5 Technical Report Writing Rules Working for Every Assignment
If you are a student of some technical specialty you have already learned, that most of the online tips on writing technical papers are not applicable to your particular assignments. It happens not because blogs provide you with outdated information, but because each technical college or university recently tend to elaborate their own rules and recommendations.
We’ve tried our best and gathered rules for technical report writing which are applicable in the most of educational institutions across the country. It cannot be seen as a full technical report writing guide, but we are sure you can get some valuable ideas from this list.
Rule #1. Avoid Passive Voice
It is much more suitable for those studying legal practices. You describe something real, and it should be mostly in an active voice. Of course, your technical report is not an “action” in the direct meaning of this word, but you should keep the dynamics evident. However, it is mostly recommended to use the third voice and restrain from mentioning personal pronouns. This way your report will have a professional tone of voice, which is always beneficial regarding your professor’s assessment of your work.
Rule#2. Use the Specific Software
Recently, diagrams and other technical presentation materials are required to be made with the usage of specific software, not just MS Excel, as even a decade ago. Of course, it depends on your year of study and its character; sometimes even Excel will do. However, “handwritten” diagrams and tables may fall short on you. Use Multisim, AutoCAD or similar options. It goes without saying that all your graphic information should be neatly formatted, with numbers and titles.
Rule #3. Don’t Use Wiki or Wiki-How or Similar Sources
Everything written in your technical report should come from your own experiments or valid sources. There different kinds of sources similar to Wikipedia and Wiki-How and none of them can be used in your report unless the reverse is directly stated in the requirement to the particular assignment. Use Google Scholar instead of Google for your technical academic search and pay attention to the official online libraries such as Library of Congress, for example.
Rule #4. Come Up with a Well-Thought-Out Abstract
They say you don’t have the second time to make the first impression, and mostly it is a rightful claim. The first impression of your technical report any reader will get paying attention to your abstract, so you should spend time and efforts to make it impeccable. It should not exceed half a page and should not give descriptions of the particular figures or even refer to them.
Even if the method of your research was mostly quantitative, the conclusions presented in the abstract should be qualitative. Don’t use some extra complicated technical terms. Imagine that your technical report is a scientific book aimed to be sold to the intellectual audience without technical education.
Rule #5. Never Forget about a Discussion Part
The results of your technical research or experiment should have not only conclusions but also results accompanied by a comprehensive discussion. A discussion is needed to elaborate on the received results and present your audience with some particular trends. It is not an easy task, but you should decide intuitively either your results need an extended discussion or a brief one. Mostly an extended discussion is required when the results are not too clear or don’t speak for themselves. A discussion is also used to show limitations and possible pitfalls, mistakes, once more.
Unlike most of the non-technical assignments, you can’t find this kind of task as a free online sample, so you either have to write it on your own or order an-expert-written sample. Both options are good, both have their advantages and pitfalls, so the choice is yours. However, if you decide to order a sample paper, make sure the professional report writing service has technical specialists able to deal with your assignment on time and also check the transparency — the pricing and payment policy should be clear from the very beginning. Save this article to bookmarks, and you will be able to consult it any time you receive this kind of assignment. Good luck!
