Sentence Style

 Avoid long sentences (> 20 words)

 Keep subjects and verbs close together
 Avoid pretentious language
 Avoid starting a sentence with
There is/was/are/were
 Avoid starting a sentence with
It is clear that; It is evident that; It should be
noted that

Slides’ Source: Elizabeth Tebeaux and Sam Dragga, Essentials of Technical Communication, Oxford University Press, 2020
And from “Week 04a – Technical Writing III – TAMU-MEEN 260”

Exercise: Make it better

2

 Please give immediate attention to insure that the

pages of all documents prepared for distribution are
numbered sequentially and in a place of optimum
visibility. This is needed to facilitate our ability to
refer to items during meetings.
 …

1
 Exercise: Make it better
3

 Please give immediate attention to insure that the

pages of all documents prepared for distribution are
numbered sequentially and in a place of optimum
visibility. This is needed to facilitate our ability to
refer to items during meetings.
 Please correctly number the pages of all documents.
Place numbers in the upper right-hand corner.
Sequential numbering helps us locate material
during meetings.

Headings
4

 Write descriptive headings

 Readers should be able to read only the headings
and sense the overall message
 Questions useful as headings in a brochure
 “What is the chemical composition of the pesticide?”
 Verb phrases are useful in instruction manuals
 “Choosing the right kind of cleaner”
 Short Statements useful to summarize what follows.

2
 Headings
5

 Limit the number of heading levels

 Max two for digital docs and four for paper
docs
 Create a format and stick to it
 Size, position, capitalization for different levels
 Put more space above a heading than below it
 Do not leave a heading at the bottom of a page
 Consider using numbers for your headings
 Do not need these for shorter documents

Technical Writing Levels of Formality

6

Technical Technical Journal

Abstract
Memo Report Publication

Your boss or An engineer in your

An engineer that is
someone with work group that is
unfamiliar with the General public
limited time to read familiar with your
problem
reports project

3
Abstract/Summary
7

 Abstract: A stand alone section of any technical report

 Goal: To “abstract” or “summarize” the essence of the
report:
 Distill/condense what is truly important in the report.
 Focus on objective, conclusion, value
 Concise, typically >500 word length

Abstract/Summary
8

It typically has 5 components that answer the

essential questions for the reader:
1. Background: what is this about?

2. Purpose: what is the point? Or what did you do?

3. Results or outcomes: what are the key findings?

4. Discussion: what is the significance? Or how well

does it satisfy requirements?

5. Conclusions and recommendations: what should the
reader do with this knowledge?

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Abstract/Summary Parts for Labs
9

 Format: Title, Name, Affiliation, Body of Abstract,

Keyword
 Include Objective statement: the goal of the
design/experiment. It is the subset in the knowledge
gap that you are going to address. It should be brief,
concise and straight to the point.
 + 5 components listed in previous slide

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

10

 Present research from single experiment

 Aimed at reader with knowledge of the field
 Uses many features of a Formal Report but does not
include as much detail

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
11

Structure of Memo
 Heading

 Summary

 Introduction

 Body (includes procedure, results and discussion)

 Conclusion/Summary

 References

 Appendix

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

12

 The challenge of Verb tense in Lab Reports

Here are two pointers to keep things straight:
1. Use past tense for the completed experiment: “The
objective of the experiment was …..” “We found
……”
2. Use present tense for the report: “The
purpose of this report is ……..” “The
Rankine cycle involves ………” “Equation
(1) demonstrates how to …….”

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
13

 Heading Your Course Instructors name

(limited knowledge of lab)

Include

Your name typed,

Include the name and Sign your initials
number of the lab
and the word Memo

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

14

 Summary
 Write the summary as described previously
 Introduction
 Should be clear and concise but long enough so readers
understand what they are reading
 Should include:
1. State the purpose. What is your report about?
2. Give some background. What issues lead to need of this
report?
3. Objective
4. Set up the rest of the document

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
15

 Body (includes procedure, results and discussion)

Procedure:
 What tasks you did to accomplish your results.

 You can write this as a numbered list but you should have
complete sentences in the list.
 You should reference the lab manual.

 You should distinguish between the method and what

actually happened. If you did an extra trial or disregarded
a step, you should say so.

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

16

 Body
 Results:
 Results are usually dominated by calculations, tables and
figures. But, you still need to state all significant results
explicitly in verbal form.
 Graphics need to be clear, easily read and well labeled.
Make sure to use a sentence or two to draw attention to
features in the graph or table.
 If you need to manipulate data, you only need to provide
a sample calculation. Put the remainder of the raw data in
an appendix.

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
17

 Body
 Discussion:
 The discussion is the most important part of a lab report.
Discussion and results can be combined in the same
section.
 Two words are the foundation of the discussion:

1. Analysis: what do the results show clearly? Explain

what you know based on your results.
2. Interpretation: what is the significance of the results?
What questions arise? Find logical explanations for
problems with the data.

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

18

 Discussion (Example):
1. Analysis: “Since none of the samples reacted to the Silver
foil test, sulfide, if present at all, does not exceed a
concentration of approximately 0.025 g/l. Therefore, the
break in the water main pipe is likely not a result of sulfide-
induced corrosion.”
2. Interpretation: “Although the water samples were received
on August 14th, testing only began on September 10th.
Normally, testing should be done as quickly as possible
after sampling to avoid potential sample contamination.
The effect of the delay is unknown.”

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
19

 Discussion
 To help you focus on discussion, consider the four
questions:
1. How do the results compare with expectations?
2. Were experimental error or flawed design factors in your
results?
3. How do your results compare with the relevant theory or
objectives?
4. How do your results compare to similar investigations?

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

20

 Conclusion/Summary
 Generally the conclusion to a lab report is short.
 You do not need to do an elaborate summary of the whole
report. Just emphasize the key concepts you learned and
conclusions from the results of the experiment.
 No new information should be presented in this section.

 Example: “Based on the testing, the water main did not

break due to sulfide-induced corrosion.”

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Technical Memo (Informal Reports)
21

 References
 Site any sources you used in your lab report.
 This should always include the lab manual.

 The Lab Memo Format document in Canvas shows

reference formatting.

Technical Memo (Informal Reports)

22

 Appendix
 Presents information that is too detailed to be placed in
the report’s text.
 This could include raw data, or tangential information that
does not directly concern the experiment’s objectives.
 Title the appendix and use headings for each table and
titles for each figure.
 Reference anything included in the appendix in the body
of the memo.

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Additional Reading for Reports
23

 Appendix A – Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation,

and Usage
 Appendix B – Citing Sources
 Appendix C – Example of a Report

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