SKEE 1012

Introduction to Electrical Engineering

Adapted from:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rubita binti Sudirman
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor

Writing Style
Depends on the audience
More Lively Writing (usually preferred)
First Person, Active Voice, Past/Present Tense

More Formal Writing

Third Person, Passive Voice, Past/Present Tense

Never use slang

Writing Style
Use First-Person, Active Voice, Past Tense or Third-

Person, Passive Voice, Past Tense

Not Recommended: Clean the gallium arsenide
substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene.
Not Recommended: I clean the gallium arsenide
substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene.
Acceptable: We cleaned the gallium arsenide
substrates by boiling them in trichloroethylene.
Recommended: The gallium arsenide substrates
were cleaned by boiling in trichloroethylene.

Writing Style Tips

Avoid overusing direct quotations, especially long

ones. Quote accurately.

Avoid indirect sentence constructions such as:

In Smiths study, it was found..

Instead, say, Smith found that
Spell out all acronyms when they are first used.

Technical writing
Journal paper

Thesis
Dissertation
Report

Elements of a Technical Report

Title
Abstract (Executive Summary)
Introduction
Theory and Analysis
Experimental Procedures
Results and Discussion
Conclusion(s)
Acknowledgments
References

Appendix

Writing Mechanics
Check Spelling

Check Grammar
Minimize the use of Acronyms
If Acronyms are necessary, always define them at the first

use
Number all equations, tables, and figures
All tables and figures must have captions.
All figures must have labeled axes
All quantities must have units

TITLE

The title should be eye catching

Executive Summar y

Think of it as a substitute for the report for a busy reader

Length never less than three sentences or longer than a full
page. Often 200 words.
Sentence One: expand on the title
Sentence Two: why the work was done
Remainder: key results, with numbers as appropriate,
conclusions, recommendations

Abstract
Abstract shorter than executive summary
The typical case is

From introduction: 2 sentences

From methodology: 2 sentences
Results: 3 sentences
Discussion: 3 sentences
Conclusions: 2 sentences

Things to avoid:
References, Abbreviations, Too general terms

Introduction
General discussion on background

Exact problem to be addressed

Here is the place for context, relation to prior work,
general objective, and approach

Introduction
Basically introduction has two sections: Background, Problem statement

i) Background
This is simply the literature survey that explains the backdrop of
your paper.

Describe various work done by previous researchers, critically

analyzing their pros and cons.

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Introduction
ii) Problem statement
At the end of background, explain in point form what are exactly
the present drawbacks that lead to this study.You better not give
references in the problem statement.
At the end of the problem statement give one sentence indicating
what you do in this paper

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Theory and Analysis

Briefly describe the theory relevant to the work

Provide design equations

Include calculations and computer simulation results
Provide values for all key parameters

Experimental Procedures
Methodology

Describe Apparatus and Materials

Show test setups
If this section is well written, any electrical or computer

engineer should be able to duplicate your results.

Results and Discussion

Use tables and graphs

Consider moving large quantities of raw data, detailed

derivations, or code to an appendix

Methods of plotting which produce well delineated lines
should be considered
Results should be critically compared to theory
Consider limitations in the theory and engineering
tolerances

Conclusion
Similar to executive summary
Must be concise
Reinforces key ideas formed in discussion
Includes recommendations for future work, such as

implementation of a design
Dont state It may be good or bad, It may be
suitable or unsuitable etc.
Dont say you expect something to be
Dont make unrealistic conclusions

Figures and Tables

Every figure must have a caption
All tables must have a title
Figure/tables are placed after they are mentioned in the

text (all must be mentioned/discussed)

Make figures/tables first, and then insert into the text
Put the figure/table number beside its title, and put this
in a standard location
Dont start a sentence with an abbreviation: Figure vs.
Fig.

Writing.
Be specific regarding time frames. Example:

Bad:
In recent years, there is an increment in the number of reports
on child maltreatment.
Good:
Child maltreatment incident reports increased by 50% between
1988 and 1993, totaling more than 2.9 million reports in 1993
(McCurdy & Daro, 1994).
Identify landmark or very important studies.

Dont use vague words

Big, small, large, huge, tiny, massive, long, short, good, bad,
nice, dirty.
These words have almost no place in scientific writing.
Instead say 20 m, 1.5 l, A is greater than B,
x fits better into the equation than y etc.

Acknowledgements
Keep track of those to be acknowledged-keep a diary so that

you dont forget anyone

Include: your sponsor, outside sources (companies or
agencies), other departments on campus, individuals outside
of your team who have helped
Be brief

References
Various formats have been developed. Pick one you like such

as the IEEE Transactions format

Decide on a sequence, such as the order they appear in the
text
Always give full references such that others may find the item

References (examples)
Style 1:
[1] A. Student and B. Professor, Very Important Project, in Journal of Reproducable
Research, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 25-31, Nov. 2004.
[2] C. Dean, The Book of Earth-Shattering Research, Husky Press, Storrs, CT, 2005.
Style 2:
Dean, C. (2005), The Book of Earth-Shattering Research, Husky Press, Storrs, CT.
Student , A. and Professor, B. (2004). Very Important Project. Journal of
Irreproducable Research, 13(9), 25-31.

Plagiarism
Never take the work of others without giving proper

credit
Never take verbatim sentences/paragraphs from the
literature
If you feel that you must use verbatim material, use
quotation marks and a reference. Do this sparingly!
There are search engines that can find if verbatim
material has been stolen. Professors fail students who do
this. Additional disciplinary action may follow.

References
William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style (New

York: Macmillian, 2000).

H. R. Fowler, The Little, Brown Handbook (Boston: Little,
Brown and Company, 1980).
G. L. Tuve and L. C. Domholdt, Engineering Experimentation
(New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966).
Craig Waddell, Basic Prose Style and Mechanics (Troy, NY:
Rensselaer Press, 1990).
Joseph Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace
(Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1981).
ECE Dept, Engineering Report Writing, September 2003.

 Good Luck