Work Report Guidelines for website.pdf

8/16/2019 Work Report Guidelines for website.pdf

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Work Report WritingGuidelines

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering

by

Kevin Cedrone (MME class of 2008, class representative)and

Roydon Fraser (MME Assoc. Chair U/G Studies, August 11, 2009)

Last Revised by:David C. Weckman, MME Assoc. Chair U/G Studies, August 8, 2012


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Objective

The objective of these guidelines is to give Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering

students in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering a definitiveguide to conventions and requirements for content and presentation of work term reports.

Acknowledgements

The original guidelines were compiled and edited by Kevin Cedrone, a MechanicalEngineering student in 2007. He would like to acknowledge helpful suggestions and proofreading from his classmate Ryan McCurry and Professor Roydon Fraser, the

Associate Chair of Mechanical Engineering.

Selected content and media from the Work Report Writing Guidelines, Co-operativeEducation & Career Services (University of Waterloo) has been reprinted or modifiedwith permission. Other portions of this document are based on previous work reportguidelines of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at theUniversity of Waterloo.

These guidelines have been revised and up-dated by Professor David Weckman,Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies, in August, 2012


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Table of ContentsObjective ............................................................................................................................. ii

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii

1.0 Pre-report Preparation ............................................................................................. 1

1.1 Credit, Submission and Due Date Information ........................................... 1

1.2 Confidential work report policies ............................................................... 2

2.0 Writing Guide ......................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Starting ........................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Topic Selection ........................................................................................... 3

2.3 Organization and Planning .......................................................................... 4

2.4 Required Elements ...................................................................................... 4

3.0 Advice by Section ................................................................................................... 5

3.1 Front Matter ................................................................................................ 5

3.2 Main Body ................................................................................................ 12

3.2.1 Tables and Figures ........................................................................ 14

3.3 End Matter ................................................................................................ 15

4.0 Revising and Completing ...................................................................................... 19

4.1 Presentation and Appearance Guidelines .................................................. 20

5.0 Final Preparation ................................................................................................... 22

5.1 Resubmit Procedures ................................................................................ 23

6.0 Recommended Reading ........................................................................................ 24

6.1 EngSoc Outstanding Work Report Repository ......................................... 24


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1.0 Pre-report Preparation

The objective of this section is to address questions regarding the number of requiredwork reports, when they are due for submission and to define procedures for confidential

work reports.

1.1 Credit, Submission and Due Date Information

Three work report credits are required of all undergraduate students in Engineering. Awork term report credit is obtained by achieving a grade of satisfactory or better for awork report. No student will be allowed to graduate without having achieved the requiredthree work report credits. All three reports are marked by a Mechanical Engineeringfaculty member or by a graduate student teaching assistant working under the direction ofthe Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies, Mechanical Engineering or the Director ofMechatronics Engineering.

Work reports are required to be submitted in specific terms, as identified in the table below and also found in the University of Waterloo calendar, and form part of theacademic program for the corresponding term. The work reports are identified asWKRPT200, WKRPT300, and WKRPT400, respectively, on all grade reports andtranscripts.

Table 1: Academic terms in which a work term report is required.

Report Stream 4 Stream 8

WKRPT200 2B 3A

WKRPT300 3A 3B

WKRPT400 4A 4A

Work reports are due before 4:00 pm of the seventh day after the first official day oflectures of the academic term in which the report is required. Mechanical Engineeringstudents must submit their report to Lynn Crema and Mechatronics students must submittheir reports to Christine Lashbrook. Reports not submitted before the deadline willreceive a grade of unacceptable with a corresponding numerical grade of 38 on thetranscript. Reports submitted after the deadline will be carried forward to the followingacademic term for evaluation, and are not eligible for work report awards and prizes.

Work reports are considered to be required courses of type X; i.e., failed work report

evaluations contribute to the accumulated failed course count (see Engineering -Examinations and Promotions Rules, Undergraduate Calendar). For failed work reports,the original grade of 38% will appear in the grade field and a SUPPS will appear in thesup field after the failure work term report has been cleared.

When a work report has been submitted, but the grade obtained is Resubmit, the studentmust provide any subsequent submissions before 4:00 pm of the 'Last Day of Lectures'for that term, as specified in the calendar, in order for the submission to be considered in


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that term. Failure to clear a Resubmit by the above date will result in a grade ofUnacceptable and an assigned grade of 38%. Any submissions after that date will bedeemed to be new submissions and to have been submitted for consideration in thefollowing term.

1.2

Confidential work report policiesThe majority of work reports written by students are non-confidential in nature and henceare submitted directly to the MME department and graded by a faculty member or workreport marking teaching assistant. However, depending on the nature of the work that youare performing for your employer, there is always the possibility that your choice of topicfor a work report may require the inclusion of information that is considered confidential by your employer. Therefore, discuss your work report topic with your supervisor prior towriting your report to determine whether or not there is a potential problem with respectto submitting the report to the University for grading. If you feel that the employer may be reluctant to have you submit your report, contact your program Academic Advisor( Lynn Crema for ME students and Christine Lashbrook for MTE students) to determine

if it is possible to get credit for a confidential report and, if so, discuss the evaluation procedures applicable to confidential work term reports. They will email you theguidelines and required forms for confidential work term reports. You must provide youremployer with a copy of these guidelines and forms and discuss them with youremployer.

There are typically two options associated with submitting a confidential work report.The first is a confidential work report graded by the Undergraduate Chair or delegate andthe second is a confidential report graded by the employer. For the second option, themarking employer must normally be a licensed professional engineer in Canada. Alicensed professional engineer in another country may be acceptable with approval from

the Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies (ME students) or the Director ofMechatronics (MTE students).

In general, the following rules apply for reports marked by the employer:

• A grade of "Outstanding" will not be rewarded for this report and the report willnot be considered for any work term report awards.

• You are allowed only one confidential work term report marked by an employer.All remaining reports must be submitted to the department for grading in order tofulfill your work report requirements for graduation.

• If your reports are not evaluated by the appropriate University representative, youare ineligible for work report awards offered each term by the Department of

Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering and ultimately for the competition forthe Sanford Fleming Medal for Co-operative Program Proficiency Award.

For reports marked in confidence by the Undergraduate Chair, Director of Mechatronicsor delegate, the rules are identical to a standard work report submission. See theappropriate faculty advisor for confidential report submission forms. It is recommendedthat reports should not be classified as confidential unless absolutely necessary.


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2.0 Writing Guide

Before beginning to write your work term report, you might want to review the report-

writing steps taught to you in the First-Year ME100 course. In particular, see Part 11Engineering Communications (includes Chapters 6 to 9) in your first-year text: Introduction to Professional Engineering in Canada, 3rd ed., by Andrews, Aplevich,Fraser and MacGregor [1]. There are many excellent books on technical writing availablein all libraries.

2.1 Starting

Early in the work term, meet with your supervisor to discuss the type of work you aredoing and decide on a suitable topic for your report. Support the report with research.Ensure that your supervisor is familiar with the report requirements and with these

guidelines.

2.2 Topic Selection

Your report will normally describe a technical task or project that you completed duringyour work term. Your report must describe the problem and challenge you were assigned(this is the purpose of the report), what methods you considered to meet the challenge,which one you selected and how you implemented it, what engineering methods andanalysis were used, what were the results of your analysis, and finally, what youconcluded and recommended based upon the results of your analysis of the problem.

Each work report must contain engineering analytical content at a level commensuratewith your current academic level in your program. Generally, reports without criticalanalysis, such as mere descriptions of processes, systems, equipment or mathematicalmodels, a literature review, etc., are unacceptable. In particular, a software user's-guide isunacceptable as a work report, even if it is useful and well-written. However, a reportabout a software development project conducted by the student is acceptable. In this case,the report should describe the challenges you faced, what hardware, languages and procedures you used (and why), how you organized the code (include flowcharts), how itwas tested, the test results, etc. The report is about the project; the user's-guide might beincluded in an appendix.

Prepare a research schedule and keep an organized record of observations, apparatus, andmeetings. Remember that seemingly unimportant items may be useful in your report.Your report's preparation should be an ongoing part of your work term, not a chore forthe end of term.

Note: You should expect to research and prepare your work report on your own time. Employers are not obligated to provide you with the time to work on your report. If you


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are assigned the report by the employer and it will benefit the organization, yoursupervisor may allow you to work on it during your paid hours.

2.3 Organization and Planning

Prepare an outline of topics and subtopics. Consider what information should be included

in each topic, and where you need figures and tables. You might want to use a separatesheet of paper or file card for each topic. Arrange the topics in a logical order, numberthem, and add short notes to each as you think of more ideas. You should spend quite a bit of time in this planning stage. Starting with a well-organized plan helps you to write aclear presentation for your reader. Finally, consider the purpose and audience of yourreport; keeping your purpose and intended audience in mind as you write focuses yourwriting.

2.4 Required Elements in a Work Report

An overview of the required elements of a work report is shown in the list below. The listis not exhaustive or definitive. Deviations from this standard are permissible if they

improve clarity of communication, or are required by your employer’s report standards.

Front MatterTitle PageLetter of Submittal*Table of ContentsList of FiguresList of TablesSummary

Main BodyIntroduction and/or Background

Methods and Procedures,Analysis Results and Discussion, etc.

End Matter

Conclusions and RecommendationsReferencesGlossary (optional)Appendices

*The letter of submittal is a work report requirement and must be bound with the report, but it is not a component of the report itself. The letter of submittal must be signed. It isshown here so that the list of required elements is complete and in the same order as

expected in your work report.

2.5 References

1. G.C. Andrews, JD. Aplevich, R.A. Fraser, C. MacGregor, Introduction toProfessional Engineering, 3rd ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, Toronto, ON, 2009.


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3.0 Advice by Section

Read over your outline before you begin to write. You may wish to start writing with the

introduction or you may feel more comfortable starting in the main body of the report.The important thing is to start writing. Always turn on and use the spelling and grammarchecker in your word processor. Consider your audience and try to choose words thatconvey your meaning to the reader using appropriate technical vocabulary whenappropriate. All technical terms and acronyms specific to the company or industry youworked in must be defined so that a reader at the University of Waterloo can understandyour manuscript. Use of conversational English, concatenations or slang is neverappropriate in a technical report. Leave enough space for revisions and editing. After youhave written a few sections, leave your report for a while. When you return to yourreport, read the sections you wrote to ensure that you what you have written isappropriate and clear for your audience and follows your outline.

The summary and report title should be written after the rest of the body of the report has been written; however, guidelines are included in the same order as required in the finalreport to preserve the organization of this writing guide.

3.1 Front Matter

The first part of the report must be organized in the following order:Title page Letter of submittal including statement of confidentiality (where required)Table of contentsLists of tables and figures

Preliminary pages should create a good first impression for the reader.

3.1.1 Title Page

An example of a title page is shown in Figure 1. Use photographs or graphic design toimprove the appearance of your title page. Beginning at the top of the page, list thefollowing:

• University of Waterloo

• Your faculty

•

Title of the report• Name and location of your employer

•

Your name, previous academic term, department, and program

• The date of submission


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Figure 1: Sample Title Page.

Title Selection

The title of your report should be short yet descriptive. One way is to think of it as yoursummary’s summary. A sample of some past engineering work report titles is given below:

•

Residential Network Design: Evaluation of Polyethylene and Steel Options• Temperature Test Analysis of the AC Contactor Box for the Dash 8 Services 400

Aircraft

•

An Evaluation of Flux Cored Arc Welding

• 3.8 Litre V6 Cylinder Head Mold Revised Riser Trial

• Pollution Prevention in the Metal Finishing Industry

Faculty of Engineering

Design of a Composite Longboard Deck for

Competition Downhill Skiing

A report prepared forCanadian Sports Equipment Inc.

Edmonton, Alberta

byI.M. Fast

3A Mechanical Engineering

May 1, 2012


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Letter of Submittal

The letter of submittal is required to be bound with the report, after the title page and before the front matter. The letter of submittal must follow the format of a standard business letter. You should direct your letter to the Associate Chair Undergraduate

Studies (ME students) or the Director of Mechatronics (MTE students). Check that allnames are spelled correctly. Use your employer's letterhead or use your home address on plain paper. An example of a letter of submittal is shown in Figure 2 below. Your lettermust contain:

• report title and number (your second, third, etc.)

• employer

• previous academic term

• supervisor(s)

• department(s)

•

main activity of employer and department

• purpose of the report

•

acknowledgments and explanation of assistance• statement of endorsement (shown below)

• statement of confidentiality, if required

• your name, ID number, and signature

Acknowledgments and explanation of assistance

The MME department requires you to clearly define the role you played in the projectand precisely what help was provided. Please do not write: "This report was prepared andwritten by me and I would like to thank Joe Smith for his help." Explain who suggestedthe project, what your job was, and precisely what help was provided by Joe Smith. Washe your boss or an assistant? Did he help you, or did you help him? How do we contact

him? For example:

"I would like to acknowledge the help of Mr. Joe Smith, Head of Engineering, whodefined the purpose of the project, helped me choose the test methods, and proof-read myfinal report. My role in the project was to select and calibrate test equipment, make themeasurements, collect and analyze the data, and write the report. The project lasted 3months. Mr. Smith can be contacted at (905) 555-1234. I would particularly like to thankMs. Merku Schmidt, who provided computer code for analyzing the test data and Mr.Charles English who proof read the first three drafts of this report."

Signature

You must sign your letter of submittal before submitting your work report.

Statement of EndorsementThe statement of endorsement shall read: "This report was written entirely by me and hasnot received any previous academic credit at this or any other institution."

In the sample below, required items are shown in bold face for your convenience. Theseitems should not be in bold face in your own letter of submittal. Although you will


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include the letter of submittal with your report, it is not a component of report.Consequently, do not assign a page number to your letter of submittal and do not includeit in your table of contents.

491 Birchmount Cres.

Winnipeg, ManitobaR4V 1S5

September 7, 2001

Professor David C. Weckman,Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies, Mechanical EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical and Mechatronics EngineeringUniversity of WaterlooWaterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1

Dear Professor Weckman:

This report, entitled "The Biological and Health Effects of Chlorine in our WaterSupply," was prepared as my 3A Work Report for Dynamic Engineering Consultants.This is my first work term report. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the benefitsand negative consequences of chlorine content in public water supplies.

Dynamic Engineering Consultants provide customers with top-of-the-line engineeringconsulting on a large number of topics, ranging from environmental impact to municipaldesign in Southwestern Ontario.

The Environmental Consulting section, in which I was employed, is managed by JenniferWong and is primarily involved with providing clients with consultation on large projectsthat may have adverse environmental effects.

This report was written entirely by me and has not received any previous academic creditat this or any other institution. I would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Wong for providing mewith valuable advice and resources, including documentation and leads to informativeweb sites. I also wish to thank Mr. Ken Smith for proofreading my report and improvingits appearance. I received no other assistance.

Sincerely Yours,

(Your Signature goes here)

Ibraheem T. GuruID 012345673A Mechanical Engineering

Figure 2: Example of a Letter of Submittal.


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Table of Contents

The table of contents lists all main sections in your report and any subsections withheadings (see Figure 3 below). Ensure that each entry in the table of contents refers to thecorrect page number. Connect each entry to its page number with a dotted line. Align the

page numbers on the right side of your page. Do not include the letter of submittal in yourtable of contents. Note the use of lowercase Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv) for the pagenumbers of all preliminary materials including the table of contents, list of tables andfigures, and summary.

Figure 3: Example of a Table of Contents.

List of Tables and List of Figures

If you use tables or figures in your report, you must list them in the preliminary pages ofyour report, immediately after your Table of Contents page. Examples of a List of Tablesand a List of Figures are shown in Figures 4 and 5 below. If you use only tables, youshould include only a List of Tables. Similarly, if you use only figures, your reportshould include only a List of Figures. If you use both tables and figures, you should havea List of Tables and a separate List of Figures, each on its own page.

Each list identifies its components by number, title, and page number. Do not list anytables or figures that appear in the appendices.


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Figure 4: Example of a List of Tables.

Figure 5: Example of a List of Figures.

SummaryThe Summary should be written after you complete the rest of the report. It should beable to stand alone. Frequently, it is the only part read by management. It should answer,"What does this report contain?"

Keep your summary concise (preferably one page). You may use lists, but easy-to-readsentences are best. The summary should present a short and concise summary of thecontent in each of the major elements or sections in your report i.e.,:

• state the purpose, objective and scope of the work described in the report, (i.e.,

introduce the problem)

• briefly describe what was done to analyze the problem

• provide a summary of your results including specific important values

• short highlights of the conclusions and recommendations


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Following such an organizational pattern does not mean, however, that the conclusionsand recommendations are simply restated. The summary, instead, highlights significantor key items. It should not refer explicitly to particular components of the report. Forexample, the following statement is unacceptable in a summary:

"Five alternative shaft sizes were considered and the stress magnitudes calculated for

each shaft are shown in Table 6. The final shaft design is shown in Figure 3."

The most common error is writing a Summary that is too brief and too vague. Anothercommon error is writing a Summary that is identical to the Introduction. The Summaryshould be a brief version of the full report. It should give the reader an accurate overview.The Summary usually includes parts of the introduction, the main body, the conclusions,and the recommendations. Be brief, but be specific. What was the problem or challengethat you were given? State the purpose of the project, preferably in the first paragraph.("The purpose of this project was to . . . .") How did you solve it? If you performed tests,

how many were there? How did you organize them? In general terms, state what procedure and equipment you used. What problems were met? What did the resultsshow? If the project was a design, state what criteria you defined, what alternatives youconsidered, what the final design looks like, how it was tested, how it performed, etc.Please do not say "Conclusions are given in the report." Include the key conclusions inthe Summary, briefly. The Summary is usually one page but, if needed, two pages may be used.

The example summary in Figure 6 below condenses the entire report into a few short paragraphs at the front of the report and is sufficiently clear that an informed managercan understand the summary by itself.


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Summary

In this report, the design of a digital circuit that is a portion of an interface between acommand generator and a satellite simulator is described. The circuit demodulates anincoming recovered subcarrier signal and converts commands to a parallel format that is

introduced to a data converter. The purpose of this investigation is to provide an analysisfor this circuit, with considerations given to the entire interface setup.

Demodulation is achieved through the use of a missing pulse detector that checks for phase changes. A clock is generated by detecting the edges on the carrier. The tonedecoder uses the data and clock to recognize command bits, and converts the data intoa parallel signal with shift registers.

It is concluded that the digital solution implemented is completely effective for thisapplication, except during the presence of an unclean incoming signal or the absence ofall wave input. A method of eliminating this inconsistency involving the use of an

LM567 chip is discussed, and it is also concluded that this method is entirely practical.

The removal of unexpected signal distortions and the use of the proposed circuit additionis recommended.

Figure 6: Example of a Summary.

3.2 Main Body

Introduction

The introduction is always the first section in the body of your report. It presents yourwork and defines the problem or project. It should supply enough backgroundinformation to help the reader understand why your report was written and how it relatesto similar work. Your objectives should be written clearly and concisely.


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1.0 Introduction

Texts regarding politics and administration guide one's attention to the actions of leaderswho specialize in decision-making: presidents, senators, generals, and managers. Thestudy of preparation, on the other hand, concerns the general public who is activelyseeking to be more than pawns for others to direct and manipulate; striving instead to

shape policies and organizations according to our own desires (Nagel, 1987).

Toffer (1970), predicted an increasing emphasis on temporary groups brought togetherfor a specific task and a decreasing emphasis on permanent states in bureaucraticadministration. This prediction has proven true, and we now envision a world withgreater opportunities for people to play a role in decisions affecting their lives, a greaterdiffusion of relevant and useful information and a profound need for all citizens within ademocracy to be effective decision makers.

Although the most common form of participation known to man is voting andcampaigning, it does, in fact, include much more. In recent decades, the democratic ideal

has intensified, inspiring a search for richer and less perfunctory forms of self-government. The focus of this report is how effective a citizen participation program can be applied to the case of Corporation of the Town of Milton. The study includes anevaluation of what participation is and why it should be promoted, the principles involvedin creating a trusting relationship with the public, and an application of these principles inthe aforementioned case.

Figure 7: An example of an introduction.

You state the problem (or project) in your introduction. The main section analyzes the problem, then summarizes and explains your findings. Organize the report into sections;use a clear and consistent system of headings. You may be able to follow the commonlyused system of "Materials and Methods," "Results," "Discussion and Interpretations,"with appropriate subheadings. If your topic dictates its own system of headings andsubheadings, ensure that the reader is able to follow them easily.

Consider using the numbering system employed in this document. Do not use more thanthree levels of numbers: use bullets or dashes instead of a fourth level. Where you indentfor a subheading, the entire subsection below must follow that new margin. Rememberthat capitalization and bolding makes your headings stand out more. It is crucial to be

consistent with your formatting.

Use a numbered reference system when citing sources in your work report. Referencesshould be presented in the order they are used in the report, and a reference used morethan once should not appear multiple times in the reference section (e.g. it is acceptableto cite source [6] again after source [7] and [8] have been cited) . Conventions for areference section at the end of a report is described later in this document.


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3.2.1 Tables and Figures

Tables and figures help clarify your work for the reader. Any table or figure, however,must serve a specific purpose. Consider whether the information is better presentedgraphically or in a table. Tables and figures should be cited in the text, and should be

placed as soon as is practical after the reference. You should present large volumes oftables and figures in an appendix.

Captions for figures should be centered below the figure. Captions for tables should becentered above the table. Captions for both tables and figures must be concise, but mustalso be inclusive and comprehensive. The caption and its table are inseparable; either isusually meaningless alone. Remember you must refer in the main body of your report tothe data shown in tables and figures. Generally there are two acceptable formats for in- body references to tables or figures. The first format is structured like this “theinformation regarding … can be found in Table 1”. More simply, you can just write (SeeTable 1) at the end of the relevant sentence.

TablesUse a table only when you need to present complex or voluminous data that containseveral variables. If the data set is small or has few variables, consider putting theinformation into the text rather than into a table. If you do use tables, check in journals orreference books in your discipline for layout and design examples. Generally, the staticelements are listed vertically and variables are listed horizontally. Use the standard rulesfor SI Units. These are often summarized in reference books on writing reports and can be found in the metric practice guide. Place large tables on separate pages. Short tablesshould be placed in the text.

[ Sample Table ]


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Figures

Figures include line drawings (diagrams, histograms, graphs) and photographs. Figures

are an excellent way to relate various aspects of your data that are often difficult to present in words. Use photographs only if they are exceptionally clear and serve a better purpose than a hand-drawn diagram. Again, check the professional journals in theuniversity library or a local library for examples of effective use of figures. Large figuresshould appear on separate pages. Small figures should be placed in the text.

[ Sample Figure ]

3.3 End Matter

It might help to think of your report in this way: management likely reads only thesummary, conclusions, and recommendations; technical staff and your boss may read tothe end of the main text; successors read the whole report.

Conclusions

Conciseness is admirable; however, many students make the Summary, Conclusions andRecommendations too brief. On the other hand, do not "pad" your report with irrelevantideas; just make it complete and understandable. You may organize ideas using lists ornumbered points, if appropriate, but avoid making your report into a check-list or a seriesof encrypted notes.

Conclusions and recommendations are very important to your report, and these sectionssometimes cause confusion. A simple rule is to place any statements that you can derive


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from the main body's investigation in the conclusions section of your report. Include inthe recommendations any comments that you feel might assist in future activities. Thesefuture activities are probably not your responsibility and you should attempt to give thereader the benefit of your experience from working on the problem.

Just like the summary, conclusions should be brief (preferably one page), but completeand understandable. You may use lists, but easy-to-read sentences are best. Each paragraph should deal with only one aspect of the study. Conclusions may only be drawnif they are supported fully by the analyses described in the body of your report. Three ormore conclusions are expected.

5.0 Conclusions

Hybrid-electric vehicles outperform electric vehicles.

Electric cars are well suited to city traffic but lack the performance needed for highway

use. The hybrid vehicle's additional combustion engine helps to outperform the electricvehicle on the highway.

The cars must be priced lower to become more popular.

Government subsidies in some states and provinces significantly reduce the prices oflow-emissions vehicles. Hybrids will be popular because many consumers cannot affordseparate highway and city vehicles.

The cars damage the environment.

All the cars generally use less energy but at reduced performance. This will always be atradeoff area. Hybrids have low emissions, electrics have zero emissions, and both are asound solution to urban smog.

Gasoline improvements, fuel cells and alternative fuels are future prospects.

Gasoline engines and exhaust systems have experienced major technical advances thatmake hybrid vehicles more promising. Fuel cells will provide clean power to the cars ofthe future. Alternative fuels will remain a major area of research because of widespreaddependency upon fossil fuels.

[ Sample Conclusions ]


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Recommendations

Recommendations should be organized in the same manner as conclusions andshould follow them on a separate page. Recommendations are essentially speculative, but

they should follow logically from your conclusions. Recommendations should bespecific, measurable, and attainable. Two or more recommendations are expected.

6.0 Recommendations

An extensive analysis should be conducted into the painting processes of all other partson the MS2000. The paint racks should be examined for their allowance of flexibility andconstraint on the parts they hold. A study should also be done on the effects of theimmense heat on the plastic parts, and of the defects that can be attributed to it.

1. Continued Sampling

Limited capability studies (50 samples) should be conducted on an average of two times per month on the switch bezels and other parts to ensure that they continue to be produced defect-free.

2. Better Supervision

A full-time operator should be hired in order to ensure that SPC data is being correctlyentered consistently. This person should also bring to the attention of the engineers anyfluctuation on the data that may indicate a problem in the production process.

3. Engineering Advice

During a 100% sort, an engineer should always be present in order to answer anyquestions the operators may have about the parts, or to offer advice if early warningsigns of new defects should arise.

[ Sample Recommendations ]

References

Every report needs references; in fact, your failure to consult references for guidance may

be considered negligence. References serve two important functions. The first function ofyour cited reference is to give credit to the appropriate party for their work. The secondfunction of your cited reference is to allow the reader of your report to locate the samesource for verification or continued research. This applies to all types of sourcesincluding electronic and personal communications.


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When you include sentences, photos, drawings or figures from other sources in yourreport, the complete reference must be cited. Failure to do so is plagiarism, an academicinfraction with serious consequences.

Your references should follow the order in which they are used in the text. Sources that

are referred to twice should not appear twice in the reference section. List all sourcesreferred to in the report. Do not try to impress the reader by listing publications that youhave not used. If you use personal conversations as a source, list the participants' positions and the conversation's theme, time, and place.

There is no set format for your references. You may adhere to any format you wish (e.g.MLA, APA or IEEE) but you must be consistent in how you present your references.You must include adequate information to positively locate the source you used.

For electronic sources, you should cite the title, author and date of publication. Youshould also include the type of source (online magazine, website, newsgroup, etc.)

following the title. In addition to the URL, you must include the date and time of lastupdate, and when you accessed it.

The use of web pages as references is discouraged. Webpages may be included in anappendix. Also, web pages can be used to locate primary reference material such asgovernment reports and journal papers but these are not simply web site references.

A comprehensive resource on what to cite and how to cite it is available here:http://web.library.emory.edu/services/ressvcs/citation/plagiarismpart4.html

Glossary

Add a glossary only if the text is heavy with specialized terms, mathematical symbols, ortechnical jargon. If you have only the occasional term in your report, define it as part ofthe text:"...that pressure (P) is a function of temperature (T)...""...the snout area contains a pair of nasolabial grooves (NLG; Fig. 4C)..."

Appendices

Not all reports have or need an appendix. Appendices can be considered stand-alonedocuments, and thus could have their own table of contents. The appendix should containany information that substantiates the report, but that is not required for a comprehensiveunderstanding of your work. The appendix may contain bulky data such as lengthy tables,computer printouts, descriptions of processes or operations, analytical procedures, ormaps. Assign consecutive letters or numbers along with names to each, for example:"Appendix A -- Detailed Street Calculations," "Appendix B -- Bearing PlateCalculations," or "Appendix 1 --Site Maps."

http://web.library.emory.edu/services/ressvcs/citation/plagiarismpart4.htmlhttp://web.library.emory.edu/services/ressvcs/citation/plagiarismpart4.htmlhttp://web.library.emory.edu/services/ressvcs/citation/plagiarismpart4.html


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4.0 Revising and Completing

Remember that you are aiming for clear, concise writing. Use a thesaurus and a good

dictionary. Check spelling, grammar, and sentence structure as you read through yourwork. Check the meaning of words that are even slightly unfamiliar to you. Avoid usingrun-on sentences and ensure that each paragraph covers one topic only. Paragraphs andsections should have a section introducing readers to your topic, a main section thatexplains details, and a final section that provides a succinct summary.

Go through the report several times to check the logic, clarity, punctuation, and layout.Finally, ask yourself if the report is doing what you want it to do, and if it makes sense. Ifthis is your first work report or if you doubt your ability to revise your work well, consultsome of the reference books on writing listed in Recommended Reading. They offer goodideas and shortcuts, sympathy, and even humour to help you with your report.

(Remember to give them credit in your bibliography.)

Ask your supervisor to read your first draft and offer suggestions. Also ask someone whois unfamiliar with the technical aspects of your work to read the draft and appraise itscomprehensibility and suitability. Reading your draft aloud helps to eliminategrammatical and stylistic errors.

Reference books also contain lists of words and expressions to avoid in your writingwhile offering suggestions for better choices. A few points on style are illustrated below:

Avoid ambiguity.

Avoid: A large amount of money was spent on promotion.Use: The company spent approximately $50,000 on promotion.

Avoid long-winded phrases.

Avoid: It will be seen upon examination of Figure 2 that the response declined with time.Use: Figure 2 shows that the response declined with time.

Use active voice.

Avoid: The benefit of the new computer system is being considered by the company president.Use: The company president is considering the benefit of the new computer system.

Avoid First Person.Avoid: I conducted an experiment relating to water clarity.Use: The experiment relates to water clarity.

Avoid Slang.Avoid: Repairing the equipment was tough going and the extra work cost the company a bundle.


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Use: Repairing the equipment was complicated, time-consuming, and expensive.

4.1 Presentation and Appearance Guidelines

In general formatting is left until after the report has been written and revised. Creating a

consistent and professional style is typically easier with a completed report thanmaintaining a pre-set format. Make sure your report has a professional appearance. Aneat, well organized, and accurate report gives the reader confidence in you. A poorly presented report does not ensure a sympathetic response from the reader. Minordeviations from the Guideline format are acceptable, since many companies may requirea different format. Presenting a neat, logical, consistent format is more important thanconforming to an arbitrary standard, and clear communication is always more importantthan anything.

Observe these conventions in the layout of your report:

• Leave a margin of at least 3.8 cm. (1.5 in.) on both the left and right sides of the

page to allow for binding and for the evaluator's comments.• Use one-and-one-half or double spacing throughout. Separate all paragraphs

clearly by adding extra spacing in between each new paragraph.

• Although it is a matter of choice, you might try using block format throughout,including the letter of submittal. This means that all text in the main sectionsshould start at the left margin, all text in the subsections should start at a secondmargin set in from the main margin, and so on.

• Begin each main section listed in the table of contents on a separate page.

• Be consistent in the style of your headings or subheadings (capitalization,underlining, alignment).

• Be consistent in the number of spaces between headings and text.

Font

Use a 12-point serif font (e.g., Times Roman) and double-space the pages of your report,except the letter of submittal (which is single spaced) and perhaps your table of contentsand list of tables and figures (which may be single spaced if they are long, but areotherwise double spaced).

Page Numbering

Number the preliminary pages (table of contents, list of tables and figures, and summary)with Roman numerals, beginning with "ii" as the table of contents. Roman numerals arecentered at the bottom of each page. Use Arabic numerals centered at the bottom of theremaining pages of the report starting with the “1” for the first section, background orintroduction. Page numbering for Appendices needs to follow continuously from themain body, but individual pages of the Appendices may or may not be numbered. It may be preferable to have a separate and consistent page numbering convention for reportswith heavily referenced Appendices.


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Binding

The report must be bound with firm covers and held together at the spine with a two orthree-holed binding mechanism or spiral plastic binding. Individual rings or spring clipsare unacceptable. The cover should be transparent so that the title page is clearly visible

unless a separate cover page (with the same required elements) has been included.


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5.0 Final Preparation

Once you have written, revised and completed your work report you should review the

department’s common error checklist. It is frustratingly easy to forget one of the smalldetails in that checklist when completing a lengthy, comprehensive work report. It isavailable online at

http://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdf .

Pay particular attention to items to automatic resubmit items. Items that require anautomatic resubmit are:

• NO signature on letter of submittal

• NO clear objective; a topic is not an objective. A clear objective includes an

Introduction paragraph starting with “The objective(s) is(are) ...” or anIntroduction section titled Objective(s)

•

NO in-text references in Introduction (the Introduction must explicitly usereferences from cited sources)

• figures that are not your own that are NOT referenced in figure caption

• conclusion DOES NOT match objective

• references DO NOT contain sufficient information to be located

Go through your Table of Contents, List of Figures and List of Tables to ensure that the page numbers listed for a given heading or figure corresponds to the actual location in thedocument. When you do this, ensure that figures and tables are referenced if required.

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty are severe academic offenses. Copying words andideas from others without giving proper credit is unacceptable:

Plagiarism is a serious form of infringement. The basic premise in research and reportwriting is that an author cannot copyright facts, news, or ideas; the copyright covers onlythe way in which they are expressed. Therefore if you take facts, news, or ideas fromother sources and express them in your own words, you have not plagiarized or infringedanyone's copyright. But if you quote from someone's work without a reference to thesource, then you are implying that the quotations are yours, and this is plagiarism.Plagiarism also occurs if you refer incompletely to a work; for example, when the sourceof the first quote is fully identified, but subsequent quotes from the same source are not

identified.

Plagiarism is punished severely in the university environment, usually by expulsion, ifthere is a fraudulent intent. In a recent PEO (Professional Engineers Ontario) decision, anapplication for membership was denied because a thesis submitted to the PEO AcademicRequirements Committee was proven to be plagiarized. Follow the guidelines for fairdealing, and avoid the heartache of plagiarism (Andrews and Ratz 212).

http://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdfhttp://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdfhttp://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdfhttp://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdfhttp://mme.uwaterloo.ca/students/Work%20Term%20Report%20Common%20Error%20List.pdf


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5.1 Resubmit Procedures

Even if you have spent a considerable amount of time and energy completing your workreport in accordance with the recommendations in this work report writing guide, it is possible you will receive a grade of “Unacceptable – Resubmit”. The marking sheet will

clearly indicate the reason for the resubmit, and your next action depends on the particular deficiency. Most reports that receive a grade of Resubmit contain insufficient“analytical content”.

Analytical content was discussed previously, but to paraphrase that section, your workreport should not describe only what you did during the project. The report should answerquestions about how (what methods, practices, procedures you employed to meet thechallenge assigned) and why those methods were employed. If one of your classmatesneeded to perform a related task, would your report be able to guide them through the procedure required, how to perform it and why that method was used?

It is recommended that students receiving a grade of Resubmit meet with the faculty orgraduate student marker to discuss strategies for successful revision and of the deficientreports.

Work report resubmits on the last official day of lectures of the academic term in whichthe report is required. They can be handed in to Lynn Crema, or directly to the marker.As mentioned previously, students who do not successfully complete 4 work reports willnot be allowed to graduate so it is in your best interest to finish your revised work reportas early as possible to make sure you get credit.


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6.0 Recommended Reading

For general writing information that will help you develop your work report:

University of Waterloo Library Writing Assistance http://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=30&catHeading=WritingAssistance – check "Grammar" and "General Writing Assistance" for more links.

Carnegie Mellon University's Writer's Style Guide http://www.cmu.edu/styleguide/index.html – great for abbreviations, capitalization, punctuation, dates, numbers, places, punctuation,commonly misused words, and technological phrases.

Guide to Grammar and Writing http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm – discusses problems at the word, paragraph, and paper level; provides comprehensivegrammar information.

Guide to Grammar and Style http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.html – supplies an alphabetical list of style suggestions and common grammar mistakes.

6.1 EngSoc Outstanding Work Report Repository

http://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/wtr/wtr_outstanding.php Some examples of outstanding work reports are available on the EngSoc website, and inthe EngSoc office (CPH 1327). These reports can give you ideas of format, flow andcontent expectations. They may have received a mark of outstanding; however, they arefrom various departments with different expectations and certain formatting may not be100% correct. If in doubt, defer to the conventions described in this manual.
http://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=30&catHeading=Writing%20Assistancehttp://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=30&catHeading=Writing%20Assistancehttp://www.cmu.edu/styleguide/index.htmlhttp://www.cmu.edu/styleguide/index.htmlhttp://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htmhttp://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htmhttp://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.htmlhttp://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.htmlhttp://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/wtr/wtr_outstanding.phphttp://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/wtr/wtr_outstanding.phphttp://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/wtr/wtr_outstanding.phphttp://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.htmlhttp://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htmhttp://www.cmu.edu/styleguide/index.htmlhttp://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=30&catHeading=Writing%20Assistance

Documents

Work Report Guidelines for website.pdf