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Technical Report Writing Guidelines

Civil Engineering

(Amended and updated on June 14, 2018)
 
Technical report writing can follow many different formats depending on the topic being covered. For the purposes of the Industry Project course in the Civil Engineering program, the following report format is the one you will be required to follow. Client reports missing any of these sections will be downgraded accordingly during evaluation.
  1. Cover
    • a clear cover so that the title page is visible
        or
    • a repeat of the information on the title page.
       
  2. Transmittal Letter (not bound with rest of report)
    • business style, letter format
    • addressed to your industry sponsor/client
    • brief statement of purpose of work and findings
    • a sentence declaring that the report was written by you and is entirely original. See the note at the end of this document.
    • contact info where you can be reached with questions
    • any important information not suitable for the report itself
    • MUST be signed by you
    • copies to (cc) your faculty advisor, your sponsor, and your communication instructor.
       
  3. Title Page
    • project title
    • project number (e.g. 17-41) to be visible on report cover, printed in a large bold font and located in the upper-right corner
    • prepared for... (your industry sponsor/client, faculty advisor, and communication instructor)
    • prepared by... (you)
    • British Columbia Institute of Technology
      Burnaby, BC (this is your "place of business")
    • date of submission
    • cover illustration (not a required element but highly recommended)
    • caption for cover illustration (on back of front cover).
       
  4. Disclaimer
    • The following statement is to be included on its own page immediately following the title page:

      Disclaimer - The work represented in this client report is the result of a student project at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Any analysis or solution presented in this report must be reviewed by a Professional Engineer before implementation. While the student's performance in the completion of this report may have been reviewed by a faculty advisor, such review and any advice obtained therefrom does not constitute professional certification of the work. This report is made available without any representation as to its use in any particular situation and on the strict understanding that each reader accepts full liability for the application of its contents.
       
  5. Summary or Executive Summary
    • a summary of the purpose and findings of the work
    • usually limited to one page
    • a stand alone document "summarizing" the work
    • does not contain anything not also presented in the body of the report.
       
  6. Table of Contents
    • include all section headings and sub-headings (maximum 3 levels)
    • use indentation, font variation, and spacing for effective layout
    • list all appendices with descriptive titles (for example, "Appendix A - Drawings".
       
  7. List of Graphics
    • List of Tables with titles and page numbers
    • List of Figures with titles and page numbers.
       
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. Body of report
      10. Microsoft Header Hierarchy
    • see additional guidelines below .
    • start page numbering with "1" on the first page of the body of the report and continue until the end of the report
    • number chapters "1, 2, 3, etc.", with sub-sections to each chapter numbered "1.1 , 1.2, 1.3, etc." and sub-sections to the sub-sections numbered "1.1.1 , 1.1.2, 1.1.3., etc." as shown in the illustration below. This is most easily done by using a "multilevel list" in Microsoft Word. Choose one with Heading styles as shown to the right and Word can generate a table of contents too.
       

4 Drainage

4.1 Existing Facilities
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4.1.1 As Built Information
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4.1.2 Site Visit
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Aliquam malesuada ut mi id efficitur. Sed ac hendrerit dolor. Aenean id nisi at ex luctus fringilla id vel elit. Aliquam nec posuere erat, sed lobortis magna.

4.2 Design Flows

4.2.1 Legal Requirements
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4.2.2 Method of Analysis
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Aliquam malesuada ut mi id efficitur. Sed ac hendrerit dolor. Aenean id nisi at ex luctus fringilla id vel elit. Aliquam nec posuere erat, sed lobortis magna.

4.3 Required Upgrading
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4.3.1 Facilities Required for New Development
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In viverra pharetra lectus quis faucibus.

4.3.2 Upgrading Required for Existing Facilities
Quisque ipsum felis, interdum in mauris nec, semper tincidunt libero. Duis arcu nulla, cursus vestibulum elit convallis, sollicitudin aliquet diam. Nam nec augue vel tortor ultricies vulputate vitae volutpat ligula. Maecenas vel ultricies est. In placerat nisi at sem auctor porta. In ornare lectus sit amet velit suscipit, et fringilla est luctus.

Aliquam nec pharetra orci. Morbi sed purus et arcu sollicitudin iaculis sit amet eu magna. Vestibulum placerat laoreet nulla, vitae porta neque laoreet eu. Sed faucibus lacinia dolor, nec vulputate velit gravida bibendum. Ut at ultricies magna, at vestibulum lorem. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.

Aliquam malesuada ut mi id efficitur. Sed ac hendrerit dolor. Aenean id nisi at ex luctus fringilla id vel elit. Aliquam nec posuere erat, sed lobortis magna.

  1. Appendices
    • provide a title page for each appendix(and a tab divider for hard copies)
    • provide a list of contents or index page for appendices containing more than a couple of pages
    • number the pages in an appendix if there are more than one, using the format "Page 1 of 2" if there is no index
    • a typical report might include one or more of the following(as separate appendices):
      1. drawings (prepared as part of this project)
      2. reference drawings(provided by others)
      3. calculations
      4. repetitious tables or figures, organized into logical bundles so that a particular table or figure can be easily located
      5. raw data listings
      6. other material pertinent to the particular project

Body of Report

Following is a general layout for the body of a technical report. Depending on the nature of the work, details will vary: some elements may not apply and some may need expanding or rearranging. Nevertheless, the general format should be adhered to.

Present tables and figures in the body of the report following the first reference to them(NEVER ASSUME THAT THE FIGURE OR TABLE IS SELF-EXPLANATORY--DISCUSS IT IN THE TEXT!!!)

Body of Report

  1. Introduction
    • relevant background and rationale for the work; terms of reference
    • a clear statement of the project objectives
    • constraints on the work
       
  2. Site Description
    • map of area(may need location plan and more detailed site plan)
    • description of the site with all relevant details included
    • historical perspective, if relevant
    • observations from site visit(s)
       
  3. Procedures and Methods
    • sources of data
    • field equipment used
    • modeling techniques
    • analytical methods
    • data reduction procedures
    • description of analyses performed
       
  4. Presentation and Discussion of Results
    • presentation of results
    • evaluation of data quality
    • interpretation of results
    • explanation of unusual or unexpected results
    • qualifications on interpretation
       
  5. Conclusions
    • conclusions based on objectives of work or summary of work performed
    • limitations of project work
       
  6. Recommendations
    • recommendations, if relevant
       
  7. References
    • must follow APA bibliographic style
       
If your project requires additional printed material such as guidebooks, user manuals, or software training materials, be sure to include copies of each of these items with each of the four (4) copies of your Client Report that you hand in.
 
Note: It is not permissible to hire for payment any person to assist you with review, writing, or editing of any component of the report if it is to be represented as your work. Any such transgression can result in a mark of zero for this report. If you have received unpaid editorial assistance in the review, writing, or editing of your work from anyone outside of the Civil program or your Communications course, include a sentence in your transmittal letter acknowledging their assistance and clearly defining the work that you were assisted with.

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