Writing Technical PapersWriting Technical Papers

CSCI 327CSCI 327

Outline for TodayOutline for Today

1. Finding Appropriate Sources

2. Document Formatting Standards

3. Appropriate Writing Style

4. Typical Technical Documents

QuestionsQuestions

• Where can you find technical information?

• How do you know if those sources are reliable?

Where to Find InformationWhere to Find Information• Web Sources

– Wikipedia• how trustworthy is it?

– .com sites• they have an agenda - don't trust them for opinions

– .edu sites

• Print Sources– Papers in Academic Journals

• have been reviewed!!!!!!!

– Newspapers• good for facts and quotes• be aware of opinions

Example SearchExample Search

1. Go to Winthrop's homepage

2. On left menu, select Library, then Database List

3. select A

4. select ACM Digital Library

• differences in Journals, Proceedings, etc.• Special Interest Groups

FormattingFormattingTypical Outline of a Research Paper

1. abstract• short overview

2. introduction and background information• context of this investigation

3. new information• the "what we did"

4. analysis and conclusions• the "so what"

5. summary and future work

FormattingFormatting

• ACM SIG Format

• Section Headers– number the sections so that the reader can

move back and forth– number subsections as well– refer to other sections

FormattingFormatting

• Figures and Tables– a figure goes after the first reference– number figures and tables, and include a title– use courier font in tables

• References– cite everything that was not your idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!– make it crystal clear what is yours and what is theirs– citing web sources…

Web CitationsWeb Citations

• Important Information• who• when• where

• Examples

Smith, Bob. "My Opinion about Open-Source Software." Daily Tech Blog. July 14, 2008 <http://tech.blogspot.com>.

Building Poor Web Sites. June 14, 2012<http://www.badweb.com/howto.htm>.

Writing StyleWriting Style

• Use examples and figures to illustrate your point

• Define terms– on the first use of an acronym, spell it out

• Use formal language– keep to facts and analysis, this is not about you– No slang terms– No first person

Tech Documents o' PlentyTech Documents o' Plenty

• User Manual

• Project Proposal

• Statement of Work

• Software Project Management Plan

• System Requirements Specification

• System Design

Possible Format of a Possible Format of a Business ProposalBusiness Proposal

1. Executive Summary

2. Statement of Work

3. Management Plan

4. Corporate Qualifications

5. Staffing Plan

6. Pricing and Contract Requirements

NSF Proposal FormatNSF Proposal FormatCover Sheet

titledates and total amount requestedsignatures

Project Summaryone page max"intellectual merit" and "broader impact"

Table of ContentsProject Description

15 page maxalso includes results from prior support

References CitedBiographical SketchesBudget