Introduction
The Technical Report is one of the types of documents that
most frequently needs to be produced in engineering work.
It is a job that is very frequently requested to young
engineers who join an organization to prepare. It is a job that normally closes
a process of obtaining information or analyzing and calculating a design.
If you are in the situation of having to prepare reports
relatively frequently and you do not have much experience with it or you have
difficulty starting them or you have doubts about how to present them or you
receive a lot of comments or criticism with the first versions, perhaps this
article can help you.
Drafting
A fundamental point in the preparation of texts - and every
document needs a text - is that they have an adequate wording. The text must be
understood in a single reading and without much effort. Ideas should be
expressed in sentences that are as simple as possible, without the need for
repetition or raising other doubts or questions.
Normally, technical and engineering schools do not have a
curriculum that has writing courses, with exceptions of course. This means that
young professionals who are new to preparing reports must spend some time
looking for reference reports to guide them and using set phrases, common
sentences that are sometimes not the most appropriate.
As a general recommendation, for recently graduated students
of technical or professional careers, it is recommended that they take a report
writing course, this can be part of the group of elective subjects at your
institution or you can get it in external institutions.
Here are some general recommendations when writing a
technical text:
1) After the first draft, put yourself in the shoes of the
reader who reads the report for the first time and is not aware of what it is
intended to demonstrate or investigate. Also, if the report is intended for
non-technical personnel, it should be revised to use language that can be
understood by them.
2) Avoid the need for clarifications such as: "that is
to say that"; or "in other words." If after a sentence, phrase,
or paragraph you need to complete with "that is to say that" or
"in other words" you should revise the sentence or paragraph so that
it is understandable without the need for additional clarification.
3) Use simple sentences. Avoid very long or complex
sentences or linked sentences for which the reader needs to reread to make sure
where the subject, verb and predicate are.
4) Avoid the use of very technical terms that could not be
known for the public, except they are common for the people to whom the report
is addressed. At the end in a glossary, the term can be explained.
5) When in doubt between using commas or stops to separate
sentences and phrases, prefer to use simple stop sign. The important thing in a report is that the
ideas be understood and for this it is best to separate the sentences with a point.
If you try to explain a different idea below, use a full stop.
6) When options, categories or classes of things that are
going to be discussed or explained are listed, they are separated with a
semicolon. At the end of the list, a full stop is used.
7) Have a dictionary handy. It is always good to look for
synonyms so as not to repeat words, especially if you have spelling problems.
Now with the use of programs with automatic correction, make sure that the
automatic correction is not disabled. Even when it has an automatic corrector,
it may not have a complete dictionary of words, therefore, the revision of the
text must always be done to ensure that the text is correct.
Structure
Before starting the writing, it is necessary to define with
which structure you are going to work. This is defined in an index. If the
organization for which the report is produced has a typical reporting structure
make sure you have it before you begin. It is very inconvenient to have to
adapt a text to a different structure once finished, even if it is in draft.
Essential points of the Structure of a report:
a) Objective. Every report must have a goal. It should be
well explained but it is not convenient for it to be a very broad text.
Ideally, it should be explained in a paragraph or two.
b) Conclusions. Every report must have one or more
conclusions if it is the case. They must be explained completely and without
giving rise to doubts. In most technical reports the point
"Conclusion" or "Conclusions" is placed at the end of the
report, except in the following case.
b) Conclusions. Every report must have one or more conclusions
if it is the case. They must be explained completely and without giving rise to
doubts. In most technical reports the point "Conclusion" or
"Conclusions" is placed at the end of the report, except in the
following case.
c) Executive Summary. If the report is addressed to a Board
of Directors or to one or more executives who need to make an economic decision
as a result of the conclusions obtained, the conclusion (s) should go to the
beginning of the report, normally with the title of "executive summary"
this with the Indication to the executive that this is the point that defines
the conclusion he needs without having to read the entire report.
Complementary points normally included in the Structure of a report:
a) Methodology. This segment explains the methods used by
the author or authors for the calculation processes, measurement processes,
sample collection, component analysis, observation, etc. These methods must not
be invented but must be established by recognized technical standards or texts.
b) Standards. It should be clearly stated which standards
are being used for the report work, if applicable.
c) Calculations. The calculations must be very well
explained, helping to reference tables and graphs in the annexes section so as
not to complicate the text. It is important to remember to glossary the
information of the variables and the units used.
d) Description. If required, the description of the work
done is written in order to give a full explanation of the report.
e) Annexes. This section includes other documents to which
reference has been made, including images such as photographs, drawings,
diagrams, copies of standards, copies of tables, etc., all of which have been
referred to in the main text. It is important that there is an annex index and
that each annex element is identified in that index.
Form
Organizations usually have templates or formats for
documents such as reports. If a standard or format is not available, make sure
to use a format that is as simple and straightforward as possible.
For more information, you can write to the following email
addresses,
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