Technical Report Writing for Engineers (FutureLearn)

Technical Report Writing for Engineers (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to technical report writing. Find out how to communicate your ideas through well-written engineering reports. Technical reports are a vital tool for engineers to communicate their ideas. This online course introduces technical report writing and teaches the techniques you need to construct well-written engineering reports.

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Each week, we’ll look at a key section of a technical report and the skills needed to write it. You’ll cover areas such as referencing and citations; presenting equations, diagrams and data; and using language and tenses correctly.
We’ll also talk to practising engineers, as well as students and educators who write and mark technical reports, who’ll give their hands-on advice.
What topics will you cover?

  • Why technical reports are important for communicating ideas and concepts
  • The anatomy of a technical report
  • How to write aims and objectives
  • Citing and referencing
  • Presenting equations and nomenclature
  • Figures, diagrams and labelling
  • Presenting data
  • Units, and precision, errors
  • Use of language and tense
  • How and why to write discussion sessions
  • Writing an abstract

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Explain what a good technical engineering report is and what they are used for.
  • Evaluate what a good report looks like.
  • Use a technical report to communicate information.
  • Apply knowledge of what goes into the key sections of a report to produce your own report.
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