Practicum Report Writing [PDF]

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WRITING A PRACTICUM REPORT DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, IUBAT by Prof DrEngr A Z A Saifullah Chair, Mechanical Engineering



The Assessment Criteria for your REPORT are: Aims, Objectives and Management: To include ability to set goals, determination to succeed,recommendations/conclusions and assess the success of the project. Quality of Performance:To include literature and background research, quality of investigation, Experimental work / design work/computer based modeling or simulation / theoretical analysis as Applicable, logical approach, structure of report, presentation of report (particularly of data/programs/designs). Evidence of Independent Work and Critical evaluation: To include initiative shown, dependence on Supervision, ability to compare and contrast theory and results, critical evaluation of project work and outcomes, discussion of projects to include relation of the work to that of others. The relative weighting of this criteria is 1 : 5 :2. FORMAT RULES AND STYLE GUIDELINES Your report will be presented with a smart and polished appearance. Its preparation will give you useful experience in presenting a professional report or journal paper. These notes include some examples of rules of format and style to illustrate the standard expected. There is also scope for individual style, which permits reflection of your graphical, artistic and literary abilities, while allowing but not demanding, the use of more sophisticated apparatus. GENERAL INFORMATION The report must be presented in typescript on standard A4 size white paper (apart from the covers) with the following layout: Spacing:one and a half lines 30 mm left hand margin



2 20 mm right hand margin Font:Times New Roman 12 pt for the main text Page Numbers: to be numbered consecutively (from 1) the Introductory Chapter onwards (including any Appendices). Page numbers must be located centrally at the bottom of the page. Two bound copies of the report must be produced at your own expense. Each copy should preferably be bound with a ‘plastic comb binding’ or ‘wire binding’. The length of your report would normally be expected to be no more than 8000 words. It should not exceed 100 pages including all tables, figures, photographs, data etc. Note: There is no correlation between the length of a report and the mark it achieves. A shorter well presented report is far more likely to achieve a better mark than a longer less wellwritten and produced report. Remember: Quality counts, not quantity. (1)THE OPENING PAGES The pattern for the first 6 pages must be rigorously adhered to,and these will not be numbered. Number pages from the first chapter, i.e. Introduction, onwards. The report cover must have the layout specified in appendix A and should be on thick white paper/card. The rear cover must be a blank sheet of the same paper/card.{You may additionally use a transparent plastic protective front cover if wished} Page 1 is the title page with layout as shown in Appendix B Page 2 is blank Page 3 is as written in Appendix C Page 4 is blank Page 5 is as written in Appendix D Page 6 is certificate of completion of Internship from the Organization where the student has done his Practicum Page 7 is the letter of request sent by the Department to the Organization for practicum



3 Page 8 is the Student’s Declaration as shown in Appendix E Page 9 is the Abstract Page 10 is the Acknowledgement as written Appendix F, or perhaps some frontispiece artwork or blank Page 11 is the list of Contents Page 12 contains a Nomenclature list or Glossary or blank. Page 13 starts the first chapter on the first page which carries a number, i.e. 1. Note: there is no need to include a list of tables or figures.



(2)Title Ensure that this describes the project. Use a short title of 15 words maximum on the first line (and only this will go on front cover). This may be followed by a sub-title of 1 or 2 lines where necessary on the Title page only. (3)Abstract The abstract must be a digest of the report, in a style which would stand alone, with just the title, in an abstract journal. Only write it after you have finished the report manuscript. It should bring out the major findings and results of the research. Your conclusions should be summarized, along with the method of research and source of data. The abstract must be informative: “this was investigated” or “conclusions are given” are inadequate. It must fit entirely on one page, and should have as a separate line at the end 4 – 6 key words. (4)Contents list The list of carefully worded chapter headings (not necessarily numbered), together with appropriate, but not necessarily all, sub-headings, and listed appendices and pocket items, should give the reader a fair idea of the scope and balance of the report. It eliminates the need for a waffly introduction. It should fit on one page only. Type it last, when you have the page numbers. A typical Contents List would be Abstract Acknowledgements



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INTRODUCTION 1.1Introduction 1.2Aims and Objectives 1.3Report content



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BACKGROUND or LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1General 2.2Specific to topic 1 2.2.1 Sub-section on topic 1 2.2.2 Second sub-section on topic 1 2.3Specific to topic 2 2.4 Summary contents



3 THEORETICAL CONSIDERATION (development of theory/concepts) and/or EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE (for experimental investigation) and/or SIMULATION PROCEDURE (for computational/simulation work) and/or PRODUCT DESIGN SPECIFICATION (including design methodologies) 4 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 4.1 General 4.2 Specific to topic 1 4.2.1 Sub-section on topic 1 4.2.2 Second Sub-section on topic 1 4.3 Specific to topic 2 4.4 Summary comments 5



DISCUSSION 5.1 General 5.2 Specific to topic 1 5.3 Specific to topic 2 5.4 Summary comments



6 CONCLUSIONS ( and where appropriate RECOMMENDATIONS ) & FUTURE WORK REFERENCES (AND BIBLIOGRAPHY) APPENDICES (if any), e.g. A1 Equipment Specifications/Details A2 Data tables



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THE MAIN TEXT The general font should be Times New Roman size of 12. Generally use 1.5 spacing without line breaks but with paragraph indents. Justification is optional. Do not use separate pages merely as chapter headings. Use good English with a verb in each sentence. Use the third person singular, do not overuse statements in brackets and avoid the unpleasant using of verb participles. Subdivide your text sensibly with chapter headings 1, 2 or 3 rank of subheadings, as in these notes. Heading styles are optional and can be improved with bold type, but ensure that emphasis reflects the rank; and be consistent. Make all headings informative. Number the chapters and subsections to help with cross-referencing. Excessive headings are cumbersome and increase the odds on difficult page layout when they turn up at the foot of a page. Only chapters have to start on a new page. Sections and chapters do not need to be, and rarely are, of even length> Number of pages, except 1-6 and any of oversize diagram. Note that odd numbers are on the right of a spread a, and the last page is an even number. Do not use both headers and footers. If you want to use one or the other only use it for the chapter number and title. If you plan and roughly draft your figures, tables, photos and graphs as you are writing the text, then they will not only integrate better, but will also be able to number and refer to them (Fig. 1) correctly. Integration of text and illustrations can only be done in the final stages, but thoughtful use of the double page spreads can have figures beneficially adjacent to the relevant text. A modicum of forethought on diagram size and shape can save much effort on compilation stage. References must be cited in the text (where appropriate) using the first author’s surname followed by the year of publication. If there are a number of authors involved add “et al” to the first author’s surname. When citing information from a textbook, only include pages which are critical to a debate. Example The functional parameters which can affect the performance of a flying robotic have been investigated experimentally (Hill, 2001). The parameters under consideration include … The results compare favourably with those obtained in a previous investigation carried out at MIT (rogers et al. 1999). As advocated by Crane (1998, p145), the design …



6 Remember: pages are not cited in the reference list. For further information on referencing please visit http://www2.ntu.ac.uk/Hr/linrary/citingrefs.htm. It would be expected that a typical MSc research thesis would have 20 t0 60 references. The style for equations is variable depending largely on the number used, but do not be too wasteful of space. Greek symbols may be in word processing packages, or may need to be added neatly by hand; ensure that all symbols are defined; calculations are not usually worked in full. The content and naming of the main chapters will vary a great deal depending upon your particular project. However in general the content of the chapters should contain the following: Precise description of any experimental work undertaken, computaytional packages, design specifications, or theory used so that, say, a student next year could repeat exactly what you have done (and should arrive at the same finding (s)). Presentation of research findings (such as results, including any preliminary interpretation/analysis of result, designs or new theory) in a manner which will be clear to the second examiner of your report., who will be ‘technical nonexpert’. You should ensure that the presentation of your work is absolutely clear to the technical non-expert as he/she will not spend many hours trying to decipher exactly what you were you were intending to convey. The analysis and discussion should demonstrate that you have fully understood your work and can place it in the context of the work of others, such as that discussed in the Background chapter. The summary should highlight your main findings and achievements, the conclusions should refer to your research aim(s) and objectives, and the future work should describe the next steps that you would take if you were to continue with the project (with reasons). PLAGIARISM Proper reference to previous work is appropriate and necessary, whereas blatant copying is unprofessional and unlawful. You will need to refer to past work (Able and Smith, 1978) and also summarize other people’s ideas (Student, 1989), and any properly credited reference is acceptable. It is appreciated that your research is building on previous work, but do make clear what is your own original work and what is derived from elsewhere. Any significant quotation copied from a previous publication “should be place inside quotes and also be referenced at the end” (Thatcher, 1985). A diagram or graph from previous work should be redrawn and must be referenced (after Student, 1989) in the caption. FIGURES – Drawings/Diagrams/Graphs/Photographs



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Style of drawing is your choice, but the quality reflects strongly on your work. Diagrams may be freehand, highly artistic or produced by computer graphics. Reduction to 70% enhances quality as it irons out quivering of the pen, and it is impossible to draw as small as one can easily read. Lettering may be stencil, very neat handscript, letraset or pasted on type, and should be legible after the chosen reduction. Frame the diagram and think of page shape when you do so. Reduced diagrams, captions and page numbers can then all be pasted onto a page. Either paste down very carefully or recopy on to a single sheet. Remember that pale blue graph grids may disappear on a photocopy. Remember that only bar scales retain integrity when drawings are copied. Full page landscape-form diagrams must have their margin right.



Figure 1: Essential details of a diagram or table, with a suitable caption which explains the context and meaning of the material. This will normally be typed separately and pasted on the page (best with Spray Mount). A type style different from the text is acceptable and often helpful, and the caption may be generated with the computer used to draw the diagram. 



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100 mm X 150 mm photo prints can be firmly mounted (with no loose corners), with captions and page numbers, onto A4 sheets. This is acceptable for your final submitted version. Do not use excessive photographs, though some subjects may demand more than others. Photo-quality printing of pages does not produce a solid black print. Text does not therefore print well on these pages, though captions are acceptable. So avoid text and photos on the same page; note that two landscape format photos can usefully go on one page and appear opposite the relevant page of text, planning of such pairings makes good presentation. Colour photographs or colour photocopies can be pasted in afterwards where blank spaces have been left for them. This should be limited to a mere handful of prints, as an excess will cause a bulking of your report and create problems with the binding. Spray Mount is the best adhesive, and you will insert the photos yourself after binding. Do not use Cow Gum (which produces a vapour which



8 reacts with copier ink). Printing of your report will not be a colour copier. Whole page colour photocopying is expensive and you will have to produce multiple copies of double-sided sheets yourself if you choose to use this process. Figure 2: Essential details for photograph production. Captions prepared as for figures. END MATERIAL Convention dictates certain requirements of the end material; there is still scope for personal style, except in the case of the references which must follow the examples here. You should not have a separate bibliography; any relevant literature must be referenced in the text and then cited in the references.



References (and Bibliography) These start on a new page, with their own heading, and are in alphabetical order. All references to published literature and unpublished documents must be correctly cited within your ownpresentation.The references must follow theHarvard style(examples given below) and other forms described indetail at the following URL: http://www2.ntu.ac.uk/Hr/library/citingrefs.htm. Hill, R. Lai, E. and Tyler, T. 2001 Characterisation of geotechnical materials using friction generated ultrasound.Conference Proceeding of NDT 2001. Coventry, UK, 18-20 Sept., 11-16. Oyadiji, S.O., Ayalew, A. and Lai, E.2005 Analytical Framework for the Smooth manoeuvre of Wheeled Mobile Robots Traversing Obstacles.Proceedings of the Royal society A: Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences461, 481-507. Crane, B.N. 1999 Design of a flying robot. London University Press, London Other, A.O. 2005 Private Communication. Nottingham Trent University The main purpose of the references is to allow the reader of your thesis to go to a library and find any published item. Alternatively, the reference adequately indicates the source of unpublished material. Proper references to other researchers’ material also avoid any undue accusations of plagiarism. Fold-outs and large drawings These should generally be avoided as they are likely to get lost or damaged and complicate the thesis binding. If you think large sheets are essential, discuss their production at an early stage with your University Supervisor. A3 foldouts must have



9 a central zigzag fold to fit A4 size (so the fold is not cut off when the volume is trimmed). A single sheet up to AO size, folded to less than 190 X 280 mm (for AO sheets zigzag folding 3 X 7 times is optimum), and/or computer disk, may go in an end pocket. You will be responsible for producing all copies of large sheets.



APPENDIX A – Some helpful hints These notes have been prepared in the light of the errors made most frequently. Some notes repeat and emphasize the same important rules, while others answer the most common questions. Read them to avoid the same mistakes and to avoid following examples of bad practice. 1



Do not use “BSME Practicum Report” as part of your title. You should use a concise descriptive of the report which you have written.



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Do not use acronyms or abbreviations in titles – e.g. NANDA or PFA, these should be written out in full in your title (do you know what either of these stand for?). You can use abbreviations in the main report text, but the first time you use the words write them out in full with the abbreviations or acronym afterwards, e.g. Global Positioning System (GPS), after this you can just use GPS (without brackets) in the text. You name on the title page should be in full with only the family name in capitals, to clarify indexing – e.g. Mary Jane ROBINSON; MAO Zedong; Abdul KADIR. Wording and line pattern at the foot of the title page must be exactly as in the example – with the right date – and with the correct degree title. Reports written by previous students are available in the library – but not all previous students’ work is in the format required, so do not copy their format or styles – follow the style instructions. The abstract must conform to the style of the example provided. Use proper key words, not phrases, though key terms are acceptable = e.g. Quality Assurance. Do not write “this report explains……… in either the abstract or the text, and never use the term “as previously mentioned”. You can cite previous students’ work in your own report if you have used it. Plagiarism can be a difficult subject – if you are in doubt, discuss any problem with your University Supervisor. The seventh page, the first page of your main text, is your first numbered page – and carries the number 1. The ‘Introduction’ Chapter should include most of the proposal contents and 3 or 4 brief sections outlining a) Nature of the problem, scope of project/research work, rationale for project/research etc. b) Aims and objectives, hypothesis being examined, project work/research goals c) Outline methodology d) Brief report/dissertation contents Chapter titles should be in larger letters than “Chapter 3” etc. Do not use whole page for a chapter heading. Chapters start on odd or even pages. It is best to centre chapter headings, and set sub-headings to the left margin. Avoid excessive use of upper case (capital) letters); they are less easy to read. Number all illustrations – diagrams, photographs, pictures of any kind, as Figure 1, Figure 2 etc., numbering system, Table 1 ot Table 1.1 etc. A descriptive and informative caption goes underneath every illustration. Remember that 90% of readers look at only the abstract and captions – they are important. Line borders around your illustrations prevent them from merging with the text; they are not obligatory, but more layout care is needed with unedged figures.



11 18 Place illustrations and tables in the appropriate places in your report, either within or opposite the relevant text. All figures are best placed at the top or foot of any page – to avoid breaking the text. If they have to go in the middle of a page, then at all costs avoid “widows” – 1 or 2 text lines that are isolated and lost to the reader. Do not leave gaps at the foot of a page except at the end of a chapter. If you are instructing a typist to leave a gap for a figure, ask him/her to leave it “at the foot of the next or previous page”; or adjust it yourself later, on screen or by cut and paste. 19 Try to avoid figures which need page rotation to be read. Most can be reduced to half page, to read correctly. If unavoidable, always place foot of figure to right. 20 Do not write “refer to figure 4”, but use the style of “tests showed strength increasing with temperature (figure 4)”. 21 The reference list goes before any appendices. It must be a single list in alphabetical order of authors. Do not have reference lists at the end of each chapter. 22 Your references to material cited in your text must follow the style designated at httt://www2.ntu.ac.uk/Hr/library/citingrefs.htm. Use the Harvard referencing format. No exceptions will be accepted. 23 Do not include a separate bibliography; if you have used a book or other written material, and not just casually read it, cite it in your text, and include it in your reference list. 24 Try to avoid appendices – your information should go into the main body of your written text if possible. Only exceptions are collections of lab sheets or computer programs, which may be presented in a less polished style in an appendix. 25 “None are square” is wrong; “none is square” is correct., remember that none is singular, as it means “not one”. 26 Do not use Cow Gum to fix photos – it reacts with photocopier ink. 27 Remember that photocopying may not be able to have colour on both sides of a sheet; many machines have a cut-out to prevent copying currency notes. 28 A3 foldouts are added late – and you must have the zigzag folds in the centre of the A4 format – a fold in the middle of the A3 lies at the edge of A4 and will be cut through during binding and trimming. Think about it! Conferences The first element of the reference should be the individual (s) or organization responsible for editing the proceedings. If these cannot be traced, begin your reference with the name of the conference. If possible, you should include the place and date of the conference. PAEPCKE, A., ed., 1992.OOPSLA’92 conference on object-oriented programming systems, languages, and applications, Vancouver, 18-22 October, 1992.New York: The Association for Computing Machinery.



12 CUNNINGHAM, S., ed., 1993.Computer graphics: SIGGRAPH 93 conference proceedings, Anaheim, California, 1-6 August, 1993. New York: The Association of Computing Machinery. If you need to cite an individual paper within published conference proceedings, the author of the paper becomes the first element of your reference. You should also include the page numbers of the contributed paper. Eg., COOK, W. R., 1992. Interfaces and specifications for the smalltalk-80 collection classes. In: A. PAEPCKE, ed. OOPSLA ’92 conference on object-oriented programming systems, languages, and applications, Vancouver, 18-22 October, 1992. New York: The Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 1-15 Please note that the above is also applicable for a paper in a journal



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Study on Automotive Engine and Car Air-conditioningSystem of Ford Ranger Car



By Abdul KADIR ID#: 12345678



Program: BSME Department of Mechanical Engineering IUBAT –International University of Business Agriculture and Technology 15 April 2015



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APPENDIX C - Page 3



In the name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful and the Most Gracious



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APPENDIXD- Page 5



A Practicum Report Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IUBAT – International University of Business Agriculture and Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering



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APPENDIX E - Page 8



Student’s Declaration



This to inform that the Practicum Report “Study on Automotive Engine and Car Air-conditioningSystem of Ford Ranger Car” has been prepared only for academic purpose. I also confirm that it has not been submittedelsewhere for any reward or presentation or any other purpose.



Abdul KADIR ID#: 12345678



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APPENDIX F – Page 10



Acknowledgement



Acknowledgethe Honorable Vice Chancellor Acknowledge the Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering Acknowledge the Course Coordinator, Department of Mechanical Engineering Acknowledge the Internal Supervisor, Department of Mechanical Engineering Acknowledge the Chief of Organization where Internship has been done Acknowledge the Person of Organization who supervised you