Download 414595_2646395_2007-Writing-for-Engineers.pdf and more Study notes Engineering in PDF only on Docsity!
SCHOOL OF
ENGINEERING
WRITING
FOR
ENGINEERS
FALL 2007
School of Engineering Writing for Engineers
ii
V. Laboratory Notebooks V.A. Purpose ......................................................................................................... 15 V.B. Format .......................................................................................................... 15
VI. Engineering Proposals VI.A. Purpose ......................................................................................................... 17 VI.B. Format .......................................................................................................... 17 VI.B.1. Title Page........................................................................................... 17 VI.B.2. Table of Contents ............................................................................ 17 VI.B.3. Summary ........................................................................................... 18 VI.B.4. Introduction ...................................................................................... 18 VI.B.5. Proposed Program........................................................................... 18 VI.B.6. Qualifications, Experience, Facilities ............................................. 18 VI.B.7. Budget ............................................................................................... 18 VI.B.8 Appendices ....................................................................................... 18
VII. Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………..………
Appendices
A. Writing Evaluation Standards ..................................................................... 20 B. Examples of Graphs .................................................................................... 21
Copyright © 2007 by School of Engineering University of Portland All Rights Reserved
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
iii
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
v
School of Engineering Writing for Engineers
I.D. Engineering Formats
You will use a variety of formats in your laboratory and lecture courses, several of which are described in this document:
Engineering reports. Engineering letters. Engineering memoranda. Laboratory notebooks. Engineering proposals.
Course instructors may supplement the guidelines given below with additional requirements. For example, the instructor may specify that reports be single- or double- spaced.
Most companies and agencies have their own writing and presentation formats, and it is unlikely that you will use the University’s format in engineering practice. Regardless of the format adopted by a school or engineering organization, it is important you conform to the adopted format.
I.E. In the Broader Context
The writing program in Engineering is only part of a broader effort at UP to address your writing abilities. While the focus in engineering is on technical aspects of writing, proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., are also essential. The faculty at UP have adopted campus-wide a writing manual (Maimon & Peritz, 2003). In addition, several websites provide valuable information. In particular, http://fbox.vt.edu/eng/mech/writing/ offers helpful writing exercises.
The University’s Writing Center can offer you assistance. Student Writing Assistants from various disciplines on campus can provide feedback and offer suggestions. Appointments can be made on a group or individual basis. They can be reached at extension 7492. The Writing Center is in Franz 119.
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
SECTION II - GENERAL TECHNICAL WRITING GUIDELINES
For most technical writing, certain conventions apply regardless of the type of document being prepared. For example, tables of data should be prepared in a certain way whether they are in a technical report or a memo. This section discusses those conventions as they apply to organization, tables, figures, equations, citations, reference, and appendices. Your instructor may amend these guidelines for specific assignments.
Writing should be in paragraph form, not in outline form. You should observe accepted elements of style and editing, while keeping in mind writing evaluation standards shown Appendix A. Remember the content of a report must be complete and should observe the abc’s of technical writing (accuracy, brevity, clarity); length alone is not an indication of a report’s worth, nor is a clear plastic binder.
II.A Organization
Logical and consistent organization of a report is essential. Main sections of a report should be denoted with headings, and, when appropriate, sub-headings should also be used. A consistent style should be used for headings, sub-headings, etc., throughout the report, with the style and/or number of headings differing from sub-headings so that the level of each can be differentiated. This report uses a number/letter format, and has four levels of headings and sub-headings. See, for example, the fourth-level sub- headings under Section III.B.5.
Pages should be numbered, starting with the first page of text. All preface pages are usually numbered with lower case Roman numerals. For a lengthy or complex report, a table of contents is usually included.
II.B. Units, Equations, and Calculations
Equations, numbers, and units are common in technical documents. Their use should be consistent and follow accepted standards. A few pointers are listed below:
When written in the text, numbers less than 10 should be written out. Give units with each parameter and number that you report. Use appropriate significant figures. Do not give more significant digits than can be justified by the accuracy of a test. When appropriate, give an appropriate tolerance associated with the number. Whenever a formula is presented, clearly define each parameter and its units. When several equations are used, they should be numbered sequentially along the right-hand margin. It may not be necessary to show all of your calculations. Provide sample calculations, and place these sample calculations in an appendix. Sample calculations are particularly helpful for explaining a spread sheet. See for example the fourth note under Table 1 in Section II.C.
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
Formal documents usually have lists of tables and figures following the table of contents.
Columns and rows in a table should be clearly labeled and show units. When appropriate, tables should describe how numbers in the columns were determined. This aspect is particularly important when spreadsheets are used to calculate values based on numbers in earlier columns of the table. Do not let row and column delineation lines detract from the presentation; they should add to its clarity and ease of use. An example of a well-formatted table is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Determination of a Stream’s Unit Hydrograph for a One-hour Rainfall Event
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Direct Streamflow Unit Time Streamflow Baseflow Streamflow Volume Hydrograph (hrs.) (ft.^3 /sec.) (ft.^3 /sec.) (ft.^3 /sec.) (ft.^3 ) (ft.^3 /sec.)
1 110 110 0 0 0 2 110 110 0 0 0 3 122 122 0 198000 0 4 230 120 110 1026000 182 5 578 118 460 1782000 759 6 645 115 530 1530000 875 7 434 114 320 900000 528 8 293 113 180 486000 297 9 202 112 90 252000 149 10 160 110 50 111600 83 11 117 105 12 36000 20 12 98 90 8 14400 13 13 80 80 0 0 0
Notes: 1. Columns (1) and (2) - data obtained from field measurements.
- Col. (3) – Baseflow: assumed to be a straight line from 122 at 3 hrs. to 90 at 12 hrs.
- Col. (4) = Col. (2) - Col. (3)
- Col. (5) = Area under the direct streamflow curve, approximated using area of a trapezoid. Sample calculation for line 4: (^1 2) ( ) ( 1 ) ( 3600 ) 1026000.^3 2
110 460 2
xbase ft./sec.x hourx sec./hr. ft
h h Area 3 =
= ^ +
=^ +
- Total runoff determined by dividing total direct streamflow (sum of values in Col. 5) by area of drainage basin (4.5 sq. miles) and converting to inches.
- Col. (6) = Col. (4)/(total runoff in inches).
A carefully designed and well-formatted figure can add tremendously to a document’s message. The figure should emphasize the topic and minimize incidental aspects, such as arrows, grid lines, etc. For graphs, charts and the like, it is important to select the
School of Engineering Writing for Engineers
most appropriate depiction (line graph, bar chart, pie chart, etc.). Other important aspects include the following:
Clearly label the axes of graphs and give the units within the axis labels. When appropriate, clearly show data points; do not just show the smoothed trend of the data. If a line is drawn through the data points, use a straight edge or smooth curve. Do not force the line through each data point but instead present the average trend of the data (as with “spline” curve-fitting options). Provide a legend if more than one data set is plotted on the same graph.
An example of a well-presented figure can be found in Figure 1.
When used effectively, figures and tables are an aid, but not a substitute, for written text. As such, figures and tables should be cited in the text of a report, and their most important aspects should be discussed in writing. It is not sufficient to merely cite a figure without describing its salient aspects.
Appendix B shows several types of graphs that can be easily created using Microsoft Excel. Different types of graphs are appropriate for emphasizing different points. The appendix shows example graphs along with their appropriate uses.
Figure 1. Compaction Test Results for Soils A and B
Water Content, percent
Dry Unit Weight, kN/cu.m
Soil A
Soil B
School of Engineering Writing for Engineers
II.E. Appendices and Attachments
Appendices (sometimes called attachments) are located at the end of a document and contain information that is relevant to the content of the report, but would be too cumbersome to include in the main section. Generally, appendices are at the end of reports, etc., while attachments accompany letters and memos. Material in the main part of the report should include information that is directly pertinent to the topic at hand. If material is so cumbersome as to disrupt the flow of the text, it might best be included as an appendix. Appendices are usually grouped by topic and labeled with letters (A, B, C,…) or capital Roman numbers (I, II, III,…). Appendices should be cited in the text matching the order that they appear at the end of the report.
All Calvin and Hobbs material printed with permission of Andrews and McMeel, a Universal Press Syndicate Co., Kansas City.
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
SECTION III - LABORATORY REPORTS
III.A. Purpose
This report format emphasizes laboratory methodology and the computation, presentation, and discussion of laboratory results. In some cases, the laboratory results may be used for solving a specific engineering problem posed by the instructor.
III.B. Format
Typically, formal laboratory reports include all of the following elements. Short or informal laboratory reports omit the letter of transmittal, the table of contents, the executive summary, and the list of figures and tables. Individual instructors may have special guidelines for particular reports.
III.B.1. Letter of Transmittal—In standard business practice, a letter of transmittal will usually accompany engineering reports, documents, and drawings. The sender and - receiver of the report will usually keep copies of the transmittal letter in their files as a “receipt” or record that the report was actually sent and received.
As a minimum, the letter will give the title of the report and the number of copies that are being sent. In addition, a transmittal letter should include a brief description of the project scope, a description of your association with the project, and a concise summary of the results and conclusions or recommendations. It should also include a gracious offer to assist in interpreting the materials or in carrying out further projects. A letter of transmittal can generally be limited to one page. Although in business practice it is usually separate from the report (a “cover letter”), it is often placed inside your report behind the report’s cover. This placement will aid in gathering, grading, and distributing the reports.
III.B.2. Title Page — The title page includes the title of the experiment, test, or project; the course number, section, and name; the school and location; the name of your laboratory and instructor (Submitted to:); your name (Submitted by:); and the names of your laboratory partners (Laboratory work performed by:); the date(s) of the laboratory experiment, and the date the report will be submitted.
III.B.3. Table of Contents — For reports longer than 20 total pages, the table of contents lists the various sections and appendices with their page numbers.
III.B.4. List of Figures and Table — For reports with numerous tables and/or figures, a list for tables and a list for figures should be included that gives the label, title, and page number of each figure and table.
III.B.5. Body of the Report — A heading should precede each section of a report. Headings and sub-headings should have a consistent style throughout your report. The text of your report should include the following sections:
Writing for Engineers School of Engineering
Compare theoretical and experimental results. Clearly explain the assumptions behind the theoretical or accepted values. State any ways that your experimental setup may not have met these assumptions or is otherwise deficient. Explain possible deficiencies in the theory. Discuss the use of your results in possible engineering situations. Discuss whether the observed behavior or failure of the material, model, or device was to be expected on theoretical grounds. Discuss the suitability of the material, equipment, or device that you tested for use in engineering situations. Discuss possible sources of error in your procedure and estimate their effect on the results. Give recommendations for improving the laboratory procedures or equipment.
III.B.5.f. Conclusions and Recommendations — This section directly answers the stated objectives of the laboratory work. Although the instructor will often provide specific items for discussion, the following ideas may be useful in writing your report. However, these ideas may not apply to all reports:
Start or conclude the section with a clear statement of whether the objective was accomplished. Briefly, explain results that “don’t look very good.”
Because they are so closely linked to the above analysis, many of your detailed conclusions and recommendations will be embedded in this section and need only be summarized in your final conclusions.
III.B.6. Figures and Tables — There are two recognized methods for presenting figures and tables. They can either be placed together at the end of the body of the report, or each figure and table can be placed separately immediately after it is first cited in the text. (Please refer to Figures and Tables Section II.C.)
III.B.7. References — See References (Section II.D.)
III.B.8. Appendices — Each appendix should be clearly labeled and must be cited in the body of the report. The appendices include the following:
Original data sheets. Your raw laboratory notes and any lecture or handout notes, which should be dated and signed. Sample calculations. Include sample calculation for the results given in your report. You should clearly state your assumptions and explain each step taken in your calculations. Cite all equations, material properties, etc., properly.
School of Engineering Writing for Engineers
