Technical Report Writing Training Course

Why select this training course?

In engineering, technical reports are written by engineers to espouse technical information, facts, and conclusions. The Rcademy Technical Report Writing Training Course is designed to teach the skills necessary for participants to master the art of excellent technical report writing. They will also learn how to instruct, educate, inform, recommend, and persuade an audience with their technical reports. Focus is also given to how participants can present technical reports laced with originality, accurate statistics, and attractive and relevant graphics that will satisfy the expectation of their audience.

What should be avoided in a technical report?

Technical reports are written with an audience in mind, so they must be based on facts, logical deductions, calculations, and objectivity. Thus, when writing a technical report, a writer should avoid subjective evaluation, which can influence the report’s outcome due to biases. Therefore, it is ideal that a technical report is written objectively to ensure that its analysis and discussion are objective.

What are the characteristics of technical report writing?

Conventionally, an excellent technical report should be clear, detailed, accurate, and complete. It should also be devoid of assumptions, laced with precise logic, and relevant to the practices described. Also, a technical report should be interesting, with a straightforward, significant, and relevant narrative. Finally, it should be technically sound without personal and commercial bias.

Who should attend?

The following individuals should partake in The Technical Report Writing Training Course by Rcademy:

• Engineering students that design, test, and build machines and structures using science and calculations
• Professional engineers responsible for implementing engineering projects and reporting progress to relevant persons
• Contractors responsible for writing proposals and specifications for technical projects
• Non-specialists interested in building technical knowledge and skills
• Technicians responsible for building, operating, maintaining, and repairing inventions of experts and amateurs in the technical field
• Experts that are conversant with the technical field and operate in academia, research fields in government, and business
• Executives are charged with making business, legal, governmental, administrative, and economic decisions on the inventions of experts and technicians

What are the course objectives?

This Technical Report Writing Training Course by Rcademy is designed to help participants achieve the following outcomes:

• Learn about the fundamentals of technical report writing and the uses of a technical report
• Identify an excellent technical report and design
• Understand how to use the technical report to communicate information
• Plan and implement a reader-friendly technical report format
• Learn the needed skills to structure and organize technical reports
• Learn the nuances and laws of an excellent technical report
• Identify various forms of technical reports and their relevance

How will this course be presented?

This course is participant-oriented and specially designed to meet participants’ expectations and boost their knowledge and skills. Practical approaches ensure constant and active learning by the participants undertaking this course. Seasoned professionals will teach the course with years of expertise and experience, and the modules are designed from extensive, in-depth, and relevant research.

The Rcademy Technical Report Writing Training Course includes practical and theoretical learning by providing participants with slides, lecture notes, case studies, and real-life scenarios. Participants will also partake in interactive sessions, mock pitches of technical reports, and workshops and will be provided with a feedback platform to confirm their optimal satisfaction.

What are the topics covered in this course?

Module 1: Introduction to Technical Report Writing

• Definition of a technical report
  – Parts of a technical report
  – Informal report
  – Uses of informal report
• Formal report
  – The component of a formal report
  – The concept of front material
  – Preparation of formal components
  – Format devices
• Informational and evaluation report
  – Data presentation
  – Suggestion
• Feasibility and recommendation reports
  – Arranging a recommendation report
  – Writing and presentation of the recommendation report

Module 2: Stages in Technical Report Writing 

• Technical writing applications
  – Memorandum format
  – Letter format
• Technical writing process
  – Pre-writing stage
  – Writing stage
  – Post-writing stage
• Report purposes
  – Technical problem statements
  – Rhetorical problem statements
• Data gathering
  – Previous reports
  – Data sources
  – Incomplete data
  – Excess perfection syndrome

Module 3: Effective Communication in Technical Report Writing

• Sentence clarity
• Clear paragraphs
• Clear organization
• Clear revision
• Reading clarity and comprehension
• Personal grooming

Module 4: Laws of a Good Technical Report

• Access to reports by readers
• Concise report
• Proper arrangement of information for readers
• Accurate referencing
• Straightforward writing style
• Design
• Cross-checking inconsistencies and errors

Module 5: Objectives of a Technical Report Writing 

• Identification of objectives
  – Who is the report for?
  – Why produce a report?
  – What information is covered
  – Readers’ knowledge of the subject matter
  – Details relevant to readers
  – The essence of a report to a reader
  – What is the expected response of a reader?
  – Bridging the gap between the present knowledge of a reader and what they ought to know
  – What level of formality is suitable?

Module 6: Format of a Technical Report 

• Appendices
• Sections and subsections
• Section headings
  – Title page
  – Acknowledgment
  – Summary
  – Table of contents
  – Scope of the report
  – Procedure
  – Results
  – Conclusion
  – Recommendation
• Notation
• References
  – In-text citation
  – Harvard referencing

Module 7: Writing a Technical Report

• Spelling
  – Avoid the wrong use of words
  – Technical word usage
  – Non-technical word usage
• Punctuation
  – Use of commas
  – Use of hyphens
• Sentences
• Paragraphs
• Formality
• Case study/example

Module 8: Textual/ Graphical Report Elements

• Textual report elements
  – Descriptive
  – Analytical
  – Comparative
  – Conclusive
  – Persuasive
  – Summary
• Graphical report elements
  – White space
  – Maps and aerial photographs
  – Graphs
  – Schematic and flow diagrams
  – Tables
  – Clutter
  – Color, line style, and weight
  – Next link and graphics

Module 9: Appearance Elements

• The concept of taste
• Simpler appearance
• Standard format
• Covers, bindings, and colors
• Tabs and dividers
• Large format maps and figures
• Fancy fonts
• Costs
• The custom report covers and tab sets

Module 10: Use of Diagrams in Technical Report Writing

• Diagram positioning
• Table Usage
  – Units and powers of ten in the column heading
  – Similar Group items
• Graphs
• Diagram referencing
• Diagrams checklist
  – Relevance
  – Easy to use
  – Attractive

Module 11: Audience Analysis in Technical Report Writing

• Primary audience
• Secondary audience
• Audience and the Use of your report
• Audience prejudice
• Audience functions and concerns
• Effect of a Report on Audience
• Time and money

Module 12: Technical Report Finishing

• Summary writing tips
  – Consider the word count
  – Provide background information
  – Highlight major findings
  – Employ continuous prose
• Abstract
• Table of content
• Title page
  – Title
  – Author’s name
  – Report reference number
  – Date
  – Classification
• Appearance
• Plagiarism checks
• Final check/submission