Technical Report Writing
Technical Report Writing
Technical Report Writing
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 readers to access different levels of information.
This guide explains the commonly accepted format for a technical report; explains the purposes
of the individual sections; and gives hints on how to go about drafting and refining a report in
order to produce an accurate, professional document.
Structure
A technical report should contain the following sections;
1. Title Page
2. Abstract /Executive Summary
3. Table of contents
4. List of figures, list of tables
5. Introduction
6. The sections which make up the body of the report
a. Methods, Assumptions, Procedures (or Experimental Details)
b. Results and Discussions
7. Conclusion
8. Recommendations
9. References
10. Bibliography
11. Acknowledgements
12. Appendices
Title Page:
Abstract
An abstract of a technical report briefly summarizes the report.
It should describe
Purpose,
Scope,
Methods,
Major results, and
Conclusions and sometimes recommendations
Be concise in the abstract. Think of an abstract as a one-paragraph summary of the report.
Ideally, an abstract is one paragraph long. It’s like a brief technical summary, usually not more
than 200 words of the report.
Table of contents
As the name implies, Table of Contents is the list of what is in the report. Major sections of the
report must be listed with page numbers. Second and third level headings may also be listed as
appropriated. Think of revising the structure of the report if fourth level heading is important
enough to be listed in the Table of Contents
List of Symbols
This list is optional. It can be used if the report contains a lot of formulae and symbols. The
readers often appreciate a list explaining the symbols used in the report.
Introduction
States the objective of the report
Defines the topic and associated terminology: may include the
o theory,
o historical background of the of the problem/topic
o background of the organization
The current situation about the work on the project/problem
The scope and significance of the report/study
Definition of special terms and symbols
Organization of the report
Main Section
a) Methods, Assumptions, Procedures (or Experimental Details)
The methods, assumptions, and procedures used in the investigation are described so the reader
could duplicate the procedures of the investigation. Information in this section includes:
System of measurement
Types of equipment used and accuracy
Test methods used
Methods
How did you discover the problem? What measuring tools were used? What measurement
system was used?
Assumptions
What do you think, but cannot substantiate as fact?
Procedures
How did you gain a better understanding of the problem?
This is the section where details of the experiments or research conducted are discussed. The
descriptions maybe in paragraph form, list form, or a combination of both. Think of experimental
details section as a recipe in a cookbook. The description must contain enough details to enable
someone else to duplicate the experiment. Engineering and scientific experiment must be
repeatable and verifyable
Had this been an actual report, the results should be reported in table or graph format. Report
only the final results. Raw data and intermediate results that are not central to the topic of the
report can be placed in the Appendix if needed. The Results and Discussion section should be the
most substantial part of the report. This is where the results of the experiment are reported and
discussed. Consider this section to be the “meat” of the report while other sections constitute the
rest of the “ingredients”.
References
List of materials that you directly used in your report such as algorithms, experimental results,
figures, and/or tables that are not originally yours
Books
Papers
Websites (use URL address for websites)
So, in the list of references, the report writer gives credit to the works referred to or quoted. This
is done by citing such works in the text and listing them in alphabetical order at the end. If their
number is small, they can be mentioned in the form of footnotes at the bottom of the page on
which they are cited. The foot note is numbered sequentially by superscript font or by simply
superscribing an asterisk or star mark [ 1 *]. It gives in detail the author’s name and title in full,
and the details about publication (the place, the name and the year), and the page numbers.
For example:
1 Alan Warner, A Short Guide to English Style, Oxford University Press, London, ELBS Edition,
1964, pp. 40-42.
This is a typical example of a reference where commas are used to separate items and the author
name is arranged with the first name followed by the surname. However, in a bibliography, the
items will not be separated by commas but by full stops.
SUPPLEMENTARY PARTS
The supplementary parts contain the following five components: appendixes, references,
bibliography, glossary, and index. Although they are the back matter of the report, they are
equally important because they give the scientific evidence of the fact that you really conducted
an objective report.
APPENDIXES
An appendix contains materials related to the report; but they are too detailed or lengthy to be
included in the main text. The reader can safely omit reading it without any loss of understanding
of the contents or feel disconnected from the main thought flow. Whether to give certain material
in an appendix or not is decided on two factors. One: whether it sustains the theme and forms an
essential and integral part of the report. Two: whether it would interrupt the train of the reader’s
thought if included in the main body. All appendixes should be referred to in the text; whether
they are questionnaires or statistical data. They must also be labeled as for example:
Appendix A: Questionnaire
Appendix B: Statistical Data
Bibliography
Other published sources of material, including websites, not referred to in the text but useful for
background or further reading.
You need to keep the following in mind; one, the order of writing the names and surnames of
authors; two: the sequences of details; three: the punctuation marks, and four: the layout. In
bibliography, the second name or surname is placed first. All the items are separated by full
stops. The edition comes before the place of publication. Similarly, the place of publication
comes before the name of the publisher and the ear of publication. The second line and the
subsequent ones are intended.
For example:
Warner, Alan. A Short Guide to English Style. ELBS Edition. London: Oxford University Press,
1964.
GLOSSARY
Glossary is a list of technical words used in the report and their explanations. It briefly explains
jargons and unfamiliar terms in the form of a small dictionary format. If the number of entries is
small, it can be explained in footnotes. The inclusion of it depends on the level of understanding
and background of the readers.
INDEX
Index is intended to serve as a quick guide to the material of the report. It enables the reader to
locate easily any topic, sub-topic or important aspect of the contents. Key words are entered and
arranged in alphabetical order, and then, cross referenced. All page numbers on which
information about an entry is available are mentioned against it.
For example:
Reports audience for, 121, 156-157
characteristics of, 131-132, 148
Acknowledgements
List of people who helped you research or prepare the report, including your proofreaders.
Presentation of report
For technical reports required as part of an assessment, the following presentation guidelines are
recommended;
Script: The report must be printed single sided on white A4 paper. Hand written or dot-matrix
printed reports are not acceptable.
N.B. the listing of recommended textbooks in section 16 contains all this information in the
correct format.
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.
Structuring the report. Using your logical sequence of grouped ideas, write out a rough
outline of the report with headings and subheadings.
Begin writing with the main text, not the introduction. Follow your outline in terms of headings
and subheadings. Let the ideas flow; do not worry at this stage about style, spelling or word
processing. If you get stuck, go back to your outline plan and make more detailed preparatory
notes to get the writing flowing again.
Make rough sketches of diagrams or graphs. Keep a numbered list of references as they are
included in your writing and put any quoted material inside quotation marks (see section 11).
Write the Conclusion next, followed by the Introduction. Do not write the Summary at this stage.
Headings
Use heading and sub-headings to break up the text and to guide the reader. They should be based
on the logical sequence which you identified at the planning stage but with enough sub-headings
to break up the material into manageable chunks. The use of numbering and type size and style
can clarify the structure as follows;
3. METHODS OF HARNESSING WAVE ENERGY
3.1 Shore-Based Systems
3.2 Deep-Water Systems
3.2.1 ‘Duck’ Devices
3.2.2 Rafts
The Summary
The summary, with the title, should indicate the scope of the report and give the main results and
conclusions. It must be intelligible without the rest of the report. Many people may read, and
refer to, a report summary but only a few may read the full report, as often happens in a
professional organisation.
Purpose - a short version of the report and a guide to the report.
Length – short, typically not more than 100 - 300 words
Content - provide information, not just a description of the report.
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. You should acquire the habit of
never sending or submitting any piece of written work, from email to course work, without at
least one and preferably several processes of proofreading.
In addition, it is not possible for you, as the author of a long piece of writing, to proofread
accurately yourself; you are too familiar with what you have written and will not spot all the
mistakes.
When you have finished your report, and before you staple it, you must check it very carefully
yourself. You should then give it to someone else, e.g. one of your fellow students, to read
carefully and check for any errors in content, style, structure and layout. You should record the
name of this person in your acknowledgements.