Report Writing

By
Dr. Amira Mohey El-Din

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Lecture 1

Welcoming Lecture
Course Introduction 2
 Course Outline
◼ An Introduction to Writing Reports
◼ Definitions, Purposes, and importance

◼ The steps in the writing process

◼ Prewriting, Writing and Rewriting
◼ Objectives in Writing Reports
◼ Clarity

◼ Conciseness

◼ Organization

◼ Ethics

◼ Correspondence (Memos, E-mail, and Letters)

◼ The criteria for writing successful memos

◼ Why e-mail is important on the job

◼ Techniques for writing effective e-mail

◼ The eight essential letter components

◼ Basic letter formats 3

 Course Outline
◼ Document Design
◼ Chunking texts into smaller units

◼ Techniques and devices for helping readers find information

easily
◼ Varying the look of a document

◼ Graphics
◼ Develop visual aids that create conciseness, clarity, and
cosmetic appeal
◼ Use color in documents accurately and effectively

◼ Construct and use tables effectively

◼ Construct and use figures effectively easily with readers

◼ Determine the appropriate graphics for your content and intent

◼ Writing Reports
◼ The criteria for writing reports

◼ The purpose of, and criteria for different types of reports

◼ How to use the writing process to help you create effective reports

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 Course Outline
◼ Proposals
◼ The purpose of proposals

◼ In what ways proposals are more demanding than other kinds

of technical documents
◼ The criteria for writing proposals

◼ The steps to overcome the challenges of writing proposals

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GRADING POLICY

Mid-term 20 %

Participation &quiz 15 %

Project 15 %

Final Written Exam 50 %

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 An Introduction
This Lecture discusses the following:
◼ Introduction

◼ Technical Writing: A Definition

◼ Importance: Why technical writing is important?

◼ How to be a good writer

◼ Characteristics of Good Writing

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 Defining “Soft Skills”
Soft skills (or employability skills) can best be
defined as skills which allow students to become
more effective learners and workers. They can
include:
◼ Communication Skills
◼ Time Management
◼ Organizational Skills
◼ Analytical, Problem Solving, And Reflective
◼ Thinking

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 Communication Skills
These skills can include:
◼ Listening, Speaking
◼ Reading, Written,
◼ Non Verbal Language
◼ Presentation Skills
◼ Documentation
◼ Teamwork
◼ Customer Service
◼ Professional Behavior
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 Why Do We Care?
◼ These skills are key to succeeding
◼ Many students have no idea how to
function in the real world
◼ Many students mistakenly believe that
technical skills are the only skills that are
important
◼ It makes life in the classroom more civilized
and you can get more of the curriculum
covered!
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 Writing is learned by writing

◼ Practice, practice, practice

◼ Choose good role models
◼ Study good examples
◼ But there are also techniques and rules
to learn

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Technical Writing: A Definition
◼ Technical writing : is a type of writing where
the author is writing about a particular subject that
requires direction, instruction, or explanation. This style
of writing has a very different purpose and different
characteristics than other writing styles such as
creative writing, academic writing or business writing.

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Technical Writing: A Definition
(cont.)
◼ The focus: writing that conveys how
products (Software, Hardware, Devices,
..etc,) and services are :
◼ manufactured

◼ marketed

◼ managed

◼ delivered

◼ used
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 Technical Writing: A Definition (cont.)

◼ The audience:
May be supervisors, colleagues,
subordinates, vendors, and customers

◼ The types:
Memos, letters, reports, e-mail, manuals,
brochures, fliers, Web sites, proposals,
and more

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Engineers write many kind of
documents

◼ Throughout your career you will interact

with a variety of other engineering and
non-engineering colleagues, officials, and
members of the public. Even if you don’t
do the actual engineering work, you may
have to explain how something was done
should be done, needs to be changed,
must be investigated, and so on.
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Examples
◼ Letters : to sell, complain, hire, fire……
◼ Reports : to report on job-related travel or
incidents, the progress of ongoing projects and to
document meetings.
◼ Proposals : to highlight problems, suggest
solutions, and recommend action.
◼ Memos and e-mail : to set meeting agendas ,
ask and answer questions.
◼ Brochures : to sell and inform using 6 to 8 panel
foldouts.
◼ Newsletters : to report activities to both
employees and stakeholders.
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 Examples (cont.)
◼ Fliers : to sell and inform, using brief, single-sided
documents.
◼ Resumes : to help you find a job.
◼ Web-sites : to sell and inform, using multi-
screened, internet-based, hypertext-linked
communication.
◼ User manuals : to explain the steps in a procedure
◼ Technical descriptions : to explain the parts of a
mechanism, tool, piece of equipment, or product.

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 Technical writing possibilities
◼ A bank trust officer to write 20-30 pages proposal
about the bank services to potential clients.
◼ A customer who writes a letter of complaint about
a 5 day delayed shipment that arrived broken and
cost more than the agreed upon price
◼ A webmaster creating a corporate web-site with
online help screen to give the clients information
about your locations, pricing, products and
services.

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Technical writing possibilities
◼ As an entrepreneur opening your own
company, you need to write fliers, brochures,
or sales letters to market your company.
◼ If you have just graduated from college or
have just been laid off, you need to write a
resume and a letter of application to get a
job, explaining what assets you will bring to
their company.

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Technical writing possibilities
◼ A computer information systems employee who
needs to answer a client’s questions and follow up
with a one page e-mail documenting the problem
and response.

◼ A technical writer working in engineering

biomedical equipment manufacturing, automotive
industry, computer software development…etc,
who writes user manuals for building a piece of
equipment performing preventative maintenance
or for shipping and handling procedures.

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 Importance: Business
◼ Technical Writing is a major component in
work environment:
◼ Follow-up letters maintain good
customer-client relations.
◼ Memos and e-mail ensure that work is
accomplished on time.
◼ Progress reports provide documentation
that work has been completed.
◼ Brochures and fliers generate income.

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Importance:Business (cont.)
◼ Manuals keep machinery working.
◼ Technical description ensure that correct
equipment is purchased.
◼ Resumes get you a job.
◼ Online help screens define terminology and
explain procedures.
◼ Web sites inform the world about your
company’s products and services.

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Importance: time
“Engineers Write a Lot”
◼ You will spend around 30 percent of your
work time writing.
◼ On the basis of a 40-hour workweek, 31%
would equal 12 ½ hours of writing each
week.
◼ New hires might spend less time writing on
the job, supervisor spend more time
through written correspondence.

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 Importance: Time (cont.)
43 percent of the respondents spend
% between 11 and 30 percent of their time
R writing. Another 26 percent spend between
E 31 and 50 percent of their time writing. The
S overall average is 31%.
P
O
N
D
E
N
T
S

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 How to be a good writer
◼ You must be reasonably methodical.
◼ Be objective.
◼ As a professional, Keep in mind that most of what
you do will eventually have to be presented in
writing.
◼ Remind yourself frequently that clarity is your
most importance attribute.
◼ Understand that writing is something that can be
learned.

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 How to be a good writer
◼ We can summed up the way to be successful with
three imperatives:

1) Know your reader,

2) Know your objective,
3) Be simple, direct, and concise.

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Characteristics of Good Writing
◼ Completeness: all information needed is provided

◼ Correctness: relevant and precise information

◼ Credibility : support your argument

◼ Clarity: reader decides what is vague, confusing,

ambiguous

◼ Conciseness : get to the point

◼ Consideration: anticipate the reader’s reaction

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QUIZ QUESTIONS
1. Define technical writing.

2. What are the characteristics of technical of good writing?

3. What are the attributes of good technical writer?

4. What are five types of technical writing?

5. List three reasons why technical writing is important in business

6. What is the percentage of time employees spend writing?

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