A Guide to Writing as an Engineer

Everyone knows that engineers must be good at math, but many students fail to realize just how much writing engineering involves: reports, memos, presentations, specifications—all fall within the purview of a practicing engineer, and all require a polished clarity that does not happen by accident. A Guide to Writing as an Engineer provides essential guidance toward this critical skill, with practical examples, expert discussion, and real-world models that illustrate the techniques engineers use every day. Now in its Fifth Edition, this invaluable guide has been updated to reflect the most current standards of the field, and leverage the eText format to provide interactive examples, Engineering Communication Challenges, self-quizzes, and other learning tools. Students build a more versatile skill set by applying core communication techniques to a variety of situations professional engineers encounter, equipping them with the knowledge and perspective they need to succeed in any workplace. Although suitable for first-year undergraduate students, this book offers insight and reference for every stage of a young engineer’s career.

Table of Contents:
Preface iii Acknowledgments vii 1 Engineers and Writing 1 Engineers Write a Lot 2 Engineers Write Many Kinds of Documents 2 Successful Engineering Careers Require Strong Writing Skills 4 Engineers Can Learn to Write Well 5 Noise and the Communication Process 5 Controlling the Writing System 7 Exercises 8 Check Your Understanding 8 Engineering Communication Challenge 9 2 Eliminating Sporadic Noise in Engineering Writing 10 Spelling and Spell Checkers 10 Punctuation 11 Traditional Sentence Errors 18 Technical Usage 24 Edit, Edit, Edit, 31 Exercises 32 Check Your Understanding 32 Engineering Communication Challenge 34 3 Guidelines for Writing Noise-Free Engineering Documents 35 Focus on Why You are Writing 35 Focus on Your Readers 36 Satisfy Document Specifications 37 Get to the Point 38 Provide Accurate Information 39 Present Your Material Logically 39 Explain the Technical to Nonspecialists 40 Make Your Ideas Accessible 41 Use Efficient Wording 45 Format Your Pages Carefully 50 Express Yourself Clearly 52 Manage Your Time Efficiently 56 Edit at Different Levels 57 Share the Load: Write as a Team 58 Exercises 59 Check Your Understanding 60 Engineering Communication Challenge 61 4 Letters Memoranda Email and Other Media for Engineers 62 Which to Use? 62 Writing Style for Business Correspondence 64 Communication Strategies for Tricky Situations 65 Business Letters: Components and Format 66 Business Memoranda 70 Email: Functions, Style, Format 72 New Internet Media 73 Exercises 75 Check Your Understanding 76 Engineering Communication Challenge 77 5 Writing Common Engineering Documents 78 Some Preliminaries 79 Inspection and Trip Reports 80 Research, Laboratory, and Field Reports 81 Specifications 84 Proposals 87 Progress Reports 90 Instructions 93 Recommendation Reports 96 Exercises 100 Check Your Understanding 101 Engineering Communication Challenge 102 6 Writing Research and Design Reports 103 Engineering Research Reports 103 Engineering Design Reports 111 General Report Design and Format 114 Generating Portable Document Files 116 Using CMS and Other Applications for Team Reports 117 Exercises 118 Check Your Understanding 119 Engineering Communication Challenge 120 7 Constructing Engineering Tables and Graphics 121 Tables 121 Charts and Graphs 124 Illustrations 126 Graphics and Tables: Guidelines 126 Exercises 127 Check Your Understanding 127 Engineering Communication Challenge 128 8 Accessing Engineering Information 129 Basic Search Strategies 129 Sources of Engineering Information 132 Internet Engineering Information Resources 145 Internet Search Tools 147 Exercises 148 Check Your Understanding 148 Engineering Communication Challenge 149 9 Engineering Your Speaking 150 Preparing the Presentation 150 Delivering The Presentation 159 Presenting as a Team 163 Checklist for Oral Presentations 164 Listening to Presentations 165 The Importance of Informal Communication 166 Exercises 166 Check Your Understanding 167 Engineering Communication Challenge 167 10 Writing to Get an Engineering Job 168 How to Write an Engineering Résumé 168 How to Write an Application Letter 179 How to Write a Follow-Up Letter 188 Exercises 189 Check Your Understanding 190 Engineering Communication Challenge 191 11 Ethics and Documentation in Engineering Writing 192 Engineering Ethics 192 The Ethics of Honest Research 197 Exercises 203 Check Your Understanding 203 Engineering Communication Challenge 204 12 Engineering Your Online Reputation 205 Introduction to Social Media Management 205 Creating a Wordpress Blog 206 Building a Facebook Page for a Business 209 Using Twitter to Connect and Share Information 213 Generating Your Interactive Résumé on LinkedIn 215 Check Your Understanding 218 Engineering Communication Challenge 219 Index 221

About the Author :
David F Beer, University of Texas, Austin David A McMurrey, Ph.D, IBM Corporation