Ferreira, Fernandes, Nbrega, Costa, Sousa. 7

Joo Ferreira - 2021013Joo Fernandes - 2014713Miguel Nbrega - 2114112Vitor Costa - 2051613Rafael Sousa 2019413

Professor Maria Alcina SousaLanguages and Business Studies19-12-2014

Writing a Technical ReportIn our quest for an example of a technical report we found that the content and style of this document varies greatly, depending on its purpose of use to its audience. For a better understanding of what a technical report looks like we chose for our analysis a technical report made by the computer laboratory of the University of Cambridge.

1. IntroductionA technical report is a formal, fact-based and non-fictional document normally used to communicate information to others, conveying technical information, clearly and easily in an accessible format thus allowing for customers, colleagues, etc. to be able to use as a reference, making it possible for these documents to be used in order for the process or results to be repeated or built upon.The purpose of this type of document is to explain and analyse information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. This type of writing is to explain, inform, or even describe in a formal academic and technical way.Unlike other scientific literature, such as scientific journals and the proceedings of some academic conferences, technical reports rarely undergo comprehensive independent peer review before publication.

2. Text CharacteristicsThis type of text must have the following characteristics concerning its type of language, the writing must be:1. Clear- it avoids unnecessary details2. Simple- uses direct language, avoiding vague or complicated sentences.3. Impartial- it avoids making assumptions (Everyone knows that) and unproven statements (It can never be proved that) it must show how and where the data was collected and supports its conclusions with evidence.4. Structured logically - ideas and processes are expressed in a logical order. The text is divided into sections with clear headings; 5. Accurate - it avoids vague and ambiguous language such as about, approximately, almost; 6. Objective - statements and ideas are supported by appropriate evidence that demonstrates how conclusions have been drawn as well as acknowledging the work of others. Choosing the words To make your writing clear, accurate and concise you should consider carefully the words that you use, and the ways in which you use them.Technical termsA technical report naturally employs the use of some technical terms related to their field of study. However, use such terms only when you need to do so.In our analysis we found technical terms such as: TREC Tests (Text Retrieval Conference), Collection Frequency Weight, BM25.AbbreviationsAbbreviations are rarely ever used in this type of document, although abbreviations can be a very useful way of saving time and avoiding repetition, but they can be open to interpretation, which defeats the main purpose of a technical report, which is to provide information clearly.Use of objective languageThe use of language in a technical report should be objective (i.e: impartial, stating a fact or process). The language in scientific and technical writing is different from the language you would use when having a casual conversation with friends.Objective vs Subjective languageIn the following figures (Figure 1 and 2) the key differences between subjective and objective language can be seen.

Figure 1Analysis of Subjective Language

Figure 2 Analysis of Objective LanguageUse of tensesScientific and technical writing often uses the past tense as in this text, when the main focus of the writing is to describe experiments and observations that took place prior to the time of writing. However, the past tense may not be appropriate for everything that you write and sometimes you will need to combine different tenses in the same piece of writing. For example, the use of different tenses can help to clarify what happened or what you did in the past (past tense), what you conclude (present tense) and what will be an issue for the future (future tense). Picking a voiceWriters in the technical and scientific domain have a tendency to use passive rather than active expressions; stating that A was affected by B uses the passive voice while stating that B did something to A uses the active voice. The voicing found in our particular text is passive.

Discourse MarkersIn Practical English Usage Michael Swan defines a 'discourse marker' as a word or expression which shows the connection between what is being said and the wider context. In the following table (Table 1) we can find the most commonly used discourse markers in the chosen technical report.Type of relationshipSentence connectorsPosition within clause/sentence

Adding somethingMoreover; Additionally; Also.Initial position

Making a contrast between two separate things, people, ideas, etc.However.Initial position

Making an unexpected contrast (concession)Although; though.Initial positionStarts a second/ subordinate clause

Saying why something is the caseBecause; Since; As.Initial positionStarts a second/ subordinate clause

Saying what the result of something isTherefore; Thus.Initial position

Expressing a conditionIf.Initial positionStarts a second/ subordinate clause

Making what you say strongerIndeed.Initial position

Table 1 Common types of Discourse Markers found within the Technical Report3. ConclusionGenerally speaking, while this specific type of text exists in a multitude of fields, each with their own technical, exclusive terms, the structure itself is very much alike in every properly written report.The technical report that was analysed revealed information about the strict set of formal guidelines followed, showing a special focus on direct and objective language. Keeping in consideration that the way a technical report is elaborated depends also on its audience and their understanding of its main subject.

Works CitedS.E. Robertson, K. Sparck Jones. Technical Report - Simple, proven approaches to text retrieval. Web 20:37 13 December 2014Objective Language. The University of Adelaide. Web 15:12 14 December 2014Swan, Michael (2005). Practical English Usage. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Print. 16:40 16 December 2014Dr Gerard Sharpling. Discourse Markers. Web 16:18 18 December 2014The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web.17:40 18 December 2014

Appendix AS.E. ROBERTSON, K. SPARCK JONES. Technical Report - Simple, proven approaches to text retrieval. Computer Laboratory of the University of Cambridge.

Discourse Markers

Normal Vocabulary