REPORT WRITING

What is a Report?

A report is the formal writing up of

practical experiment
project
research investigation
Clearly defined sections presented in a standard
format
It tells
What
Why
How
What result
Can replicate the experiment.
Follows an objective style of writing
 TYPES OF REPORT

Science report Engineering report

Title page
Title page
Executive summary (optional)
Introduction Introduction
Method & materials Objectives
Analysis
Results
Discussion
Discussion Recommendations & action plan
Conclusion Conclusion
Appendices
Appendices
References
References
Research report Business report
Title page Title page
Executive summary Executive summary
Introduction Table of contents
Method / methodology Introduction
Results / findings Discussion
Discussion Conclusion
Conclusions Recommendations
Recommendations Appendices
Appendices References
Bibliography
TYPES OF WAYS AND METHODS
Types of research
Formative
Process
Summative

Reports
Investigative
Evaluative
General
Setting the Objective
A single sentence, which expresses exactly what you
intend the report to achieve.
Objective setting is based on the subject of the work and
the target audience.
Why the report is required, and what the recipients need
to know.
Objective should be specific and utterly clear in its
emphasis.

NOTE: Failure to achieve an objective can be the direct

result of an unsatisfactory report in terms of structure,
presentation and language
TARGET AUDIENCE OR THE RECIVER IS
IMPORTANT
Types of Reports
There are basically two types of report, each requiring a
different structure:
Research report: It investigates a subject and reports on
the findings.
This might research a competitor's activities, consider
options for a new computer system, or report on product
development.

Information-Only report: Simply passes on information.

It might be a memo, or the monthly budgets or
management reports and updates.
Structure of an information only report groups your
organized information into a logical and clear
sequence.
 The aim is the objective, and is expressed in a single sentence at the beginning.
The method explains how you researched your subject and the sources used.
The results present your findings in an objective and neutral fashion. Any
unnecessary constructive detail should be included in an appendix.
The conclusion is where you express a subjective view drawn from the results of
your research
Structuring your Report
Most reports include the following sections:

Title
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
References
Appendices
Title

Short and precise

Nature of your research
What were you studying

Example:
The effects of stress on eye - witness testimony
Omit any unnecessary detail e.g. A study of. is not
necessary.
ABSTRACT
The Abstract is a self-contained summary of your
report.
An outline of what you investigated.
Why you chose to look at that particular area.
Brief reference to prior research done in the field
Experimental hypothesis (if any)
Brief summary of your method
Main findings
Conclusion, suggestion and future scope.
3. Introduction
The Introduction sets the scene for your report
It gives the reader detail of the subject area and your
work.
Presents your objectives and hypotheses.
Initially you should explain the background to the
problem with reference to previous work conducted in
the area (i.e. a literature review).
Ensure you only include studies that have direct
relevance to your research.
Briefly discuss the findings of other researchers and how
these connect with your study.
Finally, state your aims or hypothesis
METHEDOLOGY
Participants (Sample)
Say how many participants or items were included.
Why and how were they selected?
What were their defining characteristics?

Design
Say what your experimental method was (e.g. laboratory or field
experiment, questionnaire survey etc. )
Why you chose this method.
What was your design i.e. how many
Different conditions did the experiment
Also say what kind of data you gathered and how you collected it.
 Apparatus/Materials
Description, do not use a list.
In some subjects, particularly Science disciplines,
this section is only required if you used special
equipment.

Procedure
A step by step description of what you did from start
to finish.
If you have time variant also mention
5. Results/ Findings

Your Results section should clearly convey the findings of your

experiment.
Present data in a summarized form (e.g. means and standard
deviations).
Raw data should be included in the Appendices.
Be clear and concise.
Describe what the results were, dont offer interpretations of
them.
Present them in a logical order with respect to the objectives
and then variables.
Those that link most directly to your hypothesis should be given
first.
Data in Tables and Graphs
Graphical representations are used to find trends of relative variables
Do not present the same data in two or more ways i.e. use either a
table or a graph, or just text.
Remember that a graph should be understandable independently of
any text, but you may accompany each with a description if necessary.
Use clear and concise titles for each figure
Mention the relative variables
Statistical Analysis
Mention the test and briefly explain why.
Show how your results were analyzed, laying out your calculations clearly
Clarify the degree of error and assumptions
Clearly state the results of the analysis saying whether the result was
statistically significant or not both as numbers and in words
Discussion/ Recommendation
The Discussion section is probably the most important part of
your report.
It relates the findings of your study to the research that you
talked about in your Introduction, thereby placing your work in
the wider context.
The Discussion helps the reader to understand the relevance of
your research to previous and further work in the field.
This is your chance to discuss, analyze and interpret your results
in relation to all the information you have collected.
The Discussion will probably be the longest section of your
report and should contain the following:
a summary of the main results of your study
 An interpretation of these results in relation to your aims, predictions or
hypothesis, e.g. is your hypothesis supported or rejected?, and in relation
to the findings of other research in the area, specifically those studies that
you included in your Introduction.
Consideration of the broader implications of your findings. What do they
suggest for future research in the area? If your results contradict previous
findings what does this suggest about your work or the work of others?
What should be studied next?
A discussion of any limitations or problems with your research method or
experimental design and practical suggestions of how these might be
avoided if the study was conducted again.
Some carefully considered ideas for further research in the area that
would help clarify or take forward your own findings.
A conclusion which briefly summarizes the main issues arising from your
report.
7. References
Here you must give details of work by all other authors which
you have referred to in your report.
8. Appendices
The Appendices contain material that is relevant to your report
but that would disrupt its flow if it was contained within the main
body.
For example: raw data and calculations; interview questions; a
glossary of terms, or other information that the reader may find
useful to refer to.
All appendices should be clearly labeled and referred to where
appropriate in the main text (e.g. See Appendix A for an
example questionnaire).
How to Present your Report
Write in the third person (passive voice
Avoid being subjective.
Which words would you take out to ensure the sentences are
objective?
Also refrain from using non-quantifiable descriptions such as:' The
vehicle reached a very high speed It was the storm of a lifetime
Be clear and concise and stick to short, simple sentences.

Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar! Make use of the

spelling and grammar checkers on your PC but remember that some
errors will not be identified e.g. scientific names. Proof-reading your
work can often gain you vital marks !
 A Report on

Operator Interface Technology

By
Ashwini Kumar

Control Systems Engineer

Engineering Department
Paper Tiger Equipment

March 12, 2007

 A Report on

Operator Interface Technology

Prepared for
General distribution at Annual review Conference

By
Ashwini Kumar

Control Systems Engineer

Engineering Department
Paper Tiger Equipment

March 12, 2007

 MEMORANDUM
Date: March 12, 2000
To: Victor Bottaci, Vice President
From:, Ashwini Kumar, Control Systems Engineer
Subject: Individual initiative project/Annual Review Conference

Paper Tiger is scheduled to meet in one week for our annual review
conference.
At the meeting our senior staff members will present their individual
initiative projects for review by all employees. A report has been prepared
recommending an update of our current product line to incorporate new
operator interface technology, which will be distributed to supplement the
presentation prepared for the annual review conference.
The operator interface technology presented is state of the art and will be
a turnkey opportunity as an upgrade for our current paper-shredding
equipment line. There will be numerous benefits to implementing this new
technology including increased profit margin, increased customer
satisfaction, and enhanced usability of the equipment.
 Abstract
Our current operator interface system uses hardwired pushbuttons, pilot lights, and message displays
to interface the operator and the machine. The system we use now is substandard for several
reasons.
confusing to the uninitiated
difficult to install
prone to device failure
difficult to upgrade
New operator interface technology offers huge installation timesaving over our current hardwired
system, because we wont have separate devices to wire individually to the PLC. The only
connection required is a cable to the PLC via a serial port.
Another key benefit of the new operator interface technology is that it uses a software program to
configure the display, which eliminates the possibility of end user tampering. If any updates or
changes need to be made, all that is required is simple editing to the program on a PC or a laptop,
then a download to the unit- most units can be programmed while in run mode virtually eliminating
the downtime associated with a hardwired system.
This system utilizes a touch-screen graphical display to allow the operator to control and communicate
with the machine. The touch-screen LCD allows the operator to intuitively operate the machine
using industry standard symbols and bitmap graphics. The operator interface accesses the PLC
registers to display machine variables in engineering unit values and to adjust operating
parameters, and because the OI accesses the PLC registers directly, the required I/O is less than
the current system. The operator interface also has a real-time clock for custom operating
schedules.
Keywords: operator interface, hardwired, registers, PLC, PC, I/O, OI
Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Abstract
E xe c u t i v e S u m m a r y
Introduction
Methods
Results
Recommendations
Conclusions
References
Glossary
 Executive Summary
During the past several years we have had a decline in market
performance of our product line at Paper Tiger. Extensive
research has been to pinpoint the cause of the performance
decline. All the evidence points to one major issue, we have not
kept pace with the industry standard of operator interface
technology, or hmi (human interface technology). This report
shows that new operator interface technology available today is
superior to our current operator interface systems.
The components of new operator interface technology are slightly
more expensive than the operator interface components we
currently use, but with significant installed cost savings and PLC
I/O cost reduction we will experience savings on system costs.
The bottom line is that the new operator interface technology will
work better, cost us less and thereby increase profit and improve
customer satisfaction.
 Introduction
Over the last five years we have experienced a decline in new machine sales
and customer satisfaction, due in large part to our failure to keep pace with
rigorous updates in operator interface technology.
The purpose of this report is to prove the importance of updating our operator
interface, and to recommend immediate action to implement the new
technology.
This report compares the proposed use of modern operator interface
technology, to the current hardwired operator interfaces that we now use
on our machine products.
The scope of this report is to compare our current product to our product
enhanced with new operator interface technology from a sales, production,
service, and engineering perspective. The report includes projected cost of
implementing the new product, projected man-hours for new product
configuration and installation compared to current system man-hour
requirements, and proves the merit of the proposed system change from a
sales, customer, and service department perspective. This report will not
cover specific product and/or manufacturer comparisons, or exact pricing
of product candidates.
 Methods
To account for profitability our sales trends have been studied as well as our competitors
sales trends for the last eight years. The data was compiled from the above items and
disseminated the importance of the information. cost data for current system components
and new system hardware and software components has also been compiled .
To evaluate the feasibility from a production and engineering perspective have studied our
production department machine building documentation to determine man-hour
requirement for current system installation. Additionally production department personnel
were consulted to estimate proposed system installation man-hour requirements. Next the
engineering department was consulted to evaluate the feasibility of taking on the
engineering task of updating our product line.
In order to maintain customer satisfaction and serviceability pertinent documents from
leading industrial journals have been studies. Our customer feedback reports from the
past eight years to present have been studied. Furthermore, five formal interviews with
former customers were conducted to see where we went wrong, and if we could bring
them back. Finally our service department was consulted to solicit their input on the
recommended product update.
 Results
From the research conducted, our sales history was found to be the most compelling. From our
sales reporting it was found that our sales declined sharply in 1995, about the same time that
operator interface technology became widely available to industrial OEMs, similar to us. We have
also lost thirteen big customers to our ambitious counterparts who have implemented the new
operator interface technology. In the same year our competitors who developed their new product
line incorporating the new operator interface technology enjoyed unprecedented sales increases.
To date our product line has not been updated to incorporate the new technology, and as result our
sales have continued to decline.
From the cost comparison between the components for our existing systems and those of the
proposed system, it was found that we will incur an increase of approximately $150 for hardware
components, and a one time software cost of $0-$2000 depending on manufacturer. In addition to
these costs we would have to account for marketing the new product through promotional
advertising.
Upon evaluating the production aspect of the proposed product update it was pleased to find that
the product line can be updated with relative ease. From studying our production documentation it
was found that our current operator interface requires about $600 in materials, and takes an
average of twelve man-hours to install and wire. At an average pay rate of $17/hour, that is an
average installed cost of $804 plus PLC I/O.
With the new operator interface technology there is an average materials cost of $790 including
average software cost of $40, (based conservatively on one-application/20 units). The estimated
install and connection time for the new system is one hour. At the same labor rate our installed cost
will be $807 plus PLC I/O. One more consideration is that we will be likely to reduce our I/O count
due to the embedded I/O of the new operator interface technology, thereby reducing our PLC
costs.
 Another important issue that was addressed in this study was
serviceability. To evaluate this issue our service department personnel
were consulted. Our service technicians have unanimously supported
updating our operator interface technology. There are several reasons for
their enthusiasm, and they synthesize service and customer needs.
The new operator interface technology is intuitive; self-prompts provide
users with industry standard symbols.
The new operator interface technology is easy to upgrade; only software
program needs to change, not wiring.
The new operator interface technology can network; to connect to
customers SCADA system.
The new operator interface technology is a trouble-shooting tool; has many
useful diagnostic features.
The new operator interface technology is machine friendly; less wiring to
come loose and cause breakdowns.
Conclusions
Based on promising sales projections, increased profit margin, customer demand, increased usability
and function, and industry proven results indicated by top industrial journals, new operator interface
technology is our best option for the future.
 Recommendations
It is recommended that we take immediate action to incorporate new operator interface technology into
our entire product line for the 2008-production year.
In order to accomplish this we will need to:
Evaluate operator interface manufacturers to determine the right one for us.
Develop marketing for the new product.
Complete training for the engineering aspect of new operator interface technology.
REFERENCES
 Glossary
OI Acronym for operator interface, a device used to provide interactive information and
control between a human and a machine-controlled process. Also interchangeably called:
HMI - human machine interface,
MMI - man machine interface.
Hardwired terminology used loosely to indicate a system with electrical control devices,
which are wired electrically for standard relay control, without using modern
communications capabilities.
PLC Acronym for programmable logic controller, a processor based industrial controller
originally developed to replace relay control systems in the automotive manufacturing
industry to eliminate costly rewire required each new model year. Now used industry wide
for machine control, plant automation, and supervisory and data collection.
PC Acronym for personal computer, used generically to represent modern IBM format
personal computers.
SCADA Acronym for Supervisory, Control, and Data Acquisition, a generic term for
distributed control systems that perform any or all of the functions of the words that
compose the acronym.
I/O Acronym for input/output used to represent the input sensing devices, output work-
performing devices and their corresponding controller interfaces.