Formal Report Writing

1. Formal Report Writing Dr. N. S. Harding Chemical Engineering 477 January 28-29, 2013

2. Major Report Sections • Transmittal Letter • Title Page • Front Material (Table of Contents, List of Illustrations) • Executive Summary • Introduction (Objective) and Background • Experimental Procedure/Methods • Results and Discussion • Conclusions and Recommendations • Back Material (Acknowledgements, References, Appendix)

3. Transmittal Letter • LAST section written • Date • To Whom? • Subject – Succinct description of project • 1 paragraph on what was asked and how it was done • 1 paragraph on conclusions and recommendations • Signatures

4. Title Page • Descriptive title • To Whom? • From Whom? • Date

5. Front Material • For these short (formal) reports it is optional • If you include, then the Title Page is “i” • Use roman numerals up to Executive Summary which would be “1”

6. Executive Summary • 2nd to last section written • 1 page maximum • Use key bullet points (conclusions/recommendations) • Summarizes: • Objective, what was done • How it was done • What were the results • What are the conclusions • What are the recommendations • IF figure/table, must have different number, e.g. ES1

7. Body of Report • Use a header and footer; one of which has the page number. • No smaller than 11 pt type • Double-spaced; not less than 1.5 spacing • Use headings and sub-headings • Refer to figures/tables before showing • Be consistent

8. Paragraphs/Text • Each paragraph organized around key sentence • Key sentence should be 1st or 2nd sentence • Rest of paragraph supports/discusses key sentence • Key sentences can be used as outline for the report • 3rd person is preferred in technical writing • Be consistent in verb tense usage • Completed items in past tense • Discussion/analyses/recommendations – present • Almost nothing in future tense

9. Figures • Captions are below figure • Label axes correctly with units • Use common scales for multiple figures, sig. figs. • Pay attention to symbols, colors, etc. • Make the figures clear and clean • Be consistent

10. Tables • Titles are above table • Align columns • Don’t forget units (column headings) • Significant figures!!! • “*” or call outs are directly beneath table • Be consistent

11. Equations (Reactions) • Numbered consecutively on right side: (#) • Identify all variables first time used • Same size font as text or may go to 10 pt. • Capital “E” when referring to specific equation

12. Results/Discussion Section(s) • Data analysis • Good:Includesall results so one can duplicate or make a decision based on data • Better: Summarizesdata into figures/tables so one can quickly make a decision based on data • Best: Synthesizesthe data to show: • In-depth analysis • Significance of results • Context and meaning • Credible recommendation(s) Want reader to think, feel, or do something differently because they read the report!

13. Back Material • Acknowledgements (optional – should include MIKE!) • References – required • Appendix – required (Separate Subsections) • Detailed derivations of theory • Raw and reduced data • Sample calculations • Statistical analysis • Other supporting documentation • Note: Equations, figures, tables are numbered, A1, etc.

14. Bottom Line • From your report, the reader should know who, what, when, where, why and how and be able to completely duplicate your experiment and get essentially your results and conclusions within your calculated confidence level!! • Note: There is no good writing, only good re-writing! • Suggestion: Finish the report and sleep on it – then next day review one last time. • QUESTIONS?