BOOK

REVIEWS/CRITIQUES DE LIVRES

How to write and publish engineering papers and reports

Received March 1, 1985 Accepted March 4, 1985

How to write and publish engineering papers and reports. By Herbert A. Michaelson. IS1 Press, 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A. 1982. 158 p. $17.95 U.S. clothbound, $1 1.95 U.S. paperback.
Can. Geotech. J. 22, 427 (1985)

Engineering projects are seldom complete without the preparation of reports communicating their findings and conclusions to other members of the profession. Such reports can take any of the following forms: (1) private reports for the authors' companies or clients; (2) articles for engineering journals or for trade magazines; (3) university theses; or (4) talks for presentation at professional meetings. In each case satisfactory communication requires considerable writing effort; consequently any means of lessening this effort should be welcome. In How to write andpublish engineeringpapers and reports, the author has set forth clearly, logically, and capably the techniques of preparing reports, articles, theses, and talks, making it a valuable reference book for all engineers, whether they are professionals or students. Michaelson's qualifications for writing this book, as well as most of its content, derive from writing seminars he has conducted at Yale University, from several of his published papers, and from his extensive experience as an associate editor of the prestigious IBM Journal o Research and Development. His book is one of a series f (called the Professional Writing Series) published in the last few years by IS1 Press in Philadelphia. The book contains 22 chapters, all but one of which are less than 10 pages long, a factor admirably suited to the subject matter. The first three chapters discuss fundamentals requiring consideration before any report writing should be undertaken: the objectives and motivations for communicating engineering achievements; the needs of the readers (will they want to read what you have written?); and the importance of producing quality manuscripts. The next 14 chapters (4-17) discuss the techniques of planning, writing, and presenting communications. In them we find: why and how to plan and organize a paper or report; two writing methods (Michaelson's preference is to commence writing while the project is under way rather than after it is completed); three types of abstract, and when and how to write them; the importance of preparing introductions suited to the type of manuscript (internal report, journal article, trade magazine article, conference talk, or thesis); how to prepare the body of the manuscript; and the importance of an effective ending (the author discusses when to use a summarytype ending, a conclusions-type ending, or a recommendationstype ending). Michaelson also offers practical suggestions and guidance on the use of word processors to increase writing productivity, on the construction of appropriate and informative illustrations and tables to supplement the manuscript text, on proper ways to cite earlier literature, on the compilation of complete and accurate reference lists, and on the need for (and methods of) author-editing of manuscripts. Three chapters (18-20) offer sound advice on the selection of appropriate journals for article publication, steps to follow before making a submission of a manuscript, a discussion of the

technical review process and how to respond to referees' criticisms, and the importance of author-proofreading, with tips on how best to do this. Chapter 21 discusses problems encountered when the results of the engineering project are communicated orally, as at conferences, and the special requirements for preparing and presenting such oral papers, and some benefits that may accrue from this form of communication. The final chapter (22) reviews the material in the first 21 chapters, emphasizing the need for careful planning of manuscripts and the employment of various strategies to ensure their satisfactory completion and peer acceptance without undue delay. he author cites 45 references, mostly of recent date, and includes a list of an additional 25 general reference works on the subiect. This book offers engineers many profitable tips and iechniques for improving their report-writing abilities. Much of Michaelson's down-to-earth advice has appeared in other publications (especially Robert A. Day's How to write and publislz a scientiJic paper, which is also in the Professional Writing Series), but none has dealt so well with the special writing needs of engineers. Adherence to the many practical suggestions set forth in the book may not guarantee publication, but it will certainly enhance the authors' abilities in the minds of clients, company managers, journal editors, or manuscript referees, and may greatly increase the possibility of further contracts, job advancement, or report publication. The book has been typeset and printed almost flawlessly, in a clear, attractive type. Line drawings and halftone photographs are readable and appropriate (though selected mainly from electrical engineering publications). However, the chapter on how to compile references (Ch. 16) would have benefitted from a discussion on the format(s) in which to present references, and the inclusion of a list of the major engineering journals and their generally accepted abbreviations would have helped all engineers as well as the people who publish their writings. Geotechnical engineers unfamiliar with this valuable writing aid would profit well by obtaining a copy and familiarizing themselves with its contents. Libraries of university engineering departments likewise should ensure that at least one copy is available for the use of their faculty and students, and some engineering schools might even want to consider using this book has in connection with report-writing courses. ~ i c h a e l s o n done the engineering profession a great service in writing it.
E. STUART JENNESS~ 9-2051 Jasmine Crescent, Gloucester, Ont., Canada KI J 7W2
'until March 1985 Publishing Supervisor of the Research Journals at the National Research Council of Canada, and responsible since 1969 for production of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.