TECHNICAL REPORT

WRITING
&PRESENTATION
(MEE 485)
Engr. Dr. O. M. IKUMAPAYI
 Outline
• Project proposal – Aims, objectives, scope and
methodology.
• Documentation – Format of write-up, major headings
and sub-headings, citing of references, tables,
figures, listing of references, appendices etc.
• Desk research work – Review of previous works and
justification for the project.
• Main investigation – theoretical consideration,
experimental works, field works and data collection
and designs.
• Analysis of data/results – collation of findings,
assessment of accuracy, further investigations,
results consideration and objective appraisal.
• Phraseology.
 Research, Method and
Methodology
• Research is a systematic investigation
including research development,
testing and evaluation, designed to
develop or contribute to the
generalizable knowledge.
• Research method is defined as the
procedure or technique applied by the
researcher to undertake research.
• Research methodology is a system of
methods, used scientifically for
solving the research problem.
 Research Proposal
 A research proposal is a description of the intended research.
 It is also a statement of intention regarding a specific research activity
directed at a supervisor, an advisory committee, or a funding agency.
 The aim of writing a project proposal is to convince your audience
(supervisor or reader) that your project has value and you can
complete it successfully on time.
 It must be presented in a relatively formal style, maintaining a
suitable distance between you and the audience. You must not use ‘I’
and ‘We’ since the subject is not you but the project.
 A good research proposal should address the following:
 What is the problem to be investigated?
 Why is the problem socially and scientifically important enough to be worth
studying?
 What objectives will be achieved through the research?
 How will the research process be carried out?
 What types of results re expected from the research?
 Who are the potential beneficiaries of these results?
 Components of Research a Proposal
 A good research proposal may include the following sections:
1 Cover Page Title of the project/research, researcher
institution address, date
2 Table of Contents This should list all major parts and sections
(Including abstract, even though it precedes the
table of contents)
3 Nomenclatures: When used in the text, it should be listed in
Abbreviations, alphabetical order and explained
Acronyms and
symbols
4 Abstract/ Summary of the entire proposal
Executive
Summary
5 Brief Introduction Brief introduction on the project/research.
6 Statement of Why this research/project is necessary
research problem
7 Research Things needed for research accomplishment
Objectives
8 Complete Review of existing studies on the work including
literature review the gaps to be filled.
 Existing studies and gaps
S/N AUTHOR STUDY FINDINGS/ GAP
S
1 Adetunji Development of The machine runs on a single phase 1
et al. an Improved HP. electric motor at a speed of 1400
(2013) Garri Sifting RPM. The result obtained from
performance evaluation test showed a
Machine.
sieving efficiency of 92.5% as
compared with machine efficiency of
99.14%. . /The sieving rate of the
machine was low (183 kg/hr = 3.05
kg/min) but better than that of the
manual sieving method. Subjected
electricity failure.

Gangue Garri Grains

Garri Sifter Construction 6

Timeline
imation/Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluati
S Material Descri Quan Unit Total
/ ption tity Price Price
N (₦) (₦)
1 Bottle 1 7,500.
jack 00 7,500.0
0
2 Coupler 1
3,000.0 3,000.0
0 0
3 Pressure 2
gauge 5,000.0 10,000.
0 00
4 Tank 1 500.00 500.00
5 Metallic 3 1,500.0
 Final Year Project Report

A research report is a write up presented

in a detailed, concise and clear manner,
using an appropriate official language
and directed largely to a technical
audience.
Its primary purpose is to convey facts
from the mind of the writer to the reader:
Features of a Good Research Report
• Clarity and Precision of
Expression.
• Completeness.
• Proper organisation of the
material
• Correctness of presentation.
• Use of appropriate styles
• Use of technical language
• Judicious use of illustrations
 Components of a Research Report
 A good research report should include the following sections:

1 Cover Page & Title Important

Page
2 Abstract Important
3 Certification page Optional
4 Acknowledgement Optional
s
5 Dedication Optional
6 Table of Contents Important
7 List of Optional
Abbreviations
8 List of Tables Important
9 List of Illustrations Figures and plates :
Important
 Cover Page
DEVELOPMENT OF A MOTORIZED CORN THRESHER

BY

OJO Dada Ajayi

16/ENG06/001

MAY, 2024
 Title Page
DEVELOPMENT OF A MOTORIZED CORN THRESHER

BY

OJO Dada Ajayi

(16/ENG06/001)

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,
AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, ADO EKITI

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

AWARD OF B.Eng. IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MAY, 2024
 Abstract Page
• Summary of the entire report
• It should be in four (4) paragraphs
• It should not be too lengthy, precisely NOT
more than 250 words
Components of a good abstract include:
Concise background of the study & Statement
of the problem
Methodology
Results
Conclusion and probable recommendations.
 Certification Page
• This is required to CERTIFICATION
lend credence to the This is to certify the project
titled ‘Development of A
fact that the report Motorized Corn Thresher’
being presented was was carried out by OJO, Dada
actually supervised Ajayi under my thorough
supervision.
and/or approved as
the product of the _______ _______
actual effort of the Supervisor Date

writer. _______ _______

• It must NOT be a HOD Date

copied work.
 Acknowledgements Page
• It serves the purpose of
acknowledging and appreciating
those who either directly or
indirectly made useful
contributions towards the success
of the work being reported. NOT
all friends and relations.
 Dedication Page

• It is acceptable, but NOT

mandatory to dedicate a research
report to someone or a group of
person or an organisation.
 Table of Contents
• It is NOT a table but a listing of the contents of the
report.
• It is a list of titles and commencing pages of all chapters,
major subdivisions, references and appendices.
• It should include commencing page of abstract,
acknowledgements, dedication, list of tables, and
illustrations (if these appear in a report)
• The number of pages should be stated on the right side
of the page.
• Roman numerals must be used for the front matters
(abstract, acknowledgements, dedication, etc.) WHILE
Arabic numerals MUST be used for chapters,
references and appendices.
 Table of Contents Template
Title page i
Abstract ii
Certification iii
Acknowledgements iv
Dedication v
Table of contents vi
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii
List of Plates (if any) ix
List of Abbreviations ix
List of Acronyms x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1.0 Background of the study 1
1.1 Problem Statement 3
1.2 Aim and Objectives 4
1.2.1 Aim 4
1.2.2 Specific Objectives 4
1.3 Scope of the study 5
!
!
References 126
Appendices 130
List of Abbreviations/Acronyms
• It is also acceptable, but NOT
mandatory to provide the list
of abbreviated OR acronyms
or symbols used in the body
of the report.
• It is also called Nomenclature
in research writing
Nomenclature Greek symbols
CAD - Computer Aided Design ρ Density (kg/m3)
CD - Convergent-Divergent μ Dynamic Viscosity (kg/m.s)
CDTG - Convergent-Divergent Tube Geometry μT Turbulent Eddy Viscosity (Pas)
cp - Specific heat capacity (W/m.K) ε effectiveness
DC - Divergent-Convergent Δp pressure drop, Pa
DCTG - Divergent-Convergent Tube Geometry ΔT temperature difference, C
FSN - Field Synergy Number Subscripts
HEX - Heat Exchanger 0 Initial values
k - Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) in Inlet
MSTG - Multi-stage Tube Geometry out Outlet
NTU - Number of Transfer Units t tube
Nu - Nusselt number s shell
p - Pressure (Pa) i Inside
PEC - Performance Evaluation Criterion o Outside
PEI - Performance Evaluation Index w Wall
Pr - Prandtl number av Average
Re - Reynolds number c cold fluid
SGPF - Shell Gain Performance Factor h hot fluid
STG - Straight Tube Geometry
STHE - Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger
T - Temperature (K)
T - Time (second)
TEMA - Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association
TPF - Thermal Performance Factor
u - Velocity component (m/s)
WSHTC - Weighted Shell Heat Transfer Coefficient
 List of Tables and Figures
• All tables and figures that
appear in the reports
must be listed separately.
• The list of tables normally
precedes that of figures.
 Questions
• Consider the questions below, and answer, in each case, if:
TRUE; FALSE or NO IDEA. Please note that each question:
answered correctly attracts two (2) marks; incorrectly
attracts a minus one (-1), and an entry of NO IDEA attracts
one (1) mark (to a maximum of five [5] marks).
• QUESTIONS
1) The aim of writing a project proposal is to convince your audience
(supervisor/reader) that your project has value and that you can
complete it successfully and on time.
2) It is advisable to start your project write-up before preparing an
outline
3) The abstract is the sentences that sums up what your proposal is all
about.
4) The layout for the Abstract section is five (5) paragraphs, namely;
the introduction, the literature review, the methodology, the results
and discussion, and the conclusion and recommendations
paragraphs.
5) Dedication page is where you thank and give credits to all the
people who have in one way or the other assisted you, not only
during your research work, but also in your undergraduate studies.
 Body of the Report
• This must be written using technical language.
• It should be divided into chapters or sections.
• Each chapters must be numbered appropriately
i.e. chapter 1, chapter 2, etc.
• Each chapters must also be sub-divided.
• The body of the report should have the
following components:
 Chapter One: Introduction
 Chapter Two: Literature Review
 Chapter Three: Materials and Method OR
Methodology
 Chapter Four: Results and Discussion OR Testing and
Evaluation
 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Recommendation
 Introduction
• Component of introduction include:
 Background of the study: Brief description of the study
 Research problem/problem statement: The problem in
existence that requires urgent or immediate intervention.
i. What did you study, and
ii. What is your hypothesis/research question?
 Aim and Objectives: The aim of the research is the ‘Title of
the research itself’. e.g. if the title of a project is ‘Development
of an automated water dispenser’ then, the aim of this
research work/project is to develop an automated water
dispenser.
 Scope and Limitation: Scope of the research is the coverage
of the research work WHILE Limitation is the gap in your
research work.
 Justification/Significance of the study: why is that research
work important?
 Literature Review
• A literature review is an objective, critical summary of
published research literature relevant to a topic under
consideration for research.
• Its purpose is to create familiarity with current thinking
and research on a particular topic, and may justify future
research into a previously overlooked or understudied
area.
• It will review major scholarly books in the relevant area,
but will also
take a keen interest in journal articles, which in many
subjects give more up-to date material
• A literature review should focus only on the relevant
academic literature: popular or non-academic sources
may be brought in occasionally to illustrate a point, but
the central interest is always on the data collected or the
theories put together by recognised experts in the field.
 Preparation of A Literature
Review
• Preparing a literature review thus involves:
 Searching for reliable, accurate and up-to-date material on
the topic or subject
 Reading and summarizing the key points from this
literature
 Synthesizing these key ideas, theories and concepts into a
summary of what is known
 Discussing and evaluating these ideas, theories and
concepts
 Identifying particular areas of debate or controversy: using
words like however, meanwhile, although , etc. are
used where the authors are not in agreement WHILE
words like also, in addition, similarly, again etc. for
similar conclusion/inferences
 Preparing the ground for the application of these ideas to
new research
 Choosing Material
• Ask yourself questions such as these:
1. What is the specific question, topic or focus for my assignment?
2. What kind of material do I need? Theory? Methodology? Policy?
Empirical data?
3. What type of literature is available (e.g., journals, books,
government documents)?
4. What kind of literature is particularly authoritative in this
academic discipline (e.g. psychology, sociology, pharmacy)?
5. Has my search been wide enough to ensure I have identified all
the
relevant material?
6. On the other hand, has the search been narrow enough to
exclude irrelevant material?
7. Is there a good enough sample of literature for the level (Ph.D,
Master’s, undergraduate) of my dissertation or thesis?
8. Have I considered as many alternative points of view as
possible?
9. Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate,
and useful?
 Assessing the Literature
• Skim through the books and articles identified as potentially relevant. Focus
particularly on obvious ‘helps’ such as chapter summaries, journal abstracts,
and even the index. Look for clues: how will this piece of literature contribute
to your study (if at all)? If the answer is ‘not much’ then choose something
different.
• Now re-read the chosen material carefully. Look especially for:
1. The key point discussed by the author: is this clearly defined?
2. What evidence has the author produced to support this central idea?
3. How convincing are the reasons given for the author’s point of view?
4. Could the evidence be interpreted in other ways?
5. What is the author's research method (e.g. qualitative, quantitative,
experimental, etc.)?
6. What is the author's theoretical framework (e.g. psychological,
developmental, feminist)?
7. What is the relationship assumed by the author between theory and practice?
8. Has the author critically evaluated the other literature in the field?
9. Does the author include literature opposing her/his point of view?
10.Is the research data valid– i.e. based on a reliable method and accurate
information?
11.Can you "deconstruct" the argument – identify the gaps or jumps in the logic?
12.What are the strengths and limitations of this study?
13.What does this book or article contribute to my own topic or thesis?
 Components of A Literature
Review
• A typical literature review consists of the following components:
 Introduction/Conceptual framework/Historical
Background:
 A concise definition of a topic under consideration (this may
be a descriptive or argumentative thesis, or proposal), as well as
the scope of the related literature being investigated.
(Example: If the topic under consideration is ‘women’s wartime
diaries’, the scope of the review may be limited to published or
unpublished works, works in English, works from a particular
location, time period, or conflict, etc.)
 The introduction should also note intentional exclusions.
(Example: “This review will not explore the diaries of adolescent
girls.”)
 Another purpose of the introduction is to state the general
findings of the review (what do most of the sources conclude),
and comment on the availability of sources in the subject area.
 Components of A Literature
 Main Body:
Review cont…
 There are many ways to organize the evaluation of the sources.
Chronological and thematic approaches are each useful
examples.
 Each work should be critically summarized and evaluated for its
premise, methodology, and conclusion. It is as important to
address inconsistencies, omissions, and errors, as it is to identify
accuracy, depth, and relevance.
 Use logical connections and transitions to connect sources.
 Conclusion:
 The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the review in
general terms. Notable commonalities between works, whether
favourable or not, may be included here.
 This section is the reviewer’s opportunity to justify a research
proposal. Therefore, the idea should be clearly re-stated and
supported according to the findings of the review.
 References: As well as accurate in-text citations, a literature
review must contain complete and correct citations for every
source.
 Methodology/Materials & Method
• Component of methodology include:
 Materials: Give a brief explanation on the materials needed
for the research work. Then, state the reason for selecting
each material. e.g. Stainless steel was chosen because of its
higher resistance to corrosion. All equipment and tools
required for the research work should also be included.
 Method: This should include:
i. Description of the study or experimental set-up
ii. Technicalities required: What techniques did you use?
iii.Design consideration (in case of design and fabrication work)
iv.Design calculations (in case of design and fabrication work)
v. Data analysis
vi.Cost analysis etc.
 Results and Discussion OR
Testing and Evaluation
• Component of Results and Discussion (in case of
experimental or field work) OR Testing and Evaluation (in
case of design and fabrication work) include:
 Results: What were your findings? Each major finding
should be its own heading, with sub- headings going into
more detail for each major finding. These headings
should refer to your figures and tables.
 Discussion: Summarize your findings in the context of
prior work. Discuss possible interpretations.
 Testing: How the did you subject the fabricated work to
test?
 Evaluation: How the did you evaluate the performance
of the fabricated work during testing?
 Table and Figure Captions
Table 4.4. Boundary conditions

Boundary Boundary type values

Inlet shell Mass flow inlet 2.1 kg/s & 300.15 K
Outlet shell Pressure outlet 0 Pa (Gauge pressure)
Inlet tube Mass flow inlet 0.05 kg/s & 373.15 K
Outlet tube Pressure outlet 0 Pa (Gauge pressure)
Shell wall Wall, stationary, no slip, adiabatic adiabatic
Baffle wall conducting

500 Variable
STHE-STG
STHE-CDTG
STHE-DCTG
475

450
Nu

425

400

375
Plate 3.5. Thermal Distribution Box Assembly
350
65000 70000 75000 80000 85000
Re

Fig. 4.1. Variation of Nu with Re@ 90 Degree

 Conclusion and
Recommendation
• Component of conclusion and
recommendation include:
Conclusion: This is the summary of
the reports main point.
Recommendation: It is important
to include a bullet describing the
limitations of the presented work.
Mention possible future directions.
 Questions
• Consider the questions below, and answer, in each
case, if: TRUE; FALSE or NO IDEA. Please note that
each question: answered correctly attracts two (2)
marks; incorrectly attracts a minus one (-1), and
an entry of NO IDEA attracts one (1) mark (to a
maximum of five [5] marks).
• QUESTIONS
1) The results and discussion are under Chapter Five in the
Final Year Project’s Report
2) As a rule, table-captions or headings are placed at the
top of the referenced table.
3) One of the most difficult things about literature review is
to know when to stop reading and when to start writing.
4) Materials and Methods are under Chapter Four in the
Final Year Project’s Report
 List of References
• This provides information on the sources consulted. A
comprehensive list of all the reference materials
consulted and properly cited in the body of the report
should be provided.
 All illustrations (tables, charts, photographs, etc.)
adapted or borrowed from different sources should be
referenced.
 All direct quotations must be placed in inverted commas
so that there is no risk of mistaking them for phrases.
 All published works – books, journal articles,
conference proceedings etc. AND unpublished works
– project report, thesis, dissertations etc. from which
concrete ideas and useful information were obtained in
the course of preparing the report should be cited to
AVOID PLAGIARISM. This is an offence under the
copyright law.
 Referencing Style
• The Harvard referencing system is a brief citation to
a source and is given in parentheses within the text of
an article, and full citations collected in alphabetical
order under "List of References," heading at the end.
This style is also known as the "author-date" style.
e.g.
• In-text citation
 The difficulty of finding appropriate material has been
remarked on (Fischer 2011:96).
 De Jager, et al (2012:101) comment on the dangers
of taking this approach.
• Reference Listing
 Halpern, S.D., Ubel, P.A., Caplan, A.L. 2002. Solid-organ
transplantation in HIV-infected patients. New England
Journal of Medicine. 347(4):284-7.
 Referencing Style
• American Psychological Association (APA) style: Author–Year
system used by researchers in Sciences (Applied, Natural or Social) and
some other disciplines.
• It is a variant on Harvard style. Many of the conventions are the same, with brief
author-date citations in brackets in the body of the text and full citations in the
reference list. It is usual to include a reference list only rather than a bibliography in
APA style.
• In-text citation
 The transient methods are used to record measurements during the process of
heating up or cooling down a material or fluid (Camilla, 2012).
 Though, the baffles amplify the enhancement of turbulence and mixing rates of the
shell side fluids (Naqvi and Wang, 2019).
 Several studies put shell-and-tube heat exchangers in the area of focus due to their
vast utilization in the industry, especially in the oil and gas industry (Shubham et al.,
2021).
 Guo et al. (2021) reported that around 35% of the total heat exchangers are shell
and tube heat exchangers.
• Reference Listing
i. Gupta P., Kr. Sharma A., and Kumar R. (2019) Shell Side CFD Analysis of a Small
Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger with Elliptical Tubes, International Journal of
Performability Engineering, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 2294-2304.
https://doi.org/10.23940/ijpe.19.09.p2.22942304
ii. Prabakaran S., Manojprabhakaran G. and Gopi P. (2016) CFD Integrated Optimum
Design and Prototyping of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger, Global Research and
Development Journal for Engineering, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 38-48
 Referencing Style
• Mordern Language Association (MLA) style: Author–
Page system used by researchers in liberal arts and
Humanities.
• In-text citation
 Author mentioned in text: Jones emphasizes this point (156-7).
 Author mentioned only in reference: This point has been
emphasized (Jones 156-7).
 Material found in indirect source: Greenwood supports this
view (in Jones 66).
• Reference Listing
 J. M. Neuhaus, L. Sticher, F. Meins, T. Boller, ``A short C-
terminal sequence is necessary and sufficient for the targeting
of chitinases to the plant vacuole", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 88
(1991) 10362.
 A. V. S. Hill, HLA associations with malaria in Africa: Some
implications for MHC evolution, in Molecular Evolution of the
Major Histo-compatibility Complex, J. Klein, D. Klein, Eds.
Springer, 1991, 403–420.
American Psychological Association (APA) style of referencing 5 th Edition

Gupta, P., Kr. Sharma, A., and Kumar, R.

(2019). Shell Side CFD Analysis of a Small
Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger with Elliptical
Tubes, International Journal of Performability
Engineering, vol. 15 (no. 9), pp. 2294-2304.
 Questions
• Consider the questions below, and answer, in each
case, if: TRUE; FALSE or NO IDEA. Please note that
each question: answered correctly attracts two (2)
marks; incorrectly attracts a minus one (-1), and an
entry of NO IDEA attracts one (1) mark (to a
maximum of five [5] marks).
• QUESTIONS
1) When an author has published more than one cited
document in the same year, these are distinguished by
adding lower case letters (a,b,c, etc.,) after the year and
within the parentheses.
2) One of the most difficult things about literature review is to
know when to stop reading and when to start writing.
3) The following citation is correct: ‘… Olaniyan (2022) puts the
average sediment yield of river in South Western Nigeria at
about 1.590 x 1024 liters. The yield is more than …’.
 How to source for information?

• Go directly to the site if you have the address e.g.

http://www.widernet.org/TechTraining/index.htm-a
• Use the DOI (digital object identifier) allocated to the
research article to down the article e.g.
https://doi.org/10.23940/ijpe.19.09.p2.22942304
• Browse
• Explore a subject directory
• Conduct a search using a web search engine
• Explore the information stored in live data bases on
the web, known as the “deep web”
• Join an e-mail discussion group or Usenet newsgroup
or Whatsapp group on the subject matter.
 Search engines
• The top list of academic search engines
• Academic search engines have become the number one
resource to turn to in order to find research papers and other
scholarly sources. While classic academic databases like
Web of Science and Scopus are locked behind pay walls, Google
Scholar and others can be accessed free of charge. In order to
help you get your research done fast, the top list of academic
search engines have been compiled.
 Google Scholar: It is the clear number one when it comes to
academic search engines. ...
 Microsoft Academic: It is Microsoft answer to Google Scholar.
 BASE. ...
 CORE. ...
 Science.gov. ...
 Semantic Scholar. ...
 Baidu Scholar. ...
 RefSeek.
 Research GATEs
 Academia
 Appendices Page
• This should contain relevant information
that would NOT be appropriate to be
included in the body of the report such as
Technical data,
Elaborate procedure to cumbersome to be
accommodated in the body of the report,
Detailed calculations,
Designs and
Drawings etc.
 Typing & Pagination
• The report should be typed on an appropriate-sized
paper (like A-4 paper) using a computer word
processor an font type and size.
 Paper: A-4
 Font: Times New Roman
 Font size: 12 pt
 Margin: Normal (1 inch to L-R, T-B)
• The report should be paged. Page numbers may be
inserted in any of the following places: The centre, on
the right or left hand side of the top or bottom of the
page.
• The final copy of the report MUST be properly bound.
Publications

Google, https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih
Google, https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih
 Conclusion

• Often times, many people tend to short-

changed themselves by not paying attention
to how they write their research reports.
• It is hoped that the clues given in this
presentation will go a long way in assisting
all the students in preparing their final year
reports in the future.
• Tools like Plagiarism checkers, Mendeley,
Tune-it-In etc. would assist you in coming up
with a quality research report.
THANKS FOR LISTENING