Meeting

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English for Academic Purposes

REPORT WRITING FOR ENGINEERING

Introduction
Report writing is an essential skill for professionals in almost every field: accountants,
teachers, graphic designers, information scientists (the list goes on). Thats one of the reasons
why your lecturers will almost certainly require you to write reports during your period of
study at the University of Canberra.
A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible. It should be easy to read, and
professional in its presentation.
Exactly what you include in your report and how you present it will vary according to your
discipline and the specific purpose of the report. Here we give some general guidelines, but
you should check with your lecturer for more detail on what is expected.

Reports and EssaysWhats The Difference?

A common problem is that students transfer what they have learned about essay writing to
report writing.
Both essays and reports need:
formal style
careful proof-reading and neat presentation
introduction, body and conclusion
analytical thinking.
But there are some essential differences between the two.
A Report
Presents information
Is meant to be scanned quickly by the
reader
Uses numbered headings and subheadings
May not need references and
bibliography/reference list
Uses short, concise paragraphs and dotpoints where applicable
Uses graphics wherever possible
(tables, graphs, illustrations)
May need an abstract (sometimes called
an executive summary)
May be followed by recommendations
and/or appendices

An Essay
Presents an argument
Is meant to be read carefully
Uses minimal sub-headings, if any.
Always needs references and bibliography/reference
list
Links ideas into cohesive paragraphs, rather than
breaking them down into a list of dot-points
Rarely uses graphics
Will only need an abstract if it is very long, or if
your lecturer asks for one specifically
Seldom has recommendations or appendices

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How to Write a Report

A.

Plan to write your report

Ask some questions first:

Who has requested the report?
Why have they asked for a report?
What do they need to know?
How will the report be used?
Who is/are my audience or audiences? (e.g. clients, lecturers, assessors, managers
etc.)

B.

Analyze your task

Analysing your task is very important. Here are some questions to explore:
Do you understand the type of report needed? (e.g. experimental report, technical
design proposal, business report.)
Do you know how big your report needs to be?
Do you know what is required in the report?
What is the problem/question to be solved?
What is the aim of the report?
What key points or issues need to be addressed?
What information do you need to collect?

Types of Report for Engineering

All reports have to ensure that the conclusions that you draw are supported by the evidence
that you find. At university you will mostly be writing business, experimental / laboratory or
technical reports, but this handout will only focus on experimental/laboratory or technical
reports.
A Technical design report aims to:
solve a problem
recommend a design
An experimental report / lab report aims to report on:
an experiment or research
what was achieved during the course of the experiment
what was concluded and how this compares with previous published results.

Writing Technical Report

In Engineering, one of the major forms of communication is the technical report. This is the
conventional format for reporting the results of your research, investigations, and design
projects. At university, reports are read by lecturers and tutors in order to assess your mastery
of the subjects and your ability to apply your knowledge to a practical task. In the workplace,
they will be read by managers, clients, and the construction engineers responsible for
building from your designs. The ability to produce a clear, concise, and professionally
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presented report is therefore a skill you will need to develop in order to succeed both at
university and in your future career.
While reports vary in the type of information they present (for example, original research, the
results of an investigative study, or the solution to a design problem), all share similar
features and are based on a similar structure.
Note: This document contains general engineering report-writing guidelines only.
Key features of reports
Reports:
are designed for quick and easy communication of information
are designed for selective reading
use sections with numbered headings and subheadings
use figures and diagrams to convey data.
Basic structure of a report
A report usually has these components:
1.

Title page

This page gives:

the title of the report
the authors' names and ID numbers
the course name and number, the department, and university
the date of submission.
The title of the report should indicate exactly what the report is about. The reader should
know not only the general topic, but also the aspect of the topic contained in the report.
Compare the following pairs of titles:
Bridge Analysis

vs.

Internet-based ATIS vs.

Analysis of a Pre-stressed Concrete Bridge

An Evaluation of
Information Systems

Internet-based

Automated

Traveller

Most of the reports you write at university will form part of the assessment for particular
subjects. You will therefore often talk about Assignment 1 or the Water Project, for example,
especially where several reports will be submitted in the course of the semester or as part of
an ongoing project. These terms form part of the title, but the report will usually need a more
specific title also. Compare the following examples:
Assignment 1 vs.

Assignment 1: Water Consumption Data Collection

ATIS Project vs.

ATIS Project: An Investigation of ATIS on the Monash Freeway

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Sample title page
This section contains the framework sections of a first-year Civil Engineering concept design
report. A good and a weak example of each section are given, along with explanatory notes or
exercises to check your understanding of the requirements. To begin, choose the most
informative title for the report yourself.

2.

Summary

The summary (sometimes referred to as the executive summary) provides a brief overview of
the substance of the report; usually no more than half a page. It is not an introduction to the
topic. The summary should outline all the key features of your report, including the topic,
what you did and how you did it, and the main outcomes of your work. A busy manager who
might not have time to read the full report should be able to get the gist of the whole report by
reading the summary.
The summary:
states the topic of the report
outlines your approach to the task if applicable
gives the most important findings of your research or investigation, or the key aspects
of your design
states the main outcomes or conclusions.
The summary does NOT:
provide general background information
explain why you are doing the research, investigation or design
refer to later diagrams or references.

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Example summary
This summary is from a report entitled Preliminary Design of a Bridge.

Sample summary
Read the following summaries and select the best one for the report.

3.

Table of contents

The contents page sets out the sections and subsections of the report and their corresponding
page numbers. It should clearly show the structural relationship between the sections and
subsections. A reader looking for specific information should be able to locate the appropriate
section easily from the table of contents. The conventions for section and page numbering are
as follows:

Number the sections by the decimal point numbering system:

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Number all the preliminary pages in lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, ...).
You don't have to place the number i on the title page. Just count it and put ii on the
second page of your report. Preliminary pages are any which come before the
introduction, including the summary and, where applicable, acknowledgements.
Number all the remaining pages of your report with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, ...).
Thus the report proper begins on page 1 with your introduction, which is usually
Section 1.
Provide a title in your table of contents to describe the contents of each appendix
(Note: one appendix, two or more appendices). Don't just call them Appendix 1 or
Appendix 2.
Example: Appendix 1: Sample Calculations

Example contents page

This contents page is from a report entitled Preliminary Design of a Bridge.

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4.

Introduction

The introduction provides the background information needed for the rest of your report to be
understood. It is usually half to three-quarters of a page in length. The purpose of the
introduction is to set the context for your report, provide sufficient background information
for the reader to be able to follow the information presented, and inform the reader about how
that information will be presented.
The introduction includes:
the background to the topic of your report to set your work in its broad context
a clear statement of the purpose of the report, usually to present the results of your
research, investigation, or design
a clear statement of the aims of the project
technical background necessary to understand the report; e.g. theory or assumptions
a brief outline of the structure of the report if appropriate (this would not be necessary
in a short report)
Example introduction 1
Introduction from a report entitled "A Review of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Actions and
Opportunities: the Current Status of the Kyoto Protocol".

Example introduction 2
Introduction from a report entitled "Preliminary Design of a Bridge". In this report, two
alternative designs are presented and evaluated according to the given criteria, and then the
better design selected.

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5.

Body of the report

This is main part of the report, where you present your work. The introduction and
conclusions act as a frame for the body only: therefore all the details of your work (including
a summarized version of material in the appendices) must be included here in the appropriate
section. You will need to put some thought into the ordering of the sections; the presentation
of information should flow logically so that the reader can follow the development of your
project. It is also essential that you choose concise but informative headings and subheadings
so that the reader knows exactly what type of information to expect in each section.
The body of the report:
presents the information from your research, both real world and theoretical, or your
design
organises information logically under appropriate headings
conveys information in the most effective way for communication:
o uses figures and tables
o can use bulleted or numbered lists
o can use formatting to break up large slabs of text.
Headings in the body of the report
As for the title, section headings should tell the reader exactly what type of information is contained
in the section. They should be specific and content-focused rather than just labels. Devising
informative headings as opposed to label headings right from the planning stage will help you to
clarify exactly what you want to achieve in each section and subsection. Compare these pairs of
headings:
Consumption patterns

vs.

Changes in water consumption patterns 1995-2005

Survey results

vs.

Results of peak hour turning movement survey

Example: Uninformative headings

The Organization
Management
Example: Informative headings
Overview of the Organization
Communication in the Organization
Groups in the Organization
Management Style and Methods
This means that headings should follow a similar grammatical form. In the following example, each
heading is structured differently:

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Example: Inconsistent headings
The Company Structure
Do the Communication Channels Work?
Participating in Groups
How to Develop an Effective Management Style
Usually, it is not difficult to convert such headings to a common form. In this example, all have been
changed to noun phrases. This is the most commonly used format for section headings in an
informational report.
Example: Consistent headings
Company Structure
Communication Channels
Group Participation
Development of an Effective Management Style
Sample headings
Which of the following section headings are grammatically consistent?
Option 1
2.0 Car A
2.1 The Materials we selected
2.2 Emissions
2.3 How the safety features Work
2.4 What Accessories are included?

Option 3
2.0 Car A
2.1 The Materials Selected
2.2 Emissions
2.3 safety features of the car
2.4 Accessories included

Option 2
2.0 Car A
2.1 Materials selection
2.2 Emissions
2.3 Safety features
2.4 Accessories

Incorporating figures, tables, and equations

There are conventions for using figures and tables in a report. Usually only these two
categories are used; anything other than tables (maps, charts, diagrams, drawings, graphs) is
called a figure. Figures and tables should be placed as close as possible to the point at which
they are referred to in the text.

Give all figures and tables a number and title

Example : Table 1 Existing communication channels
Refer to each figure and table in the text of the report.
Example : The communication channels in the organization are shown in Table 1.
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The title of a table goes above the table, while the title of a figure goes below the
figure.

Figures that are copied from someone else's work, published or unpublished, must be
correctly referenced. Give the source of the diagram or the data if you have taken
them from published sources. The citation should be placed in brackets after the
figure or table title, and the source included in the References list.

Equations
You will often have to include equations in your reports. The conventional style for
presenting equations is as follows:
Centre the equation on the page
Place the equation number in round brackets at the right-hand margin
In the text of your report, refer to the equations as either Eq. (1) or equation (1). Use
whichever format you choose consistently throughout your report.

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6.

Conclusions

The conclusions section provides an effective ending to your report. The content should relate
directly to the aims of the project as stated in the introduction, and sum up the essential
features of your work. This section:
states whether you have achieved your aims
gives a brief summary of the key findings or information in your report
highlights the major outcomes of your investigation and their significance.
The conclusions should relate to the aims of the work:
Example 1:
Aim
The aim of this project is to design a mobile phone tower.
Conclusions
In this report, a design for a mobile phone tower has been presented. The key features
of the tower are... It was found that...
Example 2:
Aim
The aim of this investigation is to analyse the bus delays at the intersection of the bus
loop and Wellington Road at Monash University.
Conclusions
In this report, bus delays were analysed. It was found that... Based on these findings,
it is recommended that...
Example conclusions
Conclusions from a report entitled "Preliminary Design of a Bridge".

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Sample conclusions
Read the following conclusions and select the best one for this report.
Example A
5.0 Conclusions
This report introduced two environmentally-friendly designs for a car. We presented
information about the engine and fuel, materials, safety and accessories and provided
sketches for each car. These cars would be more expensive than normal family cars, but it is
important to develop cleaner technology for the future.
Example B
5.0 Conclusions
Two alternative designs for an emission-free fuel cell powered car have been presented: Car
A, a luxury sedan which runs on hydrogen, and Car B, a medium-sized family hatch which
uses hydrogen and oxygen. Each car features recyclable materials and conforms to Australian
design standards in terms of performance and safety features. However, Car B is
recommended as it was found to be more economical in terms of both manufacturing and
running costs.
7.

Referencing

The two parts to referencing are:

citations in the text of the report
a list of references in the final section
A citation shows that information comes from another source. The reference list gives the
details of these sources. You need to use in-text citations and provide details in the references
section when:
you incorporate information from other sources; e.g.:
factual material
graphs and tables of data
pictures and diagrams
you quote word-for-word from another work (when you do this the page number must
be given in the in-text citation)
In Engineering, the most common referencing style is the author-date (Harvard) system.
However, in Electrical Engineering the IEEE system is used. Full details of these referencing
styles are available from LLS Online Resources or through the Library Online Tutorials.
Example of in-text citation and reference list entry using the Harvard referencing style:
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In-text citation
Corrosion is defined as a 'chemical action which harms the properties of a metal'
(Glendinning 1973, p.12). Because corrosion reduces the life of the material and
protection procedures are expensive, special corrosion-resistant metals have been
developed, including Monel metals which are particularly suited to marine
applications (Glendinning 1973).
Reference list entry
Glendinning, E.H. 1973 English in mechanical engineering, Oxford, Oxford
University Press.

Sample reference list

Look at the following reference lists and select the best one for this report.
Reference list A
Reference list:
Electric and hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell technology, Warrndale PA, Society of
Automotive Engineers, 1999.
http://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htm
Jay Pukrushpan, Stefanopoulou, A.G., Peng Huei. (2004) Control of fuel cell power systems:
principles, modeling, analysis and feedback design, Call number at Hargrave-Andrew
Library: 621.312429 P979C2004
Reference list B
6.0 References
Pukrushpan, J.T., Stefanopoulou, A.G. & Peng, H. 2004 Control of fuel cell power systems:
principles, modeling, analysis and feedback design, New York, Springer.
Society of Automotive Engineers 1999 Electric and hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell
technology, Warrndale, PA, Society of Automotive Engineers.
Society of Automotive Engineers 2005 How fuel cells work, Society of Automotive
Engineers, viewed 26 August 2005, http://www.sae.org/fuelcells/fuelcells.htm

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8.
Appendices
These contain material that is too detailed to include in the main report, such as raw data or
detailed drawings. The conventions for appendices are as follows:
each appendix must be given a number (or letter) and title;
each appendix must be referred to by number (or letter) at the relevant point in the
text.
Example:
The data obtained are summarised below. The detailed data are given in Appendix 3.

Lab Reports in Engineering

Experimental work is fundamental in developing your understanding of the theoretical
knowledge in Engineering. It also gives you practical experience in the use of equipment and
the experimental techniques in your field.
Lab reports should follow a set format and use appropriate language. This resource explains
the tasks involved in doing a lab report and covers some important points you should keep in
mind. It outlines the structure of this kind of report, and what is required in each section. It
also gives practical examples of how to write in an impersonal style.

Tasks involved
The lab work consists of a number of tasks:
the preliminary work to be completed before the beginning of the lab
the questions asked by the lab supervisor at the beginning of the experiment to check
that you have understood the theory behind the calculations and the experiment
the experiment itself
a written lab report to be handed in at a later date.

Points to remember
Here are some important points to keep in mind when preparing a laboratory report.
The purpose of any lab report is to report the rationale, procedure and results of an
experiment in sufficient detail to allow someone else to replicate it.
As part of your university studies, the laboratory report is also a means of assessing
your experimentation skills and your understanding of the applications of theory.
The presentation of the report is very important.
Results can be presented in figures or tables so that it is easy for you to compare the
calculated and the measured values.

Report structure
Your lab report should include the following sections:

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1.

Title page

The title page should include:

the name of the unit
the name of the experiment
the date you did the experimental work
the names and ID numbers of students in the group and
the name of the lab.
2.
Introduction
This section introduces the reader to the experiment and briefly outlines theory and
background information relevant to the experiment. You need to state any relevant laws,
equations and theorems you will be using or investigating, and you need to explain the
different analyses used, such as nodal analysis and mesh analysis.
3
Aim
This section states the aims of the experiment. In any experiment, you aim to do something.
For example, you aim to verify, to investigate, to measure, to determine, to compare or to
calculate.
Use the verb form starting with 'to' (eg 'to investigate').
Avoid the noun form which often ends in '-ion' (eg 'investigation').
Aims can be written either in point form or in complete sentences.

Example in point form

Aims
To measure the resistance of a specimen of wire.
To determine the resistivity of iron.
Example in a complete sentence
Aim: The aim of the experiment is to determine the resistivity of iron by measuring the
resistance of a specimen of wire.
Choose the better wording from these examples of the aim section from two student reports.
a Aim
o To investigate the effects of passing electric current through water.
o An investigation of the effects of passing electric current through water.
b Aim
o The aim of the experiment was to verify Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.
o Verification of Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.
3.
Method
This section briefly reports the steps that you followed in carrying out the experiment. Do not
repeat word for word what is in the lab notes but concisely summarise in your own words the
key steps which were taken in the experiment.
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The Method section describes what was actually done and so the verbs are usually written in
the past tense, passive voice (for example, were connected, was measured, was calculated).
When you carry out an experiment, you usually follow a set of instructions. Here are
the instructions for an experiment to determine the density of a steel sphere.
Example
Determination of the density of a steel sphere using a balance
First find the zero reading of the balance.
Then put the sphere in the left pan and put weights into the right pan to bring the
pointer to zero and obtain the apparent mass.
If you were writing up the Method section, you would have to change these instructions to a
report of what was done. These instructions might then be reported as follows.
Example
Method
First the zero reading of the balance was found. Then the sphere was put in the left pan and
weights were added to the right pan to bring the pointer to zero. In this way the apparent mass
was found.
In this Method section, the verbs are was found, was put, were added and was found which
are all verbs in the past tense using the passive voice.

Change the verb in the instruction to the past tense passive form. For example: change
find to was found.

Choose the better of these two examples from the Method section of two student reports.
a Method
Connect four resistors with a 10 V supply and measure the open circuit voltage, and the
short circuit current between A and B. Determine the voltage and resistance of the
Thevenin equivalent circuit.
b Method
Four resistors were connected with a 10 V supply and the open circuit voltage was
measured. The short circuit current between A and B was also measured. The voltage and
resistance of the Thevenin equivalent circuit were determined.
4.

Results and Discussion

Note that sometimes in lab reports it may be more appropriate to present the results in one
section, called Results, and then to discuss them in a separate Discussion section.
In the Results and Discussion section, you present your results and discuss them by:
commenting on the results obtained
interpreting what the results mean and
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explaining any results which are unexpected
You present the measurements made in the experiment and you then compare your
measurements to the calculations you made in your preliminary work or the published
theoretical values.
You need to:
identify any discrepancies and
to state them as a percentage.
You also need to:
identify any sources of error in your measurements and
if possible, suggest how your experiment could have been performed more accurately.
Conclusions
What should you aim for?
Clear comparisons made between the calculations and the measurements with the
discrepancy expressed as a percentage.
Good explanation of the possible reasons for the discrepancy and the possible sources
of error in the measurements.
Example
Here are some useful expressions to use if your measurements correspond well with your
calculations:
The measurements are consistent with the preliminary calculations.
The measured values agree well with the calculated values.
Example
Here are some useful expressions if your measurements do not correspond well with your
calculations:
The measurements are significantly different from the preliminary calculations.
The measured values do not agree well with the calculated values.
Example
Here are some useful expressions for explaining the source of errors:
The discrepancy may be due to human error.
The difference may be the result of incorrect calibrations.

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5.
Conclusions
This section states whether the aims of the experiment were achieved or not, and briefly
summarises the key findings.
In the Conclusions of this kind of report you need to:
comment on how closely your measurements and calculations agree and
summarise the main reasons for any discrepancies.
Choose the better of these two examples from the Conclusions section from two student
reports.
a Conclusions
Despite some errors, the law was verified.
b Conclusions
Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws have been verified. The superposition theorem
for a two source network has also been verified. The experimental results were always
within 1.1% of the calculated values. The discrepancies may be due to ... ... ...(provide
a reason here!).
REFERENCES:
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/engineering/index.xml
https://student.unsw.edu.au/extended-lab-report
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/reports
http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writing
Silyn-Roberts, H 2002, Writing for Science: A practical handbook for science, engineering
and technology students, 2nd edn, Longman, N.Z.
Hargrave-Andrew Library

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