How to build a report

1. Writing your technical paper
MESA Prosthetic Arm Challenge
Bruce Abe
Start now! Now I say, Now!
Don't make me wrap my tentacles around you!

2. Essentials
Five to 15 pages
Double spaced
One inch margins
Don't change any of these things ever
12 point font, Times New Roman
 I'm crushing your head

3. The Abstract
➲ 200 to 250 words
➲ Restates purposes and key features
➲ Restates Conclusions and
Recommendations
➲ Obviously, must be written last
➲ Clearly written, not technical, engaging
➲ This is the most important part of the paper
➲ It is worth the second most amount of points

4. The Discussion
➲ This is the longest part of the paper
➲ These things come from your project:
 Experimental procedure
 Data and Analysis
 Results
➲ Also, a discussion of physics, math, or
engineering that applies to your project
➲ This section gives you the most points
➲ Because it must be written about the
project, it can't be written before the project

5. Introduction
➲ This section includes purpose, scope, and
background.
➲ Background is the research that you can do
before you start
 What are conditions in Afghanistan?
 What is the history of prosthetics?
 What are possible engineering designs, and
what are pros and cons of different ideas?
➲ Scope includes limiting factors (Cost,
weight, etc.)
➲ Most of this could be written today

6. Conclusion
➲ Follows logically from the discussion
➲ Logically, this must be written after the
discussion

7. Recommendations
➲ This discusses what you might try in a
future attempt at this project
➲ It is written in first person
➲ It is written with active verbs
➲ For example, “We will try this in the future.”

8. Supporting Sections
➲ Acknowledgments
➲ References
➲ Appendix
➲ Title page
➲ Table of Contents
➲ Most of this could be written today
 You don't know everyone you will acknowledge, but
you do know some people
 The references will be to the things you discovered in
your introduction
 The appendix has pictures and graphs and tables that
come from your project, so you can't do it today

9. What can we do today?
➲ Lets do the research
➲ Lets create a word document with all the parts
➲ Lets write the sections we can.
➲ Lets find a way to share our information, so
everyone knows what's done and what needs
to be done.

10. Photo Credits
Prosthetic tentacles: Kaylene Kau
http://www.healio.com/orthotics-prosthetics/education/news/print/o-and-p-business-news/%7B89401121-347a-492c-a1b4-
4a585911d425%7D/tentacle-like-prosthesis-offers-simple-practical-design
Yellow prosthetic hand: Géza Kogler
http://www.oandp.com/articles/news_2011-02-07_03.asp
Two year old Marin:
http://www.canassist.ca/EN/main/programs/technologies-and-devices/education/emg-training-for-prosthetic-arm.html
Sergeant Mary Dague:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/1/9/lifefocus/2873176&sec=lifefocus
Afghan girl: Steve McCurry
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/afghan-girl-cover.html
Afghanistan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandahar
Prosthetic Pitcher:
http://www.ehow.co.uk/facts_5514243_types-prosthetic-legs.html