Technical Report Writing

A technical report is a formal report designed to convey technical information in a clear and easily
accessible format.

Should be objective without exaggerating achievement or value of the results

This requires clear communication of ideas and facts

Divided into sections allowing different readers access different levels of information

Have the audience and purpose of the report in mind during writing!!!

A student is encouraged to develop own writing style but must lie within formal guidelines.

Style and Language

Must be in a clear simple formal language of instruction

Use short sentences with good grammar and spelling
Do not use abbreviations
E.g. numerals for numbers in the range one to ten or can’t when you mean cannot etc.
Abbreviations allowed where readable equivalents exist, e.g. LASER
Avoid
Non standard grammatical constructions
Ambiguities
Half-truths
Redundant terminology

What cannot be expressed in English, use Figs, tables and graphs!

Tense

Generally use past tense for reports handling past activities

When statements were true but now no longer so, past tense will be used

For current activities or proposals, present tense or for statements of lasting truths e.g. Ohm’s law,
could be used

Future and conditional tenses are to be avoided!

First/Third Person

Formal reports avoid intrusion by the author but this depends on the intended extent of the
impersonal nature of the report, function and the topic of the report

First person used to convey author’s opinion or action and not facts

Avoid using “we” unless the authorship is shared or the relevant statement refers to both the
author and the reader

Layout

In general, the report should contain

Title Page

Specifies the title of the project and should be concise

Must also include
Author’s name and date
Where the work was carried out
Purpose of the report
(See example at end of this document)

Summary or Abstract

This summaries the whole report including the main objectives, results, technical contributions
and conclusions of the report in a concise manner

Should however not be just a description of the report!

Aim at attracting the skimming reader and should be readable on its own

Should be written last, i.e. after the main body of the report has been completed and should have
between 100 and 300 words (could be fewer for lab report)

Contents Page (not important for lab report – it should be short)

Enumerates and lists the section and subsection headings giving the page numbers where these fall

Helps make the structure logical and clear to the reader

When appropriate, include a list of symbols, figures, graphs and tables in pages after the contents
page with Roman numeral page numbering

Introduction

States the objectives of the report and comments on the way the topic of the report is treated

Leads the reader in a broad way into specialist topics

May include a brief summary of the state-of-the-art and shortcomings of previous work in the area

Last paragraphs may include a brief outline of report organization

Should not be a copy of the introduction given in the problem statement!

Main Body

Divided into sections with numbered headings and subheadings

Sections convey to the reader what author has done and originality of the work can be
demonstrated here

Sections must come in logical sequence

Theory and background

The actual problem solution
Results obtained – simulation and/or empirical
 Discussions and comparison with theory – recommendation for further (future) work may
be included here
Conclusions

References

Authoritative sources of information in developing the arguments contained in the report

Includes

Details of published sources of material referred to or quoted in the text

Lecture notes referred to
URL addresses of any WEB sites consulted

References should be ordered in the order they are first referenced in the text

Bibliography

A list of other sources of material including URL addresses not referred to in the text but would
form a source for further reading or background

Acknowledgements

List the people who aided in the work including any proof-readers

Comes after the contents page

Appendices

Used to hide details that are not necessary for the understanding of the report but may aid the
reader in testing the veracity of the conclusions drawn in the report

May include

Raw data
Computer programme code
Technical or mathematical proof of development used in the main text
Manufacturer’s data sheets
Detailed wiring and/or servicing diagrams

Presentation

Printed single sided on white A4 paper with double or one-and-a-half line spacing using standard
font such as Times New Roman size 12 (shall be hand written for lab report)

All margins must be at least 2,54 cm

Page numbers start at 1 on all except (page numbering not necessary for lab report)
Title page which is not numbered
Summary page
Contents page
Acknowledgements – these numbered in Roman numeral
Binding using spiral (ignore for lab report)
Planning the Report

Collect your information

Keep accurate record of all published references which you intend to use in the report

Journal article should include

Author(s)
Title of article (between double quotes)
Name of journal
Year of publication
Volume number
Issue number
Page numbers (start page – last page)

For example

[40] D. Williams, “De-embedding and Unterminating Microwave Fixtures with non-linear Least
Squares,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 38, No. 6,
September 1990, pp. 724-731.

Book should include

Author(s)
Title of book (in italics)
Edition
Publisher
Year of publication

For example

[25] R. L. Branham Jr., Scientific Data Analysis: An Introduction to Overdetermined Systems, ©

1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc., Printed by R. R. Donnelley & Sons, Harrisonburg,
Virginia, USA.

Creative Stage of Planning

Write down the topics and ideas from research material in random order
Arrange in logical order
Group in logical groups – what cannot fit in any group should be noted in case it becomes useful
later
Arrange groups in logical sequence covering the topics of your report

Structuring the Report

Draft an outline with the headings and subheadings identified

Writing

Write report with the ultimate reader in mind

Always begin with the main text never the introduction
Follow your outline in terms of headings and subheadings in free flow– do not worry about the
spelling or grammar

Revisit the outline plan and make more detailed preparatory notes in case you get stuck
 Make rough sketches of graphs and/or diagrams and keep numbered list of these as they appear in
your report

Quoted material should be between double quotes and referenced

Write the conclusion next followed by the introduction – leave out the summary at this stage

Revising first Draft

Bear in mind

Essence of a successful technical report lies in how accurately and concisely it conveys
intended information to intended readership

Ask yourself:

1. Does this sentence/ paragraph/ section convey what I intend? Revise if not in the
affirmative

2. Are there any words/ sentences/ paragraphs which could be left out without
affecting the information I intend to convey? Remove if in the affirmative

Diagrams, Graphs, Tables, Math

Diagrams

Keep them simple – specific to the report

Small diagrams should follow the first reference as close as possible
Judiciously place large ones
Diagram captions should be below the fig.

Example

Fig. 1.2 The planar structure of an epitaxially grown BJT

Graphs

Should be labelled and be of correct scaling and clarity

Captioning should be like that of a diagram. For example,
 Fig. 2.1 The frequency variation of the real part of the open-circuit input driving-point
impedance impedance of a GaAs HEMT under cold pinch bias conditions

Tables
Usually not the best option
Complex tables belong to the appendix and medium ones should be captioned above the
table and numbered similar to figures

Example

Table 2.4 A cmparison of the Pentium IV microprocessor chip prices across vendors

Vendor Price in Ksh.

1 10 000

2 25 000

3 22 000

Math
Use this only where it most efficiently conveys information
Long arguments or derivations belong to the appendix
Display rather than writing in-text as

NF = 10 log 10 [ F ]
(3.6)

Layout

Report must be attractive and clearly organized to get a chance of getting read

Use standard size 12pt font e.g. Times New Roman for main text (only for typed reports, lab
reports shall be hand written)

Bold or underlined or different sized script could be used where appropriate but not in excess

Headings
 Based on the logical sequence identified at planning stage

Use adequate number of subheadings to break up material into manageable chunks – titles should
have meaning

Use numbering and type size in style that clarifies the structure of the report

Reference to Diagrams, Tables and Math Equations

Always refer these in the text

Diagrams

Label diagrams and caption at bottom edge as

Figure 1.2 The planar structure of an epitaxially grown BJT

Or

Fig. 1.2 The planar structure of an epitaxially grown BJT

For the 2nd figure in chapter 1 say

Reference this in the text as

… Fig. 1.2 shows the structure of an epitaxially grown BJT used in the analysis of …

Tables

Label tables as

Table 2.4 A comparison of prices of microprocessor chip from different vendors

This could be referenced in the text as

The price of microprocessor chips varies widely among different vendors in

Kenya as seen from the price comparison in Table 2.4 …

Math

The noise factor F of an electronic system is often given in dB and referred to as the noise
figure NF defined in equation (3.6) as

NF = 10 log 10 ( F ) (3.6)

Originality and Plagiarism

Indicate in the report with a number enclosed in brackets e.g. [23] referring to a listed item in the
reference list whenever you use other people’s ideas, results or facts

For example

… The well-confined channel means that the transconductance of the HEMT can be
sustained even at low levels of drain current [23] …
 Phrases copied unaltered must be in quotation marks and referenced by a reference number also

For example

Albert Einstein said that “Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love” [34]

Quoted statements are written “as is” including any mistakes

Note that it is not sufficient that you have provided a reference list! It is a serious offence to use
other people’s work without referencing it

If the person from whom the work has been copied is a student, this is usually regarded as
collusion and is also serious

Finalising the Report

Add the page numbers to the report at this stage and write the summary or abstract

The summary must be intelligible even without the rest of the report and serves the purpose of
guiding the reader to through the report

It should be short – between 100 and 300 words and must include

Scope of the report

Main results
Conclusions drawn

It should however not be just a description of the report

Proofreading

Check every aspect of the report to ensure everything is in order – use someone else for example,
a colleague

Good Tenets

Do not bother with style and formatting until the penultimate or final draft

Do not try to get the graphics finalised until the text content is complete
 Front Page of Project Report

Official University Logo

University of Nairobi

Project Title

Project Index (Number): PRJXXX

By

Candidate Name

Candidate Reg. Number

Supervisor:

Examiner:

Project report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for

the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Nairobi

Date of Submission

Department of Electrical and Information Engineering

 Department Approved Report Structure

Title Page - no page number

Dedication page (optional) – Start page numbering in Roman numerals counting from this page

Acknowledgements page

Contents page(s) –

List of Figures page(s) (optional)

List of Tables pages(s) (optional)

List of Symbols page(s) (optional)

List of Abbreviations page(s) (optional)

Abstract page

Chapter 1: Introduction – Page numbering in Arabic numerals from this page, place can be centred at
bottom of page or top/bottom right corner of page

….

Chapter N: Conclusions and Further Work

Appendix A

Appendix Z

References

Note, printing is to be single-sided, at either double or 11/2 line spacing using standard font such as New
Times Roman or Arial size 12 pts.

Keep the length between 35 and 60 pages.

Approved Format for Lab Reports

Title

Author’s Name
Registration number
Registration numbers of group members

Objective

Theory (include simulation results if available)

List of equipment

Methodology (include measurement circuit diagram(s))

Results (measurement)

Discussion on results and comparison with theory (include some error analysis or estimation)

Conclusions and enhancement to experiment

You may omit the abstract for lab reports

Appendix A

Appendix Z

References

Keep the length of report between 5 and 10 pages.