Report Writing & Communication Skills PDF - Ain Shams University Fall 2024

Ain Shams University ICHEP - Fall 2024 Faculty of Engineering Report Writing & Communication Skills Prepared by ASUx41 (ByLaw 2023) Dr. M ElBanna  Ain Shams University ICHEP - Fall 2024...

Ain Shams University ICHEP - Fall 2024 Faculty of Engineering Report Writing & Communication Skills Prepared by ASUx41 (ByLaw 2023) Dr. M ElBanna  Ain Shams University ICHEP - Fall 2024 Faculty of Engineering Lecture 2 (Chapter 6) "Writing An Engineering Report " Presented by Dr. M ElBanna mm.elbanna @eng.asu.edu.eg  Writing an Engineering Report In this lecture, we discuss guidelines for writing the standard components of an eng. report: 1. Transmittal letter 2. Covers and labels 3. Title page 4. Page Numbering 5. Executive summary 6. Table of contents ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 3  Writing an Engineering Report 7. List of Figures and Tables 8. Introduction 9. Body of the report 10. Conclusions 11. References 12. Appendixes ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 4  1. Letter of Transmittal The transmittal letter is a cover letter. It is either attached to the outside of the report or bound within the report. It is from the report writer to the recipient. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 5  1. Letter of Transmittal The contents and the organization of the transmittal letter are as follows: 1. Paragraph 1. State the name of the report in italics. Mention the report assigned date and the reasons for the report. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 6  1. Letter of Transmittal 2. Paragraph 2 Focus on the purpose of the report and briefly describe the report contents. 3. Paragraph 3 Acknowledge any funding or help by other people, and mention any limitations or omissions in the report. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 7  1. Letter of Transmittal 4. Last Paragraph Express hope that the reader finds the report satisfactory. Encourage the reader to get in touch with any questions, comments or concerns. Give your contact information. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 8  2. Cover & Label Covers Use covers that allow reports to lie open by themselves. This type uses a plastic spiral for the binding and thick card-stock paper for the covers Don’t forget to add a label for the cover of your report. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 9  2. Cover & Label Labels. Print it out then photocopy it onto your report cover directly. Your label should contain the report title, your name, your organization’s name, and a date. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 10  3. Title Page It’s the first page on your report just after the front cover. Like labels, your title page should contain the report title, your name, your organization’s name and logo (if exist), and a date. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 11  3. Title Page ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 12  3. Title Page ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 13  4. Page Numbering All pages in the report, other than the covers, are numbered; although, numbers are not displayed on some pages. Don’t display numbers on the title page and page one of the introduction. Use the traditional design, where all pages are numbered in Arabic numerals, except for the pages before the introduction (first page of the report body); they are numbered in lowercase roman numerals. It is preferred to place the page number at the bottom center of the page. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 14  5. Abstract & Executive Summary Abstracts summarize the report contents A report might have one or two abstracts, in which case each abstract plays a different purpose. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 15  5. Abstract & Executive Summary Abstracts are Descriptive abstract Provides an overview of the purpose and the report contents. Executive summary Summarizes the key facts and conclusions in the report. The executive summary should not go over three pages. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 16  6. Table of Contents The Table of Contents (TOC) shows readers: 1.What topics are covered in the report. 2.How those topics are discussed (the subtopics). 3.On which page numbers those sections start. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 17  6. Table of Contents Don’t crowd the TOC. Don’t include more than three levels of headings in the TOC. Make sure the words in the TOC are the same as they are in the text. Each of the three levels of headings are aligned tog-ether. Page numbers are right-aligned with each other. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 18  6. Table of Contents First-level sections are all caps Second-level headings use initial caps on each main word. Lower-level sections use initial caps on the first word only. First-level sections have extra space above and below. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 19  7. List of Figures & Tables It helps the reader to easily find figures and tables within your report. Create separate lists of figures and tables, for long reports. For short reports, put them on the same page if they fit and combine the two lists under the heading, “List of Figures and Tables.” ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 20  8. Introduction The introduction is an essential part of any report; it prepares the reader to read the main body of the report. The introduction discusses the following: 1. Specific purpose and topic of the report. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 21  8. Introduction 2. Intended audience of the report (Knowledge or exp- erience that readers need in order to understand the report). 3. Motivation of the report. 4. Scope of the report (topics included). 5. Background(concepts, definitions, history, statistics). ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 22  8. Introduction The introduction should not be more than 2 pages for a 20 page report. The background should be 1/3 of the introduction. If the background needed is large, move it to a section of its own. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 23  9. Body of the Report The body of the report is the main text of the report, the sections between the introduction and conclusion. Make sure that the report body contains 1. Headings 2. Lists 3. Symbols, numbers, and abbreviations 4. Sources of borrowed information 5. Graphics and figures 6. Cross-references ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 24  9. Body of the Report ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 25  9. Body of the Report ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 26  10. Conclusions ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 27  10. Conclusions This is the final section in your report. It should combine any of the following functions: Conclude Draw logical conclusions from the data and the discussion previously presented within the report. Summarize Review the key points from the previous material. Summaries present nothing new. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 28  10. Conclusions Generalize Move away from the specific topic of the report to a general discussion of implications, applications and future development. The length of the conclusion section can be from a 100 word paragraph up to five or six pages. One or two pages are enough for a 10 to 20 page report. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 29  11. References Page In this section, your information sources are listed in a numerical order according to when they are first cited in the text. For more information, see Chapter 11 in text book. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 30  12. Appendixes Appendixes are those extra sections following the list of reference page. Put in the appendixes anything that might distract and interrupt the flow of the report but cannot be left out of the report altogether. ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 31  12. Appendixes Appendixes are commonly used for 1. Large tables of data 2. Big chunks of sample code 3. Fold-out maps 4. Background that is too basic or too advanced for the body of the report 5. Large illustrations that don’t fit in the body of the report ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 32  12. Appendixes ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 33  12. Appendixes ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 34  Report Grading Criteria ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 35  Transmittal Letter Grading Criteria ASUx41 @D M EL-Banna Fall 24 36 Thanks for your Attention Any Questions Dr. M ELBanna [email protected]