INS 401

Tactful writing does not insult the reader's intelligence. You can insult your reader by writing at too high or too low level. Tactful writing does not categorize the reader. Tactful writing is not sexist.

• "Businessperson" instead of "Businessman"
• "Handmade" instead of "Manmade"
• "Workers" instead of "Workmen"
• "Supervisor" instead of "Forman"
• "Spokesperson or representative" instead of "Spokesman"

The "you" attitude puts the reader first.

If the "you" approach might offend the reader, use "we" and "I" instead:

A positive tone develops a positive relationship. Reversal words change the direction or tone of a message.

Use active voice to make writing more direct and engaging. Active voice makes the subject perform the action.

Sentence unity: one idea per sentence. Paragraph unity: one central idea per paragraph.

Coherent sentences and paragraphs are understandable because they stick together.

a) Avoid technical jargon:

b) Avoid unfamiliar words — use simpler alternatives:

• "Prior to" → use Before
• "Subsequent to" → use After
• "Accomplish" → use Do
• "Transmit" → use Send
• "Facilitate" → use Help
• "Locality" → use Place

• "A long time of period to…" → "Three weeks still to…"
• "In the event that" → "If"
• "In many cases" → "Often"
• "In some cases" → "Sometimes"
• "During the month of November" → "During November"

Be consistent in the use of either British or US-English spelling. Never switch inside any given document.

• British: Colour / Co-operation / Customisation
• US: Color / Cooperation / Customization

Once you choose a given technical term to mean one thing, use it only in that one sense. Do not redefine!

One central idea per paragraph. Ensure paragraph unity for readability.

Provides background on a topic — e.g., solar energy, global warming, CD-ROM technology, a medical problem, or U.S. recycling activity.

The most familiar type. Students often write backup procedures for jobs. Others write short user manuals for an appliance, equipment, or program.

A feasibility report tells whether a project is "feasible" — practical and technologically possible. A recommendation report compares two or more alternatives and recommends one (or none).

Refers to actual work in a laboratory or field — experiments and surveys. You present data, draw conclusions, explain methodology, describe equipment/facilities, and give background on the problem.

Discusses a new product design in terms of its construction, materials, functions, features, operation, and market potential.

Can be monster documents of hundreds or thousands of pages. Elements from other reports get imported — feasibility discussion, review of literature, qualifications.

A plan or proposal to start a new business or expand an existing one. Aimed primarily at potential investors. Describes the proposed business, explores the marketplace and competition, projects revenues.

Updates stakeholders on the current status of an ongoing project.

Comprehensive overview of an organization's activities and financial performance over the past year.

Short document summarizing key findings and recommendations for policymakers.

Documents an experiment following Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion structure.

• Front Cover — used if report is over 10 pages; provides physical protection
• Label — on cover: report title/subtitle, author's name, publisher, date
• Title Page — descriptive info used by libraries; duplicates cover info
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract — no more than 200 words; "in a nutshell" description; no undefined symbols/abbreviations/acronyms; no reference by number to references or illustrative material. Includes: Purpose (issue/need/reason), Scope (main points, extent, limits), Findings (condensed conclusions/recommendations)
• Summary — scope of report, main results and conclusions; must be intelligible without rest of report. Purpose: short version & guide. Length: 100-300 words. Content: provide information, not just description.
• Table of Contents — lists title and beginning page number of each major section (excluding title page and TOC itself)
• List of Figures and Tables — helps locate illustrations, drawings, photographs, graphs, charts. Figure number/title appears BELOW image. Table number/title appears ABOVE table.
• Nomenclature (List of Symbols, Abbreviations, Acronyms) — if more than 5 symbols/abbreviations/acronyms are used

• Introduction
• Methods, Assumptions, and Procedures
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion

• References
• Appendixes
• Arabic Summary (ملخص الرسالة باللغة العربية)
• Back Cover

• Focus on a single idea
• Write a good topic statement
• Develop a clear pattern of organization: Chronological Description, Cause and effect analysis, Comparison and contrast, General to particular ordering of details

• Create an outline before you write
• Write the body first, then front and back matter
• Have someone proofread your report
• Begin writing with the main text, not the introduction
• Follow your outline for headings/subheadings; let ideas flow
• If stuck, go back to outline and make more detailed notes

• (1) Gathering the data (or developing the theory)
• (2) Analyzing and sorting the results
• (3) Outlining the report
• (4) Writing the rough draft
• (5) Revising the rough draft

Sources: laboratory handouts, lecture notes, University Library, reference books and journals. Keep accurate record of all published references:

Journal article: author(s), title, journal name (italic/underlined), year, volume (bold), issue number (brackets), page numbers.
Book: author(s), title (italic/underlined), edition, publisher, year.

• Write down topics/ideas in random order
• Arrange into logical groups
• Keep note of topics that don't fit
• Put groups into logical sequence

Using your logical sequence, write a rough outline with headings and subheadings.

Consider: Who is going to read the report? (fellow students, faculty, managers, clients). Make rough sketches of diagrams/graphs. Keep numbered list of references. Put quoted material in quotation marks. Do NOT write the Summary at this stage.

The essence of a successful technical report lies in how accurately and concisely it conveys the intended information. Ask: Does it say what I want? Can anything be removed without affecting information?

• Diagrams: Keep simple; draw specifically for the report; place close to text reference
• Graphs: Choose scales carefully; label axes; portrait-style preferred
• Tables: Consider if a table is best (vs graphs/charts). Dependent (small) tables within text; independent (larger) tables separated with numbers/captions; complicated tables in appendix
• Mathematics: Use only when most efficient. Number equations: F(dB) = 10*log10(F) (3.6)

Use standard 12pt font (Times New Roman). Use bold, italic, underline where appropriate but not to excess.

Use headings and sub-headings to break up text. Example numbering: 3 → 3.1 → 3.2 → 3.2.1 → 3.2.2

• Always refer to any diagram/graph/table in main text
• Label diagrams/graphs: "Figure 1.2 Graph of energy output..."
• Label tables: "Table 3.1 Performance specifications..."
• Number equations: "F(dB) = 10*log10(F) (3.6)" → referred as "eqn (3.6)"

Indicate use of others' facts/ideas with a reference number. If not referenced, it is assumed plagiarised — a serious offence.

Report should have introduction, main text, conclusions, references, bibliography, appendices. Add page numbers, contents, title pages, and write the summary.

With the title, should indicate scope and give main results/conclusions. Must be intelligible without the rest of the report. Purpose: short version and guide. Length: 100-300 words. Content: provide information, not just description.

Not possible to proofread accurately yourself — too familiar with what you've written. Check carefully, then give to someone else (e.g., fellow student). Record their name in acknowledgements.

Great scope for endless revision. Two tips: Don't bother with style/formatting until final draft. Don't finalize graphics until text content is complete.

• A figure is any drawing, photograph, graph, or chart. Figure number and title appear BELOW the image.
• A table is an arrangement of detailed facts/statistics in row-and-column format. Table number and title appear ABOVE the table.
• Always refer to a figure or table within the text, and place the image close to the reference.

Provides an alphabetical list of specialized terms with their definitions. Usually at the end of the document.

Lists the symbols, units, and abbreviations used in equations and formulas, often with their meanings. Usually near the beginning or before the first chapter.

Shows the structure of the document and lists section headings with their page numbers.

Lists specific topics, names, and keywords alphabetically with page numbers for easy reference. Different from TOC because it's more granular.

A brief summary of the entire research paper, including the purpose, methods, results, and conclusion, usually found at the beginning.