Tutorial: 15 minutes
Writing Reports in Engineering and Science

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Engineers and scientists write reports to document projects, designs, and experiments. As the summary film explains, the expectations placed on such reports are much different from the expectations that exist for essays in first-year English. This website presents a 15-minute tutorial to help you as an engineer or scientist learn the expectations that readers have for your reports.
    For this tutorial, you are to watch the four short films below. To test your understanding, you can then play the Kahoot. For more depth on this subject, please view films in Appendix A or work through the full tutorial (45 minutes).

Summary Film for Tutorial.

Instructors: You are more than welcome to assign this tutorial to your students. Also, if you would like a Canvas quiz of the Kahoot to verify that your students have done the tutorial, please visit the Canvas quiz page.
1. Watch Films

Film 1.Analyzing Audience of Reports.


Film 3. Writing Sentences in Reports.

Film 2. Organizing Reports.


Film 4. Incorporating Illustrations and Equations into Reports.
2. Play Kahoot
Penn State Students: You can earn a credentialing badge on writing engineering reports.
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Appendix A: Additional Resources on Writing Reports 

The following resources discuss additional perspectives on writing reports in engineering and science. Film A-1, for instance, presents a process that professional teams use to produce effective reports. Discussed in Film A-2 are guidelines for writing in sections, and Film A-3 discusses best writing practices to avoid ambiguities in scientific writing. Presented in Film A-4 and its accompanying handout is an effective strategy to connect sentences in the paragraphs of reports.  Still more films can be found in the 1-hour Tutorial on Writing Reports in Engineering and Science. Working through that tutorial allows Penn State students to earn a credentialing badge.​

Film A-1. Process of Writing Reports as a Team


Film A-3. Avoiding Ambiguities in Scientific Writing.

Film A-2. Writing in Sections.


Film A-4. Connecting Ideas in the Paragraphs of Reports.
Acknowledgments

This tutorial, which was created in the College of Engineering at Penn State, is made possible by funding from the College's Leonhard Center for Engineering Education. Providing technical assistance on the films has been the Office of Digital Learning, which is also in the College. 
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Faculty and Staff Editors
​Michael Alley, Content Editor, Teaching Professor
Casey Fenton, Film Editor, Office of Digital Learning
Richelle Weiger, Film Editor, Office of Digital Learning
Elaine Whitmer, Film Editor, Office of Digital Learning
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Former Student Editors
​Morgan Aloi, ME, 2022
Olivia Brencovich, ME, 2022
​Justin Bardy, ME, 2021
Alexus Eicher, Comp Sci., 2021
​Dean Ellis, Aerospace Engr., 2021
Jake Grant, ME, 2022
Alexander How, ME, 2021
​Belinda Mativenga, ChE, 2022
Kaitlyn Pigeon, IE, 2021
Alison Wanamaker, IE 2021
​Mia Wanyo, ME, 2022
​References
  1. Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (New York: Springer, 2018).​​
  2. "Report Templates," Writing as an Engineer or Scientist, ed. by Michael Alley (University Park, PA: College of Engineering, 1996).
  3. ​"Sample Report Format," Writing as an Engineer or Scientist, ed. by Michael Alley (University Park, PA: College of Engineering, 1996).
Please feel free to provide comments, questions, and suggestions for the films, text, and quizzes of this website. To help us understand your feedback, please let us know whether you are a student or faculty member (or other professional).