4: Technical Writing

Engineering can sometimes feel that calculating solutions to problems is the primary challenge of producing, collecting, and reporting data. While those can sometimes feel like substantial hurdles, one of the biggest obstacles to engineering effectiveness is communication.

1. Pedagogy of writing: What is the process by which a writer produces their work?
   1. Environmental factors will influence content and effectiveness:
      1. Place: personal or collaborative space; background noise; lighting; posture as a result of comfort
      2. Time: before or after meal/sleep; hours or days before deadline; own rate of production
      3. Format: sketching on whiteboard or notepad; building digital images; typing in particular platform
      4. Mindset: enthusiasm for conveying content; pressure of approaching deadline; trust in collaborators
   2. Code-switching for audience
      1. Snap to friend: HW #3 tuf
      2. AI-inspired fluff: I found the challenges of Homework #3 insurmountable in the timeframe allotted...
      3. Conversational: Phooey (f*@<), HW #3 can't get done in time
   3. Process in small steps
      1. Writing does not require the sequential nature of reading
      2. The hardest work may be a short statement
      3. Time Spent ≠ Word Count
   4. Utilize prompts to formulate thesis/framework
2. Templates and collaboration tools
   1. Templates provide preset structure and formatting references 
   2. Examples:
      • ASME two-column format
      • Word 365 built-in report formats
      • Overleaf for LaTeX typesetting
   3. Indexing tools for dynamic connections:
      • Use Word's cross-reference tool
        • Embed image and caption within same text box to group elements
        • Helps prevents dynamic movement when additional materials added prior
      • Direct coding within LaTeX:
        • \label{eq:descriptor} somewhere within the figure, equation, or table environment
        • \ ref{eq:descriptor} when cross referencing within the paragraph of the document
3. Presenting data
   1. Graph forms (public domain examples found within Energy Information Administration):
      • Rectilinear: linear scale both directions
      • Semilog: rapid growth on one (or more) axis
      • Pie/Distribution: relative % outcomes
      • Stair step/bar: grouped instances of histogram
      • Polar: parametric equations
      • Contour: 3D spatial representation
   2. Figure guidelines (modified list originally from Dunn & Davis 4th Edition: https://doi.org/10.1201/b22182 )
      1. All axes (horizontal, vertical, radial, whatever) should have descriptive variable labels with units in brackets or parenthesis (author-defined style).
      2. Range and significant figures of tick values should be appropriate for data being presented (e.g., eliminate unnecessary zeros after decimal or empty space on chart).
      3. Background gridlines are suggested; at minimum, tick marks should be internal and large enough to indicate location of value; numbers on the tick/gridlines should be outside the plotting area.
      4. Experimental results should have individual markers for each data point but unique markers for different data sets.
      5. Some indication of error bars should be provided via uncertainty analysis or statistical methods; single error bar indicates uniform value across a data set, individual error bars on markers indicate variability of uncertainty.
      6. Analytical results with functional equations should have solid curves.
      7. Numerical results as a result of statistical trendline should have dashed curves.
      8. A legend should be present if multiple results are displayed within single graph.
      9. The overall figure should have an indexed caption that describes content separate from repeating axis labels; a title on a figure is redundant when caption is present.

   3. Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

      Evaluate effectiveness of student-produced graphs

      

      Answer

      Range is extremely large relative to data displayed

      Connected discrete data as if there were continuum between discrete independent variables

      Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

      

      Answer

      Markers far too small and indistinct

      Title is redundant with the axis labels

      Numerical value of Tube has no bearing on variable modified

      Exercise \(\PageIndex{3}\)

      

      Answer

      Beautiful artistic picture without any

      • sense of length scales
      • reason for individual spheres
      • meaning of the color

      Exercise \(\PageIndex{4}\)

      

      Answer

      Screen capture without any useful axis labels 

4. Writing Building Blocks (i.e. what sections to compose)
   1. Methodology and Approach
      • Sufficient detail for replication, not step-by-step standard operating procedure manual.
      • Use schematics, images, annotated diagrams to connect with the measurands, variables, and results.
      • Example: Design-stage uncertainty of particular sensor: \( u_{device} = \pm \sqrt{u_{0}^{2}+u_{I}^{2}} \)
      • Use narrative prose in paragraphs; lists would exist in tables that are described.
   2. Results and Discussion
      • Only include pertinent tables and graphs; efficiency of content rather than quantity (i.e., multiple data sets on single chart).
      • Do not repeat data in multiple formats in order to expand page count.
      • Each figure should be explicitly described with an introduction, trend observed, and why it aligns with physical principle being explored.
      • Break separate ideas into paragraphs; avoid single-sentence paragraphs.
      • Scientific justification is the demonstration of learning, not the simple presence or style of the data.
   3. Abstracts (typically lead all technical papers; individual submission in MEE 390 instruction)
      • Standalone summary: < 1 page
      • Should give sufficient overview to judge relevance
      • Primary components: title, authors, affiliation, funding, intro, methodology, results, conclusion
      • Results: be specific but not quantitative
      • Conclusion: summarize significance and next steps
   4. Uncertainty Section
      • Combination of theory and experimental procedures
      • Identify key uncertainty contributors that affects results
      • Reporting should include sensitivity coefficient functions
      • MathCAD pages or Matlab scripts are insufficient as stand-alone content; provide interpretation
   5. Formatting Features
      • Include page numbers
      • No title page unless collaborative abstract submitted
      • Auto-generated TOC, List of Figures/Tables
      • Captions: before tables (leads the reader to the numbers), after figures (to help interpret the picture they viewed). Do not simply repeat axis labels or table headings.
   6. Future sections incorporated following formulative practices
   7. Theoretical Development
      • Build equations step-by-step, like textbooks.
      • Define variables and cross-reference numbered equations when making substitutions.
      • Clarify independent/dependent/measured variables that will influence the original forms.
   8. Introduction
      • Contextualize the topic's importance to developing engineering knowledge beyond assigned task
      • Include external references and real-world examples
      • Organize ideas into logical paragraph flow
5. Receiving and responding to feedback
   1. Avoid tears and self-doubt: the learning occurs from the practice.
   2. Note the elements or behaviors that may repeat even if only mentioned once or twice.
   3. Incorporate the changes as improvement in practice.
6. Full text OER resource