University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

College of Engineering and Computer Science

ENCE 3610 – Soil Mechanics
ENCE 3610L – Soil Mechanics Laboratory
ENCE 4610 – Foundation Analysis and Design

Guidelines and Requirements for Reports and Presentations

Revision 6: November 20161

This document contains guidelines for reports and presentations for both
undergraduate geotechnical courses. It includes guidelines for both laboratory reports and
design projects.
The first section is applicable to both laboratory reports and design reports. After
that there are sections specific to each. Pay special attention to the requirements of these
sections. Oral presentation guidelines are applicable mostly to the design project.

Table of Contents
Guide For Writing An Engineering Report...............................................................................2
Format..................................................................................................................................... 2
Procedure.................................................................................................................................4
Common Pitfalls......................................................................................................................4
Illustrations And Spreadsheet Plots......................................................................................5
Editing And Proofreading.......................................................................................................6
Summary................................................................................................................................. 6
Design Project Report Requirements.........................................................................................7
Laboratory Report Writing.........................................................................................................9
Note On Presentation Of Tabular And Graphical Results............................................... 10
Laboratory Design Proposals................................................................................................... 11
Guidelines For Oral Presentations.......................................................................................... 12
Presentation Slides............................................................................................................... 12
Some of this material has been around for a long time, so if it's too dated just have a
good laugh. However, the basic requirements for a good technical report have not
substantially changed with the advent of computers, word processors and presentation
graphics; it's just easier to make your work look good. As time permits, I will update the
information here with references to new word processing and graphics technology.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Don Warrington

1Revision history:
Original Document February 2002
Revision 1: February 2005
Revision 2: October 2009
Revision 3: December 2009
Revision 4: September 2010
Revision 5: January 2012
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Guide For Writing An Engineering Report2

Whether to sell a pet proposal, justify a capital expenditure, or present a study or

research project, technical reports are a vital part of engineering. Needed repairs go
unfunded, cost reduction opportunities are lost—all because the report on which approval
depended simply did not convey its message effectively. And many an otherwise well
qualified engineer misses out on promotions because he has never mastered the art of
presenting his thoughts in writing.
Not every engineer can be a great writer, nor is it expected of him, but he should be
able to write a report that is clear and readable, particularly if he aspires to management.
Report writing is work. This article presents a few suggestions to make this chore easier
and to improve the results, including a format for organizing the report, a step-by-step
procedure for the actual writing, and some common problems and how to deal with them.
Format
One of the most useful devices for turning out a workmanlike report is a well-
organized arrangement or format, and many companies have their own standards.
Following—with no claim to originality—is a scheme that can serve for reports of varying
degrees of formality from a simple memorandum to a full-blown report, complete with
cover and binding! Included in the format are: letter of transmittal, title page, table of
contents3, summary of conclusions and recommendations, purpose and scope, background
of introduction, discussion, conclusions, recommendations, and appendix**.
• Letter of transmittal: This is actually a letter when the report goes to a client,
customer, or government agency. Within the company, it is usually a memorandum.
In either case, think of it as a friendly introduction that presents the report to the
person or group for whom it is intended. It may refer to a request or a contract that
initiated the study but should not attempt to summarize the contents of the report.
• Title page: Like the letter of transmittal, a title page is required only in a formal
report. Companies and departments have standard formats, but in general, the
following information should be included: report title; date prepared or submitted;
project number, contract number, or other identification; customer or client
identification; author's name and title; company and department identification.
Choose a title to convey the purpose or nature of the document. For example:
"Progress Report,” “Report of Investigation," "Recommended . . ."
• Table of contents: As a rule of thumb, use a table of contents if there are four or
more main parts or sections to the report. Opinion differs on how detailed it should
be; the writer feels that only major sections should be listed--comparable to chapters
in a book. In any event, be sure that the titles used match those in the text exactly.
• Summary of conclusions and recommendations: A good report must reveal its
ending in the first paragraph. A technical report exists solely to give information,
and people with different needs will read it; some will have time only for a glance.
An engineer must summarize his report for quick scanning by a busy executive.

2 Reproduced in part from an article by JOSEPH HOROWITZ, P.E., Director, Facilities, Engineering, CBS,
Inc., N.Y.,N.Y., as printed in Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning, June 1975.
3 The first three are not required for very short or informal reports.
 -3-

• Although the summary appears first in a report, it is written last. An effective

summary must be brief, rarely more than a page, and preferably one paragraph. As
the name implies, it presents the most important conclusions but without any
supporting discussion.
• Purpose and scope: Every report has a purpose: to present findings of a research
project, to recommend purchase of new equipment, to present a solution to an
engineering problem. A clear statement of the purpose is important to the reader,
but it also helps the writer to organize his thoughts. Many a report has wandered
off because the writer never bothered to state his purpose.
◦ Scope tells the reader what to expect in the report, but it is not, however, a
summary of its findings. For example: "Causes of repeated compressor failure
are analysed, and corrective action recommended"; or, "Five common pumping
techniques for campus chilling systems are examined and compared in terms of
economy and simplicity of operation, as well as initial cost."
• Background or introduction: A common weakness of engineering reports is to leap
directly into a discussion of the problem without explaining just what the problem
is. This is rarely a deliberate error; it is just that the writer is so enthused about his
subject that he forgets that the reader may not be equally well versed. Even if a
report is intended for your immediate superior who knows the subject well, he may
want to send it on to others in the organization. The safest approach is to assume
that the reader is unfamiliar with the conditions or problem.
◦ This section will take various forms: depending on the report's purpose. The
background may be historical or it may describe the existing conditions, or the
symptoms of a problem. It may present technical information that is essential to
understand what follows. Basically, it gives the reader what he needs to
understand the discussion that follows.
• Discussion: The term "discussion" would rarely be used; more likely, the discussion
would be presented under descriptive subheadings such as observations, analysis of
data, recommended solutions, or potential savings. Regardless of title, it is the heart
of a report. Here is where the writer presents his facts and figures and marshals his
arguments. Alternate solutions are presented and evaluated. This section should
develop ideas in such a way that the conclusions and recommendations follow
naturally.
• Conclusions: Conclusions should follow directly from the preceding discussion. If,
after stating the conclusions, you feel that some are unsupported, go back and
revise the discussion section but do not weaken the impact of your conclusion with
further justification or elaboration in this section.
• Recommendations: Most reports contain some kind of recommendations. They
should be stated briefly, clearly, and without quibbling. In the less formal reports,
they may be included with the conclusions.
• Appendix: Anything that must be in a report but which would break its continuity
belongs in an appendix. Here is the place for lengthy or bulky materials such as
calculations, detailed descriptions of test methods, tables, or photographs.
The format just presented is, of course, only a guide to be varied as needed. But
even in the briefest memoranda, following this general system will help make the report
complete and useful.
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Procedure
The format helps to organize the report, but some suggestions on the actual writing
process may also be helpful.
• Use an outline. Starting with the format classifications as main headings, list the
main topics you want to cover. Leave spaces between each item, since you will think
of things later that must be added. When you are finished, go back and fill in the
gaps.
• Following the outline, write the first draft as rapidly as possible. Don't stop to
correct mistakes. If a word, phrase, or even a whole section proves difficult, skip it
and go on. Another trick is to start, not at the beginning, but with the part that
comes most easily.
• With a comprehensive outline, it should be no problem to fill in the missing sections
later. This may sound like 1aziness, but it is sound psychology. First, it helps
overcome the problem of getting started—that numbness that we feel when faced
with a blank sheet. Second, many writers find that once started and immersed in a
subject, the words come easier. Thoughts organize themselves, and even those
portions that seemed so forbidding can be tackled with ease. This is also the reason
for speed in writing the first draft; if you stop to correct or polish, you risk losing
that all important momentum.
• Only when the first draft is complete, should you begin the process of editing and
revising. Continuity is the first consideration in editing. Does each paragraph
present a complete thought, with no "gaps" that the reader must fill in. Secondly,
correct errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. The final editing should
also weed out duplication and superfluous wording.
• Many writers find it helpful, if time permits, to put aside the draft for a few days
before making a final review. During this time, the unconscious mind can provide
that elusive word or phrase, and a fresh look will often Yield surprising benefits in
completeness and readability.
• Do not stop after the final editing, A careful proofreading of the finished typescript
is a tedious but essential chore. While a good secretary can spot and correct obvious
typos, she cannot be expected to pick up missed words or errors that change the
meaning.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake in technical reports is writing for the author rather than the
reader. A line manager is usually more interested in the costs and benefits of a proposed
installation than in its design calculations. But an engineer who has spent many hours on
these calculations may feel that he must explain them in great detail.
Avoiding "engineereze" is another writing goal. The U.S. Peace Corps once ran an
ad for "an engineer who can speak two languages: English and engineering." And, indeed,
many engineers seem to lapse into a foreign tongue when writing about their specialties.
Yet, most are quite capable of making their point in face-to-face conversation. Possibly,
their enthusiasm is more contagious in direct discussion, or they can more readily sense
the blank stare that signals incomprehension.
One way of avoiding this temptation is to write as if you were explaining your
subject to a friend in an unrelated profession; that is, someone perfectly capable of
 -5-

grasping your message, but who lacks both your familiarity with the subject and your
specific technical background.
Another weakness in technical reports is the leap to a thought or conclusion for
which the reader has not been prepared. This might be termed a "readability gap." Often
these gaps result from the omission of background information such as existing conditions
or history or a clear statement of the problem. The suggested report format will help, as
will a good outline and careful review. Review by a colleague will also help in avoiding this
problem.
The opposite twin to the readability gap is excessive detail. Many engineers simply
overwhelm readers with masses of information, and the basic thrust of the report becomes
a casualty along the way. The rule is: when in doubt, leave it out. A review by a colleague
will help here also.
Some reports are burdened by wordiness. Never use several words when one will do,
and as you edit, try striking out any words not essential to the thought or sentence
structure. Sentences will be leaner, clearer and carry more punch.
When editing, watch for long words. A good vocabulary may mark an educated
person, but it is often the death of a good report. Mercilessly strike out any word that is
three syllables or more, provided there is an equally good one of one or two syllables. In
addition, watch out for long, run-on sentences and endless paragraphs that tire the reader.
Illustrations And Spreadsheet Plots
Most technical reports require diagrams or graphs, and good illustrations can do
much to clarify a point. Avoid stuffing a report with drawings and be as ruthless in cutting
out illustrations as you are with words. If you do not refer to a drawing somewhere in the
text, it is a safe bet that it can be left out.
Now look at the illustrations themselves and remove as much extraneous detail as
possible. Your reader will quickly grasp your point if all but the essentials are pared away.
With word processing, most illustrations can be incorporated into the text with a
minimum of difficulty. Illustrations should be sized to be legible. If you’re struggling with
wrapping the text, simply make the figures the full column width and put them in line. 4
Probably the most common type of illustration used is the spreadsheet (Excel or
LibreOffice.org Calc) spreadsheet plots. These were primarily developed for business and
general use purposes. They can be used effectively in engineering reports but it is
essential to include the following in any spreadsheet plot:
 Complete tick mark labelling for both or all axes.
 Major gridlines at least for both axes, minor if necessary.
 Title. Make sure your title and axis labelling doesn’t take up so much space
that the graph that’s left is too small to read.
 Labels for both axes.
 Axis scaling and limiting such that the curves on the plot extend at least
from one x-axis to another.
 Proper differentiation between different curves, including different data point
shapes, different line types (especially important if you’re not printing in

4 In the past it was common to put all figures on the full 8 ½” x 11” paper, or a 11” x 17” foldout. Although
this is certainly an option it is generally unnecessary; 11” x 17” foldouts in particular should be avoided
unless there is no other way of showing the detail.
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colour) and appropriate line thicknesses and types. (It’s possible to have bar
and other types of graphs, but these are not as common.)
 Legend, at the bottom of the graph.
 If least squares curve fitting is used, you must include the equation and the
R2 values on the graph.
These requirements apply to both homework and reports.
Most spreadsheets have various methods (interpolation, least squares) to assign an
equation of some kind to a plot. These should be used with great care and never used
blindly. These techniques are very powerful but if misused will result in “GIGO” (garbage
in/garbage out) with potentially disastrous results.
Editing And Proofreading
In either text and illustrations, like it or not, neatness counts. Reports should be
double spaced (one and a half spaces is acceptable,) with generous, uniform margins. The
system of headings, paragraphing, and indenting should be consistent throughout.
Labelling on illustrations should be clear and abbreviations uniform and generally
understood.
The best—indeed the only—method of improving your report writing is careful
review of your own work. You are your own best critic. However, a knowledgeable
colleague can be very helpful in reviewing both the initial outline and the report itself. Not
only can he assure that it "reads right," but he can also often spot gaps in the thinking or
raise points that should be covered. If your "sounding board" is not familiar with the
details of the report, so much the better because he will be unable to subconsciously fill in
missing information.
Many of your reports—and certainly your design project—are team efforts. A team
creates an automatic editing group. Use it wisely. No report should be turned in without
the entire team having read and “signed off” on the work. Team editing is also essential
as most team projects are, in the early stages at least, “cut and paste” projects as each
team member’s contribution is initially placed into the report. Team editing will prevent
repetitions from one part of the report to another, uneven style and formatting, and
outright contradictions from each team member.
Summary
The engineer who can present technical thinking in clear English, readily
understood by any intelligent reader (especially non-engineers) has a valuable skill. You
can cultivate good report writing and enhance your chances for promotion by practice and
by following some of these good habits:
• Use a format for every report, even the short, informal memo types.
• Work from an outline.
• Edit, put aside, and then edit again.
• Watch for the readability gap; give your reader enough introductory information to
understand the discussion.
• Be ruthless in weeding out all unnecessary items: subjects, words, and illustrations.
Use small words.
• Edit the illustrations as carefully as the text.
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Design Project Report Requirements

In addition to the general guidelines given earlier, these are specific to the design
project report for ENCE 4610. Follow these carefully; failure to do so will have an adverse
affect on your grade.
The following must appear in your report.
 General
o A complete statement of the problem
 Overview of the project
 General description of the soil borings and soil profile, illustrated with
charts
 Any specific factors that would influence the design not directly related to
the structural loads and the resistance of the soil (environmental,
neighbouring structures, etc.)
o Sample Calculations
 Sample calculations are required for many steps in the design and
reporting process
 These must be clear and easy to follow
 Use of computer solution is acceptable but spreadsheet/program must be
explained and data input and output clearly set forth
 Shallow Foundations
o Shallow foundations should be considered first in any design project
o If accepted, detailed calculations for both bearing capacity and settlement must
be presented
o Structural analysis of shallow foundations only necessary for spread footings
(not necessary for mats)
o Don’t forget to include weight of the foundation in the calculations
o A basic geometrical layout of the foundation is required and rationale for the
arrangement
o If rejected, an overview of the reasons for rejection (with sample calculations)
must be detailed
o Any soil improvement (compaction, etc.) must be detailed
 Deep Foundations
o At least two types of deep foundations must be considered. This could include
drilled shafts and one form of driven piles, two types of driven piles, etc.
o Specialised type of foundations (stone columns, vibrocompacted foundations,
etc.) are acceptable if applicable but same reporting requirements for these as
anything else.
o Complete sample calculations are required
o Weight of the foundation consideration not required for driven piles but required
for other types
o A basic geometrical layout of the foundation is required (number of piles or
shafts, arrangement, etc.) and rationale for the arrangement
o Structural analysis for deep foundations required
o Bent structural analysis for either piles or drilled shafts not required
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 Retaining Walls
o At least two types of retaining walls should be considered, with reasons for
selecting one over others
o Sample calculations are necessary as with foundation report
o If foundation analysis (shallow or deep) is required, must be included
o Structural analysis only necessary for sheet pile walls
o Any anchorage system, or soil replacement or modification, must be described
and analysed in detail
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Laboratory Report Writing

The following instructions will apply to the reports prepared for laboratory tests,
but the information presented may be used for other reports outside the soil mechanics
laboratory. Keep in mind that everything done in writing a report has as its goal the
selling of your work to the reader, which in this case is your instructor.
Order of sections for report:
1. Initial Matter (5 points)
a) Title or Cover Page. This will contain the following from top to bottom:
• Course Name
• Your Name
• Date of Report
• Name of Test
• Number of Report (i.e., Laboratory Experiment 1, Laboratory Experiment 2,
etc.)
• Instructor’s Name
b) Objective of Test. This will list briefly the specific goals of the test. Note: the
statement, “to familiarize the student with...” will not be considered as a
pertinent objective.
c) Specification(s) under which the experiment is being run. Most soils experiments
—laboratory or field—are conducted using standard specifications from the U.S.
Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ASTM, AASHTO, etc. In this laboratory,
most experiments will be conducted with procedures from the soils laboratory
manual, and these must be referenced properly in your report.
2. Procedure (5 points)
a) List of equipment used. This can be either a list or complete schematic of the
equipment being used.
b) Overview of test procedure. Since you have properly referenced the procedure
earlier, you only need to note the places where your procedure varied from the
actual specification.
3. Results and Discussion. (45 points) The results will usually be given in tabular and
graphical form and should be referred to by figure or table number. The discussion
should analyse and inter-relate the results of the test. Not only should it discuss the
implications of the curve shapes, but it should attempt to explain any unusual or
unexpected results, source of errors, and suggestions for remedying the test errors.
TELL THE READER WHAT THE RESULTS MEAN. The results should not only be
stated but also interpreted. Relevant reference material should be used to clarify
the results. Relating the results of this test to those of other tests will often result in
good discussion material. The reliability and limitations of the results should be
commented on. Like all other sections of the report, it should be concise and should
proceed from the general to the particular. The use of English should be especially
watched, as poor grammar often makes a perfectly logical statement confused and
meaningless. If in the analysis some interesting or important point is brought out,
not considered in the original objectives, it should be developed in the discussion
and covered by additional conclusions. Do not bring up a point in your discussion
unless you pursue it in a full discussion (or at least one paragraph). This section of
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the report weighs heavily in the final evaluation of the report, therefore,
considerable effort should be expended here. Your reader is disinclined to wade
through heavy, dull reports. A description of the test procedure does not constitute
a discussion.
4. Conclusions. (25 points) This must include the following:
a) The numerical results of the experiment, in summary form.
b) The relevance of the experiment for design, even if that relevance is a general
one. All conclusions must be based on and be supported by the contents of report.
Conclusions should be developed in the discussion. Conclusions must not be a
repetition of the discussion nor can a conclusion be discussed in this section.
5. Appendix (20 points) should consist of supplementary material you may wish to
retain. If necessary, scan it into your document. Remember, neatness is a good
selling point. Materials in the Appendix can include but are not limited to the
following:
a) Original Data Sheet (this must appear in the appendix.)
b) References and Reference Material (laboratory notes, etc.)
c) Sample Calculations. Do not use these to display your results; use the data
sheet or tabulation in the text.

Note On Presentation Of Tabular And Graphical Results

Permissible options for data presentation are as follows:

1. Using the “DD” data forms in the lab manual. Many of these are also posted on
UTC Learn with the experiment.
2. Using the lab spreadsheet on UTC Learn.
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Laboratory Design Proposals

Laboratory design proposals are similar to conventional lab reports except that they
describe an experiment you would like to run rather than one you already have performed.
Most experiments in Soil Mechanics are simply run according to a specification, but there
are situations where either there is more than one way to conduct an experiment or you
are performing a sequence of experiments on a soil sample.
The basic outline is similar to that for conventional laboratory reports, but the
outline is a little different and thus the rubric is different. The following is an outline for
these types of reports:
1. Initial Matter (10 points.) The same as for experiments, except that you may have
more than one specification or lab procedure referenced.
2. Procedure (40 points.) This is where you need to be specific and detailed in what
you propose to do. If you want to shorten your description, you can directly
reference parts of the lab specification(s) you listed earlier without having to copy
them. However, it should be clear how you are varying from these procedures, or
choosing options available.
3. Discussion (40 points.) You need to back up the rationale for your procedure here.
You need to explain why you are doing what you are doing. This is also the place
where you explain how you plan to process the data (crunch the numbers.) This
must be specific, not vague. Here is also a good place to describe any “trial runs” of
the experiments, if you have done them.
4. Appendix (10 points.) Any supporting material must be listed here.
 -12-

Guidelines For Oral Presentations

Unless otherwise noted, each speaker or team will get twelve (10) minutes each for
a presentation. This will be broken down into eight (7) minutes for the actual talk and
four (3) minutes for any questions that the audience might have.
Although the presentation is basically to lay out the contents and results of the
report, simply reading the report or slavishly reproducing its contents in an oral form will
lead to a boring presentation. The oral presentation should, in effect, be an independent
rendering of the material in the report, designed to get the audience's attention and to
make real the procedures and conclusions contained in the report. In preparing the oral
presentation and the graphics that go with it, you should consider how best to achieve this
with your listeners, and this might require that the material actually presented by
different from that in the report. This may involve either reserving certain material for
the report itself and/or adding other related material not suitable for written presentation.
We have no problem with the latter as long as the material is in accordance with our other
guidelines.
We want your ideas and material to make an impact with the audience -- this
makes a successful class for all of us.
Presentation Slides
All slide shows should be "presentation graphic" type of slides, i.e., Microsoft
PowerPoint. The podium projector will be available. You may want to “dry run” the
experiment on the podium projector to make sure it works there. The podium projectors
currently feature Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and its possible there will be changes if you
used an earlier version of PowerPoint to prepare the presentation.
Other requirements are as follows:
1. All lettering or text is to be clear, and hand written text should be avoided. To
make your text visible, the height of the text should be at least 24 points. The
EMCS classroom environment we are using is more forgiving of small print than
others, and sometimes you can get away with small print; however, keep in mind
that you will be making presentations in the workplace and the projection may not
be as large.
2. Avoid “unusual” fonts; they may not be available on the podium projector and the
results may be unpredictable.
3. Slides should be made to avoid the viewers' eyestrain. The most important way to
do this is to establish a pleasing colour scheme. A blue background slide with white
or yellow lettering is the “classic” type of background, although over the years the
students tend to prefer a bright neutral background (white/beige) with black
lettering. Most backgrounds that come with PowerPoint have default bulleting and
font setups; unless you know what you're doing, stick with them.
4. Graphs should be clear and simple, avoiding such common mistakes as excessive
gridlines, too many curves in one graph, and too many numbers on the scales. If
possible, colour graphs should be used, but again the colour scheme should be
simple and logical. Remember that the viewers can absorb only so much
information from one chart, especially when they only have a minute or so to look at
it.
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5. If photographs are used -- and they can be very effective -- they must be in focus and
the colours not washed out.
6. Make sure you have the right number of slides. As mentioned before, slides should
be projected for about a minute before moving along.