MANE-6980 Engineering Project
Engineering Project Report Checklist
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Important Note: As you build up your report, you must periodically go over the list of questions below and make sure you can answer "yes" to all of them. This will save you and me a great deal of time and also ensure you will complete your project this academic term. Report Format: * Is your report in the official RPI Project/Thesis Template? Report Cover Page: * Does it contain all the appropriate official wording? * Is the degree to be earned listed as MASTER OF ENGINEERING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (or whatever the actual degree is)? * Does it read "Engineering Project" not Thesis or Seminar (unless that is what you are submitting)? * Does it read "Hartford, CT" NOT "Troy, NY"? Lists: * Have you included pages containing your lists of symbols, figures and tables? Abstract: * Does it contain a concise but clear and complete description of the work you actually performed? * Does it provide an accurate summary of your whole report? Table of Contents: * Is the table clear? * Does it contain too little or excessive detail? Body: * Is the report written at the appropriate level? (i.e. the contents should be understandable to any person with an engineering or science background!) * Is the right complexion of chapters included? (i.e. Introduction/Background, Theory/Methodology, Results/ Discussion, Conclusions, References/Bibliography, Appendices) * Are the various chapters rightfully balanced in terms of scope, depth and breadth? * Do you include appropriate sets of tables, figures and equations throughout so as to facilitate understanding of the contents? * Is your narrative carefully balanced and interwoven with equations, figures and tables throughout the entire report? Introduction/Background: * Does the chapter provide a clear, accurate and complete description of the problem or system under study? * Does the chapter include a summary description of prior work done by others on the subject of your project, together with references to the technical literature? Theory/Methodology: * Does the chapter provide a clear, accurate and complete description of the related theory as well as of the methodology used in your study? * Would a technically proficient reader of your report gain sufficient background on the subject of your project from your presentation in this chapter, so as to be able to read through the remainder without having to consult other references? Results and Discussion: * Does the chapter provide a clear, accurate and complete description of the work you performed? * Do you include in the chapter a description of the means you used to validate your results? * Are you confident that your results would be able to stand the scrutinty of knowledgeable peers? * Could your results be independently reproduced using only the information you present in the chapter? Conclusion(s): * Does your list of conclusions accurately summarize the key findings of your work? * Are your conclusions supported by and consistent with engineering and scientific fundamentals? References: * Is your list reasonably complete and up to date? * Would reading the references in your list together with your report allow one to obtain an accurate grasp of the state of the art in the field of your report? Appendices: * Have you included here all information that is relevant to your project but that it would interrupt the flow of ideas if included in the body? * Have you included all computer programs, symbolic manipulation worksheets, spreadsheets, etc. developed for you in doing the project? (Examples of files that must be included are Ansys log files, Maple worksheets, Excel spreadsheets and the like). * Is the information included in the appendices enough to allow anyone with access to it to independently and readily reproduce at least a selected subset of your results? Entire Report: * Are all pages numbered and is the numbering consistent with the paging in the TOC? * Are all sections/subsections numbered and is the numbering consistent with the one listed in the TOC? * Are all tables, figures and equations numbered and are the numberings consistent with the ones contained in the corresponding lists? * Are all symbols used clearly defined and also listed in the corresponding list together with their physical units? * Do all tables/figures/equations where physical quantities are mentioned include the physical units used? * Have you read over and edited your report multiple times? * Has your report been thoroughly edited for spelling, grammar and typographical errors? (Do not rely on MS spell checker alone!). * Has your report been read and commented on by others? Final Deliverables: * Are you prepared to submit in very short notice (say 24 hours) two hardcopies of your completed report as well as two CDs containing the report as well as all other additional information you deem relevant to the work? * Are the hardcopies bound in the official flexicover binders? (OXFORD Pressboard Report Cover w/Fastener 8 1/2" x 11") * Are the CDs encased in thin, flexible DC cover cases? * Is a copy of your final report posted on your RPI webpage? |