Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
As a student in Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology, you will find that writing descriptive material is an essential part of your professional activity.
You will be writing material for people at all levels in a project, so preparing a report on your vocational employment is an opportunity to develop your writing skills.
Here are some tips to get you started.
- Keep a diary
- Preparing the report
- Writing the first draft
- Appraising what you have written
- The final version
- Style
Keep a diary
Note the names of people with whom you are dealing and other points of interest. Keep a photographic record of sites and equipment.
Preparing the report
Make a list of topics, using your diary entries. Write all your material under each topic heading, putting in all relevant information. At this stage you are simply gathering all the available information.
Writing the first draft
Read your material thoroughly and assess the importance of each topic and its logical position in the essay. Think about combining sections, or moving some material to different areas of the report.
Appraising what you have written
Go through the report paragraph by paragraph. Ask yourself, βIs the report easy to read and understand?β It is a good idea to read sentences aloud β if you struggle with a sentence, then it probably needs changing.
Consider whether diagrams, charts or images will add clarity and value as the third draft must include complete descriptions and appropriate conclusions.
Constantly check for spelling and grammatical errors. Read every word yourself and make corrections. This proof-ready of the third draft is absolutely essential.
The final version
Your report should be orderly with points following in strict sequence. Headings allow the reader to ascertain the facts as quickly as possible.
The essential parts of a report are:
Summary, synopsis or abstract
- Introduction
- Text with headings and sub-headings
- Conclusions
And where required
- Table of contents
- Acknowledgements
- References or Bibliography
- Appendices
Synopsis: Should be written when the rest of the report is complete. It should be brief (fewer than 300 words) but able to stand alone as report of the experience.
Introduction: Describes events leading up to the vacational employment and your reasons for accepting it.
Text: Contains all the relevant material. Headings and sub-headings can make it easier on the eye.
Conclusions: Should relate directly to the introduction where you wrote about your expectations. They should also be referenced in the synopsis.
Table of contents: Necessary only where a report runs to several pages.
Acknowledgements: Should thank people who have helped beyond their normal call of duty.
References: Should be included only if there is something to be gained from reading them. Views other than your own should be acknowledged in this manner.
Bibliography: General reading matter. Details for such material are:
(a) Articles - Author, title of paper, journal, volume, year, page numbers.
(b) Books - Author, title of book, publisher, year.
Appendices: Sections at the end of the report which would break up the main theme if included in the text. In your vacational employment report, these may include descriptions of interesting procedures or processes observed on site. Appendices are numbered and each is concerned with only one topic.
Style
A report should be long enough to cover the subject in an interesting manner. Consider restricting it to 2000 words. It should be double-spaced on A4 paper.
The convention in engineering literature is to omit the personal pronoun. If you refer to yourself say 'the writer believes...'
Submission Reports (with appended Certificate(s) of Work Performed) must be submitted to your School no later than the last day of the teaching week of the semester in which you are enrolled. If you are applying for the EGA Prize a copy of your report also needs to be submitted to the Faculty office.
Keep a copy of your report.
