An Example Report Written in the ANSI/NISO Z39.18-1995 Standard

Formatby

Robert A. Paz

An Example Report Written in the ANSI/NISO Z39.18-1995 Standard Format

Robert A. PazKlipsch School of Electrical and Computer EngineeringNew Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, NM

Prepared forEngineering Students

8/8/2005

Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer EngineeringNew Mexico State UniversityBox 30001, MSC 3-OLas Cruces, NM 88003-8001

ABSTRACT

Writing a project report, like any technical report, requires more than just scribbling down a few paragraphs and tacking on a graph and a program listing. The report requires that attention be given to the format as well as the content. Good structure and organization is needed. Thorough discussion of difficult or important points is vital. Explanation of results is critical. Only when these things are included will the report communicate effectively.

I know of no person so perfectly disagreeable and even dangerous as an author.–William IV

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................21.1 Statement of the Subject......................................................................................21.2 Purpose................................................................................................................21.3 Scope...................................................................................................................21.4 Topic Development..............................................................................................21.5 Intended Audience...............................................................................................2

2 METHODS, ASSUMPTIONS, AND PROCEDURES..................................................32.1 Investigation Procedure.......................................................................................3

2.1.1 The Introduction............................................................................................32.1.2 The Body of the Paper..................................................................................3

2.2 System of Measurement......................................................................................42.2.1 Formatting Components................................................................................4

2.3 Investigation Instruments or Apparatus................................................................62.3.1 Technical Paper Equivalents of Instruments.................................................6

2.4 Precision of Instruments......................................................................................63 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...................................................................................7

3.1 Analysis of Plots, Charts and Figures..................................................................74 CONCLUSIONS.........................................................................................................85 REFERENCES...........................................................................................................96 APPENDICES..........................................................................................................107 LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND ACRONYMS....................................118 WRITTEN REPORT EVALUATION..........................................................................12

ii

List of Figures

No. Title page

1 The Step Response of a Linear System 8

iii

List of Tables

No. Title page

1 Report Elements 11

iv

SUMMARY

Scientific and technical reports convey the results of basic or applied research and support decisions based on those results. A report includes all of the essential information necessary for interpreting, applying, and reproducing the results or techniques of an experiment or investigation. The primary purposes of such a report are to communicate and pass on the results of scientific and technical research and to recommend any appropriate actions.

Thus, the task of writing a report is an important skill to learn. The following description of a technical report contains all the essential components of an actual technical report. It is written in the basic format of a technical report. It is written in the style of a technical report. It is thus intended to serve as an exemplar of a technical report–except that no actual, technical content is contained here.

1

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the Subject

The purpose of reports in engineering courses is to enhance the technical writing skills of the student. It is not intended to be a punishment for mortal sins, even if it feels like it. Good communication skills are essential in an engineer's career, and too many students exit without having really exercised them. The goal of good writing is communication. Since many engineering problems are of an abstract nature, clear communication is essential to convey the ideas.

1.2 PurposeThe report criteria considered here reflects the importance of various parts of the report. They are not intended to be the outline of your report. All reports should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. These should be part of your outline, but the body, for example, should not be called “Body”, “The Body” etc. The project itself will usually have various parts that furnish the sections needed in the body of the report.

1.3 ScopeThis paper describes a typical report that may be written for a project at the undergraduate or graduate levels. The basics for both reports are the same. This paper does not cover all possible styles of technical reports, nor does it cover literary aspects of reports. Grammar, style or composition are not specifically delved into. What is covered are the overall “bare-bones” essentials of the report.

1.4 Topic DevelopmentIn this report, we discuss the various components of a paper. Section 2 describes all the important components for readable papers. It discusses the Introduction of a paper. Since a good introduction is so vital to a report, it is given high emphasis. Section 2 also presents formatting properties of a good report, as well as the various parts of the Body of a report (here referred to as Methods, Assumptions and Procedures). Since each report will be on a different topic, these criteria will be general in nature, applying to all sections of the body. In Section 3 the results of the investigation and a discussion of their relevance is made. In Section 4, the conclusion is discussed. The conclusion provides “closure.” Since it ties all the loose ends together, a good conclusion is important. Sections 5-7 discuss the remaining items that are important to the overall completeness of the paper.

1.5 Intended AudienceAll communication has an intended audience. In an engineering firm, the audience may be your boss, the head design engineer, etc. It may be helpful in writing the report in an

2

engineering course, to picture an engineering supervisor having handed the project to you, and you must report your findings.

2 METHODS, ASSUMPTIONS, AND PROCEDURES

2.1 Investigation ProcedureIn a general report, each part of the project may require a different approach. It may require the use of MATLAB, simulations, hand calculation, circuit design and implementation, C language programming, or analytical derivation. Whatever the case, a careful explanation should be given. What new features are being applied in the process of fulfilling the requirements of the project? Discuss any problems encountered and alternate approaches needed. This section should explain exactly what the experiment should produce.

In Appendix A, a Table of the Basic Elements of a report in the ANSI format are included for Completeness.

Where does one begin to describe how the project came to be? This is the subject of this section. In this paper, it begins with a Discussion of the Introduction and the Body.

2.1.1 The IntroductionThe introduction should be a one to two page summary of the entire paper. The introduction should include all the essential information of the paper. The first paragraph of the introduction should capture the reader's attention. The introduction should introduce the problem or project to be solved, including motivation for the project's goals. The purpose of the introduction is to provide a brief, but fairly complete description of the entire project. For the purposes of engineering reports, the introduction should be no longer than two pages, and preferably be one page.

The introduction should explain the structure of the paper, and thus should mention each part of the project. In discussing each part of the project, a brief explanation should be given. For each part, a summary of the approach taken is needed. If some new features of a C program, for example, are included in this project a description should be given. Some sections may have new results, some may not. For those sections that have new results, a summary should be given of the results.

2.1.2 The Body of the PaperThe body of the report contains the meat. The introduction is the top part of the bun, the conclusion is the bottom part, but the body is the burger. As such it should be the longest. In general, each project will have several parts. These parts must fit together in the body of the report. The text should flow in a logical form, with no unnecessary

breaks. Pictures, tables, flowcharts, program code and other inclusions in the report that take up a lot of space and interrupt the flow of the report should be placed in an Appendix. If they are small enough, they may be included in the Body. Equations should be word processed if possible.

2.2 System of Measurement

2.2.1 Formatting ComponentsFormatting is a necessary evil. Since good communication depends not only on what is said, but how it is said, this cannot be overlooked. These format components are helpful in finding things in the report. It is good to get into the habit of including all of these into any written work.

Title PageThe title page may have many purposes. The title page should obviously state the title. The writer may also wish to use it to grab the attention of the reader. The Title Page should not be numbered. The title page may contain the Abstract.

AbstractThe abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the whole report. It is intended to capture the basic message of the report, and is often written to be readable to someone not in the field. It may be included on the Title Page, or a page of its own. It should be included before the Table of Contents, and not listed there.

Table of ContentsThe table of contents should appear before the numbered pages and not be counted among them. All the sections and any subsections should be listed along with the (correct) page numbers.

Page NumbersPages should be numbered consecutively, with numbers located placed in the upper right, lower right, or lower middle of the page. They may be included in a header or a footer. The Introduction should begin on page 1. Any pages that appear before page 1 may be numbered with lower case Roman numerals. (The Title Page would be page i if it were numbered - which it is not) All additional pages or appendices should also be numbered consecutively following the main text.

Graph, Figure and Flowchart NumbersMost reports will require some illustrations. Illustrations are helpful since "a picture is worth a thousand words." Including illustrations in a document, however, is tricky. Modern word processing has facilitated this somewhat. Pictures are only useful in the proper context. A copy of the Mona Lisa may not be needed, for example in any of the reports. Indeed, unnecessary pictures clutter a report. Too few pictures, on the other hand, make the communication much more challenging. The figures must be reachable.

Numbers must be provided to quickly identify the figure. Each should have a unique number. A caption may be included along with the figure number.

OrganizationThe organization of the report is very important. A well-organized paper is easy to read because the reader doesn't have to flip back and forth to find the desired information. A well-organized paper can be read straight through. Each part should flow smoothly into the next part. Parts of the report are broken up into logical sections. Data, charts, graphs and program listings that are cumbersome are placed in appendices. Small pictures, or figures are placed near the place in the text where they are referenced. Important equations are numbered for easy reference. Descriptive titles and subtitles are chosen and placed in the proper places.

AppearanceThe report should be word-processed. Equations may be hand-written, but it is preferable that they be typed. Some word processors (Word Perfect, MS Word, Ami-Pro, etc.) have built-in equation editors. Departmental computer labs have such capability, and there are other computers accessible on campus that also do. For example, if we wished to examine the Laplace transform of a signal, we could include the basic formula for the Laplace transform

U s( )= u t( )e−stdt0

∞

∫for the signal u t( ) . It is customary to have the equation number to the right of the equation. Sometimes a longer derivation is used. For example, if the signal u t( ) is a unit step function, i.e., u t( )=0 , for t < 0 , and u t( )=1 for t ≥0 , then we can compute the Laplace transform as

U s( )= 1( )e−stdt0

∞

∫ =e−st

−s0

∞

=0 −e−0

−s=

1s

where we have assumed the region of convergence Re s( ) > 0 . Note in this case the entire derivation has its own equation number. It is also useful at times to label individual lines in a derivation if a certain intermediate step is to be referred to.

Graphics should be crisp and well defined. If possible, bold or larger type should be used to set off titles or subtitles. Margins should be one inch all around except possibly when headers or footers are used. This includes program listings. Use 12 point fonts if possible for the main text, with at least 1 1/2 line spacing (double spacing is fine). Margins may be justified if desired, but this is not necessary.

Clarity of PresentationThe writing should be in good English. Care should be taken to use proper spelling and grammar. Some computer programs have built-in spelling and grammar checkers (e.g. MS Word, Word Perfect, etc.). All pertinent issues in the project should be addressed

thoroughly. Being too wordy is not helpful. Concise statements are often more readable than verbose. Plain vocabulary is often more expressive than flowery language.

2.3 Investigation Instruments or ApparatusIf there are physical instruments, such as oscilloscopes, D/A and A/D converters, function generators, spectrum analyzers etc., it is important that the reader of the report be able to understand enough about the equipment to repeat the experiments.

2.3.1 Technical Paper Equivalents of Instruments

Theoretical DerivationsNot all projects or parts of projects have theoretical derivations. If they do, step-by-step derivations should be given. Assumptions should be clearly stated. The properties used in the derivation should be given. Figures may be necessary to explain the result. The derivation should be self-explanatory.

Software DocumentationThe report should contain a "user's manual" for whatever software is written for the project. This should include a well-commented source code listing, and flow charts. User instructions for executing the program should be given, along with the input requirements (e.g., parameters, file names, data types, etc.) Any special techniques that were used in the programs should be explained. Long software codes should not be included here, but put into the Appendices. However, any special coding instructions, flow charts or other unique aspects of the code should go here.

2.4 Precision of InstrumentsIf actual measuring instruments are to be used in the report, the precision of them should be included. This will aid in determining the overall effectiveness of the experiment’s results. The used of significant digits based on the precision of the devices should be employed. The measurement tolerance may also be expressed in plots using error bars.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Analysis of Plots, Charts and Figures

Projects will usually generate data that may be "visualized" in graphical form. Care should be chosen to include plots that clearly represent the data and the results of the project. Each figure should be referred to in detail, with salient portions thoroughly discussed. No figure should be included without an accompanying explanation.

For example, Figure 1 shows a plot of a step response of a given system. From this plot we see that the settling time is approximately 7.5 seconds with 30% overshoot. This response is not particularly astounding, but it must be compared with the design specifications to see if it is truly an acceptable response. Labeled axes are important in a plot, and gridlines can be useful in providing visual clues to the plot.

Figure 1: The Step Response of a Linear System

Explanation of ResultsThis is the "punch-line" of the paper. How did it turn out? Was it as expected? Did it turn out according to the theory? What were the sources of error? Were the results repeatable? Do not understate the significance of the results. After reading this section, the reader should know exactly what happened and why. If this is not clear, then the entire paper has been in vain.

4 CONCLUSIONSThe conclusion of the paper is the part of the paper that fills in any blanks left over. It should tie together any loose ends. It should summarize all that took place in the body. There should be a brief, general restatement of the goals of the project. There should be a restatement of the approach taken. There should be a restatement of the results and their relevance. The conclusion should also extrapolate to other possible applications for the technology employed in this project.

Writing a paper is not as simple as reading it. Planning and foresight must go into it in order for good communication to take place. The factors of Format, Organization, and Analytical Discussion each have their contribution. Following the principles of this paper will enable the writer to have a good start in preparing a technical report. It should be noticed that the principles that are described in this handout are also applied. Each of the points has been followed in order to provide the reader help in understanding each point. These principles would also be a good basis for more advanced writings such as theses, technical reports or conference papers.

5 REFERENCESSome General References for Technical writing are:[1] Eisenberg, A. (1998), A Beginner's Guide to Technical Communication, Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.[2] Findelstein, L. Jr. (2000), Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.[3] (1993) The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.[4] Swanson, E. (1979), Mathematics into Type: Copyediting and Proofreading of Mathematics for Editorial Assistants and Authors. Rev. ed. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society.[5] (1984) U.S. Government Printing Office. Style Manual. Rev. ed. GPO S/N 2100-0068. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1984.

The folks at ANSI have put out a slew of standards relating to technical documents:[6] ANSI Z39.4-1984, Basic Criteria for Indexes[7] ANSI Z39.14-1979 (R1986), Writing Abstracts[8] ANSI/NISO Z39.23-1990, Standard Technical Report Number (STRN) Format and Creation[9] ANSI Z39.29-1977, Bibliographic References[10] ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992, Permanence of Paper for Printed Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives[11] ANSI/NISO Z39.72-199X, Format for Submission of Data for Multimedia CD-ROM Mastering (draft standard)[12] ANSI/IEEE 268-1982 (R1992), Metric Practice[13] NISO/ANSI/ISO 9660, Volume and File Structure of CD-ROM for Information Exchange[14] NISO/ANSI/ISO 12083, Electronic Manuscript Preparation and Markup

And finally, the source of that unusual quote:[15], Ziegler, P (1971), Quoting William IV in, King William IV, New York: Harper & Row

6 APPENDICES

7 LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND ACRONYMS

For specialized reports, various math notations, abbreviations of concepts or phrases and any acronyms are to be included here.

8 WRITTEN REPORT EVALUATION

Student/Team:

Logistics (40 points)

SuggestedPoint

Values CriteriaPoints Earned

(5) Spelling, punctuation and grammar

(5) Appearance of report: font, margins, page numbering

(5) Writing is concise and clear

(5) Length of Report

(5) Figures, graphs and tables labeled

(5) Figures, graphs and tables explained in the document

(10) All appropriate parts are present: Title page, abstract, table

of contents, list of symbols and acronyms, appendices etc.

Informational Content (60 points)

SuggestedPoint

Values CriteriaPoints Earned

(5) Project summary/ abstract

(10) Introduction: Description of problem, requirements,

specifications, assumptions

(20) Methods/Procedures: System design, construction and

testing. Appropriate information contained in the appendices

(10) Results/Discussion: Analyze and interpret the data, tests.

(10) Conclusion/Recommendations

(5) References: Complete