Technical Report - English 1023 (Advanced Technical Communication) PDF

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This document provides an overview of technical reports, their structure, and the importance of writing them. It covers the definition, different types, and examples of technical reports. It also outlines the steps involved in writing a technical report, and the different approaches to tackle the task.

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CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE English 1023 (Advanced Technical Communication) AY 2021-2022 Lesson 17-18: Technical Report Topic: Technical Report Learning Outco...

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE English 1023 (Advanced Technical Communication) AY 2021-2022 Lesson 17-18: Technical Report Topic: Technical Report Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to: 1. Define technical report. 2. Identify the different types of Technical Report. 3. Practice writing parts of different technical reports. 4. Write technical reports correctly applying the guidelines and principles. LEARNING CONTENT Introduction: A technical report example is an instant document may contain scientific research or technical details outcomes with can be outlines the description of process and progress status, including conclusive results. The technical writing report usually provides technical information about a particular item to assist a person for better understanding. The technical reports are essential document that used in businesses, organizations, research and developments to evaluate and assess the performance and feasibility. Actually, it makes easier to retrieve the information related to technical as well scientific information. This written document contains all the findings, and the results of the specific research as well technical information. Usually, the sponsors are referring to review the document where all the technical and research’s results can be incorporated. The technical reports are major source of the information of results of the technical and research. Moreover, Technical writing involves communicating complex information to a specific audience who will use it to accomplish some goal or task in a manner that is accurate, useful, and clear. Whether you write an email to your professor or supervisor, develop a presentation or report, design a sales flyer, or create a webpage, you are a technical communicator. Lesson Proper: Technical Report is a common document describing the process and results of technical or scientific research. It may include in-depth experimental details, data, and further research recommendations. Whether it is professors, industry professionals, or even customers looking to buy your project – studying the target audience enables you to start structuring your report. It gives you an idea of the existing knowledge level of the reader and how much information you need to put in the report. In general, technical report writing is a means of allocating and summarizing knowledge that is gained through the observation of a certain process, experiment, or phenomena. To write a technical report, the writer has to bear a clear and objectified understanding of the subject matter. It is important to be meticulous and record as many details as possible when studying the problem. Importance of Writing a Technical Report 1. Efficient communication Technical reports are used by industries to convey pertinent information to upper management. This information is then used to make crucial decisions that would impact the company in the future. Examples of such technical reports include proposals, regulations, manuals, procedures, requests, progress reports, emails, and memos. 2. Evidence for your work Most of the technical work is backed by software. However, graduation projects are not. So, if you’re a student, your technical report acts as the sole evidence of your work. It shows the steps you took for the research and glorifies your efforts for a better evaluation. 3. Organizes the data A technical report is a concise, factual piece of information that is aligned and designed in a standard manner. It is the one place where all the data of a project is written in a compact manner that is easily understandable by a reader. 4. Tool for evaluation of your work Professors and supervisors mainly evaluate your research project based on the technical write-up for it. If your report is accurate, clear, and comprehensible, you will surely bag a good grade. A technical report to research is like Robin to Batman. Best results occur when both of them work together. How to Write a Technical Report? Approach When writing a technical report, there are two approaches you can follow, depending on what suits you the best. Top-down approach- In this, you structure the entire report from title to sub-sections and conclusion and then start putting in the matter in the respective chapters. This allows your thought process to have a defined flow and thus helps in time management as well. Evolutionary delivery- This approach is suitable if you’re someone who believes in ‘go with the flow’. Here the author writes and decides as and when the work progresses. This gives you a broad thinking horizon. You can even add and edit certain parts when some new idea or inspiration strikes. Structure A technical report must have a defined structure that is easy to navigate and clearly portrays the objective of the report. Here is a list of pages, set in the order that you should include in your technical report. Cover page- It is the face of your project. So, it must contain details like title, name of the author, name of the institution with its logo. It should be a simple yet eye-catching page. Title page- In addition to all the information on the cover page, the title page also informs the reader about the status of the project. For instance, technical report part 1, final report, etc. The name of the mentor or supervisor is also mentioned on this page. Abstract- Also referred to as the executive summary, this page gives a concise and clear overview of the project. It is written in such a manner that a person only reading the abstract can gain complete information on the project. Preface– It is an announcement page wherein you specify that you have given due credits to all the sources and that no part of your research is plagiarized. The findings are of your own experimentation and research. Dedication- This is an optional page when an author wants to dedicate their study to a loved one. It is a small sentence in the middle of a new page. It is mostly used in theses. Acknowledgment- Here, you acknowledge the people parties, and institutions that helped you in the process or inspired you for the idea of it. Table of contents– Each chapter and its subchapter is carefully divided into this section for easy navigation in the project. If you have included symbols, then a similar nomenclature page is also made. Similarly, if you’ve used a lot of graphs and tables, you need to create a separate content page for that. Each of these lists begins on a new page. Introduction- Finally comes the introduction, marking the beginning of your project. On this page, you must clearly specify the context of the report. It includes specifying the purpose, objectives of the project, the questions you have answered in your report, and sometimes an overview of the report is also provided. Note that your conclusion should answer the objective questions. Central Chapter(s)- Each chapter should be clearly defined with sub and sub-sub sections if needed. Every section should serve a purpose. While writing the central chapter, keep in mind the following factors: Clearly define the purpose of each chapter in its introduction. Any assumptions you are taking for this study should be mentioned. For instance, if your report is targeting globally or a specific country. There can be many assumptions in a report. Your work can be disregarded if it is not mentioned every time you talk about the topic. Results you portray must be verifiable and not based upon your opinion. (Big no to opinions!) Each conclusion drawn must be connected to some central chapter. Conclusion- The purpose of the conclusion is to basically conclude any and everything that you talked about in your project. Mention the findings of each chapter, objectives reached, and the extent to which the given objectives were reached. Discuss the implications of the findings and the significant contribution your research made. Appendices- They are used for complete sets of data, long mathematical formulas, tables, and figures. Items in the appendices should be mentioned in the order they were used in the project. References- This is a very crucial part of your report. It cites the sources from which the information has been taken from. This may be figures, statistics, graphs, or word-to-word sentences. The absence of this section can pose a legal threat for you. While writing references, give due credit to the sources and show your support to other people who have studied the same genres. Bibliography- Many people tend to get confused between references and bibliography. Let us clear it out for you. References are the actual material you take into your research, previously published by someone else. Whereas a bibliography is an account of all the data you read, got inspired from, or gained knowledge from, which is not necessarily a direct part of your research. The standard presentation guidelines: Script – the report should be printed on an A4 paper on one side. You should note that the hand-written report is not accepted when it comes to the technical report. Page numbers – while numbering your pages the title page and the summary is an exception. You should number the pages that contain the content. Margins – you should use a margin of at least 2.54cm all round. Binding – when joining your report, you can staple it at the top left if it does not comprise of many pages. If the report is too long, then it is good to bind it so that all the pages may be joined well. For a standard report, you should use font size 12 and style Times New Roman because it is legible and clear. You should also use a spacing of 1.5 or 2 depending on the instructions given by your supervisor but make 1.5 your default value. Tips on writing a good technical report 1. For you to have a good technical report, you should avoid overusing different fonts in your work because it makes it fussy. You should use different fonts to pinpoint an idea that you want the reader not to miss on it. You can also use underlining and bolding to serve the same purpose. 2. Use of headings and subheadings is also important because it plans your points. The reader is able to understand different points when you categorize them into small headings and sub-headings. The reader may happen to have so little time with your report, and this will make them want to scheme through the major points, so when you have these headings, you make their work easier. 3. You may use content that does not belong to you while writing your technical report; this will entail proper in-text citation to avoid unoriginality in your work. It is good to know how to cite just as I have mentioned. After citing the sources in your content proceed and list the source in your reference list. To avoid plagiarism, you should also try to use your own words while explaining points do not copy everything word by word because it may turn out to be plagiarized and you will be penalized. If you fail to cite your content, it is assumed to be your content t, failure to which it is said to be plagiarized and this is a big offence which is punishable. 4. You should also be cautious about the information that you obtain from the internet, ensure the sources of information for your report is credible. Sources such as Wikipedia are not reliable and therefore should not be used as your reference. Some of the reference materials that are credible include approved books, articles and journals. You can determine whether a source is credible by looking at the author and their work, a good author will always have positive reviews for all their writings. 5. The final step in your report writing is proofreading your work to ensure everything reads well. Proofreading also helps to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which are common mistakes that are unavoidable. When you proofread your work, you will also discover points that are missing in your report which are essential in that topic and you can make necessary adjustments. 6. While writing your summary, you should be keen on the length so that it does not go beyond 300 words. A summary should not be too long because it will make the reader tired while reading it; it should be short and to the point. The purpose of the summary is usually to give the reader a brief overview of what you are going to cover in the technical report. The reader should have that rough idea in mind of what to expect so that when they go through it, it becomes easier to understand the points. Types of Technical Report A. Progress Report You write a progress report to inform a supervisor, associate, or customer about progress you've made on a project over a certain period of time. The project can be the design, construction, or repair of something, the study or research of a problem or question, or the gathering of information on a technical subject. You write progress reports when it takes well over three or four months to complete a project. A progress report provides information to decision-makers about the status of a project—whether it is on schedule and within budget They are used mainly for projects that involve many steps over a period of time and are issued at regular intervals to describe what has been done and what remains to be done. In a progress report, you explain any or all of the following: The amount of work complete? What part of the work is currently in progress? The problems or unexpected things that have occurred? What work is pending? How the project is going in general? Why is a progress report important for business? Whether you're a manager looking for ways to get a better overview of your team, or you're a team player looking to increase business efficiency— the below is why progress reporting is so essential for any business. 1. Align your team It can be so hard for a team to stay in sync. Especially with a distributed workforce, important information gets lost in a mass of slack messages, email chains, and 1-1 catch-ups. It can seem overwhelming when juggling holidays, sick leave, and meetings with external stakeholders. A progress report summarizes the project or projects your team is working on in one place. Use a progress report as a one-stop-shop for any team member that needs an update on a particular project or initiative. It eliminates managers and team members having to repeat themselves and allows everyone to catch up with progress on their schedule. 2. Showcase wins Progress reports are a fantastic tool for managers and leadership to credit and acknowledge an individual's efforts and progress towards company goals. When annual or bi-annual reviews come around, these progress reports can serve as the backbone for someone's performance record and enable a fair assessment of work ethic based on factual progress rather than feelings, bias, or solely major projects. At the same time, they're an excellent tool for any employee to celebrate their wins and use as an example for when they're going for that internal promotion. 3. Give stakeholders updates on projects An easy win and an obvious point but certainly not to be overlooked. Progress reports give stakeholders the updates they need. The stakeholders can be anyone in the business or externally. They just need to be known by the reporter when writing the report, so the reporter can include the necessary information they know a particular person will require. 4. Document work for future reference If a business is ever looking to repeat a project or strategy, your progress reports are essential for learning and improving processes. These reports allow a company to optimize a strategy or process based on learnings. It's like you're building a research library that will continue to educate your future workforce. 5. Identify common roadblocks For all of the good aspects that a progress report highlights, it's also important to highlight the bad. These can come in many forms; maybe it's technology, maybe it's a vendor, maybe it's team capabilities or a particular team Steps in Writing a Progress Report Writing a progress report might not come easy to most people, especially for beginners. Still, a progress report is an important document which gives the writer a chance to communicate with the recipients. Figure out the purpose of your progress report: This will be your guide on how to write your report. Begin by writing the header: This typically includes the project report name (or report subject), writer’s name and position, date of submission, name, and position of the recipient, etc. Compose the introduction: Provide an overview of your report to your readers. Write the body of the report: Provide information on the tasks that have been completed, the problems you have encountered so far and the action plans you have done to solve them Add a few details on your future plans for your project: Discuss the tasks you plan on doing in the future, and the specific time needed to accomplish such tasks. You may also include a forecast of the possible problems you might encounter. Create a summary of your report: Only provide the key points you have discussed in your progress report. Review and revise your report: You can create a checklist in excel to guide you in revising and polishing your report. If executed well, progress reports provide a quick overview of how things are humming along, offering valuable insights to increase productivity, provide the necessary guidance, and quickly solve emerging difficulties. B. Annual Report An annual report is a document that contains comprehensive financial information about public companies, small and large corporations, non-profit organizations, partnerships, and other businesses. It includes their financial performance and activities over the prior fiscal year. What Is the Purpose of an Annual Report? In general, most states require corporations and other businesses with shareholders to file annual reports. If they fail to do so, they may lose their corporate designation and the tax advantages that go with that designation. Annual reports can also be known as "business annual reports," "statements of information," or "yearly statements." Beyond the legal requirements, they also: Help to attract new investors Retain the confidence of current stakeholders Provide business analysts and creditors with insight into the company's financial status The annual report forms generally require the following information to be included: Information regarding the name of the company, business type, and registered agent Information concerning corporate officers and directors and the corporation's physical location A report from the CEO to update current and potential investors on the company's economic status, key events, activities and achievements, yearly highlights, details regarding new products or services, and future needs, wants, and goals, as well as the desired direction of the company The company's financial breakdown (including balance sheet summaries, a cash flow statement, capital investment data, an auditor's report, anticipated revenues and expenses, changes in equity report, income statement, and other profit and loss details) A restatement of the company's core values, mission statement, and future objectives C. Letter Report A letter report, also known as a preliminary title report, is an essential protection in a real estate deal. Title companies routinely prepare one after receiving an application for title insurance but prior to writing a title insurance policy. The intent is to describe findings uncovered during a title search that a resulting title insurance policy will exclude. A letter report format, which generally presents information in a single page, supplies only what the buyer needs to know to decide whether to proceed or ask the seller to address the exceptions before closing the sale. By itself, a letter report is simply a communication designed to inform the customer. The “meat” of the report is in the accompanying attachments and schedules that include a legal description of the property, as well as identify and provide details for what the policy will exclude D. Laboratory Report A laboratory report provides a formal record of an experiment. The discussion of objectives, procedures, and results should be specific enough that interested readers could replicate the experiment. Format of a Laboratory Report Abstract: a brief informational synopsis of your experiment, typically under 200 words. Strive to use informational or declarative rather than descriptive prose. Introduction: identifies the experiment to be undertaken. Explains its objectives and significance, and provides the background necessary to understand it. When appropriate, the background should indicate theoretical predictions. Procedures (or Methods): the procedures section should provide readers with enough information that they could replicate your experiment if they so desired. Select the level of detail appropriately. Results and Discussion (sometimes presented as separate sections): conveys results relevant to the goals of the experiment. Analyzes the results and discuss their implications. Acknowledges possible sources of error. Considers presenting information visually with graphs and tables; provide figure captions. Conclusions: this section places specific results into the context of the experiment as a whole. (If your laboratory report is short, the Discussion section may serve as a sufficient conclusion.) Evaluates the results in light of the objectives stated in the introduction. Appendices: this is the place to include data too extensive or tangential to warrant inclusion in the main body of the report, but necessary as procedural or analytical evidence. E. Position Paper An author who writes a position paper is making an argument which has to be built upon evidence. The structure used to do this is very similar to that used when writing a critical essay. Purpose The purpose of a position paper is to generate support on an issue. It describes the author’s position on an issue and the rational for that position and, in the same way that a research paper incorporates supportive evidence, is based on facts that provide a solid foundation for the author’s argument. It is a critical examination of a position using facts and inductive reasoning, which addresses both strengths and weaknesses of the author’s opinion. Elements of the Position Paper The classic position paper contains three main elements: An Introduction, which identifies the issue that will be discussed and states the author’s position on that issue. The Body of the paper, which contains the central argument and can be further broken up into three unique sections: Background information Evidence supporting the author’s position A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses and refutes arguments that contradict the author’s position A conclusion, restating the key points and, where applicable, suggesting resolutions to the issue. F. Recommendation Report A recommendation report is written to propose or recommend the options available to solve a problem or fill a need. The goal of the report is to compare options, recommend one option, and support that recommendation. While cost is always a consideration, there are other considerations as well. The audience for a report is usually predetermined and specific with one or more groups examining various sections of the report. Report writers must provide enough information so that the audience members can confidently follow the recommendations as informed members of the team. *** END of LESSON*** REFERENCES https://blog.domypapers.com/technical-report-writing-examples/ https://www.examples.com/business/write-a-progress-report.html https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/what-is-an-annual-report http://www.sussex.ac.uk/ei/internal/forstudents/engineeringdesign/studyguides/techreportwriting https://slite.com/learn/progress-report-guide https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/lab-report-1.original.pdf https://bowiestate.libguides.com/c.php?g=442189&p=3014828 https://walton.uark.edu/business-communication-lab/Resources/downloads/business- forms/Recommendation_Report.pdf https://blog.bit.ai/technical-report/ https://www.aresearchguide.com/writing-a-technical-report.html Evaluation 1. On this page of a report, you must clearly specify the context of the report. It includes specifying the purpose, objectives of the project, the questions you have answered in your report, and sometimes an overview of the report is also provided. Note that your conclusion should answer the objective questions. A. Summary B. Introduction C. Contents D. Conclusion 2. In the structure of a technical report this part is an announcement page wherein you specify that you have given due credits to all the sources and the findings are of your own experimentation and research. A. Preface B. Abstract C. Appendices D. Recommendations 3. Which of the following statement does not define a Progress Report? A. It is written to inform a supervisor, associate, or customer about a project t over a certain period of time. B. The project can be the design, construction, or repair of something, the study or research of a problem or question, or the gathering of information on a technical subject. C. It takes well over three or four months to complete a project. D. It is written to propose or recommend the options available to solve a problem or fill a need 4. Which of the following statements specifically emphasizes on the main characteristics of technical reports? A. All the technical information must be presented in a clear and easily accessible format. It must be divided into sections which allow readers to access different types of information. B. Technical reports are written for Physical sciences, engineering, agriculture, medical and health sciences, education. C. It is a common academic task set to test the student’s ability to do independent research and analysis and present it in a clear way. D. It is usually, technical reports aren’t peer-reviewed but evaluated mostly on how the problem, research methods, and results are described in a paper. 5. It is technical report that contains comprehensive financial information about public companies, small and large corporations, non-profit organizations, partnerships, and other businesses. It includes their financial performance. A. Progress report B. Annual report C. Recommendation report D. Letter report 6. It is a Position paper which discusses both sides of the issue, addresses and refutes arguments that contradict the author’s position? A. Introduction B. Background Information C. Body of the paper D. Conclusion 7. Technical reports are used by industries to convey pertinent information to upper management. This information is then used to make crucial decisions that would impact the company in the future. Which of the following importance of writing a technical report is described from the statement? A. efficient communication B. Organizes the data C. tool for evaluation of your work D. evidence of your work 8. The discussion of objectives, procedures, and results should be specific enough that interested readers could replicate the experiment. Which type of technical report is referred to? A. Annual Report B. Progress Report C. Laboratory Report D. Recommendation Report 9. This is the step that has to be done to ensure everything reads well as it helps to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which are common mistakes that are unavoidable. You will also discover points that are missing in your report which are essential in that topic and you can make necessary adjustments. A. Proofreading B. Typing C. Summarizing D. Copying 10. While writing your summary, remember that the reader should have that rough idea in mind of what to expect so that when they go through it, it becomes easier to understand the points. You should be keen on the length so that it does not go beyond _____ words. A. 200 words B. 250 words C. 300 words D. 350 words

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