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Before you start… some tips on document formatting
using Word
Technical reports need to be formatted and organized to allow for easy document navigation. Thus it is important to include numbered sections and subsections as well as a Table of Contents (TOC) in every formal report you write.
To generate an automatic TOC, you need to apply heading styles (found under the Home tab) to format appropriate text in the body of the report as a heading.
o Apply Heading 1 style to each main section (chapter) in the report, and a Heading 2 or 3 style to the various sub-sections within the report.
o To add the TOC, go to References tab>Table of Contents.
Once added, the TOC can be updated to reflect changes made by the author by clicking on the table and selecting Update Table > Update entire table. New headings should now appear in the TOC.
The front matter sections (i.e. Letter of Transmittal, Summary, TOC, Introduction) and back matter sections (Conclusions, Recommendations, Reference list, Appendices) of a formal technical report should always start and stay at the beginning of a new page.
To do this, insert a section break at the end of each of these sections, as follows:
Page Layout>Breaks>Next Page.
By doing this, each section you add after the break starts on a new page, regardless of how many times you modify the content of the report.
To reveal any formatting that has been added to your document, select the ¶ button, located in the paragraph group on the Home tab.
Title of report
Submitted to: [add professor’s name, department, company etc.] Memorial University of Newfoundland
Submitted by: Student Name [add any other relevant identifying info]
Date Submitted
ii
Table of Contents
Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ i
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ iv
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
2 [Title of first big section (chapter) of the report body]......................................................................... 2
2.1 Sample chapter outline ................................................................................................................. 2
3 [Title of second major chapter of the report body] .............................................................................. 3
4 Other considerations to keep in mind throughout your report ........................................................... 3
Adding figures and tables, sketches and other illustrations to your documents. .................................... 3 Adding equations in your report............................................................................................................... 5
5 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 6
6 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 7
References .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Adding citations and a reference list ........................................................................................................ 8
Appendix A: [Title of First Appendix] ............................................................................................................ 9
iii
List of Figures
This section is sometimes omitted when reports are short and figures are easily found using the table of contents or by browsing. If you have a large number of figures, you should consider adding this list.
Figure 1: Wind turbine array ........................................................................................................................ 4
If there is a citation in a caption (e.g., [1], [2], Janes (2010), etc.), the citation appears in the list of figures generated by Word. Remove the citation by manually highlighting and deleting it.
1 Introduction
The introduction is usually the first numbered section in your report and begins on page 1. The pages of front matter that come before it should be page numbered using Roman numerals.
The purpose of the introduction is to provide the reader with all the necessary background information to properly understand the report. It introduces the subject, describes the circumstances leading up to the decision to prepare a report on the subject, and presents the reason(s) the work was undertaken, along with an explanation of any important limitations.
Three main components need to be included in the introduction:
The background , which describes the events leading up to the existing situation, what work has been done on the subject previously and by whom, and why the study or project is necessary. The purpose defines what the study or project (or report) is to achieve, who authorized it and the specific terms of reference. Objectives may also be described. The scope outlines any limitations imposed on the project and states who imposed them. Thing such as cost, time, equipment, depth and extent of study methods, and factors to be included or omitted, need to be mentioned, as appropriate. Remember that a statement of scope, separate from the introduction, should not be included unless there is a specific need for it. The scope of the report may also be given in the letter of transmittal and the summary of the report. Remember, an introduction does not include any results, outcomes, conclusions or recommendations.
2 [Title of first big section (chapter) of the report body]
The body of the report starts here. Each new chapter should start on a new page and should include a descriptive title that captures what the chapter is about.
Before you start writing, plan your content and create an outline.
The outline should consist of a list of all the main topics (main sections) and sub-topics (sub- sections) required to achieve your overall purpose for writing, as described in the introduction.
Each subsection is a sub-topic that contains information about the main chapter topic.
The number of sections and subsections in your report is highly variable and depends on the nature, depth and breadth of the material presented in your report.
As explained under the Table of Contents section, be sure to apply appropriate formatting to your section and subsection headings.
2.1 Sample chapter outline
This sample shows the main section and subsection outline for a report about the use of metal coatings in industrial applications.
Chapter 2: Industrial Powder Coatings
2.1 Surface Preparation
2.2 Methods of Applying Powder Coatings
2.3 Electrostatic Spray
2.4 Curing
2.5 Advantage & Disadvantages of Powder Coatings
Figure 1: Wind turbine array in Ramea, NL [1]
Make sure that captions are written concisely yet clearly explain what the figure/table represents. Be sure to explain the figure or table content within the body of the report.
When adding tables, make sure the information is clearly presented. Take a look at the following tables. Table 1 demonstrates how certain entries should not appear in a table. Table 2 shows a better presentation of the same information.
Table 1: A poorly displayed table of data
Integers Monetary values
Text Units
Row 1 03 $12.34 Make sure that 0.1234 g/mL Row 2 9 5.67 dollars text is 5.67 g/mL Row 3 23 890 consistently justified 89.01 g/mL Row 4 157 34.5 R or L 2345.6 g/mL
Table 2: An improved display of data
Integers Cost ($Cdn) Text Units (g/mL) Row 1 3 12.34 Make sure that 0. Row 2 9 5.67 text is 5. Row 3 23 890.12 consistently justified 89. Row 4 157 34.56 R or L 2345.
Adding equations in your report
This is an example of an inline equation : (^) ∑ (^) n ∞ = 1 n^12 =^ π 62 , an equation written within the lines of text.
The equation shown below takes up more vertical space and therefore should be displayed centered
between lines of text, as follows:
2 1
∞ ∫ =
Sometimes equations should also be numbered within the document, as shown below. Doing this allows you to refer to them elsewhere in the document without having to write out the equation again. For example:
F d m dt
Elsewhere in the document, you can simply refer to it using the equation number. For example, “Newton’s law applied to the rotational motion of a rigid body is governed by the following equation:
In the equation (2), variable Τ denotes the torque about an axis of rotation, 𝐼𝐼 denotes the moment of inertia of the rigid body and 𝐼𝐼 denotes the angular acceleration.
6 Recommendations
The recommendations section might begin similar to this: Based on the analysis and conclusions in this report, it is recommended that….
The recommendations section presents the preferred plan of action. Normally several courses of action are open, each with advantages, disadvantages, costs, limitations, and ramifications. These should have been previously discussed and conclusions drawn based on the criteria being applied.
In the example of the bridge study previously referred to, it may have been concluded that it will cost $1.3 million to replace a badly deteriorated bridge. To repair the same bridge to an acceptable standard will cost $300,000 now and $20,000 a year in maintenance. The bridge will have to be replaced eventually. The recommendations should state which option is preferred and, briefly, why.
Recommendations should :
be specific, definite, and clearly stated,
be strong and advocate action,
satisfy the requirements established in the introduction,
follow logically from the conclusions, and
be presented in a logical order, e.g. importance, chronologically, functionally.
References
[1] Natural Resources Canada, "Ramea Island," 15 12 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/renewable-electricity/wind/7319.
Adding citations and a reference list
If any of the information or work included in your report is based on or refers to other reports, documents, texts, images, presentations, discussions, online information, etc. you need to include in- text citations and reference list entries in the report to give proper credit to those other sources of information.
The list of references is only for works cited directly within the report. Documents that have been read, but not directly or indirectly referred to (summarized, paraphrased, or quoted within the report) should not be listed in the References section.
There are numerous citation and referencing styles. Quite often, you will see the IEEE style used in technical reports.
