EN 314
TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING
Jeaneth Balaba, Lecturer
ISHRM
Good morning!
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Self-introduction
ISHRM Vision and Mission
Classroom policy
Grading system
Other clarifications
Trivia information
Lesson introduction
Lesson proper
CLASSROOM POLICY
• Attendance & Punctuality
• Classroom Behavior & Language
• Grading System
•
•
•
•
Attendance
Quiz
Activity
Exams
10%
15%
15%
60%
• Overall Rating: Prelims 100%, Pre-finals 100%,
MT 70%, Finals 30%
• Personal Profile (Index card) – Quiz #1
PERSONAL PROFILE ON A 3X5 INDEX CARD
Name:
1x1 Photo
Subject and Section:
Course and Year:
Age/Birthday:
Home Location:
E-mail address:
Course expectation: (1-2 sentences)
*Note: Leave the back portion of the index card blank*
ACTIVITY: SHORT ESSAY WRITING
1. Write a personal essay of introduction
(1 page only): short biographical sketch, your
interests and personal and professional goals,
etc.
2. Choose one topic and elaborate on it
(1 page only):
• Is education important? Why or why not?
• Can young people do without social media? Why
or why not?
• Money is the root of all evils. Explain.
• Does God exist? Elaborate your thoughts.
Making the connection…
Brainstorm on what technical
writing is all about…
Part 1
Technical Writing
The link
for good
workplace/professional
communication

“Technical”
or
“Business” writing is
very different from
“Academic” writing.
Each has its unique
purpose and format to
follow.
Technical writing is
done in the workplace
and centers around
technical topics.
Technical writing has
unique characteristics
and has specific
audiences.
Why the Differences?
Time management
 Variety of Readers
 Reading for different
reasons

“Differences”
Business leaders don’t have the
time in their day to sift through
many pages, searching for the
information they need to know
and
“Differences”
Technical writing will have many
different readers, reading different parts
of the work.
- a project manager, financial officer, CEO, and
supervisor might all read parts that pertain to their
jobs, then discuss as a team the merits of the proposal.

This PowerPoint will:
•Explore the differences
between academic and
technical writing
•Explain the components and
style of technical writing
Technical
vs.
Academic
Writing
Technical versus Academic

Knowledge
•You are
the expert

Knowledge
•You are
still a
learner
Technical versus Academic

Audience
•Technical
background,
professional
s in the field

Audience
•Wide range
of academics
and general
audiences
Technical versus Academic

Criteria for
Evaluation
•Clear and
simple
organization,
•Visually
appealing
and easy to
follow.

Criteria for
Evaluation
•Depth,
logic,
clarity,
unity and
grammar
Technical versus Academic

Graphics,
charts, and
numbers
are used
very
frequently
to support
conclusions
Graphics,
charts, and
numbers are
sometimes
used to help
explain and
demonstrate
knowledge
Characteristics of Technical
Writing



Clear, Concise and simply
organized.
Repetitive in nature.
Highly defined
structure/format.
•Examples: Lab reports,
memos, business letters,
technical reports, and
proposals
Compare These Statements:
Looking into
the azure blue sky
one could see the
golden orb of sun
slip gently beneath
the western sky.


The sun set
in the west.
The left-side description of
the sun setting is an example
of academic writing and the
right-side description is an
example of technical writing.
Notice that the technical
description is clear,
concise, and coherent.
These three C’s are
trademarks of technical
writing.
Assignment:

Find an article out of a Popular
Mechanics magazine. Compare the
first two or three paragraphs of that
article with a passage from one of
your favorite novels using the
following categories:
• Content, Organization, Layout, Intended
Audience, Purpose, Tone.
• You should notice a distinct difference in
each of the categories, leading to how
each is distinct in its clarity, coherence,
and conciseness.
Style in Technical Writing

Writers have unique characteristics.
• Sentence structure, word length word
choice, and word order; these are choices
we make without being conscious of it.
These decisions shape the way we
express ourselves

Style is personal choice, there is no
right or wrong here
ToneExpression of an underlying
attitude that can be:
• Casual
• Objective
• Persuasive
• Enthusiastic
• Serious
• Authoritative
• Friendly
**Always present your material in a positive
light. Never let the negative be presented.
The following tips lend themselves
to better clarity and cohesion in
technical writing.
Sentence Tips

Place the main point at
the beginning of the
sentence
**Don’t make the
reader work to
find it.
Sentence Tips

Use one main clause
in each sentence
**more becomes
Confusing.
Sentence Tips

Examine your copy to
make sure you vary the
sentence length –but aim
for 15-20 words per
sentence. If you use the
same length sentences, the
text becomes tedious to
read
Conciseness Tips
 Avoid the repeated use of
pronouns, this confuses the
reader. Only use a pronoun
immediately following the noun
it represents. Try to use specific
nouns such as the person’s
name, or the specific piece of
equipment, etc. In place of
abstract nouns
Abstract Nouns

Assessment of-

Classification of-

Computation of-

Development of-
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Elimination of-

Requirement of-
Conciseness Tips
Focus on
strong verbs!
Assess
 Classify
 Compute

Develop
 Eliminate
 Require
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Conciseness Tips
Shorten wordy phrases
 Replace long words with
short ones
 Leave out clichés
 Cut out extra words that
are redundant
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Language Use Tips
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Distinguish facts from opinions
Include supportive statements
when necessary
Choose your words carefully
Avoid using words like “always”
and “never”—these box the
writer in and create finality
Active Voice
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Active voice—emphasizes the
doer or the subject
“Joe delivered the pizza within the
specified time frame.”
Active voice uses one verb “delivered”
compared to passive voice which uses a
form of the verb “to be” + the verb--”was delivered”
Almost all technical writing should be
done in the active voice, except lab
reports.
Active Voice helps:
•Create less wordy
sentences
•Places emphasis on the
subject—e.g. company or
person’s name
Passive Voice

Passive voice—emphasizes the
recipient of the action
•Verbs with the “to be” form
•Emphasize the receiver of
the action
•Avoid repetitious use of “I”
and names
Is it the roses or the receiver of the
roses that is important to the giver?
Examples of editing
for
conciseness
• “the passage of the levy was
accomplished through long
and hard negotiations, and
door to door canvassing.”
Revised:
• “The levy pass through long
and hard work.”

“Confirmation of the voting
results occurred yesterday.”
Revised
 “The voting results were
confirmed yesterday.”
Technical Writing
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Provides clear
communication in the
workplace
Has unique formats and a
specific style of writing
Creates clarity, conciseness
and coherency in writing
Closure
Welcome to a new style of
writing. Hopefully the handouts
that accompany these
Presentations will help you take
your first steps to become a
Technical Writer.

Report Writing
Report writing
Before writing a report, the writer should ask
 What is the purpose of the report?
 What action is it intended to trigger?
 Who will read the report?
 How many people will read it?
 What do they need to know?
 What is their current level of knowledge?
Report writing cont...
* Some considerations:
 Assembling data:
- Direct - look, ask, send a questionnaire,
conduct experiments or tests
- Personal - who can you write to, speak to,
phone, with relevant experience/ knowledge
 Style: clear, concise English!
Report writing cont...
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Objectivity:
- The writer must appear to be neutral.
Never use emotive language and always write
logically.
Back up assertions with evidence
Report Writing Stages
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The five major stages of report preparation are
Gathering the data
Analysing and sorting the results
Outlining the report
Writing the rough draft
Revising the rough draft
Gathering the data
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Plan what information/results you are going to
need
Maintain orderly records as the data is
gathered
The little extra effort required to record the
results carefully can be of great value later
Analysing and sorting the results
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During this review, conclusions should be
drawn
This is best done by first writing down all
significant results in no particular order and
then sorting them so that the results pertaining
to a common factor are grouped together.
Once the conclusions are drawn, list them in
descending order of importance.
Analysing and sorting the results
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Sort through the information and select only
the Relevant data
Too much irrelevant information will confuse
the reader
Do not discard information that contradicts your
ideas
Consider how to represent your data
Analysing and sorting the results
Before writing the outline report - Create a limiting
sentence
 SUBJECT
 The HND module to Report Writing
 SCOPE
 covering the fundamentals of organizing, writing, and
reviewing reports,
 PURPOSE
 was written to improve the writing skills of HND
students and the overall quality of their reports.
This focuses your attention on the scope of the report

Outlining the report
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In the sorting stage concentration is on what
results should be presented in a report.
In the outlining stage attention is directed to
how these results should be presented.
Outlining the report
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
The outline should contain descriptive
headings of each significant part of the report.
It should show the complete scope of the
report, the relation of the various parts of the
work discussed, the amount of space to be
given each part, the places for inclusion of
illustrations, and the conclusions
Outlining the report
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
Descriptive headings provide a means of ready
reference and aid clarity.
The final outline should show the exact form,
wording, and value of the headings to be used
in the report. The headings, although brief,
must serve as a reliable guide to the included
material
Writing the rough draft
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Concentrate on what you want to say rather
than how to say it. Keep writing down the
thoughts as they flow into your mind, following
your outline
Then review this version—but only for its
technical content. Are all of the ideas you
wanted to express included? Have you
included irrelevant ideas? Does the report
organization still seem logical?
Revising the rough draft
1.
The first review is of the material in the report.
In this check ask yourself these questions:
Are the conclusions valid? Is sufficient
information given to support the conclusions?
Is enough background information given to
explain the results? Have all irrelevant ideas
been deleted? Are the illustrations pertinent
and necessary?
Revising the rough draft(2)
The second review is of the mechanics and
organization.
Are the subject and purpose clearly stated?
Does the report flow smoothly from topic to
topic? Are the relations between topics clear?
Is each illustration clear and properly
labelled? Are all required parts of the report
included?
Revising the rough draft(3)
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The third review is of spelling and grammar.
Is each sentence written effectively? Are the
sentences varied in length and complexity to
avoid monotony? Are the words specific
rather than vague? Have all unnecessary
words been deleted?
Language
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Be clear, concise and correct. Use:
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Familiar words
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–
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technical terms should be defined within the text
Active verbs for majority of the report
Avoid
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–
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Ambiguity
Loaded words
Clichés e.g. ‘a can of worms’
Jargon
Language cont.
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Avoid:
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–
–
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Superfluous words and phrases e.g. in order to = to,
in the event that = if
Tautology - saying the same thing twice with
different words in the same sentence e.g. the brevity
of the notice given was far too short
Split infinitives e.g. to boldly go
Double negatives; not never = sometimes
Language cont.
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Avoid
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–
–
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Joining two sentences which are not logically
related
Sentences ending with prepositions e.g. to put up
with
Long sentences
Professional report may have to be written in
the third person
Spelling and punctuation

Spelling
–
Word processed material should always use the
spell checker
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Word uses the American spelling e.g. formalize not
formalise
Punctuation
–
See handout#
Report writing cont...
Report layout:
- Title page: title of report, name of the person
who wrote it, date, reference no. (if applicable),
circulation list.
- Table of contents: with section and page
numbers

Report writing cont...
- Abstract or summary:
Usually written last. Not more than about a 1.5
spaced, 3/4 of a page of A4. Should include
the main ‘bones’ of the report for ease of
reference.
Report Writing
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- Introduction:
Background to the report;
specify the purpose of the research;
terms of reference;
reference to similar work being done
elsewhere;
acknowledgement of any help and cooperation.
Report writing cont...
- Methods of investigation: Specify your methods
used. If you are writing a systems analysis and
design report for example, you may wish to
specify the methodology used here.
- Findings: The results of your investigation
- Conclusions: Your assessment of these findings
and their implications
Report writing cont...
-
Recommendations:
Your suggestions for following up the research
contained in the report
Report Writing
- References: a complete list of material directly
referred to in the main text. After a quote in the
main body of the text you may put (Jones,
1994:78) = author of book used, date of
publication, page number.
In your references at the back, the entry for this
would be:
Jones, M A (1994): An introduction to SSADM,
McGraw Hill, Maidenhead.
Report writing cont...
- Bibliography: A complete, alphabetical list of all
sources consulted.
- Appendices: Detailed information which could
have cluttered up the main body of the report,
i.e. charts, graphs, tables of figures,
supplementary information...
Report writing cont...
- Use a numbering system:
This can be either decimal or a mixture of
numerals and letters. The example on the next
slide is the decimal system.
Report writing cont...
1. Main section
2. Main section
2.1 first subsection of 2
2.2 second subsection of 2
3. Main section
3.1 first subsection of 3
3.1.1 first subsection of 3.1 etc...
Report writing

Exercise #
–
Fog index #

An indicator that sentences are too long and there are too
many long words
–
Calculate average number of words in a sentence
– Calculate the percentage of words of two or more syllables
–
How would you write these differently?
Summary
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Remember the 5 stages of report writing
Good planning is essential
Clear well presented style
Subject, Scope and Purpose - limiting
sentence
Well referenced
Recommendations
END OF INTRODUCTION