University of Victoria

Faculty of Engineering
Summer 2015 ENGR 446 Report

ENGR 446 Report Guidelines

University of Victoria
Faculty of Engineering
Victoria, British Columbia
Stu Dent
V00000001
ENGR 446
Electrical Engineering
sdent@uvic.ca
July 31, 2015

In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the

B.Eng. Degree

Letter of Transmittal

University of Victoria
Faculty of Engineering
Re: ENGR 446 Report
May 1, 2015
Dear Student:
Welcome to ENGR 446. As per the University Calendar this 1.0 unit course includes a
major technical report demonstrating written communication and analytical skills. To
assist in writing this report and ultimately successfully completing the course the
enclosed report guidelines has been provided. Please review carefully.
Important Dates are summarized below:
Friday, May 15 4:30PM
Friday, June 12 4:30PM
Friday, July 10 4:30PM
Friday, July 31 4:30PM

Last day for registration changes

Topic Submission Forms Due via online submission in CourseSpaces
Deadline for topic changes, technical questions, or other requests
Reports due IN HARD COPY at the Co-op Office, ECS 204

We look forward to working with you on this course this term. Should you have any
questions please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.
Regards,

Robin Ley
Co-op Coordinator & ENGR 446 Instructor

Jeffrey Martin
Co-op Assistant & ENGR 446 TA

Table of Contents
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... i
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1
2.0 Choosing a Topic ................................................................................................................ 1
3.0 Work Term Report Format ............................................................................................ 2
3.1 Title Page ........................................................................................................................................ 3
3.2 Letter of Transmittal .................................................................................................................. 3
3.3 Table of Contents and the List of Tables and Figures ..................................................... 4
3.4 Summary / Abstract ................................................................................................................... 4
3.5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4
3.6 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 5
3.7 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 5
3.8 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.9 List of References ........................................................................................................................ 5
3.10 Glossary and List of Symbols ................................................................................................ 6
3.11 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 6

4.0 Overall format..................................................................................................................... 6

4.1 Page Numbering ........................................................................................................................... 7

4.2 Section Numbering...................................................................................................................... 7
4.3 Headings ......................................................................................................................................... 7
4.4 Capitalization ................................................................................................................................ 7
4.5 Tables and Figures ...................................................................................................................... 9
4.5.1 Numbering Tables and Figures ........................................................................................... 9

4.6 IEEE Reference Format .................................................................................................... 9

5. Closing remarks ................................................................................................................. 11
5.1 Proprietary/Confidential Reports ..................................................................................... 12

6.0 List of references ............................................................................................................ 12

1.0 Introduction
A major objective of the report is to successfully communicate technical ideas.
The entire report should normally be approximately 3,000 words in length, that is
approximately 12-15 pages of double-spaced text in 12 point font, on standard letter size
paper with margins not less than one inch.
The audience for your report will be your marker, who will be an engineer or computer
scientist. Write your report at a technical level that is understandable to your audience,
i.e. a reader who has an engineering background but who is not familiar with your work.
Your audience may probably not be familiar with the acronyms and local jargon. Make
sure that you define all acronyms and terms. A glossary placed at the beginning of your
report can assist the reader without hampering the readability of your report.
Write your report in a formal style, avoiding usage of the first person at all times.
Sentences such as "I machined five of these cylinders on the lathe" should be expressed
as "Five of these cylinders were machined on the lathe".
Writing style, spelling, punctuation and the report format will constitute 30% of your
marks. If you feel you need information on writing style, read one of the recommended
texts listed in the List of References at the end of the guidelines. If the report is not
confidential it is further suggested that you have someone peer review or proof read your
work prior to submitting.
The technical report is an engineering report. It is more than just a technical description
or a how to manual. It outlines how technical information was applied to solve an
engineering problem. The problem may be one that you worked on directly or assisted
with. Choosing a topic and developing the report content can be the most difficult part of
writing the report.
The following section will deal with developing a report topic. The rest of the guidelines
will describe the report format.

2.0 Choosing a Topic

The easiest way to write a coherent report is to have a topic, then develop a central issue
about the topic. Any material presented in the report should be relevant to the central
issue. Ideally, a report should tackle an engineering problem you encountered in your
projects: provide suitable background, identify the problem, discuss possible solution(s),
evaluate the advantages/disadvantages of possible solutions using a defined criteria, if
applicable discuss how the solution(s) was implemented and what the result was (e.g. did
the solution work as desired), and what changes are recommended, if any.

An example of a topic could be the adoption of a new CAD system. Rather than simply
including of unconnected information about the system, an issue could be why the change
is needed. The introduction would include enough information to allow the reader to
understand existing problems (e.g.. how the original drawing system works, difficulties
when trying to update/access drawings). The requirements for the new system could then
be introduced (e.g.. cost savings, speed, ease of use), then a discussion on which system
was chosen and why it was chosen would follow. If many options are considered evaluate
the advantages/disadvantages of the options using a defined criteria. Your conclusions
could be that the best system was chosen (based on cost, ease of use, speed, availability,
etc.) and you could recommend ways to overcome some of the compromises made (e.g..
purchasing a laser plotter at a later date to reduce up front costs). By having an issue, the
report will follow a logical flow and assist the reader to understand the issue.
Where possible include numbers and reference material to support your statements. For
example, stating that "adding a colour printer is not feasible due to costs," is not as
convincing as including a table of price quotes from potential suppliers.
Submit your work report topic to the ENGR 446 CourseSpace by the due date.

3.0 Work Term Report Format

Include the following items in your report, in the listed order:
* Title Page
* Letter of Transmittal
* Table of Contents
* List of Tables and Figures
* Summary
* Glossary (optional)
* Introduction
* Discussion
* Conclusions
* Recommendations
* References
* Appendices (optional)
The purpose of the preceding items are briefly described below. For more information on
the structure of a formal report, refer to blicq [1].

3.1 Title Page

The title page announces your report to the reader. As an announcement, it should be
descriptive of the report content and understandable to the general reader.
The information required on the title page is:
* A report title no longer than 120 characters (a longer title will be truncated on your
student transcripts)
* The company name and location (if applicable)
* Your name, student number, e-mail address, and engineering discipline
* The date you submitted the report.
Refer to the Sample Title Page for the overall layout. The title page is not numbered. A
template is provided separately

3.2 Letter of Transmittal

The letter of transmittal not only introduces the report, but also explains its purpose,
scope and outlines the major recommendations Your contribution to the overall project
and acknowledgements of others should also be included.
The letter of transmittal follows the title page. It is a letter included with the report and as
such has no page number. Use a standard business letter format, address the letter to the
instructor and include your signature at the end.
See the Sample Letter of Transmittal (provided separately). The Letter of Transmittal
should contain the following information on one page:
The title of the report
Course ID
Your year and discipline, eg. 3A Mechanical, 2B Electrical
Your project or area of work
The scope of the report, i.e. what facets of the problem are discussed
Disclaimers, special problems encountered, or extenuating circumstances, if
applicable
A statement that the report is confidential, if applicable
Acknowledgements of helpful people, groups or organizations
Any other features that may be of interest to the reader.

3.3 Table of Contents and the List of Tables and Figures

The Table of Contents allows the reader to find the location of a specific section or
illustration. It is constructed from the major headings used in the report. Refer to the
Sample Table of Contents (provided separately) and Sample Table of Figures (provided
separately) for the format. Note that the appendices are listed at the bottom of the Table
of Contents and that a List of Tables and Figures follows below or on the following page.
(Note: do not list the heading of "Table of Contents" as an item in the table itself. This
error is often created by word processing software, which creates the table of contents
from the header contents of each section.) The table of contents is typically numbered
separately from the rest of the text (i, ii,).

3.4 Summary / Abstract

The summary is written for the general reader who wishes to be familiar with the content
of the report while avoiding details. The summary is a separate report, which provides a
very brief introduction, states the engineering problem, the approach to the solution, and
the main conclusions and recommendations. It is written after the main report has been
completed. Items in the main report, such as tables, figures or sections, are not referred to
in the summary.
The summary is normally presented on its own page, and is less than one page in length.
See the Sample Summary (provided separately).

3.5 Introduction
The introduction:
provides sufficient background information for the reader to understand the rest of
the report;
clearly defines the engineering problem;
introduces the subject to be discussed;
indicates why the subject is important;
outlines the content of the rest of the report; and,
contains sufficient background information for the reader to understand the rest of
the report.
Introductions should never be longer than the discussion. If a significant amount of
background information is required, some of the material may be included as appendices.
The introductory material may be presented in several sections to cover the scope of the
report as well as provide the necessary background information.

3.6 Discussion
The discussion is the foundation of a report. It presents evidence in the form of
referenced facts, data, test results, calculations, and analysis upon which the conclusions
are based. A well-written discussion flows logically from concept to concept to lead the
reader to the appropriate conclusions. If different solutions are being evaluated,
advantages/disadvantages of each should be discussed. The criteria in which each option
is evaluated should be defined.
The discussion may contain several sections if several concepts are presented. Identify
any limitations of assumptions made to compete your analysis.
For information on the format of tables and figures, refer to section 4.4.

3.7 Conclusions
Conclusions are the results derived from the evidence provided in the discussion. No new
material is presented in the conclusion.
When presenting more than one conclusion, state the main conclusion first, followed by
the others in the order of decreasing importance to ensure the maximum impact on the
reader. Reinforce any limitations or assumptions that impact the conclusions.

3.8 Recommendations
Recommendations are an outline of what further work needs to be done based solidly on
the information you previously presented in the report. They have the greatest impact
when written using action verbs. Again, do not introduce new material or concepts here.

3.9 List of References

Any information quoted, paraphrased, or summarized is cited as a reference. Citing
references assists the reader by indicating where further information can be found and
lends credibility to the analysis within your report. Please note: Wikipedia and other
internet sources may be neither an accurate nor authoritative reference source, and should
not be cited. "Definition by popular consensus" does not constitute a suitable reference.
Instead, use original published source material from reputable established sources. Note
that simply providing an internet link is insufficient. The author and source must be
identified.
Any material introduced in the report that is not your original work should be followed
by a number that corresponds to an item in the List of References. The material cited

might be tables or figures from other sources, equations that you did not derive, technical
specifications or facts used to support your claims.
The IEEE format is the recommended format and is described in section 4.5

3.10 Glossary and List of Symbols

The glossary and list of symbols are optional items used to provide a quick reference to
the reader. If included, they precede the introduction to provide an easy reference.
The glossary defines specialized technical terminology including acronyms, listing them
in alphabetical order, while the list of symbols defines the mathematical symbols used in
the report. Any mathematical symbols or constants included in the report should be
defined since most mathematical usage is not standardized.
Glossaries and lists of symbols are useful when a large number of terms must be
introduced in the report. Refer to the Sample Glossary for the recommended format.

3.11 Appendices
Any data supplementary to the main ideas of the report may be placed in an appendix.
The information may be a description of the processes involved, analytical proceedings,
example calculations, computer printouts, technical specifications, or excerpts from other
reports. Any type of information may be placed in an appendix if it is relevant, provided
it is referred to in the main report.
An appendix refers to one set of information. If several sets of information are to be
included, several appendices may be used. Appendices may be referred to by letter
(Appendix A, B, etc.) or by number ( Appendix I, II, III or 1, 2, 3, etc. ).
Page numbers in appendices are hyphenated, eg. A-1, B-12, etc. In the Table of Contents
appendices are listed at the bottom with no page reference to avoid redundancy, since the
first page of appendix A would be A-1, and the first page of appendix B would be B-1,
etc.

4.0 Overall format

Pages are printed single sided. Reports must be double spaced, using a size 12 font. Pages
and paragraphs are to be numbered as described below. Refer to the sample report
provided separately.

4.1 Page Numbering

Except for the title page and letter of transmittal, all pages are numbered. Sections
preceding the introduction (Table of Contents, List of Tables and Figures, Summary, and
the Glossary) are numbered using lower case roman numerals, i.e.. i, ii, iii, iv, etc.
Page numbers may be placed at the top middle, top right hand corner, bottom middle or
bottom right hand corner of the page. The location of the page numbers should be the
same throughout the report to avoid confusion.
Appendices are numbered separately from the rest of the report usually by appendix
designation followed by the page number. eg. A-1, A-2, B-1, etc. or I-1, I-2, II-1, etc.

4.2 Section Numbering

Number sections in the report using a numerals-only system. Headings can either leftjustified or indented for each layer. See Figure 1, below.
1.
2.
2.1
2.1.1
3.
3.1

1.
2.
2.1
2.1.1
3.
3.1

Figure 1. Illustration of possible section numbering systems.

4.3 Headings
Every section in the report has a heading. A heading briefly describes the section that
follows and is most often followed by a paragraph rather than another heading. Section
and sub-section headings are used in the Table of Contents to assist the reader in locating
specific material in the report.

4.4 Capitalization
When writing reports, cover letters and resumes, try to follow the accepted rules of
capitalization. The two most relevant rules are:

Rule 1: Capitalization of government agencies, companies, departments, divisions, and

organizations1.
Capitalize official names and titles. E.G.:
* Air Pollution Control Division
* Crown Publications
* Keen Engineering Ltd.
* Province of British Columbia
Do not capitalize words such as government, federal agency, department, division,
administration, group, company, research and development, engineering, and
manufacturing when they stand alone. They are only capitalized when they are part of an
official name.
Wrong
Correct
This is a problem for Research and This is a problem for research and
Development, not Engineering
development, not engineering
This is a problem for the Research and
Development Department, not the
Engineering Department.
Jane Doe is the head of her Division in Jane Doe is the head of her division in
the Company
the company.
Jane Doe is the head of the Standards
Division in ABC Engineering.
Rule 2: Do not capitalize words to emphasize them.
Avoid capitalizing words to make them stand out - use italics or bolding instead. Random
capitalization at best detracts from the appearance of your work, and at worst creates the
impression that you don't understand basic writing rules.
Wrong
Correct
Advertising and publicity can enhance Advertising and publicity can enhance
the Value Package of your product.
the value package of your product.
Advertising and publicity can enhance
the value package of your product.
Burning is a Chemical Reaction in which Burning is a chemical reaction in which
Oxygen atoms combine with the atoms oxygen atoms combine with the atoms of
of the Substance being burned.
the substance being burned.
Burning is a chemical reaction in which
oxygen atoms combine with the atoms of
the substance being burned.
1

This information was adapted from The Elements of Technical Writing, Gary Blake and
Robert W. Bly, MacMillan, pages 59-60.

4.5 Tables and Figures

Tables and Figures illustrate information in an easily understood format. They may be
included in the main sections of the report, or if they contain supplemental material they
may be contained in an appendix. Note: If the table or figure that you present in your
report was not created by you but comes from other sources, you must include a reference
for the original source in your caption.
Use the following conventions to assist the reader, for example:
Test results are summarized in Table 3.
Output was proportional to input (Figure 12).
Place the table/figure close to where it is first referred to in the text.
If the information is not your own, cite the reference number in square brackets at the end
of the title, eg. Figure 1: Network Design [3]
Wherever possible, try to orient illustrations in the same direction as the main text.
See the Sample Table (provided separately) and Sample Diagram (provided separately).

4.5.1 Numbering Tables and Figures

Tables and figures are numbered separately, eg. Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2.
Refer to the List of Tables and Figures in the sample report.
Two options exist for numbering the illustrations. They may be numbered sequentially
through the whole report (eg. Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4) or they may be
numbered sequentially through each section (eg. Table 1.1 refers to the first table in
section 1, Figure 2.4 refers to the fourth table in section 2). If a large number of
illustrations are presented, the latter option is the better choice.

4.6 IEEE Reference Format

The IEEE reference format is the suggested format to use. Look at other examples
provided for the correct and incorrect way to cite.
As noted in section 3.9, Wikipedia should not be cited as a reference source alone.
References should be vetted and authors need to be listed.
Figure 2, below, shows the format for various types of references: a book [1], a journal
article-multiple authors [2], an internal report [3], a private communication (letter,
conversation or presentation) [4], a journal article- group author [5], an article from a

conference proceedings [6], a manual- corporate author [7], a document published on the
web [8].
For a web article, give the author, title, type of medium (enclosed in brackets), volume
and issue number (if on-line journal), page number (if relevant or given), and the year
and the month of publication (in parentheses). Then give the full internet address or the
name of the online service provider prefaced by "Available at ". If not an on-line journal,
also put [cited year month day] before "Available at".
Cited References:
[1] J.A. Smith, An Introduction to Engineering , New York: Doubleday, 1981.
[2] A. B. Brown, P. D. Adams and J. A. Smith, "Improved procedure for error
detection," Can. J. of Elec. Engineers, Vol. 9, pp. 545-588, Nov. 1979.
[3] J. A. Smith,"A preliminary analysis of internal waves in the Strait of Georgia,"
UVic Electrical Engineering Report 84-3, 5 pp., 1984.
[4] H. Rosenblum, private communication, 1988.
[5] Phoenix Group,"Flight Simulator Study Results," Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 26, p.
1231, 1985.
[6] B. A. Trubnikov and V. S. Kudryartsev,"Plasma radiation in a magnetic field," in
Proc. 2ns U. N. Cong. Peaceful uses of Atomic Energy (Geneva), Vol. 31, p. 93, 1958
[7] IBM ASTAP Program Reference Manual, IBM Corp., 1973.
[8] A. Harnack and G. Kleppinger, "Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting
Electronic Sources on the Internet." Kairos, [Online serial] 1 (2), (1996 Sum), Available
at: http://english.ttu.edu.kairos/1.2/
Figure 2. Reference listing of various documents.
Note that each listing includes:
the name(s) of the author(s);
the title of the document;
For articles in journals, the title of the article is included in quotations;
For books, the publisher's name and location, and the year the book was
printed;
For articles, the name of the journal, the volume number and the date of
issue; and,

For reports, the report number, the name and location of the issuer and the
date of issue and the page number, when applicable.
When citing a reference within the report, the corresponding reference number may be
included in square brackets:
* at the end of a sentence just before the period, eg. [2].
* after figure and title labels, eg. Figure 1: Network Design [3].
* after the appendix title if the entire appendix is copied from another source, eg.
Appendix A [4].
* at the right hand margin beside a mathematical equation.
In the list of references, list the cited references in the same order as they are referred to
in your report. The reference numbers appear in square brackets at the left-hand margin.
General References are listed separately in alphabetical order.
Refer to Figure 3, below, for the overall format of the List of References.
Cited References:
[1] J. A. Smith,"A preliminary analysis of internal waves in the Strait of Georgia,"
UVic Electrical Engineering Report 84-3, 5pp., 1984.
[2] H. Rosenblum, private communication, 1988.
[3] Phoenix Group, "Flight Simulator Study Results," Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 26, p.
1231, 1985.
General References:
Brown, A. B., P. D. Adams and J.A. Smith, "Improved procedure for error detection,"
Can. J. of Elec. Engineers, Vol. 9, pp. 545-588, Nov. 1979.
Smith, J. A., An Introduction to Engineering. New York: Doubleday, 1981.
Figure 3. Example of the IEEE format

5. Closing remarks
The above guidelines are a condensed version of the material covered in the books listed
in the bibliography. Refer to the recommended texts for more detail. If you have any
further questions or comments, contact a coordinator at the Engineering Co-op Office ph.
(250) 472-5800.

11

5.1 Proprietary/Confidential Reports

All reports will be considered confidential; they will not be released to the general public,
and will be destroyed within 2 years of being marked. Should you require the marker to
sign a Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure Agreement, please indicate this when submitting
your topic. An NDA will not be automatically sent.

6.0 List of references

[1] Blicq, Ron S., Technically-Write!, Scarbourough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1987.
General References:
Messenger, William E., Jan de Bruyn, Canadian Writer's Handbook, Scarbourough:
Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1986.
Pearsall, Thomas E., D. H. Cunningham, A. S. Tovey, How to Write for the World of
Work, Canadian Edition, Toronto: Hol, Rinehart and Winston of Canada, Ltd., 1988.
Sandman, Peter M., C. S. Klompus, B. G. Yarrison, Scientific and Technical Writing,
Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada, Ltd. 1985.