Technical Report

Writing
The 11 session
th
 The Session Schedule
• 1. Technical Report Writing
• a. making an outline
 An Example of an Outline
• The Kind of English Books I Enjoy Reading
• I. Fiction
• A. Historical novels
• B. Spy stories
• C. Love stories
• II. Nonfiction
• A. Biographies
• 1. Great inventors
• 2. Military heroes
• B. Science and space exploration
 Making an Outline
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Nature of the Outline
• 3. Forms of Outlines
• 4. Types of Outlines
• 5. Assembling the Outline
 Introduction
• - Definition:
• the plan for the organization and sequence of the
topics to be discussed in a report
• - An outline is:
• 1. more than a literary road map serving to keep the
writer on a logical track
• 2. a safeguard against repetition and omission
• 3. a guide to stratification of the subject matter
• - It makes writing faster and more reliable and gives
the report a degree of unity and coherence.
 Nature of the Outline
• An outline:
• 1. contains the basic structural elements of a
composition
• 2. is the skeleton of the report
• 3. shows the relationships between the various topics
in the report and their relationship to the broad over-
all subject
• 4. has headings which automatically provide the
elements for the table of contents in proper sequence
• 5. helps the writer to think analytically about the
subject
 Nature of the Outline
• 6. gives the report a logical organization which
facilitates the reader’s grasp of the subject and the
interrelations within the text.
• 7. has a mechanical structure which shows the level
of importance and equality or subordination of
topics in rank
 Forms of Outlines
• Two widely-used forms:
• 1. letter-number
• 2. decimal
• Letter-number form:
• - 1st-order items: capital Roman numerals (I,II,III,…)
• - 2nd- order items: capital letters (A, B, C, …)
• - 3rd-order items: Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, …)
• - 4th- order items: lower-case letters (a, b, c, …)
• - 5th-order items: small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, …)
• - 6th-order items: small letters in brackets (a), (b), …
• th
• I.
• A.
• 1.
• a.
• i.
• (a)
• ii.
• (a)
• b.
• i.
• (a)
• ii.
• (a)
• 2.
• a.
• i.
• (a)
• ii.
• (a)
• b.
• i.
• (a)
• ii.
• (a)
• B.
• II.
 Forms of Outlines
• Decimal form:
• - 1st-order items: whole numbers
• (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, …)
• - 2nd- order items: number + one decimal place
• (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, …)
• - 3rd-order items: number + two decimal places
• (1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, …)
• - 4th- order items: number + three decimal places
• (1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, …)
• - To prevent unwieldiness, subordination is seldom carried
beyond the fourth figure.
• - Some writers use hyphens instead of periods between the
• 1.0
• 1.1
• 1.1.1
• 1.1.1.1
• 1.1.1.2
• 1.1.2
• 1.1.2.1
• 1.1.2.2
• 1.2
• 1.2.1
• 1.2.1.1
• 1.2.1.2
• 1.2.2
• 1.2.2.1
• 1.2.2.2
 Forms of Outlines
• - In both forms, the coordination and subordination
of topics are indicated by the uniform system of
indentation.
 Types of Outlines
• - Three types of outline:
• 1. topical
• 2. word/phrase
• 3. sentence
 Topical Outline
• - It names the topics to be discussed but goes no further.
• I. Metals available
• A. Steel
• 1. Advantages
• 2. Disadvantages
• B. Aluminum
• 1. Advantages
• 2. Disadvantages
• II. Finishes available
• A. Baked enamel
• 1. Advantages
• 2. Disadvantages
• B. Air-dried Enamel
• 1. Advantages
 Word/Phrase Outline
• - Entries in the word/phrase outline give a single word or simple phrase, which is
sufficient to suggest to the writer what is to be said.
• I. Two metals available
• A. Steel
• 1. Strong
• 2. Heavy
• B. Aluminum
• 1. Lightweight
• 2. Soft
• II. Choice of two finishes
• A. Baked enamel
• 1. Permanent, chip-proof
• 2. Requires oven treatment
• B. Air-dried enamel
• 1. Simply applied
 Sentence Outline
• - Its entries give information in the form of a sentence (often the topic sentence
of a paragraph) and provide the first step of the actual writing.
• I. Two metals may be used in making control boxes.
• A. Steel is the first choice.
• 1. It is strong and rugged.
• 2. However, it also makes the box heavy and is hard to work.
• B. Aluminum is the second choice.
• 1. It is lightweight and easily worked.
• 2. However, it is soft and easily dented.
• II. Two paint finishes are available.
• A. Baked enamel is recommended by the sales dept.
• 1. This finish is tough and durable.
• 2. It is expensive because of the need for oven curing.
• B. Air-dried enamel is used on our present boxes.
• 1. It is easily sprayed on, and less expensive.
 Types of Outlines
• - Some outlines prepared for the writer’s exclusive
use contain elements of all three types.
• - The choice of the outline type depends on
individual demands and the writer’s preference.
• - topical outline: adequate when the report is
merely being mapped out.
• - word/phrase outline: useful when the writer
needs a hint but not an entire sentence.
• - sentence outline: necessary when the writer
wants to record an entire statement that can later
be expanded into a paragraph.
 Assembling the Outline
• - An outline may be the result of a first draft and
several revisions and it should be corrected and
altered as required.
• - Despite a writer’s effort to make the final form of
an outline before writing, he must be ready to
modify an outline as his writing progresses if he
discovers omissions, excesses, or the need for
rearrangement.
 Assembling the Outline
• The procedure of making an outline:
• 1. Careful reading of the pieces of collected material
• 2. Decision on the best sequence for presenting the
material in a report
• 3. Selection of the outline form
• 4. Selection of the outline type
• 5. Making the outline by fitting items of material into the
numbered or lettered compartments according to the type
• 6. Careful inspection of the completed outline and its
revision if necessary.
• - There is often need for a separate outline for each section
of the report as well as the entire report.