This page gives some important guidelines for properly writing a technical report;
We start with some specific guidelines for this course, and end with some general guidelines.
Further information on structuring a report with sections and writing what in what section may be found at
unilearning - report writing.
- Provide details about techniques/methods that you use. Do not just
write "We have implemented the algorithm X". Describe the method too,
in your own words. Even if it is well known, you should
still explain the method yourself; this is part of the exercise. Also,
the reader may not know the method, nor can the reader be bothered to
find the document that you are referring to.
- Discuss interesting implementation aspects, but do not include code
fragments in the text. Pseudo code is allowed, but mathematical formulas
are preferred.
- Describe parameters of methods and explain which settings you used and
why.
- Provide evidence that the method you have implemented actually works
as intended.
source: 2IOE0, 2IV35, with adaptations.
- In general your text flow should be such that first a problem is
described, and then a solution is given.
Motivate why your solution is the right one when alternatives are
available.
- You should have a section in which you explain the terminology and
give definitions.
- Give an overview of the system, show it in an illustration, and use
its structure as a basis for your report's structure.
- Evaluate to what extent the software structure given during the
introduction has been used and discuss its pros and cons.
- An interesting report puts forward one or more challenges
that need to be faced. Such a perspective adds to the coherence
of your document and helps in structuring it.
- Do not underestimate the difficulty of technical writing, so reserve
enough time for writing the report.
- Be precise. It is not sufficient that you understand what you mean. If
the reader cannot understand it, it is usually your fault and not the
reader's.
- Use illustrations and screenshots to clarify methods and results.
- Each figure and table should be numbered and accompanied by a caption
text that explains what the reader sees in the picture or table.
- Refer to figures and tables in the text by using their numbers, for
example, "Figure 1 shows...". Furthermore, each figure and table must be
referenced in the text somewhere.
- Use proper expressions, for example, "don't" should be written as "do
not", "it's" as "it is", and so on. The possessive pronoun that goes with "it" is
"its" without an apostrophe.
- Spell check, grammar check, and proof read the document before handing
it in. Most readers, in particular examiners, will be irritated by poor
spelling and poor grammar.
- Do not use material that you did not write yourself. Copy-and-paste
without citation, quotation, or reference, is considered plagiarism.
source: 2IOE0.