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Final Report*
Assoc. Prof. Metin Muradoglu
Mechanical Engineering
Koc University
*Based on “Lecture on Final Report” by Dr. W. Sun, Drexel University.
Outline
What are you writing?
The Seven Steps
Who is your audience?
What is the format?
When is it due?
How should it be delivered?
How is it graded?
What Are You Writing?
Proposal
Introduce the reader to your project. Establish your goals.
Progress Report
Remind the reader of your goals and discuss your
progress toward those goals.
Final Report
Remind the reader of your goals and compare the final
status of your project to the original goals.
The 7 Steps to a Successful Document
Partition responsibilities and select software
Determine look and feel of the document
Develop an outline
Write a draft
Proofread and revise
Peer review and final revision
Prepare the final document
Divide and Conquer
The required sections of the document are known – know what to be written.
Divide the writing responsibilities among the team members. Establish deadlines.
Choose an editor who will produce the final document
Smooth out the style differences between the different writers
Report Format
Title Page
Abstract
Table of Contents
Introduction
Problem statement
Objectives
Design contraints
Literature review
Statement of Work Method of solution,
experimental/computational setup
Modeling, material selection
Analysis and prototype fabrication
Testing and redesign
Economic Analysis
Summary/Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Style, Audience and Tone
Who is your audience?
Your group
Your advisor
Future seniors
Your sponsor
You are writing for a technical audience, but one that may not be familiar with the specifics of your area of interest
Style, Audience and Tone
Style
Be consistent throughout the document
Produce clear tables and graphs
Be interesting as well as informative
Avoid slang and contractions
Style, Audience and Tone
Be careful with acronyms
VHSIC, MIMO, TDMA, BGA, etc
The first time a term is used it should be written
out - put the acronym in parentheses and use it
alone in the future.
“This part is available in a ball grid array (BGA)
package that can save considerable board space.”
Format, Layout, Fonts …
No limit on final report, but be reasonable
Page Format
Line Spacing: single spacing
Font Size: minimum of 11 point for the body text, maximum of 14 point for section headings
Left/Right Margins: 2.5 cm
Top/Bottom Margins: 2.5 cm
Pages must be numbered
Figures, Tables, …
Figures, tables, schematics, or other graphics must be referenced in the text of the body of the report. The same goes for an appendix – if it is not significant enough to mention then it is not worth the effort in reading.
All figures and tables should be numbered and titled. These numbers should start at 1 and increase from front to back in the text.
Figure References
The engine assembly as
illustrated by Figure 1, is
generated by Pro/E CAD
software. The assembly
has over 150 components.
Figure 1. The CAD model of the
designed engine assembly.
Table and Figure References
Take a look at MS Word’s abilities to work
with Captions and Cross References
Especially useful in long documents with many
figures and tables
When a new figure (or table) is inserted in an
existing document, all following figures (or
tables) are automatically renumbered
Develop an Outline
Lay out the major sections of the document
What are the “must discuss” ideas in each
section
As you go along, flesh out these sections
with more detail
To finish the sections, convert your ideas into
paragraph form and complete sentences
Write a Draft
The first draft comes directly from your
outline
Polish
Smooth out style differences
Paragraph style, complete sentences, consistent
tense(s)
Add graphics to enhance understanding
Proofread and Revise
Is the important content present?
Is it presented clearly and concisely?
Can someone not in your group follow your
thinking? Beware of writing for your advisor or
teammates.
Word will pick up spelling and basic style
errors
Peer Review & Final Revision
Get comments from friends
Listen to your advisor
Are the document style rules being followed?
Preparing the Final Document
Follow your department’s rules for
submitting hard and/or electronic copies of
the report
Report Components
Title Page
Abstract
Table of Contents
Introduction
Problem statement
Objectives
Design contraints
Literature review
Statement of Work Method of solution,
experimental/computational setup
Modeling, material selection
Analyisis and prototype fabrication
Testing and redesign
Economic Analysis
Summary/Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Title Page
The title page has several required elements, but the
format in which they are presented may be flexible
Remember that in some sense you are trying to “sell”
your project, and that good presentation helps
The following two slides indicate a conservative
approach and a more artistic approach
Mech 491: Senior Design Project Final Report
“Title goes here”
Mechanical Engineering Department
Koc University
Team Members:
XXXXXX-1 Mechanical Engineering
XXXXXX-2 Mechanical Engineering
XXXXX-3 Electrical Engineering
Advisor(s):
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Senior Design Project
XX-XX, 2011
Abstract
Your abstract should introduce the reader to the
motivation for your project and the outcome of the
project. Be specific and concise – you can give the
details in the body of the report.
One paragraph to one page
Table of Contents
Review Table of Contents samples in the
textbook.
Abstract, TOC, lists of tables and figures use
lower case roman numerals
Body of proposal uses numbers
Report Body
Problem description
What need is being addressed?
Background
What is the current state-of-the-art?
What are the constraints and design criteria?
Method of solution
What solutions proposed – design feasibility
What design alternatives examined?
How did you test or validate your solution
Report Body
Visualization
Put a graphic early on in the body – design
configuration, system diagram, schematic, etc.
What are the specific deliverables?
Budgets and Resources
Developmental budget
Written for “reality” - what did it really cost?
What resources have you used to produce your
deliverables?
Where were they?
How did you get access?
Industry budget
Written as if your group is or is in a company
Industry Budget
Supplies
Components, tools, software, PCB fabrication, etc.
Overhead
Company charge to contracts and grants to cover maintenance, lights, heat, security, etc.
50% at Koc, but may reach 150% elsewhere
Constraints
Have you identified those constraints applicable to your project?
Have you addressed the pertinent questions?
Economic
Have you assessed the development, production, operational costs?
Environmental
Is pollution being produced as a result of the manufacture or use of your product?
Sustainability
Can the resources associated with the product be used effectively in a sustainable economy?
Constraints (cont)
Have you addressed the pertinent questions (cont)?
Manufacturability
How did you design to minimize manufacturing costs?
Ethics
Are there any potential conflicts with Code of Ethics?
Health and Safety
Are there any laws that determine how safe this product must be?
Social
What impact might this product have on the community?
Political
Is the product being regulated by a governmental entity?
Summary/Conclusions
In your report:
Summarize the majors points made in your
introduction and work done and final
deliverables
You need to be convincing that you understand
the problem solved and have chosen a right path
to get you there
References
References are of crucial importance and must be cited in the text
Cite the references in the text including the web pages, manuals, private communication etc.
The common reference formats are well described. If you are using numerical reference designators, these numbers should start at 1 and increase from front to back in the body of the text.
References
Be wary of web references The web is not peer reviewed
A good rule of thumb is that all undergraduate reports have at least ≥ 4 references to printed works.
Examples:
References
1. Chi, C., 1996, “Process Insight About LOM Systems,” Proceedings of Solid Freeform Fabrication
Symposium. The University of Texas at Austin, pp. 515-522.
2. Dolenc, A., and Mäkelä, I., 1994, "Slicing Procedures for Layered Manufacturing Techniques", Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 119-126.
3. Jacobs, P. F., 1996, "Stereolithography and other RP&M Technologies: from Rapid Prototyping to Rapid Tooling," SME publishing, Dearborn, Michigan.
Quality Control
Several people outside your group should
read this report
Your advisor
Primarily for technical content
Give plenty of lead time
When is it due?
Submit the electronic and hard copies to your
Advisor and to me before Monday, January
24th.
1. Style: • Write at the appropriate level and with the appropriate tone for
your audience;
• Maintain your style throughout the document;
• Emphasize only necessary sections
• Make figures and table clear and readable
• Use transitions between sections
• Make the document interesting as well as informative
2. Audience and Tune • Sell your project to your reader: Fellow students, SD advisor,
Faculty, external reviewers, competition judges, and venture
capitalists
• Convincing but not overly enthusiastic
• Prove you have done homework
• Use formal language (you are not writing to your close friend).
Rule of Writing
3. Fonts, margins, and other important details: • Clear readable (standard font size and margin);
• Use standard abbreviations or try to use a full phase (e.g.= for
example, i.e. = that is);
• Make sure to have a spell check (Gorden Conference Vs.
Golden Conference)
4. Emphasize sections • Boldface type, italics, or bulleted and numbered lists
• Not to overwhelmed
5. Figures and Tables • Must readable
• Add text to each graphics
• Must have caption
• Must be numbered
6. References • Must be cited: e.g.: recent reports [2, 3, 4] have shown that …
7. Vita of the team members
Rule of Writing
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