Technical Report Writing

1. Islamic University of Gaza Industrial Engineering Department EIND2103: Work Analysis and Design Lab Technical Report Writing

2. Technical Report writing • The ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing is of great importance to professional engineers. • After graduation, you will spend a good part of your time explaining your ideas and points of view both to your superiors and technicians under your supervision. • You are, therefore, advised to work on improving your written communication skills, and the preparation of lab reports provides you with an excellent opportunity to do so. • Unlike a newspaper article, a technical report has a certain standard format that must always be adhered to. In addition, the style of technical and scientific writing is different from that used in, say, books of literature. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

3. Technical Report writing (Cont.) • Colloquial language must NOT be used; instead, explain your ideas in simple and grammatically correct English using clear and short sentences. • Try to get to the point directly and avoid unnecessary elaborations and wordy text • Also, report in the third person (i.e., avoid using “I” and “we”) and in the past tense. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

4. Technical Report Contents • In most cases, a technical report should consist of: • Title Page • Abstract • Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables • Introduction ( Background and theory) • Objective • Equipment • Procedure • Results and Discussion • Conclusions and Recommendations • References • Appendices (if appropriate) Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

5. Title page • It should indicate the following: • University , Faculty, Department, and Course • Title and serial number of the experiment • Student name • Instructor name • The date on which the report is submitted Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

6. Abstract • A one- paragraph summary of the key points of the report: objectives, methods, results, conclusions, recommendations, and benefits. • Make sure that you include specific numbers with your results, recommendations and benefits. • Written for a top executive who doesn't have the time to read the whole report, but who is interested in what was done (methods, results, conclusions) and why it was done (problem, expected benefits). Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

7. Table of Contents ,List of Figures and Tables • Listing the major contents that will help the readers to find what they want quickly. • Following the table of contents, there may also be separate lists of the abbreviations used in the report with their meanings, all the figures by titles, and of all the tables, also by titles. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

8. Introduction • Background or related information • Theoretical information including laws and equations. • Expected benefits of the experiment (what potential applications may result?). Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

9. Objective • Why did you do the experiment? • Briefly state purposes or goals of the experiment. • It should not exceed two fairly short paragraphs. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

10. Equipment • List the equipment used in the experiment and briefly mention the specific characteristics of each (e.g. capacity, accuracy of reading). Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

11. Procedure • A short sequential list of steps that you took to perform the experiment. • Write in your own words the actual experimental procedure followed. • The procedure should reflect the facilities available at the lab. • Any assumptions or limitation should be mentioned. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

12. Results and Discussion • Raw data taken during the experiment should be presented in an appropriate from such as tables, graphs, figures, or photographs. • These must be numbered and supplemented by captions that briefly describe what the figures are all about. • Whenever graphics are used, special attention should be given to the drawing scale in order to yield meaningful curves that clearly indicate the significance of the results. • Miniature and over enlarged graphs should be avoided. • Discuss data with regard to trends, compare results between different methods, etc.; but do not draw conclusions Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

13. Results and Discussion • Discuss the significance of the results as related to the objectives. • Indicate any quantitative and subjective implications of your results. • Identify possible sources of experimental error and in what may these have affected the results. • It may include a correlation and/or a comparison of your experimental results with those that can be predicted from theories or the use of theoretical analysis, and try to explain any discrepancies. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

14. Conclusions and Recommendations • Present what you can conclude from the results of the experiment and the analysis applied in the discussion. • Present the important recommendations that you have drawn from your results. • Make sure these conclusions relate to the problem and objectives. • It may also be appropriate to add your opinion whether the experiment served its goal of reinforcing what was covered in the materials science lectures. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

15. References • Provide a numbered list of scientific books or articles to which you refer in the text. • Make sure that each reference was actually cited. • For parts of books: • Author name (Publishing Date), "reference book title", edition, publisher and publishing place. e.g: Sherif D. El Wakil; Material Science and Engineering Lab Manual; PWS Publishing Company, Boston; 1994 • For web sites: • Company or foundation name • The link Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

16. Appendices • Appendices may contain mathematical derivations, typical or special computations, figures, tables and graphs that supplement your report. • Usually, it deals with specific phases of your investigation that either support the report or add further information that would be out of place in any of the other parts. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

17. Page Numbers • Title page must contain NO page numbers. • Roman numerals must be used on all other pages preceding the main text, beginning with Ifor the abstract. • Arabic numerals must be used for all subsequent sections, beginning with 1 for the Introduction “the first page of the main text”. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

18. Fonts and Spacing • The manuscript must be typed in Times New Roman font size 12, except where specified otherwise. • For example, headings for Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, chapters in the main text (beginning with Introduction), and appendices must be typed in Bold Times New Roman font size 16. • 1.5 Line Spacing. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

19. Tables and Figures • Go in result section. • Must have headings, above the table for tables, below for figures. e.g: Table(1): , Fig.(1): • Must be mentioned and described in text, otherwise it should NOT be included. • Should be placed beneath or on the page immediately following the point at which they are first described. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

20. Grading Policy Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

21. Grading Policy • The report must be typed i.e.; handwritten reports will NOT be accepted. • You should submit the report ONE week after the experiment is conducted. • Any lateness after the deadline will affect your grade. • The report of non-attended experiment will grade to ZERO. • Any similar report will grade to ZERO. • Working in a group of 2 students. Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing

22. Grading Policy

23. Any Question ? Ergonomics & Technical Report Writing