Technical Report Writing

Technical reports are the primary written work products of technicians in

any field, engineers, etc. As such, they present facts and conclusions
about designs, experiments, and other projects. A technical reports
purpose is to communicate information gained through a process of
technical or experimental work.
Usually, readers will have a technical or engineering background, but it is
your responsibility as the report writer to explain the specifics of the
subject of your experiment, process, or project.
It, like most scientific or technical writing, should convey information in an
objective, fact-based manner-a style that ensures technical information
and processes that can be relayed from you to readers in a clear, efficient
fashion.
Structure:
1. Title page
It must include the title of the report. Reports for assessment, where the
word length has been specified, will often also require the summary word
count and the main text word count.
2. Abstract
Sometimes it is called Executive Summary. It gives a concise and clear
overview of what to be discussed in the report. Readers should be able to
gain all necessary information from the abstract.
3. Acknowledgement
It is dedicated to thanking people who helped you research or prepare the
report, including your proofreaders.
4. List of abbreviations, figures, and tables
List of tables and/or figures has to include page numbers.
5. List of contents
It numbers and lists all section and subsection headings with page
numbers.
6. Introduction
It states the objectives of the report and comments on the way the topic of
the report is to be treated. It leads straight into the report itself. It also
gives sufficient background information to the report and it must answer
the questions: Why was this study performed? What is the specific
purpose of the study?

7. The sections which make up the body of the report

The body of the report is divided into numbered and headed sections.
These sections separate the different main ideas in a logical order.
8. Conclusions
A conclusion is a short, logical summing up of the theme(s) developed in
the main text.
9. References
It mentions details of published sources of material referred to or quoted
in the text (including any lecture notes and URL addresses of any websites
used.
10.Appendices (if appropriate)
They include any further material which is essential for full understanding
of your report (e.g. large scale diagrams, computer code, raw data, and
specifications) but not required by a casual reader.