Radioactive Waste PHAI Field Trip

Ontario Tech University Ikeda’s General Report Formatting Guidelines 2020 November
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General Requirements for the Format of Reports.
B. M. Ikeda
This document provides general guidance for the expected format of work assigned by
Brian Ikeda. Documents that do not conform to these requirements will be penalized in the
format and documentation sections of the marking rubric. Guidelines and requirements
specifically stated in project, assignment, or work guidelines shall take precedence over any
conflicting requirement provided in this document. Requirements in this guideline shall take
precedence over guidelines provided by external sources (sources outside the definitions
provided within a specific course).
It is implicitly assumed that the work will meet the expectations of a 4th year undergraduate
engineer. This means that certain elements (such as a title page) are expected and do not
need further definition by this document.
1. GENERAL FORMATTING
1.1. Formatting Paragraphs and Text
Margins: shall be 1 inch on all sides. Double or multi-column text is not acceptable. Text
“around” figures or tables is not acceptable.
Typeface: all text (including references, tables, and figure captions) shall have a typeface size
that is 12 point Times New Roman, or as specified in the assignment or project
guideline.
Line spacing: shall be exactly 1.5, or as otherwise specified in the assignment or project
guideline.
Paragraph spacing1: shall be 6 pt spacing after (in the paragraph spacing tab of Word). This is
equivalent to (exactly) 1.5 spacing between paragraphs (note: for paragraphs
without 6 pt. spacing).
Justification: ragged justification shall be used for aligning text. Justified lines (left and right
margins used for justification) is not acceptable. Ragged justification has been
used throughout this document, except for the next paragraph. This is not left
justified to the 1” margin.
Paragraphs shall be left justified. The start of the paragraph (and all subsequent
lines) shall not be indented. NOTE: This paragraph uses justified paragraph format
and is not acceptable, in accordance with the previous formatting requirement. This
is not a ragged format. This indentation for the paragraph may be used for
emphasis (as in direct quotation of a passage), but is not acceptable for the main
body of the text.
Equations shall be presented on a separate line, with the equation centred on the page. Every
equation shall be numbered in sequence through the document. The equation number shall be
on the same line as the equation (whenever possible), aligned with the right margin (i.e., right
justified) on the line, with appropriate punctuation. For example: “The activity of a radionuclide
in a sample is defined by
A = λN 1.1,
1 This document is formatted in single space with 6 pt paragraph spacing.
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General requirements for the format of reports D9.docx
where A is the activity in Bq, λ is the decay constant in s-1, and N is the number of undecayed
radioactive atoms.” Note: “where” is not capitalized.
Two (and only two) spaces shall be placed between sentences within a paragraph. That is,
“end. Start” not “end. Start” (default in Word).
Units shall be on the same line as the number they describe. SI unit conventions shall be used
in the presentation of units. Only accepted SI accepted prefixes shall be used (see hints). SI
units shall take precedence over Imperial or American units, and only units declared as
acceptable non-SI units shall be accepted as the main unit to be used (e.g., h, min).
Reference to specific Figure(s) and Table(s) shall be used for every figure or table presented in
the report. The in-text citation shall use the full word (no abbreviations) and the first letter
capitalized (i.e., Figure and Table, not figure and table or fig. and tab.) followed by the specific
number(s) of the figure or table (generic use not capitalized). When citing only two items, or
several non-sequential items, commas shall be used to separate the items (Figures 1, and 2;
Tables 1, 3, and 4). When citing sequential items, a dash shall be used (Figures 1-5; Tables 1,
and 3-5).
1.2. Formatting Figures and Tables
All Figures and Tables shall have a title. The title for a figure shall be placed below the figure.
The title for a table shall be place above the table.
Figures and tables may have descriptive captions attached to the figure/table. These captions
are intended to provide additional information needed to clearly describe the contents of the
figure or table. The caption for a figure shall be place on a new line immediately following the
title (no 6 point spacing). The caption for a table shall be placed at the bottom of the table.
Figures and tables shall be numbered sequentially and in the order of their first reference in the
text. All figures and tables MUST be cited in the text. (Figures or tables not cited in text will be
ignored when marking the document.)
Figures and tables shall be placed as close as possible following first citation in the text.
Alternately, for draft submissions or as specified in the guidelines for the assignment or project,
all the figures and tables may be presented at the end of the document. If at the end of the
document, all the tables shall precede the figures.
2. FORMATTING HEADINGS
Document Title: shall be centered at the top of the first page, single spaced, and 15 pt
(paragraph) spacing after. Title case shall be used. The title shall not be in italics, but
bolding and underlining are acceptable options.
Main headings, and first and second sub-headings: shall be on separate lines with a single line
space (or 12 pt) separating the heading from the preceding and following paragraphs.
The first paragraph following a heading shall start on the same page as the heading.
All headings and titles shall use the same size typeface as the body text of the document.
MAIN HEADINGS shall be left justified and use bold and all caps typeface.
First Sub headings shall be left justified and use bold and Title Case typeface.
Second Sub headings shall be left justified and use regular font, Title Case, and underlined
typeface.
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Subsequent Subheadings: shall be indented 0.5 inches, use Title Case and underlined
typeface. They shall end in a colon (:), and shall be in-line with the paragraph that follows.
Numbering headings is optional. The front matter (table of contents, abstract, etc.) shall not be
numbered. The sections shall be numbered sequentially from the Introduction to the
Conclusion. The reference and acknowledgement sections shall not be numbered.
3. FORMATTING REFERENCES
Remember, incorrect or omitted citation is academic misconduct. Please review the UOIT
library page: https://guides.library.uoit.ca/citation/academic-integrity-plagiarism.
The formatting guidelines to be used in this course are adapted from the UOIT library document
APA Citation Style, Guide to Bibliographic Citation,
https://guides.library.uoit.ca/ld.php?content_id=4715041.
The adapted version, “APA Citation Specifications”, which provides specific details of the
method specified for these reports, can be found in the Blackboard folder, “Supplemental
Information”.
For further information on the general APA style see
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
The UOIT library site is also a good resource
http://guides.library.uoit.ca/citation
The use of other referencing styles shall be penalized. Incorrect application of another
referencing styles (e.g., IEEE) shall be further penalized. If you use it, use it correctly.
Copying figures from another document must be cited in the title as “Taken from Author (2020)”.
If the information is taken from a source and replotted or slightly modified, the citation in the
figure title must be “Modified from Author (2020)”.
4. STYLE
Scientific (technical) writing style shall be used for all work in this course. Third person shall be
used throughout. Some communication may be intended for the general public, but since it is
intended that technical information is to be transmitted, a formal third-person/impersonal style is
expected. Use of first person shall be penalized.
The serial comma list format shall be used. This format style includes a comma after the
penultimate item in a list, that is, before the “and”. This means that the following is the correct
list format “apples, oranges, pears, and grapes” which includes a comma before “and”. This
convention is essential for preventing confusion within complex lists.
Contractions shall not be used.
The use of colloquialism shall be avoided. Colloquial language requires a local context for
correct interpretation. Since the intent of the document is to provide wide dissemination of
information, the language should be precise and independent of local context. Depending on
the context of the report (e.g., an editorial or press release) appropriate use of familiar language
is expected, provided it does not compromise the technical and scientific integrity of the content.
This is different than using colloquialism, which can be misinterpreted.
The use of jargon should be minimized and if needed to make a point or to maintain concise
communication, the jargon should be explained.
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The writing shall be clear. The correct ordering of words is often a key to create clear meanings
to a sentences and phrases. The correct use of linking words (coordinating conjunctions) is
essential to ensuring a clear meaning in a long, complex sentence. Stay within your
grammatical knowledge and do not attempt complex sentences that become muddled.
Generally, instructions (or difficult concepts) written using a series of short, clear, pointed
sentences produce a positive workplace outcome (successful completion without injury). So
when you can, write several simple sentences that clearly present your point rather than a long,
complex sentence. Correct punctuation is essential to providing clarity. Punctuation in
technical writing is meant to provide clear grammatical signposts. It is not meant to indicate a
break when reading the idea aloud.
Proper English vocabulary is expected. Do not rely on dictionary definitions of words if you do
not know the correct context for the word. For example, “illustrate” and “depict” do not have the
same context even though the dictionary definitions are similar. The use of “in” or “within” and
similar words with close meanings shall be used correctly to provide the correct context for the
sentence or phrase.
5. SOME HINTS
Be careful when you create an abstract, summary, and executive summary section of a
document. An “Abstract” is a short description of the contents of the document. A “Summary” is
a longer description of the contents of the document – sometimes similar to an extended
abstract. The purpose of the “Abstract” and “Summary” is to attract a reader to your document.
An “Executive Summary” is a long summary of the document that includes explicit summaries of
the purpose, objectives, content, results, conclusions, and recommendations sections of the
document. The objective of the “Executive Summary” is to provide a comprehensive summary
of a document or series of documents. It can be used as a high-level overview of the program
described by the document and may be used for making decisions regarding the program. It is
always more than one page.
To produce a concise document with good flow, you should proofread your work with the
following points in mind:
1. Do I need to say this at all?
2. Do I need to say this now? (does it fit between the previous and the next sentence?)
3. Have I said this before?
4. Is this sentence grammatically correct? (Does the subject match the verb?)
5. Will the reader understand this sentence? Is it clear?
6. Is it correct?
7. Use numbered lists and tables when appropriate.
A “Reference” list is a list of specifically cited scholarly works used in your paper. A
“Bibliography” is a list of general works you used to research your work and develop your
opinions, but not used directly in the work (and not specifically cited).
A non-breaking space (does not break at the end of a line) can be created using the keyboard
sequence “<cnt><alt><space>”, all held together. This is useful for formatting a number and
unit to prevent the unit from wrapping to the next line.
Keeping lines together can be forced in the “layout” tab of Word, using the “Paragraph” tool, and
opening the “Line and Page Breaks” tab. The second item is “Keep with next”. This is useful for
the heading and first line space to keep them with the text of the section.
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General requirements for the format of reports D9.docx
Using the “Design” tab of Word, the “Fonts” tool can be used to specify your default fonts for a
document. You can create a font-set, or use an existing one (Times Roman/Times Roman does
not exist anymore) so you will not have to worry about an incorrect default font for reports.
The keystrokes: “<alt><keypad 0179>” will produce a “°” (degree) sign; “<alt><keypad 0181>”
will produce a “µ” sign (“u” is not an SI prefix); “<alt><keypad 0186>” generates a “·” sign, useful
for units.
The SI convention for units is that ALL units must have a space between the number and the
unit. This means that “20°C” is incorrect – the space is missing. The only exception to this rule
is the angular measure “°”, as in “90°”, (π/4 radians), and “%”, which is an operator and not a
unit (meaning out of 100).
The names of elements are not capitalized – they are not proper nouns. So “An iron oxide is…”
is correct, but “An Iron Oxide is…” is incorrect. Trade-names often are capitalized, e.g., Inconel.
Names of alloys may or may not be capitalized, e.g., brass or stainless steel vs 304L Stainless
Steel.
An “orphan” is a heading, line, figure, figure or table title, or other item that is stranded alone at
the bottom of the page. The information that describes or explains the orphan starts on the next
page. This situation should not occur in final, professional reports.