1、Technical Writingfor Engineering StudentsFrom Start to FinishProfessor Guilin WenHunan University2008-11-04Problem 1：你和我为什么来上专业英语写作课？你和我为什么来上专业英语写作课？Answer：Writing a technical report,paper or thesis is a fundamental skill for students and business executives working in the fields of science and engi
2、neering.不需要用英文说，说白点：满足你自己的需要我不说湖南大学，湖南大学机械与运载学院的研究生（包括博士生），英文写作水平，普遍来说，实在太差劲。没办法用外文写出你的工作，你怎么让国际同行了解你的工作？有时候，写不出还好，大部分人看也不看外文文献，有的人甚至是看不懂。那你，又如何成为国际性人才？或达到国际学术水平Problem 1：你和我为什么来上专业英语课？你和我为什么来上专业英语课？Technical writing aims to equip you with the skills required to present technical information in prop
3、er report or journal paper formats.Technical paper is highly structured with standardized conventions;mastering the conventions is a necessary step towards writing good reports.Therefore,this lecture is written to give you practice in mastering:The conventions of typical technical reports consisting
4、 of Abstract,Introduction,Method,Result,Discussion and conclusion,and the grammar and styles of the different sections of technical reports.检查自己的水平检查自己的水平目前为止在工程领域虽然有对分岔现象的研究，目前为止在工程领域虽然有对分岔现象的研究，但是但是其控制方面的研究却不多，其控制方面的研究却不多，即使有也停留在消除、延迟或避开分岔现象。即使有也停留在消除、延迟或避开分岔现象。但是但是随着人们对分岔现象机理的随着人们对分岔现象机理的深入了解，人们开
5、始关注如何主动的应用分岔现象。深入了解，人们开始关注如何主动的应用分岔现象。在次在次基础上继续扰动系统参数，相继得到了四周期运动、不变环、环面振荡，基础上继续扰动系统参数，相继得到了四周期运动、不变环、环面振荡，最终嵌入混沌。最终嵌入混沌。19实际末实际末，庞加莱提出了一种方法，它对分析多变量动力系统很有用。，庞加莱提出了一种方法，它对分析多变量动力系统很有用。碰撞期间系统受到约束的限制，在碰撞结束时约束自行消失。例如弹跳球对碰撞期间系统受到约束的限制，在碰撞结束时约束自行消失。例如弹跳球对刚性壁的碰撞刚性壁的碰撞既是既是这种情况。这种情况。海军工程大学一位博士生写的参与博士生海军工程大学一位
6、博士生写的参与博士生论坛的论文：论坛的论文：读后感：读后感：读完半篇不知道是要做什么；读完半篇不知道是要做什么；还以为主要是还以为主要是提出控制算法，潜艇隔振是算例。实质却是提出控制算法，潜艇隔振是算例。实质却是潜艇隔振的非线性控制潜艇隔振的非线性控制检查自己的水平检查自己的水平结构问题结构问题：“重点不突出重点不突出”。作者作者：不知道自己要说什么；：不知道自己要说什么；读者读者：不知所云：不知所云 Your Objective：满足你自己的需要What？l 什么是专业英语写作l 专业英语写什么Why？l 为什么要这么写How？l 怎样写My Objectives负责：负责：教你一点点教你一
7、点点l 一点点管用的写作方法与技巧l Serves as a stepping stone for you,or“this is a big break for me”.(能多发几篇SCI论文)不负责：不负责：你一定比我水平高你一定比我水平高l 教的好不好，我的教学水平问题l 学得好不好，你的学习水平问题l 能不能发表SCI论文，你的研究水平问题有的同学可能觉得自己水平很高了有的同学可能觉得自己水平很高了国外教授的学术水平国外教授的学术水平A GAINT STEP to improve your writing skills in English What？什么是专业英语写作l Technic
8、al Writing is to systematically present your scientific or technical discoveries or investigation in Englishl Conceptually be divided into three major parts:problem to be investigationmethods of investigation results of the investigationl Requirement:Objectivity,logic,and accuracy (客观性，结构组织与逻辑性，准确性客
9、观性，结构组织与逻辑性，准确性）Poet（讲究意境，好诗）（讲究意境，好诗）望庐山瀑布望庐山瀑布飞流之下三千尺飞流之下三千尺（夸张）疑是疑是银河落九天银河落九天（臆想）欲穷千里目欲穷千里目更上一层楼更上一层楼（逻辑是对的，站地高看得远；但客观讲来讲，这是骗人的话）technical writing Objectivity logic Accuracy 像我这样的近视眼，像我这样的近视眼，上十层楼也看不到千上十层楼也看不到千里之外里之外 别笑我是近视眼，写诗我比不上别笑我是近视眼，写诗我比不上李白，专业英语写作我比李白强，要不然你们学李白，专业英语写作我比李白强，要不然你们学了李白的诗，为什么还
10、要上我的课呢了李白的诗，为什么还要上我的课呢Poet is not a technical report or paper诗人作诗与专业写作的区别：诗人作诗与专业写作的区别：专业英语写作的基本要求l Requirement:Objectivity logic accuracy (客观性，结构组织与逻辑性，准确性客观性，结构组织与逻辑性，准确性）专业英语写作的基本要求Structure of a formal technical paper A formal report or paper usually consists of three main elements:the prefatory
11、,main and supplementary elements.l Cover page(cover letter)l Title Pagel Abstractl Table of Contentsl List of Illustrationsl List of Symbols Prefatory Elements Structure of a formal technical paperMainElements IntroductionLiterature ReviewMethodResultsConclusions and RemarksSupplementaryElements l A
12、cknowledgesl Referencesl Appendices Appendix A Appendix BThe Cover Page of a formal technical ReportTitle of the reportAuthors nameOrganizationYear of submission AN EXPERIMENTAL INVERSTIGATION OF THE DYNAMIC CUTTING OF STEEL Submitted by Submitted by Guilin Wen Guilin Wen College of Mechanical&Vehic
13、le Engineering College of Mechanical&Vehicle Engineering Hunan University Hunan University 2008 2008The Cover Page of a formal technical ReportTitle of the reportAuthors nameOrganizationfor which it is prepared Date of submission AN EXPERIMENTAL INVERSTIGATION OF THE DYNAMIC CUTTING OF STEEL Submitt
14、ed by Submitted by Junmin Mao Junmin Mao College of Mechanical&Vehicle Engineering College of Mechanical&Vehicle Engineering HUNAN UNIVERSITY HUNAN UNIVERSITY A final year project report presented to Hunan A final year project report presented to HunanUniversity in partial fulfillment of the require
15、ments for University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for The Degree of Bachelor of EngineeringThe Degree of Bachelor of Engineering20082008The Cover Letter of a formal technical PaperSample 1 of a Cover Letter:简单型简单型The Cover Letter of a formal technical PaperSample 2 of a Cover Letter：向主
16、编陈述主要的向主编陈述主要的 your contributionsThe Cover Letter of a formal technical PaperSample 2 of a Cover Letter：向主编陈述主要的向主编陈述主要的 your contributions有时候，为什么有时候，为什么Cover Letter需要向主编陈述需要向主编陈述your contributions？案例分析：案例分析：最初投稿：最初投稿：PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS(sci impact factor:6.944)PHYSICAL REVIEW E(sci impact facto
17、r:2.483)The Cover Letter of a formal technical PaperSample 2 of a Cover Letter：向主编陈述主要的向主编陈述主要的 your contributions案例分析：案例分析：PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS(sci impact factor:6.944)PRL主编投稿第三天，主编就退稿，理由：太数学化了主编投稿第三天，主编就退稿，理由：太数学化了于是，我转投，于是，我转投，PHYSICAL REVIEW 系列的PHYSICAL REVIEW E评委意见：评委意见：本文本文故事故事The Cover Let
18、ter of a formal technical PaperSample 3 of a Cover Letter：修改稿修改稿The Title Page of a formal technical paperSample of a Title PageThe Title Page of a formal technical paperSample of a Title Page This report must clearly and accurately describe the research activities carried out during the project 字面意
19、思：根据。Subject to(优化问题），according to，based on(on basis of)一般用被动语态来避免人称谓，偶尔可以用We，One,但绝对不用I。即使作者只有你一个，也要用WePoints of languagePoints of language 科技英语写作，一般来说，“采用被动语态”避免使用人称“I，We,You，He/His”。偶尔可以用We，但绝对不可以使用I。即使文章只有你一个作者。特别是你的硕士论文、博士论文。千万不要说成“我干了什么什么”，只能说“我们干了什么”。很多学生在本科设计或硕士论文中用“I”，那是典型的有知识，没文化。不要说“You，H
20、e/His”，通常讲作者姓名。“one can see the fact that.”,老式英语用one（单数，表人）代替we(我们）。为什么？文化问题，学会谦逊。别人恭维牛顿的成就时，牛顿说：自己是站在别人的肩膀上。也就是说，在科学问题上取得任何进展，不要动不动就是我怎么样，或我们怎么样，或者你怎么样，他怎么样。对自己，厚着脸皮说都是自己的成就；对别人则指手画脚。专业英语写作的态度问题：专业英语写作的态度问题：学会谦逊学会谦逊Abstract（摘要）l The Abstract is intended to be a concise,self-contained informative do
21、cument which gives readers the essence of the report,especially its scope and the conclusions reached.l A well-written Abstract enables your readers to judge quickly whether the report or paper is sufficiently interesting for them to read on.阅览文献：阅览文献：你专业领域主要的国际期刊，坚持每周把最新出来的看一遍。你专业领域主要的国际期刊，坚持每周把最新出
22、来的看一遍。怎么看（筛选法）：怎么看（筛选法）：先看题目，进一步看摘要，进一步精读先看题目，进一步看摘要，进一步精读案例：案例：博士论文英文摘要博士论文英文摘要Off-road vehicles and engineering machineries often work in abominable environment,in which the intensive vibrations are produced while the process of driving or operating because of the road unevenness.If the drivers or
23、 operators are exposured to a certain intensity of vibration for long time,which will affects their work effectiveness,so much as results in serious bodily injury.In order to reducing the vibration energy transmitting to the drivers or operators,the seat suspension system has been equipped for vibra
24、tion isolation,thereby improves the comfort of riding.General passive seat suspension system presences limited space in improvement of vibration isolation,can not effectively reduce the transmitted vibration stength in low frequency band,hence there need semi-active or active suspension system to ca
25、rry out effective attenuation.博士论文英文摘要（修改）Massachusetts Institute of Technology Abstract（摘要）1.Write your Abstracts last-that is after the whole paper is completed.2.Begin on a new page,and provide all the essential information in about 150 to 250 words.3.Be concise,and avoid words and expressions th
26、at convey little or insignificant information(废话少讲）废话少讲）4.Write simply because although most readers are informed,they may not be expert in your subject.5.Make the abstract self-contained and do not refer to tables or graphs in your abstract.When writing Abstracts,you should observe the following co
27、nventions:Abstract（摘要）:information elements1.The background:to explain in general terms the context and significance of the investigation.2.Purpose and Scope:to tell readers the objectives and limitations.3.Methodology:to state briefly the procedure,the theory and the techniques used.4.Important Fin
28、dings:to summarize the deduced findings from the investigation and analysis.5.Conclusions/Recommendations:to state the conclusions drawn,one for each objective,and if relevant,recommendations for further work.A typical Abstract consists of five information elements.Listed below in a typical sequence
29、 are the five elements and their functions:Abstract（摘要）:Two kinds of Abstracts1.The descriptive abstract describes only what.2.The informative abstract on the other hand is more.An author has the choice of two kinds of abstracts:the Descriptive and the In formative.An example of each is given below:
30、P120Abstract（摘要）l 主动语态变被动语态 This paper discusses how The problem about how is addressed in this paper.动词改成名词动词改成名词 This paper introduces how MCGS accesses a PCI5110 interface card via ZOPC_Server.The access of MCGS to PCI5110 interface card via ZOPC_Server is discussed in this paper.To highlight the
31、 main sections of a formal technical paperThe Main Section forms the bulk of your formal report or paper.To help you understand the information structure of this Section,we have summarized the various elements of the different sections in Table 1 Section Information ElementsIntroduction1Background L
32、iterature Review2Objective3Scope4organizationReview ofLiterature1General Statement2Reference to Previous Research3Gap in Research4Link to Present ResearchMethod/Materials/Process1Overview2Description of Parts or Steps3ConclusionTo highlight the main sections of a formal technical paper Section Infor
33、mation ElementsResults&Discussion1Introductory Statements2Presentation of Results3Comments on Results:-Evaluation -Explanation -Comparison -Implication -LimitationConclusion&Recommendations1Review of Objective2Review of Method3Review of Findings4Explanation of Findings5Limitations of Findings6Implic
34、ations7RecommendationsStructure of a formal technical paper 细化 Preamlry and formula 每一段一开始讲清楚要干什么Structure of a formal technical paper 细化 Preamlry and formula 每一段一开始讲清楚要干什么Introduction（介绍）l 国内中文期刊一般都限制页数为4页 l 所以，国内写文章都对Introduction（介绍）是轻描淡写，普遍认为不重要。l 特别是：这里的博士生，要是你的硕士导师从来没有发表过英文文章，你们根本就不了解：外文文章的录用率6
35、0%决定于你的Introduction写得好不好。l 写什么？通过全面阅读相关文献（各类期刊，各国年代，各种语言：Search）让别人读了后了解什么？全面而充分综述，国内外已经在该领域或Subject（主题）所做的工作，一般从基本概念、原创性理论与方法讲起，一直到最近的新成果，以及接下来可能的发展趋势。在讲清楚别人已经干了什么，自己要干什么。本文的工作是在什么基础上，解决什么问题，为什么需要研究和解决该问题，有何意义与创新。达到最终说服别人，“本文值得发表”“本文值得发表本文值得发表”本文的研究背景本文的研究背景本文的意义与创新本文的意义与创新Introduction（介绍）:Points o
36、f language Introduction to Previous research:E.g.Wen(1999)expounded the idea of maximizing timethrough correct management.Reference to previous research can be presented either with:l emphasis on the information,orl emphasis on the authorWhen you emphasize the author,the authors surname appears firs
37、t,followed by the year of publication.The yearof publication appears in parenthesis after the surname.一般以强调信息为主。突出作者个人的原则：一般以强调信息为主。突出作者个人的原则：突出的原创性工作。突出的原创性工作。Seminal work;文章结构写作形式的改变，活拨一点（还是挑需要重点需要突出的）文章结构写作形式的改变，活拨一点（还是挑需要重点需要突出的）Introduction（介绍）:Points of language lPrevious researchIntroduction
38、to Previous research:When emphasizing the author(s),you should consider the following:a)whether the finding of the study is a factb)whether the finding is limited to a particular study and cannot be extended to all similar situations.c)whether the author is only suggesting or proposing lIn all cases
39、,the reporting verb is in the Past TenseIntroduction（介绍）:Points of language l VERB TENSE(emphasis on author)Introduction to Previous research:a)When the finding is a fact,the reporting verb is in the Past Tense but the complement is in the Present Tense.E.g.Tay(1997)observed that examinations are us
40、ually held in very low-temperature rooms in most parts of Asia.b)When the finding is limited to a particular study only,the reporting verb and the complement are in the Past Tense.E.g.Tay(1997)observed that examinations were usually held in very low-temperature rooms in most parts of Asia.中国（高考）与新加坡
41、Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l VERB TENSE(emphasis on author)Introduction to Previous research:C)When the finding is just a suggestion or proposition,you should use Tentative Verbs in the past tense forreporting verb and modal auxiliaries in the complement part of the sentence.E.g.Samson(1996
42、)suggested that examination halls should be warmer as the warmth stimulates thinking.Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l emphasis on authorIntroduction to Previous research:There is a considerable range of verbs that may be used after the authors name(or authors name)when emphasizing theauthor(s).
43、Some commonly used reporting verbs are:Say,find,claim,argue,maintain,state,assert,discover,demonstrate,propose,prove Obviously,they do not all mean exactly the same thing.The choice of verb must faithfully reflect the attitude or stand taken by the researchers cited.If an idea is proposed,for exampl
44、e,it would be false to report that it is proved.Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l Samples of other styleIntroduction to Previous research:Physcial Review letter Journal of Sound and VibrationInternational Journal of bifurcation and Chaos结论：根据各期刊具体格式与要求:写信Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l Exe
45、rcise:Gap-fillingIntroduction to Previous research:1.Dresner(1997)_ that a lot of money had been invested in this type of research with disappointing returns in the 1960s 2.Tan(1997)_by an exhaustive series of experiments that herculinium is 130 times tougher than diamond.3.Hartono(1997)_that the re
46、action would take place as the theory suggested although no convincing evidence was yet forthcoming to prove it.Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l emphasis on informationIntroduction to Previous research:When you choose to emphasis the information,the authors surname and year of publication appea
47、r in brackets at the end of the information.In the case of citing from books,not from journals,the pages from which the information is taken must appear as well.E.g.Most examination halls throughout the world have been found to be too cold for good mental stimulation(Andersen,1993;Hartono,1994;Brown
48、,1997)E.g.Most examination halls throughout the world have been found to be too cold for good mental stimulation(Brown,1997,p.55)Introduction（介绍）:Points of language l emphasis on informationIntroduction to Previous research:The tense you use is dependent on the focus your writing takes.Introduction（
49、介绍）:自己工作的定位 l 要求达到：Introduction to your topic and idea:l Samples In this study,the vibration isolation effectiveness of two different suspension seats is evaluated via analytical methods and laboratory experimentation.Passive suspension seats are widely used to reduce the magnitude of low frequency
50、vehicular vibration transmitted to the human driver.Introduction（介绍）:自己工作的定位 l 要求达到：Introduction to your topic and idea:l Samples Considering that the magnitude and dominant frequencies vibration of different vehicles vary considerably,it is essential to fine tune the suspension seat properties for
