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* keep your potential readership in mind; | * keep your potential readership in mind; | ||
* identify commonality; | * identify commonality; | ||
- | * use sections and subsections | + | * use sections and subsections to structure your work and to provide appropriate breaks for the reader; |
- | * do not include | + | * do not include |
- | * follow appropriate academic and professional stylistic conventions. We recommend that you read journal papers relevant to the general area of your project, as well as project reports held in the library; this is a normal research activity. | + | * follow appropriate academic and professional stylistic conventions. We recommend that you read journal papers relevant to the general area of your project, as well as project reports held in the library |
- | The project report’s structure does not necessarily dictate the order in which you write it. If you want you can start by writing the Introduction, | + | The project report's structure does not necessarily dictate the order in which you write it. If you want you can start by writing the Introduction, |
* write as you go along, rather than leaving all the writing until last (writing takes longer than you think, and is best done when the ideas remain fresh in your mind); | * write as you go along, rather than leaving all the writing until last (writing takes longer than you think, and is best done when the ideas remain fresh in your mind); | ||
* leave time for someone you trust to proof-read your work, and for you to correct errors (it is not your supervisor’s responsibility to correct your written English); | * leave time for someone you trust to proof-read your work, and for you to correct errors (it is not your supervisor’s responsibility to correct your written English); | ||
- | * read your work out loud to yourself. There are many advantages to this, not least the realisation that if you run out of breath your sentences are probably too long. Mainly, however, if you read “silently”, you will tend to read what you meant to write, rather than what you have in fact written, and will run the risk of missing errors. | + | * read your work out loud to yourself. There are many advantages to this, not least the realisation that if you run out of breath your sentences are probably too long. Mainly, however, if you read "silently", you will tend to read what you meant to write, rather than what you have in fact written, and will run the risk of missing errors. |
===== Potential Readership ===== | ===== Potential Readership ===== | ||
- | Always keep your potential readers in mind and repeatedly review what you have written, putting yourself in their place. Look at the draft, sentence by sentence, and ask yourself: | + | Always keep your potential readers in mind and repeatedly review what you have written, putting yourself in their place. Look at the draft, sentence by sentence, and ask yourself: |
- | * your academic supervisor; | + | * your academic supervisor, |
- | * your project moderator/ | + | * your project moderator/ |
* the external examiner (usually a computing professor from another university), | * the external examiner (usually a computing professor from another university), | ||
* and quite possibly future students and others interested in the topic. | * and quite possibly future students and others interested in the topic. | ||
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===== Identifying Commonality ===== | ===== Identifying Commonality ===== | ||
- | You can often both clarify text and reduce its bulk if you can identify generality or commonality among the ideas you are expressing. You can then revise the text so that the common factors are described first followed by details of how specific individual ideas differ from them. | + | You can often both clarify text and reduce its bulk if you can identify generality or commonality among the ideas you are expressing. You can then revise the text so that the common factors are described first, followed by details of how specific individual ideas differ from them. |
===== Sections and Subsections ===== | ===== Sections and Subsections ===== | ||
- | The main body of the project report should be divided up into sections, along the lines suggested in Section | + | The main body of the project report should be divided up into sections, along the lines suggested in [[Arranging Material and Structuring the Project Report]] or otherwise, as appropriate. Each section should, if necessary, be divided up into subsections, |
- | It is important that you start each section and subsection with a summary of the rest of the material in it, i.e. inform the reader of what you are about to tell them. This has the effect of “softening up” the reader so that when they move on to the body of the section they feel confident about the direction in which you are taking them. They are reassured at regular intervals when they encounter ideas that you have told them to expect. Without the overview the overall effect is like a mystery tour of ideas, with each new idea coming as a surprise. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate the need for this when you are the author because you are already intimately familiar with the whole route that the report takes. | + | It is important that you start each section and subsection with a summary of the rest of the material in it, i.e. inform the reader of what you are about to tell them. This has the effect of "softening up" |
Each major section should begin on a new page. All sections and subsections should be numbered and headed. Numbering should be like this: 3.10.7 – for subsubsection 7 in subsection 10, in section 3. | Each major section should begin on a new page. All sections and subsections should be numbered and headed. Numbering should be like this: 3.10.7 – for subsubsection 7 in subsection 10, in section 3. | ||
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There are all kinds of stylistic conventions relating to technical writing that you should try to follow. For example: | There are all kinds of stylistic conventions relating to technical writing that you should try to follow. For example: | ||
- | * do not use shortened forms such as “don’t” for “do not”; | + | * do not use shortened forms such as "don't" |
* avoid colloquialisms and slang words; | * avoid colloquialisms and slang words; | ||
* use British English and write in complete sentences; | * use British English and write in complete sentences; | ||
* divide your writing up into paragraphs; | * divide your writing up into paragraphs; | ||
- | * generally, you should write in the “third person”. The “first person” can be used, to avoid the report becoming stilted, though it is recommended that its use be limited; for example, it may be appropriate to use “I” when stating an opinion rather than the common | + | * generally, you should write in the "third person". The "first person" |
Writing where the language style or typography, e.g. font or character size, change arbitrarily looks amateurish and can be very distracting for the reader. Use typography to support the content. Other places where consistency should be maintained include: | Writing where the language style or typography, e.g. font or character size, change arbitrarily looks amateurish and can be very distracting for the reader. Use typography to support the content. Other places where consistency should be maintained include: | ||
- | * bullet points; | + | * bullet points, |
- | * use of hyphens; | + | * use of hyphens, |
- | * use of capitalisation; | + | * use of capitalisation, |
- | * technical terms; | + | * technical terms, |
- | * abbreviations; | + | * abbreviations, |
* use of symbols. | * use of symbols. | ||
To some extent you can use your own judgement about what conventions to follow. Whatever you do though, you must be consistent. | To some extent you can use your own judgement about what conventions to follow. Whatever you do though, you must be consistent. | ||