Written Communication

While there are generally accepted principles of effective written

technical communications, there is considerable variation in style from
one company to another. We will present a guideline that may be
useful.

The preparation of a report can be accomplished in four separate

steps. First, the material should be studied until you are sure that you
know what you have to tell and that your data adequate. Next the
report must be designed to accomplish the desired objective; working
from a thesis sentence, you should develop a strong structural plan.
The third step is writing, which should not be started until the design is
complete. Once you start to write, emphasize production and leave
criticism of your work until later. Finally, check the rough draft to see
that it does what it was supposed to do and that it meets high
standards of composition.

Procedure in Writing a Report:

· Study the material.
· Design the report.
· Write the rough draft.
· Check the report.

Reports generally will have the following divisions or sections:

1. Appropriate cover page

2. Abstract
3. Table of contents
4. Body
5. Conclusions and recommendations
6. Appendixes
7. References

Abstract. A brief paragraph indicating the purpose and results of the

effort being reported, the abstract is used primarily for archiving so
that others can quickly decide if they want to obtain the complete
report.

Table of contents. The table of contents should list the headings and
major subheadings and the pages on which they appear. Do not
include anything which appears before the table of contents or the
table itself. List the titles and page numbers of all appendices. Include
a separate list of figures and list of tables.

Body. This is the principle section of the report. It begins with an

introduction to activities, including problem identification, background
material, and the plan for attacking and solving the problem. If tests
were conducted, research completed, and surveys undertaken, the
results are recounted and their significance is underscored. In essence,
the body of the report is the description of the individual or team effort
on a project.

Conclusions and recommendations. This section tells why the study

was done and explains the purpose of the report. Herein you explain
what you now believe to be true as a result of the work discussed in
the body and what you recommend should be done about it. You must
lay the groundwork earlier in the report, and at this point you must sell
your idea. If you have done the job carefully and fully, you may make a
sale; but do not be discouraged if you do not. There will be other days
and other projects.

Appendixes. Appendixes can be used to avoid interrupting your

descriptions so that it can flow more smoothly. Those who do not want
to know everything about your study can read it without digression.
What is in the appendix completes the story by showing all that was
done. But it should not contain information that is essential to one’s
understanding of the report.

It should be emphasized that all reports do not follow a specific format.

For example, lengthy reports should have a summary section placed
near the beginning. This one- or two-page section should include a
brief statement of the problem, the proposed solution, the anticipated
costs, and the benefits. The summary is for the use of higher-level
management who in general do not have the time to read your entire
report.

In many instances your instructor or supervisor will have specific

requirements for a report. Each report is designed to accomplish a
specific goal.

References. The reference section contains a list of all reports, articles,

and books that were alluded to in the main body of the report or in the
appendices. Indicate the reference in the body of the report by placing
a number in square brackets immediately after the phrase or fact.
Number the references sequentially and list all references in numerical
order at the back of the report. In that listing, include the author’s
name, the document title and identification details.

1. Harrington, R. F., Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields, McGraw-

Hill,
Piscataway, New Jersey, 1961, p.316-325.
2. Haupt, R. L., “Thinned arrays using genetic algorithms”, IEEE
Transaction on Antennas and Propagation, July 1994, AP-42, no.7,
pp.993-999.

Pagination and captions. All pages should be numbered except for the
title page. All figures and tables must be assigned a number and
caption. Figure numbers and captions appear at the bottom of the
figure. Table numbers and captions appear at the top of the table.