TechWriting Guidelines

Guidelines
for
Technical Writing
Vinod K. Banthia
M.D.Deshpande
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M.S.Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies
General Issues
Why a lecture about writing?
Surely, any literate can write. Why talk about Writing?
Any body can sing. But, can we get an audience?
Writing is for communication? Can we get readers?
Writing is a SKILL.
Good writing is an ART. More so Technical Writing.
There may be those who are born or gifted writers.
Others have to LEARN and PRACTICE.
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Contents
Introduction
General Issues
Basic Requirements
Elements of Technical Writing
Writing a Project Report
Selecting a Project Composing the Title - Writing the Introduction Body of
the Report Problem Methodology and Tools Collecting the Results
Presentation of the Results Conclusions and Recommendations Abstract
Appendix
Where is the Innovation?

General Hints on How to Study.
Ver. 2.0. 14th Apr 2005.
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Scope:
Introduction
Presentation of broad guidelines on writing a project report.
Purpose: Help the students who have to do lot of technical writing.

Assignment Reports
Examinations
Project Reports
This talk attempts to help the students in good technical writing ,
specifically relating to Writing a Project Report.
Plan: General Issues Elements of Technical Writing Technical
Report Writing.
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"Practice
is the best of all instructors.

--
Publilius Syrus,
Syrian-born Roman author, c. 100 BC
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Purpose:
Provide an opportunity to develop the writing skills.
Assignment
Convey the ability to analyze a problem.
Exam
Ready to use knowledge plus ability to be precise
Project Report
Physics of the problem and its application

Critical view - design/analysis process
Results conclusions
Oral and Written presentation.
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Why Technical Writing?

Build on existing knowledge
Propagate the knowledge
Co-workers/Team members
Sales/Marketing personnel
Customers
Technical Work is NOT Technical Writing

Commitment & Details
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Basic Requirements
Technical writing is a specialized field that requires
Personal Discipline
Organization Skill
Skill in Writing Clearly and Concisely
Understanding of Technical Products and Processes
Knowledge of numerous software tools
Good Vs Bad writing: This is subjective. No one is perfect.
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Organisation
What are you writing about?
What do you plan to achieve in what you are writing?
I
Ideas
II
Flow
III
IV
Hierarchy
Refinement
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Audience
Who is going to read the report?
What is the level of their current knowledge?
How much information is needed?
What background information to include?
Why is the reader reading the report?
Is the document supposed to inform or convince?
How much time does the reader have to read it?
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Example of an old Technical Paper

From: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 41, 162-66 (1739)
An Experiment to prove, that Water, when agitated by Fire, is infinitely

more elastic than Air in the same circumstances; by the late Revd John
Clayton, Dean of Kildare in Ireland
Sir Thomas Proby having heard of a new Digester, which I contrived, had a Desire to
see it, and some experiments made therein. I had a small one which I designed
only for an inward Cylinder; this I could easily put in my Pocket: Wherefore ,
going to pay him a Visit at , but that the Vessel was very weak, and I
feared would not endure the Pressure of so violent a Heat; yet something
desirous to have the Experiment tried; I said I was ready to venture my Vessel:
. into the Fire about half way; and in about three Minutes time I found it
raised to a great Heat; ..
. Scare had I done speaking, and Sir Thomas
thereupon moved his Chair to avoid Danger; .. , it burst as a Musquet had
gone off. A Maid that was gone a milking, heard it considerable Distance; the
Servants said it shook the House. The Bottom .
(This old style of writing was uninhibited, personal and relaxed.)

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Example of a modern Technical Paper

From: Proceedings of the Royal Society 457, 1533-1554 (2001)
Decay of a three-dimensional vortex in an enclosure

By Name of the Author(s), Institution, Address, e-mail
Received 7 January 2000; revised 17 October 2000; accepted 6 December 2000
Abstract:
..
Keywords: vortex motion; viscous decay; closed streamlines; cavity; toroidal surface
___________________________________________________________________________________________
1.Introduction
Although many studies exist of both inviscid and viscous free vortices, not many exist
of confined three-dimensional vortex motions, despite these being of fundamental and
practical interest. Confined flows, of course, have special complications brought about
by, for instance, the presence of corner or secondary vortices and separation and
reattachment points; moreover if the initial state is turbulent, transition to the laminar
state will occur with the decay of the vortex motion. It is clear that with all these
complexity one will
(The modern style is more compact, terse, to the point and less personal.)
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Brevity is the soul of wit

William Shakespeare
This report, by its very length, defends
itself against the risk of being read
Winston Churchill
"I'm sorry this letter is so long. I didn't have
time to write a shorter one."
Pascal
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Conciseness
Fiction
Technical
Information
Information
Emotion
Mood
Image
Word Play
Be Concise
In the interests of clarity, it seemed

necessary to constantly remind myself to
pay not the slightest attention to the
elegance of the presentation; I adhered
conscientiously to the rule of the brilliant
theoretician, Ludwig Boltzmann, to leave
elegance to tailors and shoemakers.
--Albert Einstein
BUT
Be Complete
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Basic Requirements
Good Vs Bad writing: This is subjective. No one is perfect.
writing should meet minimum acceptable standard.
Avoid spelling errors (like bad notes in music)
Load and boundary conditions applied on the model is shown in
the figure bellow
The following steps are used in preparing FE model for thermal
analysisodal analysis
Use built-in Dictionary but dont rely wholly on it.
Following procedure followed for performing model analysis
There are too birds on the tree
Select appropriate version of English for spell checking
Patiently search. Proof Read.

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Avoid grammatical errors (like a bad tune) Study and practise.

The operating speed of the impeller is 24000 rpm (revolutions per
minute) that is the exiting frequency of the impeller system is the
operating speed in per second. Hence the exciting frequency in
revolution per second is 4500 rps (Hz).
Maintain a good flow of language. (like a good song) This comes
by practice. Write and re-write. Change the sequence of sentences.
Write in several ways. Read loudly. Select what you feel as the best.
Some Guidelines regarding Flow: Use appropriate words. Avoid
verbose and bombastic language. Each sentence must have a main
verb (action). Use simple declarative sentences. Let the sentences be
inter-connected. Each paragraph contains one main idea. Paragraphs
must be inter-connected. (Explain with 1,2,3 above as an example.)
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Use Simple declarative sentences. Note the irony:

He should be especially careful to shun the long, meandering sentence that is
crammed with obscurely related phrases and clauses, in which the subject and
predicate seem hopelessly to be searching for each other and the verb has a kind of
floating object.
- from Dwight E Gray, So you have to write a technical report, ARP,
Washington, 1970. Ch.1, p.3.
Avoid phrases like:

Coming to the point
It is important to note
All in all
To reiterate
It cant be overemphasized that
We have to note especially that
Can I ask you a question? This itself is a question.
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Some examples of bad usage:

Ex. 1: The number of tasks are (noun in singular, verb in plural)
Data: is it singular or plural?
Ex. 2: although the pressure was very high, it is within acceptable limits; (tense
mismatch)
Ex. 3. It was aim to study the characteristics of the comparator response
The aim was to study
Ex.4. It was also verified for its various building blocks were studied for their
designed values, which was satisfactory for the output response. Too many verbs in a
single sentence. (sentence too long, too-many verbs with mixed number)
It was verified if
( a ) the building blocks meet the design specifications and
(b ) the output gives a satisfactory response.
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If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is

meant. If what is said is not what is meant, then what
ought to be done remains undone.
--Kong Fu Zi/Confucius
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Purpose: Convey Information in clear, precise, un-ambiguous, and
technically sound language. Technical writing consists of technical terms.
Vocabulary of technical terms. A student of distinction scores because
he/she uses technical terms precisely. Technical terms in Cricket:
Lindwall is having a fast run-up for his bowling.
He has one long-leg, one short-leg, one square-leg.
Maintain a Handbook for Glossary of Technical Terms. Whenever you
come across a new technical term, enter it with definition, example of
usage with Figure, symbol, unit, cross reference to related words.
Examples: Understand the subtle difference between similar technical terms.
sound, acoustic, vibration; ultra-sound, super-sonic.
Is this a valid question: What is the velocity of sound waves?
time, duration, interval, delay;
Force, pressure, stress,
Strain, elongation, displacement, deformation, amplitude
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Vocabulary of technical terms (cont.)
Multi-dimensional Vs multi-channel
Factorization Vs Decomposition; The factors are Vs The components are
Analog Vs Continuous; Analog Vs Analogue; Discrete Vs Digital;
Convolution Vs Correlation
waveform of an amplifier is;
motor is reversed;
logarithmic bandwidth is this a valid technical term?
which keeps the residual echo minimum; - is this correct?
with certain assumptions on certain circumstances and constraints; (too vague)
Use the appropriate word based on the context.
50% of the learning/teaching effort goes towards building the technical vocabulary.
Knowledge of the technical terms must be available at finger tips. A students level of
confidence depends on this knowledge.
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Use of Unit. What is the time? six twenty. 620. It makes sense.
what is the speed? 600. 600 what? 600 mph or 600 kmph or 600 rpm?
Always specify the Unit along with the number. Use appropriate unit based on the
context. In place of 0.003 meter, use 3 mm for easy readability. But while solving
problems use appropriate unit. While entering data as input into a program, use the
appropriate unit. Units are always in singular (exception feet?). In case of Units
having proper names the first letter is capitalized (convention varies). Ex: Hz, dB.
Abbreviations for milli, kilo etc are always in lower case. Ex: kHz, 3 mm.
Sometimes a subtle distinction is made between meter-squared Vs sq-meter (area).
When a sequence of numbers is given, specify unit only ones: 100, 1000 and 4000 Hz
not 100 Hz, 1000 Hz and 4000 Hz. ( is the previous sentence correct?)
Dimension: Dimension of speed is the same (L/T) irrespective of the Unit. A
knowledge of Dimension helps in verifying the correctness of a formula.
Which formula is correct: f=c or c = ff: frequency = 1/T. c = L/T. = L.
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Symbols and Mathematical Formulae:
Mathematics is the queen of science. It is a short hand notation.
Physical situation > Mathematical model > Solution > Interpretation in physical
terms.
(Give example here: Grand fathers age is the square of grand-sons age; 2*GF+GS=78.)
Define the symbol the very first time it is used. Use symbols consistently through out
the presentation. Ex: frequency is represented by the symbol f ( or ). Note the
difference between the angular frequency (radians per sec) and the linear frequency
f (Hz).
Use appropriate symbols for Scalars, Vectors, Matrices. Define the convention.
Transforms are generally shown in Upper case. F(), T(s), H(z).
Take care of sub-scripts and super-scripts. Use parenthesis to properly group the
terms. Numerator and denominator are to be properly separated.
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Tables: are used to show experimental data where ( a ) one or more of the variables is
non-mathematical or ( b ) there are too many variables or ( c ) the dependence
amongst the various variables is not obvious (no underlying theory)
or ( d ) the data is too sparse.
Ex: Frequency of occurrence of different letters; Confusion matrices in listening tests;
Velocity of acoustic waves in different media.
Generalization cant be drawn from the results presented in a Table. Sometimes Bar
graphs, pie-charts are used to visualize data in a Table.
Medium
Alphabet
Frequency
20%
air
18%
clear-water
12%
Sea-water
6%
oil
Velocity
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Graphs: are used where the variables (a) take on numerical values and (b) are
grouped as dependent and independent. Example: Filter response. Independent
variable, frequency, is shown on x-axis. Dependent variable, gain, is shown on the yaxis. Proper units and range must be chosen to illustrate the functionality. Use log
scale when the range is very large. Ex: Frequency range over 10 to 100,000 Hz.
Sometimes a family of curves is shown. Filter response also depends on the order of
the filter. This is shown as a parameter. Throughout the experiment the value of
the parameter remains the same. Experimentally measured data are to be shown as
discrete points along with the fitted curve. The following graphs represent filter
responses of first order LPF and 2nd order HPF. What is wrong?
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Chapters
Sections
Sub-Sections:
When the size of the document is long it is usually divided into Chapters, Sections
and sub-sections. There are standard ways for identifying these. Ch. I, II, or Ch. 1,
Ch.2 ; Sec. 1.1; Sub-Section: 1.1a, 1.1b etc or 1.1.1, 1.1.2 etc.
References: are the sources of information that were actually referred during the
preparation of the work. See Staff-Student Handbook for details.
Abstract: will be discussed later.
Title: will be discussed later.
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Writing a Project Report

Order of items as it appears / Size
Order of items as it is
written /Effort
Title & Title Page
Introduction
30%
Table of Contents
Body of the Report
30%
List of Tables, Figures, Symbols
Conclusions and Recommendations 10%
Abstract
one page
Appendixes, References
10%
Introduction
15%
Table of Contents
Body of the Report
60%
Abstract & Title
10%
Conclusions
10%
Acknowledgement
Recommendations
Appendixes
References
IMRAD+C: Introduction - Materials and Methods (or Experimental details) Results and Discussion (Analysis in some journals) - Conclusions
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(Conclusions
and Recommendations)
M.S.Ramaiah
School of Advanced Studies
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Selecting a Project
Dont be too ambitious - selecting a big project that cant be handled within the
available time reflects badly (give examples) - Dont select a trivial project either
Discuss with various persons
What Employers look for in a project? Important Points to remember:
DEPTH QUALITY COMPLETENESS KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED
SKILLS ACQUIRED PRESENTATION SKILLS (Oral and Written)
Depth: Thoroughly familiar with all the terms / concepts /formulae used.
Quality: Work must show the ability to solve a problem know the difference
between reality and model: Resistor Vs Resistance? (More about it later).
Completeness: Making a big claim in the Title of the project, but within the report
stating that due to lack of time only a part could be done - not a good practice.
Knowledge/Skills Acquired: Employers are going to test the knowledge relating to the
problem area You must become an expert in the chosen problem area (sub-area)
be able to teach /guide / lecture -
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Composing the Title

Wrong Titles for a Project:
Data Acquisition System, Image Processing, Digital Communication System,
Network Control System, Analysis of an IC Engine
More appropriate Title:
A high speed analog-to-digital converter based on
Human Face Verification for Security Clearance based on
An adaptive delta modulation system for speech
Software for delay reduction in Network traffic
Calculation of Stress induced in the casing of a four stroke engine based on
simulation studies
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Abstract
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ABSTRACT
Having an intellectual and affective artistic content

that depends solely on intrinsic form rather than on
narrative content or pictorial representation
A written summary of the key points especially of a scientific paper
Mini Version of the paper
Summary of a body of information in a paragraph
Condensed version of a longer piece of writing
that highlights the major points covered
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ABSTRACT
Quickly and accurately identify basic contents of the paper
Check if the related research is of interest
To attract the interest and curiosity of the non-specialist reader
Quickly acquaint the reader of current research
Generate interest and curiosity of the non-specialist reader
Entice potential readers into obtaining a copy of the full paper
To be remembered long after the paper has been read
Because on-line search databases typically contain only abstracts
Concise
Complete
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Descriptive
ABSTRACT
What Information is contained.

Purpose (Why?), Method (How?) and
scope (What?) of the
report/article/paper
Short, usually under 100 words.
Without results, conclusions, or
recommendations.
Organization not contents
Generates interest in the reader to go
and look up the results, conclusions
and recommendations in the paper
Informative
Communicate specific information
from the report, article, or paper
Include the purpose, methods, and
scope of the report, article, or paper
Provide the report, article, or
paper's results, conclusions, and
recommendations
Are short -- from a paragraph to a
page or two, depending upon the
length of the original work being
abstracted. Usually informative
abstracts are 10% or less of the
length of the original piece
Allow readers to decide whether
they want to read the report, article,
or paper.
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ABSTRACT
The Effect of Injection Pumps on Cold Starting of Diesel Engines.
Descriptive Abstract:
Results are presented of a series of cold-room tests on a diesel engine to determine the
effect on starting time of (1) fuel quantity delivered at cranking speed, and (2) type of
fuel injection pump used. The tests were made at a temperature of -100 Fahrenheit;
engine and accessories were chilled to -100 F at least 8 hrs before the experiment
began.
Informative Abstract:
Cold weather tests were made to determine the effect of cold starting of the quantity
of fuel injected at cranking speed for two types of injection pump. The diesel engine
of the energy cell-Lanova type that was used had 3.75bore, 5 stroke and 331 cubic
inch displacement. The cold room was maintained at -100 F ; engine, batteries, fuel
and lubricating oils, and all equipment were chilled to -100 F for at least 8 hours
before the engine was started. .
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ABSTRACT
Contents:
Problem Statement
What has been done?
Methodology
How was it done?
Results
What was found?
Conclusions
What do the findings mean?

What are the advantages?
How well it works?
Complete
Concise
Clear
Cohesive
Covers the major parts of the project.

Contains no excess wordiness or unnecessary information.
Readable, well organized, and not too jargon-laden.
Flows smoothly between the parts.
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ABSTRACT
Structure:
Purpose of the study/paper:
Primary objectives and scope of the study

Reasons why the document was written
Rationale for your research.
Techniques/Approaches used:
Experimental
Analysis
Sources
.
Results/Collected Data/Observations:Experimental
Theoretical
New Findings/Contradictions
Accuracy/Reliability
Conclusions:
Why are the results of this study important

How do they relate to the purpose?
Suggestions/Recommendations
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ABSTRACT
Hints:
Reread the article, paper, or report with the goal of abstracting in mind
Look at main parts of each section of the paper
Use the headings, outline heads, and table of contents as a guide
Write first draft (No Cheating)
Don't merely copy key sentences
Summarize information in a new way
Revise the rough draft
Improve Organization
Improve Transitions
Drop Unnecessary Information
Add Important Information
Eliminate wordiness
Check spelling, grammar and punctuation
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ABSTRACT
Hints:
Clear and concise results/conclusions but adequate description of project
Proper word choice for conciseness
Use Key words
Be Specific (-10 F versus very low temperature)
Drop unnecessary information
this paper will look at.... , This Paper, is described/reported
It is believed that.,
Do not repeat or rephrase the title
Do not refer to things not in the paper
Assume good Technical vocabulary -- Avoid highly specialized words/abbs.
Past tense to describe the work already done, Present tense for existing facts
Use primarily active voice. Use passive voice if it reduces word count
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Introduction
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Writing the Introduction

Introduction has three principal parts
A Scope and subject matter
Amplification of the Title What the report is all about Limits of coverage
B Purpose, Audience
amplification of the preface if there is one - Purpose of the report not the purpose
of the experiment Is it a users manual, is it a technical report; what background
is assumed on the part of the reader what are the limits of the study C Plan of the work
amplification of the Contents - an overview of the report how things are
organized and why so
Length of the Introduction: 10 to 15%.
DONT: Start with a long history, very general discussion about the subject matter.
DO: Let the reader to know the subject matter of the report immediately.
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Example 1: Hindi Movies
Scope / Subject: Narrow down: Critical review of Hindi Movies;
Critical review of Love stories in Hindi Movies; Critical review of
triangular love stories in Hindi Movies
Purpose / Audience: Reading material during travel - Entertainment
Written for Students of Social Science
Plan: selection criteria case by case presentation - factors considered
for analysis conclusions
--------------------------------------------How to expand? from one page to one chapter or even several chapters
the above topic. See Next Slide.
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Example 1: Hindi Movies: Critical review of triangular love stories
After the broad introduction Types of Hindi Movies Statistics
Types of love stories Love marriage Vs arranged marriage
Influence of religion, financial status, age factor are the stories
realistic? Do they reflect social values Specialty about triangular
love stories Statistics Popularity
Purpose: can range from entertainment to a PhD thesis in sociology
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Example 2: Cricket Match
Scope / Subject: Critical review of cricket match; Critical review of
close-finish matches ( one ball, one run, one wicket) (one-day
match or test match)
Purpose / Audience: Reading material during travel - Entertainment- or
written for serious fans
Plan: selection criteria case by case presentation - analysis
conclusions
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Wrong styles of Introduction
VLSI is an exciting and important area in electronics. Over the past
decade it has emerged as
Security is a vital issue of national importance. Todays technology
has advanced
Instead, use direct approach:
This report presents in detail the VLSI design of a first order
Butterworth analog filter for audio applications.
A digital image processing algorithm is presented that verifies the
image of the human face recorded using a web camera against
images stored in an existing database. The algorithm is based on
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Body of the Report

Answer the following questions:
What did you do?
The Problem (one or two chapters)
How did you do it?
The Method and the Tools (2 or 3 chapters)
What did you find out? Results (one chapter)

(Dont include conclusions and recommendations in the Body of the
Report)
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Problem
Problem is broadly specified by the Programme Manager.
But narrow down the problem.
Ex: where do you live? In solar system, on earth, in India, in Karnataka,
Subject > Area > Topic > Problem (Area )> Your Problem (sub-area)
Electronics > Digital Signal Processing > Image Processing > Face Recognition
Face Recognition: Is it identification or Verification?
Technique: What Features are used? What is the Classification strategy?
Situation: Input Image: Passport photographs, web camera, movie clippings etc.
Setting-up performance criteria is a part of the problem statement Is it to improve
the speed or accuracy? Is it hardware implementation or simulation study etc?
What is the size of database?
Relevance: Application.Why have you selected this problem? What are the
engineering challenges that are addressed in the problem?
Literature Survey: How similar problems have been solved? Put your work in the
contemporary context.
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Problem #2
State the Problem (PHYSICS/REALITY). Start from the broad area and narrow down
to the specifics.
Engineering design is a trade-off between Performance and Cost.
What are the performance criteria? What are the goals? What are the costs involved?
NARROW DOWN.
State the various approaches available to solve the problem. Literature Survey.
Justify the particular approach you are going to use.
Give both the theoretical basis and the basis for selecting particular tools.
If you are good at coding (programming), nothing like writing your own code.
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Methodology and Tools

Generally a software tool is available. Based on the problem proper software tool has
to be used. Proper input has to be specified. The tool also generates graphs.
What is the difference between a Technician and an Engineer?
A Technician knows how to use the tools. An Engineer can DESIGN a system.
An Engineer can solve a problem, meet the challenges of a new situation.
Master the tool, but know its pit falls
Some designs of automobiles, aircraft, computers have been withdrawn from the
market because of bad design. This situation arises due to improper use of tools.
Three examples of Pit Falls: a) The spectrum of a sine wave computed using the FFT
showed the spectrum of an exponentially damped resonance. b) Pole-zero
estimation was made while the input signal that was made-up of only poles.
c)Phase response showed a large range while theoretically it has to be within 2.
WARNING: Understand clearly the Physics of the problem

and the limitations of the tool.
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Collecting the Results

Validate using simplified models. Solve it analytically. Estimate the expected results
and compare them with those generated by the tools. Then apply to a complex
situation. Replicate an earlier study.
How are you going to test the results?
Generate test cases like a test dose of an injection for possible allergic reaction.
Validate the results Cross check the results to ascertain that the tools are being used
properly, check if appropriate inputs have been given - in millimeter or meter,
Temperature in Degree F or C, proper polarity ( + or -) etc.
Run the Experiment for Repeatability, Consistency. One Single Run is no experiment.
No conclusion can be drawn.
Collect the Results in a systematic manner. Some of the experiments may be time
consuming. Proper planning is required.
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Presentation of Results
How to present the results? Prepare a menu card. Serve item by item.
The presentation must cover the following:
1 Tools or equipments used. Model No., Version No. , Manufacturer or Developer.
Actual set-up. Additional details can be given in Appendix.
2 Testing of the tool on a smaller scale before the actual presentation of the results or
Calibration of the instruments used to make the measurements.
3 Testing on data where results are predictable or replication - for validation.
4 Scope of the experiments regarding the range of the input parameters and what are
the output parameters that are being measured.
5 Present one experiment at a time with a clear objective for the experiment. Present
the results and discuss the main findings. Use Tables, Graphs etc for proper
illustration. Use proper scale and legend for the Graphs.
6 Show the link between one experiment and another. Present the results in a graded
manner.
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Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions are convictions based on (experimental) evidence.
Results are measurements. What you infer from the results are the conclusions.
Exmp: Data on Rain fall Vs month of the year.
Conclusion: Usually there is no rain fall in Bangalore during the month of March.
Recommendations: Suggested action. Dos and Donts.
Exmp: Conclusion: Delayed Submission of Assignment.
Recommendation: Deduction of marks.
List the Conclusions. For each item in the list provide the supporting evidence by
referring to the Figures or Tables in the main body of the report.
Problem Formulation: begins with reality or Physics of the process - Modeling
(theory).
Experiments are conducted using the model. Why? To deal with a wide range of input
parameters, situations etc. Working with real systems is time consuming,
expensive.
Results are generated using simulation tools or experimental setups.
Conclusions take us back to the reality or physics of a process.
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Appendix
Explanatory material that would interfere with the logical continuity.
Avoids congestion of the report. Pertinent but too detailed to be seen
later if required
Not directly contributing to the report not that of the author Supporting material not critical and may be of interest only to a few
readers.
----------Supplementary calculations; detailed derivations; charts, maps, graphs
as additional information; detailed experimental results; description
of equipment; description of software tool;
----------Each item has to have an identifying tag and a title.
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Where is the innovation?

How can a student bring-in an innovation into his/her project work?
In the selection of the problem.
In the methodology used to solve the problem.
In the presentation of results and ability to draw interesting
conclusions.
In visualizing new applications.
In the presentation of the report.
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General Hints
Whole to Part: Going from broad area or overview into details is a better
approach. Master Plan to fine details. (Four walls and a roof; later interiors)
Do the work in several rounds. First round: Assume that you are preparing one
page assignment to be submitted within one day. Propose a tentative title, write a
crude report. Second round add some more details etc.
Look for information sources. Prioritize: Text Books, Journals (review articles)
and Web browsing. Write down the reference immediately. Be FOCUSSED while
browsing. Dont go too deep during the first round of reading. Dont try to
understand all aspects. Just establish links between the problem and the sources.
Several rounds of light reading is better than one round of deep reading.
Categorize the reading material: Definition, Concept, Illustration, Formula,
Details, Case Study etc. Xerox parts and build-up a crude report. Then write it in
your own words.
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Referencing
All statements, opinions, conclusions etc. taken from another
writers work should be cited, whether the work is directly quoted,
paraphrased or summarized.
A restatement of a
text or passage in
another form or
other words, often
to clarify meaning.
Harvard Reference
Oxford Reference
Presenting the
substance in a
condensed
form; concise
APA Reference
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Harvard Reference
In the Harvard System cited publications are referred to in the text by
giving the authors surname and the year of publication and are listed
in a bibliography at the end of the text.
In the book by Ln1 and Ln2 / Ln1 et al. (1995) .....
There are indications that passive smoking is potentially threatening to
the health.......... ( Ln1 and Ln2, Yr; Ln, Yr)
Ln1 and Ln2 (Yr) state that "networking is no longer solely
within the male domain . . ."(p.XX).
Ln1 and Ln2 (Yr) in discussing staff development state that:
"Development is infectious, and staff who previously have recoiled
from undertaking a degree or conversion course have been encouraged
by the success of others"(p.XX).
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Harvard Reference
In the Harvard System, the references are listed in
alphabetical order of authors names.
Book
Ln,Fn / Ln,Fn and Ln,Fn /Ln,Fn et al. (Yr) Title of the book, Edition,
Place of publication, Publisher.
Edited Book
Ln,Fn / Ln,Fn and Ln,Fn /Ln,Fn et al. (eds) (Yr) Title of the book,
Edition, Place of publication, Publisher.
Chapter in a Book
Ln, Fn (Yr) Chapter Title. In: Fi. Ln et al. (eds) Title of the book.
Place of publication, Publisher. p. xx- yy.
Article in a journal
Ln, Fi. (Yr) Article Title. Journal Title, V(N), XX-YY.
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Harvard Reference
From published conference proceedings
Ln1, Fi. et al (Yr) Article Title: Proceedings of the Conference held at
the Location. Place
From published conference proceedings
Ln, Fn. (1998) Article Title. In: Ln, Fi. et al. Proceeding Title:
Conference held at the Conference Location. Place. p.XX - YY.
Dissertation
Ln, Fn (1995) Dissertation title. Unpublished Degree dissertation,
University.
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Harvard Reference
http://home.ched.coventry.ac.uk/caw/harvard/index.htm
*
Oxford System
Sequential:
In this system each citation is given a unique number in the order in
which it appears in the text, either in brackets or superscripted.
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62
Electronic References
WWW
Ln, Fi. Mi. (Pub. Date). Title. Site. URL (Date Accessed).
E-mail
Ln, Fi. (Msg. date) subject Line Discussion or Newsgroup list. List
address (Date Accessed).
Online Reference Source
Ln, Fi. Title. (1993). In Title of complete work.
Online resource. Path to the source (Date Accessed).
Electronic
Publication/Database
Ln, Fi. Title. (1993). Title of complete work Version No.
Name of the DB, Online resource. Access Info. (Date Accessed).
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63
Oxford English Dictionary
Resources
http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl
(for subscribers only)

Merriam Webster
(Dictionary and Thesaurus)
http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm
Rogets (Dictionary/Thesaurus/language Ref./Other Language ..)

http://thesaurus.reference.com/
William Strunks Element of Style
http://www.bartleby.com/141/
Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students

http://writing.eng.vt.edu
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Site Map
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/sitemap.html
Grammar Handbook
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/grammar_handbook.htm
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Put it before them briefly so they will read it,

clearly so they will appreciate it,
picturesquely so they will remember it, and
above all, accurately so they will be guided by
its light.
-- Joseph Pulitzer
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Philosophy
Honesty is the best policy.
You cannot write a good report / paper unless you have something to say.
First decide what is that you want to say. Then say it boldly, clearly and briefly.
Technical writing is a boring job. Doing an experiment or computation or
observing the sky is more exciting. (They involve new tasks!) But technical
reporting is an equally important job. Hence it has to be done properly. It does
not necessarily mean we have to spend more time.
Poor technical writing makes one suspect about the care taken in your
technical work itself.
VKB
66
EXAMPLE for the TITLE

Floods
Floods in the Kaveri Basin
Floods in the Kaveri Basin during the Years 1990 2005
A Detailed Fluid Mechanical Study of Floods in the Kaveri Basin
during the Years 1990 - 2005 and Suggestions for their control
A Fluid Mechanical Study of Floods in the Kaveri Basin during
the Years 1990 - 2005 and Suggestions for their control
A Study of Floods and their control in the Kaveri Basin during
the Years 1990 2005
A Study of Floods and their control in the Kaveri Basin
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EXAMPLES
From: The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin (1859)
Page 352. Thus, on the theory of descent with modification, the

main facts with respect to the mutual affinities of the extinct forms
of life to each other and to living forms, are explained in a
satisfactory manner. And they are wholly inexplicable on any other
view.
Notice the confident summary from a Master. Also notice the
word wholly in the last sentence: How precise and guarded he
is!
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68
EXAMPLES
From: The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin (1859)
Page 477.
Although I am fully convinced of the truth of the views
given in this volume . I by no means expect to convince
experienced naturalists whose minds are stocked with multiple of
facts all viewed, during a long course of years, from a point of view
directly opposite of mine. It is easy to hide our ignorance under such
expressions as the plan of creation unity of design, &c., and to
think that we give an explanation when we only re-state a fact.
Feel the pressure and pain under which he is writing. Also notice
how he has used the word stocked. (Is it complimentary?) How
clearly he points out the mistake of other naturalists.
VKB
69
EXAMPLES
CURRENT SCIENCE
Volume 88
10 April 2005
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dark energy: The cosmological challenge of

the millennium
Authors:
Abstract: Recent cosmological observations suggest that nearly seventy per cent of
the energy density in the universe is unclustered and has negative pressure. Several
conceptual issues related to the modelling of this component (dark energy), which is
driving an accelerated expansion of the universe, are reviewed with special emphasis
on the cosmological constant as the possible choice for the dark energy.
VKB
70
EXAMPLES
CURRENT SCIENCE
Volume 88
10 May 2005
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monsoon prediction Why yet another

failure?
Authors:
Abstract: The country experienced a deficit of 13% in the summer monsoon of

2004. As in 2002, this deficit was not predicted either by the operational empirical
models at India Meteorological Department (IMD) or by the dynamical models at
national and international centres. Our analysis of the predictions generated by the
operational models at IMD from 1932 onwards suggests that the forecast skill has
not improved over the seven decades despite continued changes in the operational
models. Clearly, new approaches need to be explored with empirical models. The
simulation of year-to-year variation of the monsoon is still a challenging problem
for models of the atmosphere as well as the coupled oceanatmosphere system. We
expect dynamical models to generate better prediction only after this problem is
successfully addressed.
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71
EXAMPLES
CURRENT SCIENCE
Volume 88
10 April 2005
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cratering and spall simulation of Pokhran-1

event with three-dimensional transient finite element analysis
Abstract: Three-dimensional transient numerical simulation of coupled gas cavity and geological
medium problem resulting from underground nuclear explosion events is complex due to the gas
cavity growth, resulting into the large deformations and large strains of the geological medium and
shock-induced high strain-rate dependence of the response. However, it is important to establish the
effects of local inelastic and nonlinear behaviour due to crushing and cracking of the geological
medium, on the shock-waves near the source and the seismic signals beyond the elastic radius. This
study also helps simulate the shock-wave reflection effects from the free surface near the ground
zero, mound growth, spall near the free surface and the subsequent free fall of the mound due to
gravity effect resulting in crater formation. The impacting spalled rock layers give rise to secondary
seismic signals in addition to the primary signals that are observed in the near field which in turn
are known to influence the far-field seismic signals. The present article describes the capabilities of
a three-dimensional transient finite element code, SHOCK-3D, for the shorttime cavity growth,
shock-wave propagation, mound growth and its free fall along with the settlement of the mound
observed after a longer duration for the composite layer medium. The code predictions are
benchmarked for the near-source experimental observations of the first Indian nuclear explosion
event of 1974, carried out at the Pokhran test site.
VKB
72
EXAMPLES
CURRENT SCIENCE
Volume 88 Number 7 10 April 2005

EDITORIAL
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Women, Science and the X-Chromosome

International Womens Day is celebrated every year on 8 th March. The day has
been institutionalized by the United Nations, although various dates in March
have been previously associated with the struggle for equality of women. The
womens rights movement has its origins in the struggle to vote by women in the
United States in the latter half of the 19th century, most dramatically highlighted
by the 1873 trial of Susan B. Anthony in the United States for illegal voting,
Womens Day appears to have firmly rooted beginnings in Europe. March 8
presumably commemorates the famous strike in St. Petersburg organized by
Russian women in 1917, a spontaneous uprising for bread and peace in a Russia
ravaged by war and ripe for revolution. Today, Womens Day is used to focus
attention on the many issues that ensure that women continue to live in an
unequal world. This year, I received an invitation
P. Balaram
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73
Best Wishes
Wish you all an enjoyable stay.

Wish you all a stimulating educational programme.
Wish you all an excellent future.
Be Professionals. Become Professionals.
Derive satisfaction from your work.
Enjoy doing your work.
Money/wealth automatically follows you
if you are good professionals.
We will be glad to help you any time.

VKB
74
Happy Writing
Happy Reading
VKB
75

TechWriting Guidelines

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TechWriting Guidelines

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Guidelines

Where is the Innovation?

Purpose: Help the students who have to do lot of technical writing.

is the best of all instructors.

Convey the ability to analyze a problem.

Ready to use knowledge plus ability to be precise

Physics of the problem and its application

Why Technical Writing?

Technical Work is NOT Technical Writing

Example of an old Technical Paper

An Experiment to prove, that Water, when agitated by Fire, is infinitely

(This old style of writing was uninhibited, personal and relaxed.)

Example of a modern Technical Paper

Decay of a three-dimensional vortex in an enclosure

Brevity is the soul of wit

In the interests of clarity, it seemed

Patiently search. Proof Read.

Avoid grammatical errors (like a bad tune) Study and practise.

Use Simple declarative sentences. Note the irony:

Avoid phrases like:

Some examples of bad usage:

If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Elements of Technical Writing

Writing a Project Report

Composing the Title

Having an intellectual and affective artistic content

What Information is contained.

What has been done?

How was it done?

What was found?

What do the findings mean?

Covers the major parts of the project.

Primary objectives and scope of the study

Why are the results of this study important

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction

Body of the Report

The Problem (one or two chapters)

How did you do it?

The Method and the Tools (2 or 3 chapters)

What did you find out? Results (one chapter)

Methodology and Tools

WARNING: Understand clearly the Physics of the problem

Collecting the Results

Conclusions and Recommendations

Where is the innovation?

Oxford English Dictionary

(for subscribers only)

Rogets (Dictionary/Thesaurus/language Ref./Other Language ..)

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students

Put it before them briefly so they will read it,

EXAMPLE for the TITLE