How to Write an Industrial Engineering Report

Many students of industrial engineering underestimate the importance of writing well. Good writing skills are necessary in order to convey ideas to clients, managers, and other engineers. The ability to communicate your ideas in writing is therefore crucial to your success, both as a student and as a professional engineer.

The ability to communicate well, particularly through the writing of project reports, is a crucial skill that all engineers should master. All engineering students are required to submit at least one project report during their degree, and in many universities they are asked to prepare one every semester.

The Structure of an Engineering Report

The typical format of an engineering report is as follows:

• Transmittal letter
• Covers and label
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Body of the report
• Conclusions
• Appendixes
• References

(For a more detailed breakdown of what should be included in each of the above sections of an engineering report, please consult this page.) 

How to Write a First-Class Engineering Report

“Poor communication skill is the Achilles' heel of many engineers, both young and experienced – and it can even be a career showstopper. In fact, poor communication skills have probably claimed more casualties than corporate downsizing.” (H. T. Roman, 2002)

Writing an engineering report can be a difficult challenge, especially for those students doing it for the first time. What follows are some helpful writing tips for composing a first-class piece of work, be it a technical report or other type of assignment.

• Develop an outline before proceeding to a rough draft. Your outline defines the structure organisation of the report, while the rough draft serves to fill it out with details and data.
• The body of the report
  • should be organised logically and broken up into appropriate sections:

−      Theory and Analysis

−      Experimental Procedures

−      Results

−      Discussion

• should communicate information in the most effective way by using:

−      figures and tables

−      bulleted and numbered lists

−      formatting to break up long chunks of text.

• Use simple technical English. Keep the sentences short and to the point.
• Make sure any abbreviations and acronyms are defined when they first appear.
• Although scientific papers used to be written in the third person, passive voice, past tense, the trend now is increasingly to favour the first person, active voice, past tense.
• Ideally you should be aiming to replicate the style and level of academic writing found in the best journals in your field, so be sure to study them for both content and style. 
• Devote attention to the logical sequence of paragraphs and groups of paragraphs: 
  • Paragraphs that are too long, or which cover more than one point, can be hard to follow, so break them up in order to make the report more readable.
  • Too many paragraph breaks can also detract from readability, so bring together short paragraphs that treat the same basic point.
  • Include short synoptic paragraphs at the beginning of sections and subsections.
• Use graphics. Graphical representations make it easier for readers to understand the report by conveying quantitative information in illustrative form. Graphics are especially useful when concepts, data, designs, or processes are too complex to describe in written form.

Consult an Expert  

If you want to learn how to write an industrial engineering report that will guarantee you success, there is no better way than to consult an expert in the subject. At Essay Writing Service UK we will assign to you a qualified engineering writer who can help you with every aspect of your engineering report, from first draft through to final submission. 

To find out how Essay Writing Service UK can help you with your industrial engineering essay, take a look at our essay writing page. If you are looking for help with a dissertation, we have a variety of solutions available to assist you, from a dissertation proposal to the conclusion. 

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