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Literature review for the same topic:
Guide to the Literature Review assessment.This guide is intended for students who are preparing to write a literature review for ENG470Engineering Honours Project or for supervisors who are judging how to mark the chapters that
students submit. The aim of this assignment is to allow students to provide a substantive analysis of
the research findings for their project at an early stage, and to challenge students to prepare a
significant body of technical writing to a high standard. The feedback that each student receives will
be of value prior to writing their final report.
In this guide “the project” means the current honours project that a student is working on. Please
note that the interpretation of the items below is entirely at the discretion of the marker and will
depend on the discipline area of the project. If students wish to seek clarification on these items
please discuss this with your supervisor initially, but do not expect your supervisor to provide you
with a “join-the-dots” plan for your chapter. You must obtain and make sense of all the research
materials that go into the chapter up to and including this guide. If you need further clarification
then please contact the unit coordinator.
Citations [1] are to be included in your text such as this example of a number within square brackets
(using the IEEE citation format). Make citations to specific ideas/techniques/devices and avoid
“catch all” citations at the end of a paragraph. A references section must be provided at the end of
the document listing the various references so that a reader can track down the original documents
if needed (and this section does not contribute to the total word count). Note the university library
has examples of how to make correct citations and reference in various styles including IEEE and
Chicago.
The URL is http://library.murdoch.edu.au/Students/Referencing/
Here are the key items that indicate a successful literature review:
Structure: Are ideas presented in a sensible order from fundamental to advanced? Are
fundamental concepts sufficiently defined prior to use? Does it make sense to list items
chronologically? Are ideas presented at an appropriate level for the audience?
Methodology: Is writing of a factual nature where non-obvious claims/ideas are presented,
cited and analysed and/or are technical documents and data sheets cited for all
devices/methods used?
Scope of references material: Do the references cover the range of ideas that will be needed
to complete the project? Are there any significant facets of the project that have been
omitted? Is there a sufficient quantity of references given the marker’s knowledge of the
subject area?
Completeness of references: Are all the key references that might contribute to the project
mentioned? Are there any essential references that have been omitted?
Analysis/discussion of the references: Are the attributes/capabilities/limitations of the
various research ideas discussed and contrasted sufficiently by the student for the purposes
of the project? Is a systematic approach followed in this analysis? Are the conclusions
sensible and appropriate in the opinion of the marker?
Formatting of citations: Are all the citations formatted within the text using an appropriate
style for the discipline area (e.g. Chicago or IEEE). Has there been sufficient attention to
detail in the preparation of the citations?
Formatting of references: Is the reference list formatted appropriately? For instance, are
journals and conference papers references with sufficient specificity? Do web/online
references comply with appropriate conventions for the reference style, i.e. URLs and
accessed dates?
Grammar: Are the sentences grammatical? (e.g. is there a clear subject for each sentence;
appropriate use of capital letters and acronyms; appropriate use of apostrophes ; correct
spelling etc.)
Are the sentences well structured? (e.g. simple sentences without large numbers of
clauses; sentences that flow from one idea to the next; sensible use of paragraphs etc.)
Appropriate technical writing style (e.g. third person passive style and appropriate use of
current and past tense etc.)
References
[1] G. E. Lee, “Here is an example paper title”, Journal of Correct Citation Examples, My Publishing
House, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 123-321, Apr. 2017.
Literature Review Marking Guide
Criteria
Structure of the chapter
• Flow of ideas and definitions through text
• Writing uses a factual approach
Max Mark
20%
Choice and discussion of materials
• Sufficient scope
• Completeness of citations
• Appropriate analysis/discussion
40%
Citations and references
• Formatting of citations in the text
• Placement of citations in the text
• Formatting of the reference section
10%
Quality of technical writing
• Grammar
• Sentence structure and flow
• Technical writing style
30%
Total
100%
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Each year Murdoch supervisors read through a small mountain of dissertations written by final year
students. Time and time again we see the same grammatical mistakes in these technical reports. If
students can write grammatically correct and simple text it is much easier for them to express the
important ideas they want their markers to notice and reward. Poor grammar blocks the flow of
information much as a thick fog blocks the transmission of light. For this reason it is worth investing
some time learning how to write clearly. All ENG470 students should allocate one or two hours
during their project to read and comprehend this guide.
This document does not aim to be a comprehensive guide to technical writing, but rather to provide
a “cook book” of common problems and suggestions how to overcome them. It is presented from a
practical engineering view point, rather than using formal “linguistic” terminology. Think about how
you can use these ideas to improve your technical writing, practice writing during your project and
afterwards read back your text to ensure that you have applied these ideas in the right way.
1. Make your text flows at a large scale
For most students their thesis report is the largest, most complex and most challenging technical
report they have ever written. Writing a report on this scale requires planning and students are
advised to design and test their report structure, much as they would any engineered device. This
means drawing up a blue print, providing a list of the sections that will be in your report and working
out the topics to be covered in each. This plan should be finalised before you start writing the text.
Pay attention to the following issues:
Make sure you are familiar with the standard laboratory report structure: abstract,
introduction, literature review, method, results, analysis and conclusions. You are not
bound by this, but it is a good starting point unless you can justify that it does not fit your
project’s needs.
Determine who is your target audience is. What can you reasonably assume they know?
How much detail and explanation do you need to provide on the various technical topics?
Make sure you introduce topics before you rely on them. For instance, if you are writing
about a web browser, provide a general introduction to HTML and HTTP before you talk
about the intricacies of the browser code you wrote. For example, you would include a topic
in the introduction about HTML, its history and how it is used, before you include a topic in
the method about the specifics of how you used it in your project.
Make sure there is a logical progression of ideas so that you guide your reader on a journey,
starting with simple and introductory ideas and ending with the complexities and subtleties
of what you did. Do not try to put the whole detailed story in the first paragraph; start with
a rather simplified overview of what you did. Then you can progressively unveil details step
by step, so that the reader will understand each extra step in the context of what they
already know. When you plan the structure think about guiding them on that journey.
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 1
2. Write using the “third person passive” style
This style comes about from a scientific tradition that provides the foundations for engineering. It is
the idea that the findings of any experiment are more profound than any one person. The details of
the scientist should not matter, since any one could repeat the experiment and get the same results.
Therefore any write up should focus on the experiments and results rather than the people involved.
You must write your technical reports in the third person passive style. In short this means that you
are not allowed to mention yourself or any other person in your report. This means you cannot use
first person pronouns such as “I” or “we” or second person pronouns such as “her” or “they”. With
practice any sentence can be rewritten in the third person passive style. You might be tempted to
write, “I wrote this report to discuss our group’s laboratory project and presents my key findings”.
The third person equivalent would read something like, “This report discusses a group laboratory
project and presents the key findings”. Therefore the focus of the sentence becomes the report
rather than the author.
If you have a longer sentence with two sections (clauses) and are having difficulty working out how
to convert it into the correct style ask yourself whether you could write the sections in the opposite
order. For instance, “A good analogy to a capacitor is a pressure tank reservoir with an elastic
diaphragm that separates the inlet and outlet”, could be reordered as “A pressure tank reservoir,
with an elastic diaphragm separating its inlet and outlet, provides a good analogy to a capacitor”.
After swapping the order of the clauses it is often easier to see how to covert a sentence to its
passive form.
Incidentally, this document is a tutorial rather than an technical report, so it regularly uses words like
“you” and “we”. This is a better style of writing for teaching ideas, rather than sticking to the third
person style. If you need to include tutorial sections in your dissertation you may also decide to
temporarily change style. Please do so deliberately and with extreme caution.
You may also need to vary the style in the acknowledgements section of your report, since you may
wish to cite the people who have assisted you with your work. This is expected and markers will not
normally pick you up on this so long as the other aspects of your grammar are correct.
3. Use tenses correctly
In English tenses are used to indicate whether you are writing about the past, present or future. So
for example you could say “I have written my report” (past tense), “I am writing my report” (present
tense) or “I will write my report” (future tense). The only difference between these three sentences
is when the report was, is or will be written. Most actions words (verbs) in English have different
forms to reflect their tense.
Many students that write using the third person passive use tenses incorrectly as a side effect. Here
are some hints:
Make sure you know which tense you are using at all times when you are writing. Is it
concerned with the past, present or future?
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 2
It is best not to jump back and forth between tenses too often unless you can see some
deliberate reason for doing so. ormally an entire sentence will be written in the same
tense often an entire paragraph.
The fundamental principle is that your results and outcomes are written in the present tense
(they were and are and will always be true) whereas your methodology for design and
testing or your project should be written in the past tense (you are reporting what you did in
the past tense since the experiments are finished now).
Sections like the introduction, analysis and conclusions are written predominantly in the
present tense. The literature review may make more sense in the past tense, since you are
reporting on the work that other completed prior to you starting.
Sections like the method, collection of results and testing are written in past tense.
The section entitled Future Work can be a little tricky since it may entail a combination of
past tense (the problems you found), present tense (the conclusions you are drawing) and
future tense (the proposals you are making to resolve the problems).
4. Write simple text: avoid compound sentences
Look back at the earlier text in this document. It is composed of relatively short sentences, each
making one point. “It is a temptation once you understand a topic to write compound sentences
with lots of clauses, separated by connecting words such as ‘and’, ‘which’ or ‘that’, to convey the
inter-relationships between all the ideas and qualify the claims with appropriate provisos; the aim
being to demonstrate to the reader that you have a deep understanding of the topic.” The previous
sentence was deliberately structured with numerous clauses. This approach leads to grammatically
complex sentences. The reader often loses track of the subject of the sentence and may forget
where it started before they reach the end. It also creates many more grammatical traps for
inexperienced writers, such as deciding where and if to place commas and semicolons. The best
advice is to aim to write sentences of between one and two lines. If you find that any sentence is
longer than this, ask yourself whether there is a simpler way to express your ideas. Get into the
habit of reading back your text, each time you finish a paragraph to see if there is a simpler, less
ambiguous way of phrasing it.
5. A Technical Report is a formal document
Your dissertation is a formal document that will be read by your supervisor, published and then read
by future students or researchers from around the world. Write it in a formal style without using
slang (casual English). Avoid shortened forms of words such as “don’t”, “can’t”, “it’s” by writing
them in long form as “do not”, “cannot” or “it is”. (Also see the section on using apostrophes.)
Avoid other abbreviated terms such as “lab” that is a short form of “laboratory”.
If you need to use technical acronyms such as HTML, consider including a glossary at the front of
your document (if you include it at the front the reader will notice it is there before they get to your
main text). Even if you have a glossary it is a courtesy to introduce acronyms the first time you use
them. For instance, “Hypertext mark up language (HTML) is the most commonly used way of
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 3
sending textual information to web browsers. There are several variations on HTML in common
use.” This way the reader will not need to keep constantly referring back to the glossary.
6. Plain and Simple text: do not show off!
When you write a report the aim is always to keep text as simple as it can be to convey the ideas you
wish to share. Do not show off when you could use plain, direct English, but do ensure that your
text is not ambiguous. Choose your words carefully to ensure that your sentences do not have
double meanings. Remember that many words used in every-day writing such as “power”,
“interrupt” and “control” have specific meanings when used in the context of technical writing, so
make sure you use them carefully so as not to confuse your readers. For example, do not use
“power” when you mean “energy”: power is the rate at which energy flows so the two terms are not
synonymous (they do not have the same meaning).
Simplicity does not imply drabness. Plain text need not be boring to read. Use your vocabulary to
find interesting ways of phrasing sentences and use synonyms to avoid repeating the same word
again and again. If you cannot think of suitable synonyms use a thesaurus, which provides
alternative words with the same meaning as a known word. For instance, refer to Wiktionary (which
is part of Wikipedia) and acts as a combined dictionary and thesaurus.
7. Make sure your text flows at a small scale
Read through the previous paragraph. Notice how each sentence flows into the next, introducing
new ideas and leading the reader in the direction that you have chosen. Write each paragraph as a
simple specialised report. Start with an introductory sentence that sets the scene and then start
introducing more ideas and unveiling more detail, leading the reader towards your final conclusion.
The flow through a paragraph is particularly vulnerable to damage by rewrites. You may find that
you have to revise the text in your report to correct some omission or mistake. When you rewrite a
sentence, reread and adjust the entire paragraph to ensure the text flows correctly.
8. Pay attention to the connecting words “a”, “an” and “the”
Many students have difficulty using “a” (or “an”) and “the” correctly in their sentences. These are
words that should be used before a noun (a name word). For example, we may “buy a can of drink”
or “walk the dog”. To decide which word to use, ask yourself whether the noun is specific or
general. When we go to buy a drink we do not know which specific “can” we are going to get: there
are lots of cans in the shop and they are, in a sense, interchangeable. When we walk the “dog” we
mean a specific dog, our pet, not just a randomly chosen dog. Similarly we could “catch a bus to the
university” (there are lots of buses around the city, but we mean one specific university).
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 4
We use “an” instead of “a” when the noun starts with a vowel (A, E, I, O or U): “I had an egg for
breakfast and an apple for lunch”. We also use “an” prior to some words that start with h. We
would write “come to see me in an hour”. For more detail on this topic see The Online Writing Lab
at Purdue University at URL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01/ .
9. Avoid repetition in your writing
One common problem that markers experience is that students write grammatically correct
sentences, but stick to the same structure or the same few verbs (action words) in sentence after
sentence. This kind of report can be incredibly repetitive to mark, rather like listening to a rock band
play the same riff again and again for eight hours. Successful musicians know that, to keep their
audience engaged with their music, they must make constant variations to the rhythm and phrasing
of the melody they are playing. As an author you must aim to do the same. Here are some hints:
Find a thesaurus that will give you a list of synonyms (alternative words with the same
meaning) and cycle through three alternatives in successive sentences;
Do not overuse commas (item 12) or semicolons in your sentences (item 14);
Your result set may be repetitive, but your description and analysis of them should not be;
Do not overuse “which” as a connecting word between sentence clauses. For example, “Lots
of notes have been kept during this project, which will prove useful when writing the final
report”, is a perfectly valid sentence but can become tedious when this structure is repeated
again and again. For instance consider using “that” instead of the comma and “which” and
you will often end up with a clearer sentence.
10. How to indicate plurality
English uses nouns as “name” words. They may be proper nouns such as “Perth”, the name of the
city that we share, or just nouns of common objects such as a “cup”. We normally indicate plurality
of nouns by adding a final “s”: “there were five cups on the draining board”. The word plural means
that there is a multiple of some noun, in this case five cups, whereas singular means there is just
one. This rule works for the vast majority of words.
Unfortunately, for students whose first language is not English, there are a few words that this rule
does not apply to. For example we could write “there was one sheep standing by the road”
(singular) or “the field was full of sheep eating grass” (plural). Sheep is not a word that needs a final
“s” character to pluralise. Two common technological words that this applies to are “software” and
“hardware”. We could write “Microsoft Word is my favourite software” (singular) or “I went into the
computer store and was impressed with their wide range of software” (plural). If in doubt check the
dictionary of your choice. If you are online you can check Wiktionary, the Wikipedia dictionary.
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 5
11. Correct use of apostrophes (‘)
A key grammatical element in English text is the apostrophe. This is like a comma, but is placed at
the top of a word to indicate ownership. We might write “The car’s engine” to indicate that the
engine belongs to (is part of) a single car. Notice that we have placed the apostrophe ‘ ahead of a
final “…s” character, which would otherwise indicate a plural. In the sentence above “…s” does not
imply that there is more than one car, but we could also write “the cars in the car park”. In this case
the “…s” just indicates that there is more than one car, not that the car park belongs to the car.
An apostrophe is not just used to indicate physical ownership (the engine is physically part of a car)
but also properties. We could write about “the car’s paint colour”. The colour is not a physical part
of a car, but one its properties.
The last sentence also demonstrates another irregularity of the use of apostrophes. If we want to
state that something (such as a property) belongs to “it” (contextually “it” refers to the car in this
case) we just write “its” without using an apostrophe: “The colour is not a physical part of a car, but
one its properties.” When we write “it’s” with an apostrophe we are writing a shortened version of
“it is” (and normally you would not use such a contraction in technical writing, item 5).
We can also assign ownership to a group of people or entities. As an example we might write “the
students’ marks”. This implies that the marks (plural, there is more than one of them) belong to the
set of students (now the “…s” is before the apostrophe indicating plural, so there is more than one
and they own something). One weakness with English grammar is that the plural only tells you there
is more than one, so the previous sentence does not imply that every student has a mark allocated.
If this is required you could write something more explicit.
A common mistake is that students use apostrophes to indicate plurals for nouns that are acronyms.
This is a common grammatical mistake referred to as a “Greengrocer’s Apostrophe”. For example
the correct way to indicate the plural of light emitting diodes is “LEDs” (not LED’s, suggesting that
something belongs to a single LED).
12. Using commas (,)
Commas are difficult to use correctly in technical writing but this section provides a few hints on
when and where to place them. In part the problems with commas stem from the fact they serve
multiple purposes in writing. Here are some hints:
Do not overuse commas. It you write simple direct sentence you may not need to use a
commas very often;
Commas are used to separate independent clauses in sentences when they are connected
by words such as “for”, “or”, “not” “so” and “yet”. For instance, “I wrote the program
carefully, yet it still does not run correctly”.
Commas can be used to separate three or more items within a list, as was the case with the
previous dot point that listed various connecting words.
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 6
Commas are used to mark non-essential parts of a sentence, where the author wishes to
include more detail on a specific topic within the text. For instance, “This form of
placement, often overlooked by new authors, is quite simple to master.” otice that there
is an underlying sentence, “This form of placement is quite simple to master” along with a
non-essential clause stating that “This form of placement . . . is often overlooked by new
authors”. If you remove the elaboration by leaving out the text between the commas the
original sentence will still make sense, since the elaboration was never essential. Sometimes
it is clearer to include the elaboration in dashes instead of commas, such as “This form of
placement – often overlooked by new authors – is quite simple to master.”
There are quite a lot of other potential uses for commas in your writing. Refer to the Online
Writing Laboratory at Purdue University for more details via URL
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/
13. Creating lists and examples using colons (:)
Writers often need to include lists of alternatives in their text. If the list is relatively short and the
items are simple it can be included within the text. For example, “You can buy coffee in sizes such
as: small, regular or large”. otice that the list starts with a colon, the items are separated with
commas, except that the word “or” or “and” is placed before the final item.
If you need a more extensive or detailed list consider creating a dot list. Again we start the list with
a colon and end it with a full stop. For instance:
The list must consist of two or more items. These items may have multiple sentences;
It is customary to separate items with a semicolon; and
The final item should be completed with a full stop.
14. Using semicolons (;) in your writing
As with commas, it is unwise to use semicolons heavily in your technical writing except in lists as
mentioned previously. Do not use a semicolon ahead of words such as “and”, “but”, “for”, “or”,
“not” “so” and “yet” since you can use a comma as discussed in item 12.
You can use a comma to join two independent clauses that do not have connecting words, as
mentioned above, when the two sentences are on the same idea. For instance, ”Projects with a tick
are still available; those with a cross might be available with some changes.”
You can also use semicolons for the kind of words that glue multiple clauses together in compound
sentences, such as “however”, “moreover”, “therefore”, “consequently”, “otherwise”,
“nevertheless” “hence” or “thus”. For example, “I was seriously ill for much of the semester; hence
my grades have suffered”. However all these clauses detract from simple, direct writing (item 4) and
should not therefore be used too frequently.
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
Page 7
Overall, do not use semicolons to excess. If you are writing more than one sentence per page with a
semicolon then ask yourself whether there are simpler, less repetitive ways to describe your ideas
(see item 4 for more information).
15. Reread your paragraphs to reword and refine them
This final point is simple but profound. You can learn to become an effective writer by first
becoming a critical reader. Many colleagues have commented that recent students appear to have
lost the skills needed to read back a whole page of text and extract the subtle implications of what
the author intended to state. This is not true, but it does require considerable practice.
When you read bodies of text, firstly make sure you understand as clearly as possible what the
author is saying. This may mean that you need to read the text a few times to fully understand the
true meaning. Do not just brush the text aside in your hurry. Secondly, and critically, make sure you
understand how words, grammar and all the ideas this report has discussed are being used to
convey information from the writer to the reader. Once you fully understand how others write well,
then you have a chance to improve your own writing.
16. Getting more help
If, after reading this document, you feel you need more help, the first step is to discuss the situation
with your project supervisor.
Murdoch’s library has some good books available on grammar. Just search online with “Grammar”
as the key word. Also consider searching for “Engineering communication” or “Technical report
writing”. A good online source is the Writing Laboratory at Purdue University, which contains lots of
advice and provides some specific help for Engineering documents via the following URL:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/4/19/ .
Most word processors check your spelling and many are also able to check your grammar. Although
these software tools do not fully understand your text, they do provide immediate feedback on your
writing. If you see a word underlined in red look it up in the dictionary to ensure you have correctly
spelled the word you intended, whereas if a sentence if underlined in green you should try to
understand why the software has taken exception to your grammar. Often this is a sign that you
should rephrase the sentence to make it clearer to a future reader. However, bear in mind that
there are many mistakes that that this software will miss.
It is also a good idea to write your thesis as early as possible and exchange the document with one of
your colleagues so that you proof read their report, and they yours. When you read their text think
about the ideas in this document, how they can be applied to improve your colleague’s sentences
and how you might be able to apply these new found skills to your own writing. Please remember
that your job is only to improve their expression, not to add additional technical content to their
report. Doing so could be considered collusion and would be in violation of Murdoch’s academic
integrity policy.
A Plain Guide to Technical Writing
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How do I reference properly?
There are many acceptable forms of referencing. Specific referencing styles may be used in some
subject areas, units and publications. Check your unit’s study guide or check with your supervisor
for information on which style is required.
Referencing includes two elements:
A citation within the text of your assignment or paper indicating that a particular concept, phrase
or idea has been sourced elsewhere.
A complete reference list giving the full citation details for all sources referred to in the document.
The referencing style you choose determines the way you construct the in text citations and the
reference list.
Referencing guides
The styles supported are international standards, with manuals for further examples.
Author-date styles
Notational styles
APA – Chicago – MLA
ACS – AGLC – Footnote – IEEE – Vancouver
