Alessandro Talamelli

Fluid mechanic and Aerodynamic laboratory

II School of Engineering
Universit di Bologna

How to write the report

Model
standard model
Based on the style used in the last 50
years
Highly recommended for beginners
It is the way that most professional
scientists and engineers choose to write

Purpose of a report
1 Convey information
2 Stimulate and entertain
The second is just an add-on Better to
avoid it especially beginners

Planning
What is the report about ? What are
you trying to say ?
Who are you writing for ?
How long can the report be?

The standard model

The first major section is an introduction; the
last is a conclusion The conclusion answers
questions posed -- explicitly or otherwise -- in
the introduction
Factual material and measurements are kept
completely separate from opinion and
interpretation, often in different chapters or
sections
Formal, and rather impersonal, language is
used
The report usually refers quite extensively to
the work of other individuals
The sections of the report are numbered

Sections
The title
Abstract or summary
Table of contents
List of symbols
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Theory
Method or methodology or procedures
Results
Discussion or interpretation
Conclusion
Recommendations
References and/or bibliography
Appendices

The title (1)

It is very important ! Some people decide
if reading or not a report just by the title
Must be logical, accurate, descriptive, and
grammatically correct
Titles should be as short as possible
They can be made by two parts. (e.g. Hot
wire Anemometry Techniques for
Turbulence: an Experimental Study using
wind tunnels')

The title (2)

Include author name and affiliation,
date, your email address, and a URL to
your home page
Include a list of appropriate keywords

Author policy
made a significant intellectual contribution
to the theoretical development, system or
experimental design, and/or the analysis and
interpretation of data
contributed to drafting the article or
reviewing and/or revising it for intellectual
content
approved the final version of the manuscript,
including references.

Abstract or summary
Brief overview of the report, including its
conclusions and recommendations
Both languages
Specific length (300 words ??)
The abstract of a technical paper or
report is considered to be capable of
standing alone'
Not numbered
Write it only after you have completed
the report

Abstract or summary
Must not contain references
Avoid equations and math
Highlight not just the problem, but also
the principal results
Since the abstract will be used by search
engines, be sure that terms that identify
your work are found there

Introduction
what the report is about
what its role is in relation to other work
in the field (previous experiments)
who will benefit
(why you spent so much time to do this
project ??)
At the end say something about the
context of the report
Or finish the introduction with a list of
the questions you set out to answer

Acknowledgements
thanks to those people who have helped
directly in the work
In novels, the authors often thank their
friends and family. In technical reports
???
It is important acknowledge the grant

Theory
describes any background theory
needed for the reader to understand
the report
Some literature survey
Do not include unnecessary things

Method
the way the work was carried out
what equipment you used
any particular problems that had to be
overcome
how you analysed the results

Results
Report results plainly as possible, and
without any comment
Include enough data to convince the
reader that you have done what you said
you would do, and that your conclusions
will be trustworthy
Try to summarise the results into a few
tables and graphs

Discussion
Provide an interpretation of the results
Compare them with other published
findings
Point out any potential shortcomings in
the work
Add some final conclusion of the
discussion
Here the author is allowed to be less
objective

Discussion
It is acceptable to mention opinions, and
speculate
If your findings are unusual you should
explain why you think this might be

Conclusion
Give the overall findings of the study
It is not the very last bit of the
report'.
The conclusion of a technical paper or
report is considered to be capable of
standing alone'
A conclusion is not a summary
Check if the conclusions follow from the
body of the report

Recommendations (future work)

Include any advice to offer the reader
Recommend here the appropriate course
of action if the report is about making
some sort of business decision
Provide suggestions of further and
future work

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References and bibliography (1)

The bibliography is the set of
publications that the authors referred to
in a general sense in writing the report or
carrying out the work it describes. These
publications will not usually be cited
explicitly in the text
References, on the other hand, are given
in support of some specific assertion, and
are always mentioned explicitly in the
text

References and bibliography (2)

References allow the reader to follow
up your work
References are not a method for
convincing the reader that you have
read a lot
Give enough detail so that the reader
can follow up your references

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References and bibliography (3)

Books: authors, year, edition,
publisher's name and publisher's
location
Articles in journals: authors, year, name
of the publication, volume and page
numbers
cite a URL that will take the reader
directly to the document you cite

References and bibliography (3)

Styles:
give the authors and year in the text,
e.g, (Bloggs, 1995), and the full details
at the end of the report or in a
footnote in alphabetic order
Put numbers in brackets e.g. [1] and
list the references in appearance
order
If you use another person's words
directly, you must be clear about this
and give a full reference.

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References and bibliography (4)

1. C.K.E. Mees and T.H. James, THE THEORY
OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS, 3rd Ed.,
Macmillan Co., New York, 1966
2. J.R. Manhardt and D.J. Forst, "The Albert
Effect: I.Dual Mechanism", PHOTO. SCI.
ENG., 8, 265 (1964)
3. Kodak Publication J-1, "Processing
Chemicals and Formulas for Black and White
Photography", 1963
4. R. Francis, personal communication.

Appendices
Put here any material that is not
directly relevant to the report, and will
only be read by small number of people.
E.g.: mathematical proofs, sections of
computer programs, data bases ..

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Numbering and structure

number each section of the report
starting (or not) at the introduction and
continuing until the references (E.g. 1,
2, 3 .).
usually abstract and references are not
numbered
number sub-sections. E.g. 1.2 or 1A, 1B...
hierarchical numbering scheme helps to
orient the reader

Language, style and presentation

If the message/work is one of profound
importance, it will be communicated
rapidly even if presented badly
Few scientific and technical reports
contain ground-breaking findings
The author must pay attention to
language, style and presentation to
encourage people to read the report

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Grammar and spelling

Use short sentences. Do not be afraid
of repeating words
it is vital that you have your work read
by someone else before you decide that
it's finished
get a printed copy of your document
(not on a computer screen) and check it
very thoroughly yourself

Style

You can use formal or informal style

Do not change style !!!
In UK they try to avoid I (be careful)
Try to avoid the double passive
Humour is fine but not for beginners
Do not write like you speak

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Presentation
Important !!. The first impression to the
reader is often made by the
presentation
The document must be consistent (use
of the same typeface for headings and
for captions, all lines have the same
spacing, if all pictures are centred on
the page .)
Binding

Visual material
Try to plot always non dimensional data
Label everything. (E.g. `figure 1'). Check
that when you refer to figures in the
text, these references are correct
Put only figures that are referenced
Refer to real authors when you add an
image
If you prepare graphs in colour, then
print them on a monochrome printer,
they may become unreadable.

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Things to avoid
Avoid clichs and stock phrases
Avoid poems and other non-technical
material
Avoid giving too much data
Avoid computer program listings and
long mathematical proofs (put in the
appendix)
Do not include excuses

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