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AERO2248
Topic 8: Report writing
(Engineers Writing Better)
• By now:
– Finalised group contract and selected design area.
– Explored existing solutions associated with design area.
– Developed multiple design ideas to address the design area.
• By the end of the week:
– Continue to develop different design ideas, ensuring that these ideas are
aligned with community needs.
– Develop ethics presentations (due next week)
Information
gathering
Design context
Supplements
• References
• Appendices
• Title page
–Include: title, authors,
affiliations, date
–University reports: School,
Course name and code,
Report title, Author(s) ,
student number(s), name of
tutor/supervisor, date of
submission
• Table of contents
http://www.theemployable.com/wp- –List of sections and page
content/uploads/2014/11/writing-
contents.jpg numbers
• List of abbreviations and
acronyms
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/NZ
Provide only relevant _Landscape_from_the_van.jpg
background information.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/L
ifejacket_Instructions.jpg
• What happened?
–What was found?
–What was not found?
• No interpretation at this stage!
Just the facts!
• Units of measurement
• Results in tables and figures
should be described in the text https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Semantic
_MediaWiki_result_format.png
• References
–Harvard style as per library
guidelines
–Reference list (don’t forget
you also need in-text citations)
–Sometimes included in a page https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
/ word limit commons/d/d2/Reflinks_screenshot_1
_bare_URL_reference.png
• Appendices
–Supporting material
–Not normally included in a
page / word limit
• Do I need one?
• Clean and simple, clear and brief
–Avoid presenting too much
–Remove unnecessary data
• Limit lines
–Start with no lines, then add to distinguish
• Define data in headings
–One line description best, with accurate and complete labels
• Order data meaningfully
• Significant figures
• Include a Caption above the table
“Less is more”
RMIT University©2017 School of Engineering 24
Technical reports –Tables
Bad
Better
Even better
“Less is more”
RMIT University©2017 School of Engineering 28
Technical reports – Figures (Graphs)
• Units of measurement
• Use linearity
• Eliminate items which do not assist in communicating meaning
–e.g. “Series 1”
• Avoid distortions / perspective changes
–3D plots are excellent at distorting data!
“Less is more”
RMIT University©2017 School of Engineering 29
Technical reports – Figures (Graphs)
http://www.hacaustralia.com/carbonsignal/wp-content/uploads/Australian-2020-MACC.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Projected_global_
primary_electricity_consumption_by_source,_over_the_21st_century,_
for_a_climate_change_mitigation_scenario.png
Electricity
Transportation
Industry
Commercial and
residential
Agriculture
Electricity 32%
Transportation 28%
Industry 20%
Agriculture 10%
Figure 10. US. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2012. The
highest contributing sector is electricity generation (32%)
• Formal language
×
Gone up Increased
Looked up Observed
Builds up Accumulates
• Avoid contractions
.
×
Won’t Will not
Don’t Do not
• Peta (P)
• Tera (T)
• Giga (G)
• Mega (M)
• kilo (k)
-----------
• Milli (m)
• micro ()
• Nano (n)
Convert first
600
500
400
Temperature
300
(K)
200
100
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time (ks)
200
150
Temperature
( C)
100
50
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Time (mins)
• Force
• Pressure
• Voltage
• Work
• Temperature
etc.
http://www.spe.org/authors/docs/metric_standard.pdf
SI or SI-derived?
SI or SI-derived?
SI or SI-derived?
SI or SI-derived?
SI or SI-derived?
• Prescribed textbook
– McCahan et al., pp. 318-359
• Lynda.com (via RMIT library)
– Useful for tips on how to use MS Word & heaps more!
• http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/index.xml
• http://www.dailywritingtips.com/
• RMIT’s English Ready centre:
• RMIT’s Study KnowHow programs
• 'Elements of engineering analysis' 2013 in Kosky, Philip and Balmer, Robert
and Keat, William and Wise, George, Exploring engineering : an introduction to
engineering and design, 3rd edition, Academic Press/Elsevier, Burlington, Mass.,
pp. 21-49.
• https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/toolbox/Laboratory/laboratory/studynotes/SN-
SigniFigrsInCalcltns.htm
Information
gathering
• Executive summary
Design context
• Problem statement: a summary of
the information gathered, design
context, identification of unknown
and known information and selection
EWB Design Challenge of design area/project
- Progress presentation • Preliminary design ideas, including
- Draft report how these address the design
requirements
• Future work
• Report writing
– Consistent and logical structure is critical
– Start drafting your EWB progress reports now!
• Units
– Critical to communicating data
http://pixabay.com/p-295109/?no_redirect
• Position of trust
• Duty of care above a typical person
• Helps define what could be considered as ethical / non-ethical conduct
1.Demonstrate Integrity
2.Practise Competently
3.Exercise Leadership
4.Promote Sustainability
http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ethics
2. Practise Competently
• practise within areas of competence
• neither falsify nor misrepresent qualifications, grades of membership,
experience or prior responsibilities
• practise in accordance with legal and statutory requirements, and with the
commonly accepted standards of the day
• inform employers or clients if a task requires qualifications and experience
outside your areas of competence
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Blackstrapmolasses.JPG
1.Leave the cracks as they are, but only fill the tank a little bit
– Reduces the hoop stress, so slower crack growth
2.Paint over the cracks with brown paint (the same colour as the molasses)
3.Drain the tanks immediately, repair the cracks, recommission
4.Drain the tanks, work out why they cracked, then decide what to do next
• Ford Pinto
• Design flaw
– Rear-end collisions:
– Fuel tank rupture
– Death/injury to occupants
Options:
• Recall all cars and fix the problem
• Continue with known design flaw, https://upload.wikimedia.or
g/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/
Ford_Pinto.jpg
and then pay the costs
• There was a person named Alex. Alex really loves Casey. Casey lives across the river
from Alex. Crocodile River, which separates Alex from Casey is teeming with man-
eating crocs. Alex wants to cross the river to be with Casey. Unable to make the
crossing without a boat, Alex asks Hayley (a friend) to provide transportation across the
river. Hayley agrees but tells Alex in exchange, they have to spend the night together.
Alex declines and goes to Jesse, a friend of Hayley’s for advise. Jesse does not want
to get involved. Alex, feeling that there is no option returns to Hayley, and they sleep
together. As promised Hayley takes Alex across the river.
• Alex is later reunited with Casey and both are very happy. Alex tells Casey how Hayley
helped with crossing the river. Casey remembers that Hayley does nothing for free.
When Casey asks how Alex convinced Hayley to provide the transportation, Alex tells
Casey about the agreement. Casey leaves Alex for good. Alex then befriends Kelly,
who learns about Casey. Kelly, feeling compassion for Alex, brutally assaults Casey.
Alex is overjoyed about seeing Casey being punished.
• Reporting of wrongdoing
– Malpractice (e.g. someone acting
outside of an area of their
expertise)
– Corruption
– Fraud / falsification
• Typically involves disclosure of
privileged information
• Not limited to area of expertise
The
important
stuff!
Is this
optional?
• How?
–Depends on the standard;
–Can be in-house
–Often done by a testing body:
– e.g. ALS Industrial, Bureau Veritas etc.
– Testing body often certified to carry out certain tests by the
National Association of Testing Authorities
• Design constraint
–Must comply to standard (hard constraint)
–Should comply to standard (soft constraint)
• Ethics
– What is considered “right” can change
– Guidelines allow for consistent application
• Liability
– Make sure you understand what is needed
• Standards
– Progress presentation, Progress report & Final report
• Tutorial:
– Referencing workshop
– Bring a laptop/tablet or printout the RMIT Harvard referencing guide
• Assessment task due:
– None