your report with Arabic numerals

ex. 1,2,3..
 Provide a title in your table of

contents to describe the contents

of each appendix.
Introduction
 The introduction provides the
background information needed for
the rest of your report to be
understood.
 The introduction should include the

background to the topic, statement of

purpose or aim, technical background
necessary to understand the report,
and brief outline of its structure.
Body of the report
 The body is the most important
part of a report. It includes all the
necessary details needed so that
the readers may be well informed.
( graphs, diagrams, and tables)
Conclusions
 The conclusion provides an effective
ending to your report. This section;
a.) states whether you have achieved
your aim, b.) gives a brief summary
of the key findings or information in
your report, c.) highlights the major
outcomes of your investigation and
their significance.
Referencing
 The two parts of referencing are:
citations in the text of the report, and
a list of references in the final section.
 Citation shows that the information

comes from another source.

 Reference list gives the details of

these sources.
Examples
 Citation – Corrosion is defined as a chemical
action which harms the properties of a metal
(Glendinning, 1973).

 Reference list –

Glendinning, E.H. 1973 English in mechanical

engineering, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Appendices
 These contain material that is too
detailed to include in the main
report, such as raw data or
detailed drawings.