Guidelines for Technical Report Writing

GUIDELINES FOR TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

GENERAL GUIDELINES

·  Reports should be typed double-spaced.

·  Each new section (The Need, Requirements & Constraints, etc.) should start on a new page.

·  General impression is extremely important (neatness, spelling, grammar, special effects or lack of, all contribute positively or negatively).

·  Each team member must fill out a peer evaluation (see instructions below) and seal it in an envelope. Peer evaluations from all team members must be included with your report, otherwise no one will receive credit.

TITLE PAGE

Include the following information:

·  Course number and name.

·  Your professor's name.

·  Your team's name.

·  The individual team member names.

·  Place where the project was done.

·  Date of completion.

ABSTRACT

Include the following information:

·  The purpose of the project.

·  Process used – Engineering Design Process

·  Problem Statement as defined by the group

·  Summary of the results.

·  Important conclusions.

·  Implications (what do the results mean in practice?).

The following sections correspond to the steps of the design process.

1. THE NEED

·  What is the problem / issue addressed in this project?

·  Why is this problem important?

·  Who else has studied this problem before you? Include references.

2. REQUIREMENTS & CONSTRAINTS

Specify the requirements that the device you will design must meet. Also discuss any constraints you may have (financial, material, time, etc.). Include a Timeline and or Gantt Chart used for project.

3. RESEARCH

Present the results from your research on what others have done about this problem. Describe the current solutions that are used to address the need described in section 1. Include photos, sketches, diagrams as appropriate.

4. BRAINSTORMING

Present a list of all the solutions your team came up with. Include sketches and short description for each.

5. DESIGN CRITERIA

These are also called MOM (Measures of Merritt) or FOM (Figures of Merritt). They are parameters that can be used to evaluate various designs, all of which satisfy all the requirements and constraints listed in section 2. Design criteria could be (but are not limited to) things such as

·  How much does it cost to purchase?

·  How much does it cost to operate?

·  How noisy is it?

·  How easy is it to operate?

·  How long will it last?

·  Is it environmentally friendly?

·  Does it look cool?

·  Does it fit where it should?

·  How reliable is it?

6. ANALYSIS

Choose the best 2 or 3 potential designs and analyze their performance using your knowledge of mathematics and science. Your analysis should include any assumptions you make to simplify things and free-body diagrams when appropriate.

7. TESTING

Include the following information:

·  Show sketches or photos of your test models.

·  List all the equipment and materials you used.

·  Describe the tests you performed. Describe each step so that others can follow them and replicate your work.

·  Show the results of your tests in visual format (tables, graphs, etc.).

8. FINAL DESIGN

Describe any iterations you performed in your effort to meet all the requirements and constraints. Finalize your design based on your test results and the design criteria you defined in section 5. Include detailed drawings and photos of your product. This section of your report, more than any other, should sell your design to potential customers!

REFERENCES

Book Example:

Martin, Fred G., Robotic Explorations: A Hands-On Introduction to Engineering, Prentice Hall, 2001, pp. 83-85.

URL example: www.engr.sjsu.edu/nikos/courses/engr10/

APPENDICES

Some examples of appendix titles are:

·  Sample calculations

·  Flow charts / computer programs

·  Original, hand-written data sheets or engineering notebook

·  Articles relevant to your project

A separate appendix with its own title is required for each and every topic you need to have an appendix.

Peer Evaluation

Each team member will be evaluated and given a percentage by his/her teammates (for example 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%) based on his participation and performance in the team. These percentages will be averaged for each member (in the example given the average would be 87.5%). Individual scores will be the average percentage multiplied by the total number of points for the team (If the team score for this project is, say, 85 points, this individual will receive a score of .875 x 85 = 74 points). Team reports must include a report card filled out by each member. Each peer evaluation must be sealed in a separate envelope and turned in with your design report.