A Handbook of Writing For Engineers
A Handbook of Writing For Engineers
A Handbook of Writing For Engineers
Technical Reports
Third Edition
2007
Guide for Writing
Technical Reports
Third Edition
2007
© 2007 Stellenbosch University
ABSTRACT
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Dedicated to future mechanical and mechatronic engineers
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Thomas Harms, Nico Theron and Mimi Westdyk for helping to
improve the guide and Anneke Louw for the layout and formatting of the first
edition.
The third edition includes an appendix on plagiarism and the use of the alphabetic
referencing style that was contributed by the Language Centre at Stellenbosch
University.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
List of Tables .........................................................................................................vii
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................1
2. The Process for Compiling a Technical Report .............................................1
3. External Structure...........................................................................................2
3.1. Sequence of Main Sections ................................................................2
3.2. Cover Page..........................................................................................3
3.3. Title Page............................................................................................4
3.4. Abstract...............................................................................................4
3.5. Dedication...........................................................................................5
3.6. Acknowledgements ............................................................................5
3.7. Table of Contents ...............................................................................5
3.8. List of Tables and List of Figures.......................................................5
3.9. Nomenclature......................................................................................5
3.10. Introduction ........................................................................................6
3.11. Central Chapters .................................................................................7
3.12. Conclusions ........................................................................................7
3.13. Tables and Figures..............................................................................8
3.14. Appendices .........................................................................................9
3.15. References ..........................................................................................9
3.15.1. The alphabetical system...................................................10
3.15.2. The numerical system ......................................................10
3.16. Bibliography .....................................................................................10
4. Microstructure ..............................................................................................10
5. Style..............................................................................................................11
6. Layout...........................................................................................................13
6.1. Font, Page Numbering and Headings ...............................................13
6.2. Equations ..........................................................................................14
7. A Checklist ...................................................................................................15
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8. Conclusion....................................................................................................16
9. References ....................................................................................................17
Appendix A: Guidelines for the Documentation of Experiments..........................19
A.1. Principles ..........................................................................................19
A.2. Introduction or Introductory Chapters..............................................19
A.3. Experimental Setup ..........................................................................19
A.4. Experimental Procedure ...................................................................20
A.5. Measured Results..............................................................................20
A.6. Processed Results .............................................................................20
A.7. Conclusions ......................................................................................20
Appendix B: Guidelines for the Documentation of Designs .................................21
B.1. Purpose and Principles .....................................................................21
B.2. Assignment and Background............................................................21
B.3. Specification .....................................................................................21
B.4. Concept Development ......................................................................21
B.5. Analysis and/or Testing of Performance ..........................................22
B.6. Technical Definition of Product .......................................................22
Appendix C: Guidelines for the Documentation of Derivations and Calculations23
C.1. Introduction ......................................................................................23
C.2. Nomenclature....................................................................................23
C.3. Sample Calculations .........................................................................23
C.4. Paragraphing.....................................................................................23
C.5. Layout of Equations and Numerical Values.....................................24
C.6. Traceability.......................................................................................24
Appendix D: Guidelines for Thesis Proposals.......................................................25
D.1. Planning ............................................................................................25
D.2. Front Matter......................................................................................26
D.3. Introduction ......................................................................................26
D.4. Problem Statement, Objectives or Hypothesis .................................26
D.5. Motivation, Background and Literature Survey...............................27
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D.6. Research Planning ............................................................................27
D.7. Conclusion ........................................................................................28
Appendix E: Guidelines for the Use of SI Units ...................................................29
E.1. Introduction ......................................................................................29
E.2. Writing Style ....................................................................................29
E.3. Basic Units, Prefixes and Derived Units ..........................................29
E.4. Decimal Point or Comma? ...............................................................30
Appendix F: Referencing and Plagiarism..............................................................31
F.1. What is meant by referencing?.........................................................31
F.2. When should you give a reference?..................................................31
F.3. When is a reference not needed? ......................................................31
F.4. Why should you give references?.....................................................31
F.5. How do you reference?.....................................................................32
F.6. The Harvard-method of referencing .................................................32
F.7. Steps for referencing.........................................................................32
F.8. Examples of references according to the Harvard-method ..............34
F.9. What is plagiarism? ..........................................................................36
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LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1: Acceptable Page Layouts ........................................................................13
Table 2: Acceptable Letter Sizes ...........................................................................13
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1. INTRODUCTION
The majority of engineering tasks include the writing of technical reports, even if
the main objective is much more extensive. Since technical reports and papers are
used to summarise information in a way that is easily accessible, they should be as
concise, accurate and complete as possible, and be aimed at a specific group of
readers.
The immediate objective of this guide is to help students following bachelor's,
master's and doctoral programmes in engineering to approach report writing
effectively during their studies and to present the reports in a professional format.
A further objective is to prepare students for the writing of technical reports and
papers in engineering practice. The format described in this guide is the
prescribed format for student reports in the Department of Mechanical and
Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University.
In this document, the term "reports" is considered to include theses and
dissertations.
The emphasis in this guide falls on the prescribed format for a technical report,
but a few hints on paragraph structure and writing method are also given.
Although there are a number of standard formats, such as those of Beer and
McMurrey (1997), Campbell and Ballou (1994) and Blicq (1987), only one
format is described in this guide. Readers who would like to obtain more
information on the writing of technical reports are referred to the books by
Weisman (1974), Pakin (1982), Michaelson (1984), Pauley and Riordan (1985),
Rathbone (1988) and Van Emden (1989). There is an excellent book on style
written by Strunk and White (1979).
The format of this guide follows its own prescriptions as far as possible to serve
as an example.
As with any writing, one of the first questions that must be asked in the planning
process is "Who is the target reader?" In engineering practice, the reader can be a
client, a colleague, a manager or a junior. In academic writing, the target reader is
usually the examiner. The examiner is normally independent and was not
involved in the initiation or executing of the work being reported. The author
must therefore ensure that sufficient background and detail is given to convince
the examiner.
When academic writing is aimed at an examination process, the outcomes or
assessment criteria must be thoroughly accounted for in the planning of the
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writing. It will be of great benefit to the author to study the relevant assessment
criteria.
The process of writing a technical report begins with planning the work on which
the report is based. Even at this early stage, the task can be broken down into
elements which are likely to become the chapters or sections of the report. The
final sequence of the chapters and sections will usually not correspond with the
order in which the work was done, but will be determined by the desired structure
of the report.
The general rule is to begin writing the sections of the report as soon as possible.
The table of contents should be drafted very early in the process of writing the
report since the table of contents provides a good overview of the entire document
and, while the report is being written, provides an indication of which sections
still need to be done.
Regardless of the order of the report, a chapter or an appendix (with tables and
figures) should be written as soon as that part of the work has been completed, for
example when some apparatus has been developed or set up, a section of theory
has been derived, a computer program has been written, or a set of readings has
been taken. It is also a good idea to give the written work to a fellow student or a
supervisor as early as possible to criticize constructively. Some sections written
as appendices in the early phases will remain appendices, while others will later
be included in the main text and some will not be included in the final report.
It is important to keep in mind that report writing is an integral part of the thought
process: it helps to define and order ideas and to derive well-considered
conclusions so that further planning of the work can be undertaken.
3. EXTERNAL STRUCTURE
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List of figures
Nomenclature
Introductory chapters(s)
Central chapters
Conclusions
Tables*
Figures*
Appendices
References**
Bibliography
* Alternatively, the tables and figures may be placed in the main text instead of
at the end (both approaches may not be used in the same report). If a figure or
table is referred to on a number of pages, it will limit paging around in the text
if it appears after the main text. The main text should only refer directly to
figures or tables in the appendices in exceptional cases. In a long report, the
tables and figures relating to each chapter may appear directly after the text in
the chapter, as long as they are numbered as 1.1, 1.2, etc. Take note that only
one type of placing should be used consistently throughout the report.
** In a report with few, short or no appendices, the list of references can follow
immediately after the conclusion. References are more easily located in a long
report when they are placed right at the end of the report. When there are
references in the appendices, it is preferable that all the references appear at the
end of the report, otherwise each appendix should have its own list of
references.
The external structure does not only relate to the sequence of the elements, but
also to the relationships between the elements and the importance and size of
each. It is important that the emphasis be placed on the central chapters. A report
is like a story: it must have a beginning, a middle and an end, but the middle is the
actual story. The introduction must not be too long, and the central chapters must
not be overpowered by the appendices. The conclusions should follow from the
central chapters in a justifiable manner. In other words, the central chapters must
present a systematic argument that leads to the conclusions.
The elements of a technical report are discussed separately below.
The purpose of the cover page is to protect and identify the report. It must contain
the title, the initials and surnames of the authors, the date, the name of the
department and university, and the emblem of the university.
The title of the report must be considered carefully. A good title is striking and
clearly reflects the contents of the report. A few guidelines for the selection of
titles are the following:
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• Think about the reader’s first impression.
• Include important and distinguishing key words, for example the words that
somebody will use in a literature search.
• Leave out any words that are not essential. Avoid meaningless expressions,
such as “A Theoretical and Experimental Study of…”, or longwinded
descriptions, such as “Concise Practical Guide for the Writing of Technical
Reports and Papers”. Every word must count.
The title page contains all the information given on the cover page (except for the
emblem), as well as the status of the report (terms of reference), for example
“Experimental Techniques Report: Project 1” or “Final Report for Mechatronic
Project 478”. If an individual project is done under the guidance of a lecturer (for
example a final year project or thesis), the supervisor must also be indicated, for
example “Supervisor: Prof PJ Erens”.
3.4. Abstract
A short summary or abstract of 100 to 150 words must appear on the second page
of the report. It must summarise the contents and most important findings so that
the reader can decide whether he/she wants to read the rest of the report. A few
guidelines for the abstract are given below:
• The abstract is not an introduction to the report. It often provides no
background information.
• Every word is important. Limit the use of words that do not convey important
information to a minimum, for example, do not say things such as “In this
report, the failings of a compost turner are investigated”, but rather say “The
failings of a compost turner are investigated”.
• Convey the key elements of the objective and context, and the most important
methods, findings and recommendations.
• The abstract is usually the last part of the report to be written.
• Include in the abstract the keywords that someone may use to search for the
report in a literature database.
In certain technical environments, an Executive Summary is given instead of an
ordinary abstract. Executive summaries are usually one page long and provide
sufficient quantitative information so that a manager can identify the most
important decisions arising from the report and grasp their extent and impact.
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3.5. Dedication
This is a short sentence, in the middle of a separate page, in which the report is
dedicated to a family member, friend or acquaintance. It may be left out and is
seldom included in short technical reports. It is more suited to theses.
3.6. Acknowledgements
In this section, other people or organisations that were directly involved in the
execution, presentation and financing of the project or report are acknowledged,
such as technicians, typists and institutions that provided money or made facilities
available.
The table of contents must begin on a new page. The page is provided with a
heading, such as “Contents” or “Table of Contents”, followed by a list of the three
main levels of headings and their page numbers. Journal papers do not have a
table of contents.
The first item in the table of contents should be the first heading that appears after
the table of contents, for example List of Figures. Front matter that precede the
table of contents are not listed. Appendices must be listed, each with their title
and starting page.
These lists, arranged according to the table and figure number, each begin on a
new page and indicate the relevant page number in the right-hand column. The
titles of tables and figures must be descriptive enough so that a specific figure or
table can be identified in the list and must correspond to the title used for the
figure or table in the text.
3.9. Nomenclature
The list of the symbols that are used must begin on a new page. The list is
arranged in the following sequence: All the ordinary symbols are listed first,
followed by the superscripts and then the subscripts. Finally, the auxiliary
symbols, for example overbar and underscore for vectors and averages or accent
marks for time-dependent components, are listed. The following order must be
used within each of these groups:
• Firstly all the Roman letters (in alphabetical order, with the capital letter of
each symbol before the small letter, for example “A” followed by “a”,
followed by “B”);
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• Then all the Greek symbols (in the order of the Greek alphabet, capital letters
before small letters);
• Finally, the symbols that begin with numbers, in numerical order.
Units should preferably not be given in the nomenclature section, as the symbol
represents a physical property that is independent of the system of units.
In a short document that contains only a few equations and symbols, the
nomenclature section may be omitted, as long as the symbols are explained in the
text. Symbols should not be explained in both the text and the nomenclature.
A consistent set of symbols should be used (for example do not use V, C and W
for velocity, unless there is a consistent difference, such as V for relative flow
velocity, C for absolute flow velocity and W for blade velocity). If equations are
taken from sources that use other symbols, the symbols should be “translated”
into the set that has been selected for the report.
3.10. Introduction
The introductory chapter or chapters should provide the reader with the following
information:
• The context in which the report originated, i.e. the work from which it
originated, how it links to/differs from preceding or related work, the
limitations that were placed on the work (as a result of external circumstances
or through own choice), and so forth;
• The purpose of the report, i.e. the problem that was examined and the specific
objectives of the work;
• The motivation for the work or report, that is, why the work was undertaken.
If it is relevant, the introduction will contain a general overview of previous work
in the field and definitions of words or expressions that have a specific meaning in
the document. An overview of the rest of the report is sometimes also provided.
In long reports, such as theses, the aforementioned content can be spread across
more than one introductory chapter, but it should be kept in mind that the
objectives of the work should be readily recognisable.
Particular care should be taken when formulating the objectives. The objectives
should be stated in such a way that the Conclusions section can answer the
following question "Has the objectives been reached?" The objectives should be
distinct from the strategy to achieve the objectives, unless the evaluation of the
success of a specific strategy is in itself an objective.
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3.11. Central Chapters
The structure of the central chapters depends on the contents of the report.
Typical contents of the central chapters for various cases (for example design
reports, experimental reports, etc.) are given in the appendices.
The following are general guidelines for the central chapters:
• Every chapter should be focused on one topic, i.e. it should have a clear
purpose. The title of the chapter normally reflects the purpose.
• The contents of the central chapters must remain strictly linked to the purpose
of the report. Contents that are only of marginal importance should preferably
be placed in the appendices.
• The following structure of chapters or within chapters can usually be followed
and corresponds to a scientific approach:
− Introduction: the purpose of the chapter, and how it links to the purpose of
the report;
− Underlying or simplified assumptions;
− Analytical or numerical theory used, or the procedure for the investigation;
− Measured results, results of the analysis or observations (verifiable results);
− Processing of results: method and answers (objective);
− Interpretation of results (subjective, but critical and well motivated);
− Conclusions: usefulness and importance of results; how the results
contribute to achieving the purpose of the report.
• The central chapters do not usually follow the chronological sequence of the
project.
• A consequence of the scientific approach is that each statement must satisfy
one of the following:
− The statement is obviously true.
− The statement is proven in the report.
− The statement is motivated in the report.
− A reference to a source that has made the statement before is given with the
statement.
• Each conclusion drawn in the conclusions must be corroborated in the central
chapters.
3.12. Conclusions
The purpose of this section is to make it clear to what extent the purpose of the
report was achieved and which findings were made. All statements in the
Conclusions must be supported in the report.
Guidelines for the contents are:
• Summarise the purpose of and motivation for the document/project.
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• Clarify to what extent the purpose was achieved. Provide a summary of each
section of the report to indicate how that section contributed to the attainment
of the purpose. Also summarise the most important findings, methods or
techniques.
• Discuss the implications of the findings and indicate the contributions made by
the report. Emphasise the most important findings.
• Provide suggestions for further work, if appropriate.
Tables are used for quantitative comparisons, when the differences between lines
on a graph will be too small, or when the relationship between the dependent and
independent variables is not clear. Figures (all drawings, sketches, graphs and
photos) can usually be more easily interpreted by the reader than tables and are
therefore preferable when the more qualitative nature suffices.
As set out in paragraph 3.1., tables and figures may be placed in the main text, at
the end of each chapter or at the end of the main text. Figures are numbered as a
single series and tables as another.
The following are general guidelines for both tables and figures:
• Each table and figure must have both a number and a caption. Table captions
are usually placed above the table and those for figures are placed below them.
The number of the chapter or paragraph can be used in the table or figure
number (for example Table 2.1 or Table 3, and Figure 1.1 or Figure 2).
• The text of the report must refer to each table and figure.
• Tables and figures in the main text must be placed on the page where the first
reference is made to it, or as soon as sensibly possible thereafter.
• If the layout of the table or figure is such that it needs to be rotated to fit on the
page, the bottom of the table or figure must be placed on the right-hand side of
the page.
• Tables and figures in the main text must be separated from the text by at least 2
open lines above and below the table or figure.
• A capital letter must always be used when a specific table or figure is being
referred to, such as Table 2 and Figure 5. The abbreviation “Fig.” may be used
in the caption of the figure.
• The text in the tables and the writing in the figures must not be smaller than 3
mm.
• It is a good idea to repeat the data used for all the graphs in the report, in
tabular form in an appendix, for future use.
The following are general guidelines for the tables:
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• Each column, and sometimes also every row, must have a title, with units if
applicable.
• Tables in the main text usually do not have more than a few rows because they
otherwise contain too much information and can impede the comfortable
reading of the report. Larger tables should rather be included in appendices.
The following are general guidelines for figures:
• Figures should usually cover half a page or an entire page.
The following are general guidelines for graphs:
• Graphs must be used particularly when trends are shown or series of data are
compared.
• Graphs containing data that need to be compared (for example experimental,
analytical and numerical) must be combined in the same figure so that the
reader can make a direct comparison between the values. The quantity of
information in one graph must be limited so that the different symbols can be
clearly distinguished.
• The majority of readers intuitively expect the independent variable to be given
on the horizontal axis, with the dependent variable on the vertical axis.
• The axes of a graph must be named in words, in conjunction with units.
3.14. Appendices
Detail that disturbs the flow of the main text, and particularly detail that does not
form an integral part of the main text, must preferably be provided in the
appendices. Examples of this are complicated technical derivations, detailed
descriptions of apparatus, computer programs, lists of unprocessed data, sample
calculations and concise commercial information (data sheets).
Just as in a chapter, every appendix must have a descriptive title.
The appendices are numbered “Appendix A”, “Appendix B”, etc. Examples of
numbering are: page numbers “B1”, Table A1, Figure C2. In shorter reports, the
page numbers of the appendices can follow on from those of the main report.
References in the appendices refer to the list of references at the end of the report,
unless each appendix has a separate list of references and the references of the
main text are placed before the appendices.
3.15. References
The purpose of references is to indicate the origin of statements that are not (such
as Newton’s laws, the laws of thermodynamics or the Bernoulli flow equation)
general knowledge in the field, to acknowledge the work of others, and to provide
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additional information for readers who might be interested in obtaining further
information.
No references may be included in the list of references to which you have not
referred in the report, and vice versa.
There are various methods of referencing, although only one alphabetical and one
numerical system are discussed here. Each system consists of two parts: the
reference in the text, and the reference in the list of references. Unless other
instructions have been given for the specific report, the alphabetical system must
be used.
3.16. Bibliography
4. MICROSTRUCTURE
The previous chapter discusses the macrostructure, i.e. the typical sequence of the
main elements of a technical report, but the structure of a report goes much
deeper. Every chapter, and even every paragraph, also has a structure. Just as
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the report must have an introduction, central chapters and a conclusion, each
chapter must have an introductory section, a central section and a conclusion.
Even a paragraph can have an introductory sentence, a central section and a
concluding sentence, although the structure of paragraphs can be more varied.
Furthermore, just as the entire report has a central purpose or theme, a chapter and
a paragraph should also have a specific purpose.
Paragraph structure is a specialised topic in its own right and cannot be
completely dealt with in this report. De Stadler (undated c) provides a good,
concise discussion. Only a few guidelines for paragraphs and sentences are given
here:
• A paragraph should not be longer than 10 lines, because readers seldom read
long paragraphs.
• It is usually a good idea to begin a paragraph with a theme sentence or to place
the theme sentence prominently. The theme sentence states the purpose or
theme of a paragraph.
• It is possible to distinguish between different types of paragraphs in terms of
their purpose, for example the introductory paragraph, the explanatory
paragraph, the linking paragraph and the concluding paragraph.
• The consecutive sentences of a paragraph, as well as the phrases in a sentence,
must be linked to one another. A communal purpose or argument is a
prerequisite for coherence. Markers (i.e. words that indicate the direction in
which an argument is moving) play a very important role in this regard.
Examples of markers are “except for”, “therefore”, “for example”, etc.
• Place the main idea of a sentence in the main phrase.
A continuous theme in good report writing is to always approach the report from
the point of view of the reader (De Stadler, undated b). The person who writes
the report must therefore continuously ask how a reader will understand what he
or she reads in the report. However, it is very difficult for writers with little
experience to notice their own mistakes.
The consultation service offered by the Writing Laboratory of the University’s
Language Centre is the ideal opportunity for students to learn how to write reports
with a good microstructure early in their careers.
5. STYLE
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• Only use the third person. If unavoidable, the authors can be referred to as
“the authors”.
• Each sentence must be a complete sentence, i.e. must contain at least a subject
and a verb, and often also an object.
• Do not link two sentences by means of a comma. Use commas sparingly.
• Active sentence construction is usually more striking that the passive
construction.
• Use the present tense for something that is still valid, but the past tense for
something that happened in the past or is no longer valid.
• Use the right word, not its second cousin (Mark Twain). This statement is of
particular importance in relation to technical terminology. The reader’s
confidence in the technical ability of the author will be greatly impaired if the
author does not use the correct terms.
• Sweeping statements must be avoided, since they indicate that the author is
uncertain or not knowledgeable.
• Waffling and irrelevant appendices are not at all permissible. The reader’s
time is precious and, the thicker the report, the less positive his/her initial
attitude will be to the report. De Stadler (undated a) provides a few guidelines
for maintaining the correct information density in a text.
• It is important that the author keep the reader and his/her interests in mind.
Remember, engineers are interested in results, not excuses: what was done,
how was it done, and what does it mean? Nevertheless, it sometimes is
necessary to briefly mention the problems that were experienced and the
methods that did not work, but only if this will prevent the mistakes from being
repeated. When in doubt, leave it out.
• The technical level of the language used must be adapted to the target reader.
The target reader of undergraduate reports is a final year student in Mechanical
or Mechatronic Engineering at another university.
• Avoid the extremes of banal expressions and pompousness.
• A writing style in which the author gives his/her reader instructions, for
example “Add eq. (3) and (4)” should be avoided.
• Explain less known abbreviations, for example “Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman
Spectroscopy (CARS)” when they are used for the first time.
• Common abbreviations should preferably be written out (“for example” rather
than “e.g.”).
• Bulleted lists are seldom used in technical reports. They may only be used
when all the items in a list are of equal importance and when the sequence is
not important.
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6. LAYOUT
Table 1 and Table 2 give the particulars of a widely accepted formatting scheme
for technical reports. Draft reports may alternatively be printed at one-and-a-half
spacing on A4 paper with margins of at least 25 mm.
The pages of the chapters and appendices must be numbered in the centre at the
bottom using Arabic numerals (1, 2, …). The start of Chapter 1 (usually the
Introduction) must be page 1. Pages before this are numbered in small Roman
numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, ...), with the Abstract on page i.
The format for the headings of chapters, sections and subsections must be as in
this report. Every attempt should be made to avoid requiring more than three
levels of headings. Note that the main text and headings of a report may not be in
more than one type of font. Furthermore, it is very important that the layout
throughout the report must consistently remain the same, for example with regard
to the use of capital letters in the headings and spacing between paragraphs.
A4 35/35 26/44
A5 17/17 22/22
Computer A4 12 14
modern A5 10 12
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Charter A4 11 13,6
A5 9 11,1
6.2. Equations
A x2
= (2)
b (u + v )1 / 2
Occasionally long equations are more easily dealt with by dividing them up, for
example:
A = x2 (3)
b = (u+v)0,5 (4)
y = A/b (5)
Note that the letters representing variables or constants must be in italics, while
functions (such as the trigonometric functions) and units must not be in italics, as
in the following examples:
x = cos θ (6)
ai = ω 2 Ri (8)
α1 = 20 rad/s (9)
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In equation (8), the subscript i is also a variable and therefore is written in italics,
while the subscript 1 in equation (9) is not a symbol, and is therefore not written
in italics.
A space should be left between parameters that are multiplied (to create a space in
Microsoft Equation Editor, hold "Ctrl" down when pressing the space bar), as
shown in equation (10). An "x" should not be used for a normal multiplication,
since it can be confused with a symbol or the cross product operator.
All equations must be indented by at least 10 mm. It is often neater when all the
“=” signs on a page are placed below one another, although a large number of
successive equations that each consist of more than one line look better if they
begin the same distance from the left. A space must be left on either side of each
“=”.
7. A CHECKLIST
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10. Have the axes of all the graphs been correctly named, and their units given?
Are there units in the column headings of the tables?
11. Does the abstract state how the project originated or why it was done, what
was intended, how it was done and what was found?
12. Is the list of references complete, correct and written according to the
prescribed format?
8. CONCLUSION
This guide discusses the format for a technical report that is prescribed by the
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and provides helpful
hints on the structure and compilation of a report. The external structure was
discussed in detail and a few guidelines were provided for the microstructure,
style and editing.
Students who follow the guidelines in this report will soon be able to compile
professional technical reports.
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9. REFERENCES
Blicq, R S, 1987, Writing Reports to Get Results: Guidelines for the Computer
Age, IEEE Press, New York.
Campbell, W G and Ballou, S V, 1974, Form and Style: Theses, Reports, Term
Papers, Houghton Miflin, Boston.
Michaelson, H B, 1982, How to Write Engineering Papers and Reports, ISI Press,
Philadelphia.
Pauley, S E and Riordan, D G 1987, Technical Report Writing Today, 3rd Edition,
Houghton Miflin, Boston.
17
Strunk, W and White, E B, 1979, The Elements of Style, 3rd Edition, MacMillan,
New York.
18
APPENDIX A: GUIDELINES FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF
EXPERIMENTS
A.1. Principles
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− Calibration certificates with dates and the person or organisation that carried
out the calibration.
• Documentation of own calibrations.
A.7. Conclusions
• Interpretation of the results. This is sometimes subjective. The credibility of
the results must be evaluated critically.
• Comparison with theoretical or other published data.
• Discussion of the results: emphasise the most important results, point out
unexpected results.
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APPENDIX B: GUIDELINES FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF
DESIGNS
B.3. Specification
• The specifications (engineering requirements) that the product had to satisfy.
• A derivation of the specifications from the needs of the client (for example by
QFD).
• Comparison with competing products.
• Indicate that all relevant aspects have been taken into consideration, for
example by providing a functional analysis. Indicate that all reasonable
concepts were considered.
• Provide a well-motivated elimination and selection of concepts. Discuss the
most important selection factors and, if relevant, why other “obvious” concepts
were not selected.
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• Describe the selected concept in terms of function and layout.
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APPENDIX C: GUIDELINES FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF
DERIVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS
C.1. Introduction
Only a few broad guidelines are provided here. There are a number of books on
the subject, for example Gillman, L “Writing Mathematics Well, A Manual for
Authors”, The Mathematical Association of America, 1987.
C.2. Nomenclature
• List all symbols and their specific meaning. If necessary, refer to a figure that
illustrates the symbol.
• Be consistent when using symbols: use the same symbol everywhere for the
same variable, even if it comes from different sources.
• Use symbols that are commonly used.
• Eliminate unnecessary symbols. Nomenclature must make it easier for the
reader!
C.4. Paragraphing
• Keep the reader informed about what the calculation or derivation is aiming at
and what route is being followed: before the calculation begins, explain what is
being aimed at and fill in words between the equations that describe the route
and why it is being followed (for example “To eliminate β, substitute (2.3)
into (2.5)”). Provide direction-indicating words, for example “If” or “then the
dynamic pressure can be expressed as follows:”.
• State the conclusion explicitly after the calculation, for example “The
calculated safety factor is lower than the selected limit”.
• Equations must form part of the sentence. Symbols represent a word or a
phrase and must fit into the flow of the sentence, for example “=” represents
“is equal to”, or “which is equal to”.
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• Use normal punctuation if the equation forms part of the sentence. If the
placing of a full stop after an equation becomes confusing, change the structure
of the sentence.
• Do not begin a sentence with a symbol.
• Put spaces before and after “=”, as well as between letters that represent
different parameters. Do not use a full stop (“.”) or an “x” to indicate
multiplication, unless it refers to a dot product or cross product in vector
algebra.
C.6. Traceability
• Provide the sources of each equation, unless it is general knowledge. If
conservation laws are used, only provide their name, for example “Energy
conservation gives the following:”.
• Provide the sources of all material properties.
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APPENDIX D: GUIDELINES FOR THESIS PROPOSALS
D.1. Planning
The particular content of a thesis proposal depends to a large extent on the thesis
topic. There are, however, general principles that all thesis proposals must
satisfy, and these are outlined in this appendix. The main focus here is on M-
theses, but this appendix is also largely applicable to PhD dissertations. The latter
must, however, always contain the element of original research too.
While writing a thesis proposal, it is important to consider what outcomes that are
generally expected of a thesis. Below are some guidelines that examiners use
when they evaluate theses:
Scope: The subject should be suitable for a thesis in the sense that it should be
confined to an appropriate field, and should be narrow enough to allow the
candidate to develop sufficient depth of understanding in at least a couple of
areas.
Objectives: The thesis should have clearly stated research questions or objectives.
More information about this is given in the relevant section below.
Logical approach: There should be a logical approach to, or methodology for,
addressing the objectives or central research questions of the thesis. This should
be evident from:
• The literature review, which should specifically look for answers to the
questions or ways to approach the questions;
• The analytical or numerical approach;
• The experimental set-up, if applicable.
Data evaluation and interpretation: The thesis should demonstrate the ability of
the candidate to evaluate and interpret data, whether cited, measured, calculated
or deduced. The evaluation culminates in the conclusion section, which should
refer back to the objectives.
Presentation: The thesis should be presented clearly in the appropriate form and
style, whether written, tabular or graphical.
Mastery (Command): While a master’s thesis does not have to be original, in
the sense that it should be a new contribution to existing knowledge, it should still
show the student’s familiarity with and command of existing published work,
methodologies and techniques where appropriate.
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D.2. Front Matter
The cover page should follow the general guidelines given in this guide. The title
page should mention, as the terms of reference, that the document is a thesis
proposal, the degree it is aimed at, and the name(s) of the supervisor(s).
A thesis proposal should contain an abstract and a table of contents, but other
sections found in the front matter of longer reports or theses, are normally
omitted.
D.3. Introduction
The introduction should address most of the issues described in the relevant
section of this guide, but aspects addressed in greater detail later in the proposal
(for example literature) should only be highlighted in the introduction. Typical
topics include:
Background: The discipline (for example fluid dynamics), application area (for
example axial flow compressors) and importance should be mentioned, for
example "Flow in the endwall region of axial compressors plays a critical part in
the performance and stability of axial flow compressors".
General objective of thesis, for example "To better understand the effect of
endwall flows on the performance of axial flow compressors".
Previous studies: Previous studies, both by the author's immediate predecessors
and in the literature, should be outlined. The literature review will not be
complete at this stage but the preliminary review must be reported. This review
must lead up to the reason why the proposed research is worthwhile.
The objectives of the research must be very clearly stated. The objectives should
be formulated in such a way that the reader can decide, after reading the thesis,
whether the objectives have been met. The objectives therefore have to be
measurable in some sense, even though not necessarily quantitatively.
The objectives of a research project can often be stated in terms of a hypothesis
that is to be proved. The remainder of the thesis proposal can then outline how
the research will test the hypothesis by trying to prove and disprove it (both are
required to test a hypothesis).
Another approach to stating the objectives is to formulate research questions, i.e.
formulate the objectives in terms of questions to be answered.
Note that each proposal will normally have either a statement of measurable
objectives, or the formulation of a hypothesis, or a set of research questions, and
not all three.
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As with any project, it is important to clearly identify the bounds or scope of the
research. The limitations to the investigation imposed by time, financial and other
constraints, and in terms of discipline and application areas, must be described.
Common errors in this section are that strategies to achieve the objectives or
motivations for the objectives are mixed with a description of the objectives
themselves. Unless an assessment of a specific strategy to achieve an objective is
an objective in its own right, strategies should be addressed in the Research
Planning section.
This section may precede the description of the objectives, if more appropriate for
the specific topic. Some of the issues considered in this section may also have
been outlined in the proposal's introduction, but they must be covered in depth
here. Depending on the extent of the discussions, Motivation, Background and
Literature Survey could each be placed in its own chapter in the proposal.
This section describes the context within which the research is being done. This
includes the background to the research (what has already been done by others or
is in progress in other research) and motivation for doing the research (i.e.
explaining why it is worth doing, and what contribution it will make).
In a thesis proposal it is very important to explain how the proposed research
relates to what other researchers have already done: how will the proposed
research differ from published work or what will be repeated for confirmation. In
reviewing literature, it is very important to integrate the information from
different sources, and not to discuss it source by source. A good approach is to
identify a number of “issues” in literature that relate to the proposed research, and
then consider what each source has contributed to each issue. A discussion
structured around a series of issues will help to integrate the various contributions,
allowing contrasts or contradictions to be highlighted and discussed. Particularly
when conflicting information is given by different sources, the thesis proposal
must indicate how the contradiction will be resolved, for example by presenting
arguments as to why the one point of view is selected above the other or by
including a further investigation of the issue in the thesis research.
The approaches that will be used to achieve the objectives, test the hypothesis
(prove and disprove) or answer the research questions must be explained. The
approaches may include experimental investigations, numerical simulations
and/or analysis from first principles. Invariably, the results obtained from these
approaches will have to be interpreted. The research planning should clearly
show how the different "tools" will be applied and how that application will help
to achieve the objectives. Remember that the research must enable firm
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conclusions to be drawn at the end of the thesis research. A critical evaluation of
the capabilities, as well as limitations, of each part of the strategy will
demonstrate a maturity of judgement.
In scientific work, the quality of the experiment determines the authority of the
results. Careful consideration of the capabilities and limitations of each strategy
is therefore essential. In this context, “experiment” is taken in its widest meaning:
it may include a numerical simulation or even a statistical analysis of samples.
The chapters about research planning should include a discussion of the various
experiments that are planned, the simplifications and limitations of each one, and
the conclusions that are expected from each experiment. The planning should
include estimating the time and resources required for setting up and conducting
each experiment. The type of data or information that will be acquired during the
experiment must be clearly identified, and the time and resources required for
analysing the data estimated.
Ample provision must be made in the planning for the formal “writing up” of the
thesis. A guideline for the time required is one to two hours per page for writing
up after the work being documented, has been completed.
D.7. Conclusion
The proposal should conclude with a clear statement of the main contributions
that the thesis can be expected to make to the body of scientific knowledge: What
will someone who has read and understood the thesis be able to do with the
knowledge and insights? At this stage the contributions will still be vague, but
they should refer back to the objectives and research questions.
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APPENDIX E: GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF SI UNITS
E.1. Introduction
South Africa changed to the use of SI units in the 1960s. This system is generally
used in Europe and increasingly in North America. The following references are
valuable:
• The International System of Units, 7th ed, 1988.
• SABS M33a, The International Metric System.
• Els, DNJ, 2003, Guide for the Use for the International System of Units, Dept
of Mechanical Engineering, Stellenbosch University.
A few guidelines for the elimination of common mistakes are given in this
appendix.
• Prefixes: become part of the symbol (J kg-1) and are never used on their own
(correct: 106/m3; incorrect: M/m3).
• Leave a space between the number and the unit, for example 3,4 km and not
3,4km.
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• Derived units that are permitted by SI:
plane angle radian rad
solid angle steradian sr
frequency hertz Hz
force newton N
stress, pressure pascal Pa
energy, work joule J
power watt W
electrical charge or flux coulomb C
magnetic flux weber Wb
electrical potential volt V
electrical resistance ohm Ω
inductance henry H
capacitance farad F
conductance siemens S
magnetic induction tesla T
luminous flux lumen lm
illumination lux lx
• Non-SI units that are accepted for use together with SI units:
minute min 60 s
hour h
day d
degree ° (π/180) rad
minute ' (1/60)°
second " (1/3600)°
litre L 10-3 m3
metric ton t 1000 kg
TAKE NOTE: the abbreviation for litre used now is a capital L, and no longer the
cursive lower case letter.
SABS M33a prescribes that the decimal comma must be used, and a small space
between thousands, for example 123 456,23.
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APPENDIX F: REFERENCING AND PLAGIARISM
• Referencing means that you give credit to the various sources you have used
when writing your assignment/report.
• References are cited in the text itself (the so-called in-text references) and at
the end in a section called "Reference list" or "Sources used"
• The in-text reference must be cited in the text where you have referred to the
specific source. This citation can be given directly where the reference is made
or at the end of the sentence, paragraph or direct quotation.
You do not need to reference if you consider the information or viewpoints that
you give to be general knowledge.
How do you define general knowledge?
• If the same information appears in several sources (at least 5) without any
references
• If you think that the information is something that your reader will know in any
case
• If you think that your reader will easily be able to find the information in a
general information source
• Avoid plagiarism
• Give credibility to your work
1. Write down the complete biographical data for any source when you use it for
the first time.
It is important to be consistent when you write your in-text citations and your
reference list. For example, when you use a comma between the author's name
and the date in your in-text citation, continue doing so for the rest of the
document.