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    Appendix A: Technical Writing Guidelines

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    Jennifer Calimag Balisi
    The document provides 17 technical writing guidelines for research papers, including using acronyms correctly, using proper grammar and punctuation, formatting quotes and numbers, using complete sentences, proofreading, using transitional words, and labeling tables and figures appropriately. Guidelines cover topics such as only emphasizing words through construction and avoiding long sentences or paragraphs.

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    Appendix A: Technical Writing Guidelines

    Uploaded by

    Jennifer Calimag Balisi
    24 views1 page
    The document provides 17 technical writing guidelines for research papers, including using acronyms correctly, using proper grammar and punctuation, formatting quotes and numbers, using complete sentences, proofreading, using transitional words, and labeling tables and figures appropriately. Guidelines cover topics such as only emphasizing words through construction and avoiding long sentences or paragraphs.

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    The document provides 17 technical writing guidelines for research papers, including using acronyms correctly, using proper grammar and punctuation, formatting quotes and numbers, using complete sentences, proofreading, using transitional words, and labeling tables and figures appropriately. Guidelines cover topics such as only emphasizing words through construction and avoiding long sentences or paragraphs.

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    24 views1 page

    Appendix A: Technical Writing Guidelines

    Uploaded by

    Jennifer Calimag Balisi
    The document provides 17 technical writing guidelines for research papers, including using acronyms correctly, using proper grammar and punctuation, formatting quotes and numbers, using complete sentences, proofreading, using transitional words, and labeling tables and figures appropriately. Guidelines cover topics such as only emphasizing words through construction and avoiding long sentences or paragraphs.

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    RES11E Research Methods for Engineering

    Lecture Notes

    Appendix A
    Technical Writing Guidelines
    1. Write out an acronym followed by the acronym in parentheses the first time it is used in
    the body of the paper. It must also be written out in the abstract and again when first used
    in the body of the paper. If there are many acronyms used frequently throughout the paper,
    it is a courtesy to the readers to provide a Glossary list at the end of the paper.
    2. Use commas and semicolons correctly and avoid the overuse of parentheses. Try to break
    up the longer, more difficult sentences and paragraphs into simpler ones.
    3. Use quotation marks to enclose direct quotes. Use a single quotation mark when a quote
    is inside another quote.
    4. Do not hyphenate words at the end of the line; end each line of text with a complete word.
    Also, hyphenate words if the noun is part of a modifying phrase such as a “10-mm diameter
    tube.”
    5. Write in complete sentences. Remember that a sentence has a compete thought or idea
    and it can stand alone. It must have a subject and a predicate.
    6. Use the English words instead of the Latin acronyms when writing becomes very complex
    and hard to follow. In Latin, ‘i.e.’ means ‘that is’ and ‘e.g.’ means ‘for example.’
    7. Never start a sentence with a numerical character. Numbers should be spelled out at the
    start of the sentence. Generally, spell out isolated numbers from one to ten and use
    numerals to express all exact numbers above ten.
    8. Proofread everything in the manuscript, the grammar and right choice of words and
    prepositions, spelling, syllabication, and sentence construction. Clarity of writing depends
    on correct use of the English Language.
    9. Avoid too many nouns modifying an object as it may confuse the reader. Instead of saying
    “in a tap-water-filled pan”, say “in a pan filled with tap water”.
    10. Use transitional words to connect one idea to the next, one sentence to another, one
    paragraph to another. Forms of transitional words include: indicators for time order (earlier,
    later); position in time (rarely); sequence (next); occurrences that happen again (to
    explain); conclusions (in conclusion); the end of an idea (finally); compare/contrast
    (also/but); causality (because, as a result, therefore); spatial concerns (neighboring); and
    other connectors (or, nor, but, subsequently, then, besides, furthermore, similarly,
    likewise, moreover, in which, nevertheless).
    11. Avoid long, long sentences and long, long paragraphs. A paragraph should only focus on
    one thought idea. As a rule of thumb, if there is a need to take a breath to finish a sentence,
    it is too long.
    12. Use the third person throughout. The use of personal pronouns should be avoided.
    13. Do not emphasize words by changing the format of the texts aside from regular formatting.
    In general, words and phrases are not emphasized using bold print, underlining, italic,
    single/double quotation marks, or all uppercase characters. Instead, the writer must
    construct sentences so that the emphasis is understood.
    14. The introduction and methodology of a thesis proposal are written in future tense. After
    the conduct of the study, these chapters are then converted and presented in past tense.
    15. Label tables appropriately with necessary units of measurements and a title before the
    table with the format “Table 1. Table Title”. Use tables if there will be more than three to
    four entries.
    16. Provide a short description or descriptive title for figures accordingly with the format
    “Figure 1. Figure description.” Pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs, sketches, and the like
    are considered figures. Figures must be clear and readable.
    17. Place raw data and attachments in the appendix section. Data presented in the paper
    should be summarized for the discussion.

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