Technical Paper due in 12 hours

ENC 3246: PROF COMM ENGINEERING – TECHNICAL PROCESS PAPER Writing and Submission Requirements

Length: 1500 words, minimum Format: IEEE citation style, double-spaced, 12 pt serif font, page numbers in upper right corner (see additional instructions below) Submission: Turn text in to E-Learning as an attached document in Word format (.docx). Name the file using

your full name and the name of the assignment (e.g.: Emory Smith Tech Process.doc). Assignment Prompt and Context

Engineers constantly communicate technical

information. Two kinds of technical information get

frequent mention by practicing engineers: technical

terminology and process/procedures.

At the same time, the technical expertise of readers

varies, ranging broadly from: (1) non-expert clients

to (2) peers who share similar training to (3)

managers whose skill sets may or may not overlap

with the engineers working on a project.

For this paper, you will choose a process in your field

of engineering and write a short “white paper” about it. White papers can be used within an organization for the

purpose of informing peers as well as externally to educate clients or the public. Technical language is usually

defined within the context of the paper, with key terms getting longer explanation.

Structure of the Technical Process Paper

The Technical Process Paper will have three sections, each designated by an appropriate subheading. You may

use second-level subheadings as needed.

 Section 1: History of the Process

o In this section, the writer will explain why the process was developed -- what engineering

problem or situation did the process solve?

 This section will succeed by being specific – claims such as “society needed” or

“manufacturers wanted” are too general.

 For example, what specific engineering situation drove the development of additive

manufacturing?

 Section 2: The Current State of the Process

o In this section, the writer will explain how the process works as currently practiced. This is a

general explanation of the process, emphasizing principles of operation.

 For example, how does additive manufacturing work in general?

 Section 3: Detailed Example of the Process

o In this section, the writer will show how the process is applied by carefully explaining an

example of the process in action.

 For example, how does 3D printing exemplify additive manufacturing?

Goals

The goals of this assignment are to (1) communicate effectively to a mixed audience, (2) use credible sources to

support your work (3) explain how the process relates to contemporary issues related to your field, (4) create

figures appropriate to a communication task.

Other Instructions

1) The paper must have at least the three sections designated above.

2) Each section must have at least one figure/image created by the writer that is appropriate to that

section.

a. See the “Smart Art” options in Word for lots of templates supporting this task.

b. More figures may be used. These may be published images or ones created by the writer. Make

sure to cite images correctly.

3) The paper must have at least 6 high quality sources, with a minimum of 2 unique sources per section.

a. “High quality” means sources from academic journals and highly rated trade publications (such

as the magazines published by professional organizations). General-use, public sources are NOT

allowed, except for images. Each instance of a low-quality source will result in a 5% reduction in

grade.

b. Include both in-text citations as needed and a References list in IEEE format.

4) The paper must have a title, and include a Table of Contents (TOC) and Table of Figures (TOF).

a. TOCs can be created automatically using the Table of Contents function in the References menu.

To use this function, simply use the Word Style Menu to create subheadings. For TOFs, use the

“Insert Caption” function (located in References menu) to add labels to images.

5) Stylistically, the paper is written in the 3rd person, for a mixed audience. Technical language is allowed,

but important terms should be defined more extensively as this kind of paper is meant to inform and

educate.

a. Do not use the second person (you/your/you’re).

b. Expand important terms using one or more of the extended definition strategies discussed in

Technical Communication:

i. Parenthetical/Sentence

ii. Graphics

iii. Examples

iv. Partition

v. Principle of Operation

vi. Comparison/Contrast

vii. Analogy

viii. Etymology