Research Methodology: Session 3

TECHNICAL WRITING
 Rules in Technical Writing

 Always write in 3rd Person

 Do not use I, We, You, Us, They etc…

 Make appropriate use of the Tense

 Present, Past, Future

 Make appropriate use of Articles

 a / an – to be used when writing about generic

 the – to be used when writing about specific
 Rules in Technical Writing

 Keep the sentence, short.

 Divide a write up on a page into multiple paragraphs

 Make sure that there is a flow in the write-up

 Sentence 2 should connect with sentence 1

 Paragraph 2 should connect with paragraph 1

…….And so on
 Use appropriate technical language
 Why Write a Report

 Research work remains incomplete till report is written &

presented and/ or published.
 Research findings are of little value unless they are effectively
communicated
 Writing of report is the last step in a research study and requires a
set of skills somewhat different from those called for in respect
of the earlier stages of research.
 Report writing must be accomplished by the researcher with
utmost care; he may seek the assistance and guidance of experts
for the purpose.
 Not everyone is a born writer
 Why Write a Report

For personal reasons

 Guard against forgetfulness

 Keep track of what has been done

 Forms:

 Note
 Diary
 Journal
 Working paper
 Why Write a Report

For the 'technical family'

 For associates and colleagues

 For successors

 Students
 Members of the team
 Form:

 Journal, working paper

 Why Write a Report

For 'others' to follow

 Extended 'technical family‘

 Collaborators
 Funding agencies
 Regulating agencies
 Evaluators
 Form:

 Technical report
 Thesis
 Why Write a Report

For asserting credit

 Credit from peers, and from the extended community

 Form:

 Paper in a journal / conference

 Book / chapter in a book
 Upload on a website (e.g. arxiv.org)
 Release to the press
 Why Write a Report

For discussion and seminar

 In a formal setting

 For immediate consumption and discussion

 Form:

 Displays
 Posters
 Slides
 Types of Reports

 Technical Report

 Paper

 Journal

 Conference

 Slidesets (PowerPoint Presentation)

 Technical Report

 Very detailed

 Usually contains all details

 Usually no restriction on size

 Distributed and archived, locally

 Format, locally decided

 By host institute,
 Agency to which report is to be submitted
 Layout of Technical Report

A technical report should contain:

 Preliminary pages
 Title page, Acknowledgement, Table of Content, List of Tables
and Figures, Nomenclature, Abbreviation, Abstract
 Main Body
 Introduction, Literature Review, Background, Design &
Methodology, Results & Analysis, Discussions &
Recommendations, Summary / Conclusion, Future Scope
 End Body
 References / Bibliography, Appendix
Sample Table of Content
 List of Tables, List of Figures

 Each Table and Figure should be provided a detailed heading

 Table headings should be labeled as Table 1.1, Table 1.2 and so on if
they appear in Chapter 1
 Table headings should be center aligned and on top of the table
 Figure headings should be labeled as Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2 (or Fig.
1.1, Fig 1.2) and so on if they appear in Chapter 1
 Figure headings should be center aligned and on bottom of the
figure
 In the main body, table and / figure label should be mentioned
exactly similar to how it is mentioned in table and / figure heading
 For e.g. As shown in Figure 1.1 / As listed in Table 1.1
Sample List of Tables, List of Figures
Listing Figures and Tables in Main Body
 Nomenclature

 All symbols (and acronyms) used are listed in alphabetical order,

and case order
 Structured:
 English letters

 Greek letters

 Subscripts

 Superscripts

 Acronyms

 Each and every symbol and acronym should be listed

 Nomenclature reduces the clutter and length of the report
Sample Nomenclature
 The Abstract

 The Abstract is small – not exceeding a page (even shorter), max

500 words.

The Abstract normally includes:

 Motivation for the work

 Main objectives

 Methodology used

 Major findings / conclusions

 Arrangement

Arrangement inside a report is always structured in chapters

For e.g.:

Chapters (1, 2, ...)

Sections (3.1, 3.2, ...)

Subsections (3.2.1, 3.2.2, ...)

Sub-subsections (3.2.1.1, 3.2.2.1,….)

Paragraphs
 The Introduction Chapter

The Introduction chapter normally includes:

 Motivation

 Why? Applications? Expectations?

 Scope of the work

 Aim and Objectives

 Organisation of the report

 Brief explanation of what to expect in each chapter

 Other Chapters

 The Literature Review Chapter provides detailed review of

literature as well as critique pertaining to the subject. Also, Gap

Analysis is provided.
 The Background Chapter provides background information WRT

the subject.
 The Design and Methodology Chapter /s provides details pertaining

to the methodologies implemented. Also, Simulation and /

experiments are discussed in detail.
 Other Chapters

 The Results & Analysis Chapter discusses results and their

analysis in detail. Also, comparison with other published results
could be presented.
 If the research report is only a review report, Summary of the
same is presented in the Summary Chapter.
 If methodology is implemented, the research report includes
Conclusion Chapter, which provides details WRT important
conclusions derived from the research work.
 If not lengthy, the Future Work could be combined with the
Conclusion Chapter. Future Work provides details pertaining to
what could be done!
 References

 Complete set of references must be provided

 Each item must have been referred to in the report.

 A 'style' is used. This style varies locally.

 Each item must be complete – any reader should be able to locate it.
Sample References
 Paper

 Similar to a report in the content, but much shorter in size

 Length restricted
 No chapters, only sections

 Hardly any subsections

 Format strictly implemented

 Standardized for each journal / conference

 Paper

 No Table of Contents, List of Figures & /Tables

 Abstract is very small and crisp

 Introduction includes Background

 Literature Review is short and presented critically

 If not a review paper, methodology implemented is presented in detail

 No talk of future work

 Referencing style often different

Sample Paper
 Slidesets

 Purpose of slideset is presentation to an audience

 Slideset is based on a report or a paper

 Slideset is created specifically for a given audience

 Slideset is used as a prop by the speaker

 Slideset does not have much independent significance

 Slidesets

 Slideset is a collection of slides

 Slides are presented one at a time

 Slideset is accompanied by a commentary by the presenter

 While presenting, timing and pace is important

 Typically, 1 to 2 min per slide
 Keeping the audience involved is very important
 Present content in the form of dot points involving keywords
(no sentence!)
 Combination of figure and text would be a good idea!
Good vs Bad Slide
“In spite of all that has been stated above, one should always
keep in view the fact report writing is an art which is learnt
by practice and experience, rather than by mere education”