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Technical Papers Handout Winter 2012
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Transcript of Technical Papers Handout Winter 2012
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McGill University
Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Technical Paper CIVE 432
Winter 2012
Instructions to Students
Professor R Gehr
Objective
The main objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to learn how to
prepare and write a Technical Paper that is properly formatted and presented, in an appropriate
area of Civil Engineering. Students therefore should carefully follow the attached guidelines,
review available references and adhere to the basic rules of report writing. Particular attention
should be paid to the rules governing the citation of sources for tables, figures, data, references,
photographs and any documentation retrieved via the internet.
Registration and Overview
Each student must have completed CCOM 206, Communication in Engineering, before
registering for CIVE 432. Students must attend the introductory lecture in the semester prior to
that in which they will register for the course and submit their paper. This registration should be
in their final semester. The Technical Paper course affords each student an opportunity to
organize, research and compose a significant piece of technical writing, and permits the
Department to review and assess the student’s progress in this activity stage by stage. The
Technical Paper should be on a Civil Engineering topic that the student is personally familiar
with or has researched. Each Technical Paper should represent original work, and include a
theoretical overview and a case study of the selected topic. The length of the Technical Paper
should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words (approximately 16 – 20 pages).
Academic Integrity
The following is taken from the Handbook on Student Rights and Responsibilities: “No student
shall, with intent to deceive, represent the work of another person as his or her own in any
academic writing, essay, thesis, research report, project or assignment submitted in a course or
program of study, or represent as his or her own an entire essay or work of another, whether the
material so represented constitutes a part or the entirety of the work submitted.” For further
information on this important subject, please consult the following web site:
http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity/studentguide/
The originality of each Technical Paper will be assessed with Turnitin, the text-matching
software. If students choose to opt out of submitting their paper with Turnitin, one of the
following alternatives for authenticity verification may be used instead:
submitting photocopies of sources
taking an oral exam directed at issues of originality
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
2
Deliverables
In order to fulfill the course requirements, all students must submit the following three
documents (see more detailed submission requirements below):
1) Abstract and Table of Contents: due by Monday, November 28, 2011
2) First Draft: due by Monday, January 9, 2012 at 3:00 pm
3) Final Paper: due by Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 3:00 pm, with 5%
penalties per day to the ultimate deadline of Friday, March 2 at 3:00 pm
1) Submission – Abstract and Table of Contents: Each student must select a topic and submit
the same along with one paragraph describing the possible contents of the paper, as well as a
table of contents (TOC), by e-mail to me at the following address: [email protected].
Students must indicate their name and student number in the subject line of the email, and
include the following information in an attached Word file:
Name and Student Number
Proposed Title of Technical Paper
Abstract and Proposed Table of Contents
Suggested Technical Advisor
The student should select a Professor in the Department to be his/her technical advisor, and
indeed the student may use other expertise outside the Department as well. The Professor can be
consulted (by appointment) to clarify matters related to the preparation of the Technical Paper.
The student must recognize the Professor and any other assistance in the
“Acknowledgements” section of the paper.
The deadline for the submission is Monday, November 28, 2011 (or earlier, if possible). I will
either validate the topic and TOC, or recommend some changes to them, and inform the student
by e-mail.
2) Submission – First Draft: The student must prepare a first draft of the Technical Paper for
detailed review by Professor in the Department who I will assign. My first choice will be the
technical advisor, but this may not be possible for all students, as all professors in the
department will receive the same number of papers to evaluate. An electronic copy of the
Word file is to be submitted by file upload on WebCT. Note: it is advisable to use Internet
Explorer since students have reported technical difficulties with other browsers.
The deadline for the submission is Monday, January 9, 2012 at 3:00 pm.
Late submissions will be subjected to a penalty of 5% of the final grade per day, and no first
drafts will be accepted after Wednesday, January 11, 2012.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
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This draft should be complete, and should include the following components:
Table of contents
Introduction, including objectives of the paper
Developed body of the paper. [Note that referencing must be done in proper fashion
in the text, figures, etc.]
Tables and figures to be included in the final paper
List of references. Each reference must be given in its final form (i.e., according to
the format given in this handout).
Once the first draft is evaluated, the student can consult the Professor to obtain advice
concerning the preparation of the final submission. This process will enable the Professor to
identify the areas of weakness in the paper and to suggest appropriate actions for its
improvement. The student is expected to learn from this process and where necessary make an
attempt to improve the quality of the paper through making appropriate corrections. The draft
will be returned to the student within approximately 3 weeks.
3) Submission – Final Paper: The Technical Paper must be submitted on or before
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 3:00 pm. The paper should be submitted electronically
by file upload on WebCT for evaluation by Turnitin, the text-matching software. Note: it is
advisable to use Internet Explorer since students have reported technical difficulties with
other browsers.
A Statement of Authorship (completed by student) is to be included as the final page of the
submission. A sample with the required format is appended at the end of this handout.
An extension to submit the Technical Paper will be allowed only until the following Friday and
will automatically be subject to a late submission penalty of 5% for each day. Students should
be aware that if the Technical Paper is not submitted on time, they will not graduate.
Writing Resources
The following resources are recommended for improving technical writing and style.
Textbook:
Northey, M. and Jewinski, J. (2005) Making Sense. A Student’s Guide to Research and
Writing. Oxford University Press, Don Mills, Ontario.
Online resources:
Perelman, L.C., Barrett, E., and Paradis, J. (1997) The Mayfield Electronic Handbook of
Technical and Scientific Writing. http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/tsw/toc.htm
Strunk, W. (1995) The Elements of Style. http://www.bartleby.com/people/Strunk-W.html
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
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Library: http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-findinfo/courses/guides/cive432/
Format
Each student must adhere to the following format for presentation of the Technical Paper:
Title Page
Abstract (approx. 250 words, starting page i)
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction (Starting page 1)
Body of the Technical Report
Conclusions
References
Appendices (if necessary)
Statement of Authorship
Other formatting and stylistic notes:
Text must be double-spaced, and double-sided printing is preferred.
Sections should be numbered, eg:
1.0 Introduction
1.1 History of significant seismic events
.
.
.
1.2 Development of cable-stayed bridge stabilization
Do not use quotations; you must paraphrase all material.
Avoid the use of footnotes.
Do not use 1st or 2
nd person (I, we, us, you), contractions or colloquial language.
Grading and Recognition
The papers will be graded by one or more Professors assigned by the Department. The
Department will assess the suitability of each submitted final Technical Paper for consideration
for a prize. Any such Technical Paper must be exemplary in originality, format, presentation and
engineering significance.
Documentation of Sources
Documentation of sources is the process of explicitly identifying the sources of the ideas and
information in your technical paper. Documentation serves three basic functions:
To help you acknowledge your recognition of the sources used – this is simply a matter
of ethics.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
5
To help you establish credibility – knowing how to use existing research is a mark of a
professional.
To help your reader(s) find the source you have relied on in case they want to read more
about a particular subject.
Two kinds of material should be cited:
A paraphrased idea, concept or opinion gathered from your reading or interviewing.
Direct quotations should not be used in technical papers; these should be appropriately
paraphrased.
Any graphic or table from a written or electronic source.
Sources must be given in the text where appropriate, as well as under any figure or table, the
information for which has been taken from a publication, including a website. When a single
source has been used several times in the same paragraph, refer to it only at the end of the
paragraph; if an entire section is derived from one or two sources, this may be stated just once at
the beginning of the section. All sources mentioned in the paper must be given in the list of
references, and all references shown in the list must be used somewhere in the text, or with a
figure or table.
The following format should be used for citing sources within the text:
Single author: (Barns, 1999); two authors: (Smith and Frank, 2004); three or more
authors (Chu et al., 2001). No other details are given.
Information from websites should still be given under an author (or organization) in the
text, plus the date of publication, or only if none exists, the date accessed. Eg: (Fulton,
2002); (UNICEF, 1998). Do not quote the web address (url) in the text, but give it in the
list of references.
If two or more papers have the same author and date of publication, use letters to
differentiate between them: (Peters, 2005a); (Peters, 2005b). Use the same letter notation
after the date in the list of references at the end of the paper.
References List:
A references list provides the information needed by the reader(s) to find each source
used by you. A references list includes only those items that you actually used in
preparing your technical paper.
A reference lists is presented in alphabetical order – beginning with the last name of the
first author. Note that only the authors’ first initials are given.
A reference entry is arranged by date if two or more works by the same author are listed –
beginning with the earliest date.
A references list is not numbered.
Do not separate journal articles, books, and websites.
The following formats should be used in the references list, in accordance with the ACS
style guidelines:
Book with one author:
Anastas, P. T.; Warner, J. C. Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice; Oxford University
Press: Oxford, 1998.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
6
Batu, V. Aquifer Hydraulics: A Comprehensive Guide to Hydrogeologic Data Analysis.
Wiley & Sons: New York, 1998.
Book chapter (from a book consisting of chapters authored by different individuals):
Stepl, B. A.; George, K. F. Antifreezes and Deicing Fluids. In Chemical Technology; 4th
Ed. Howe-Grant, M., Ed. Wiley-Interscience: New York, 1992; Vol. 3, pp 347-367.
Journal article:
Evans, D. A.; Fitch, D. M.; Smith, T. E.; Cee, V. J. Application of Complex Aldol
Reactions to the Total Synthesis of Phorboxazole B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122,
10033-10046.
Website:
Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks
http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/ (accessed 2011/11/17)
Referencing Tool
The McGill libraries has acquired a site license for the program “EndNote”, which can automate
the formatting of your references in ACS style. A custom output style (CIVE 432.ens) has been
made for this course, and is available for download on WebCT.
This is the link to the McGill Libraries site from which you can download EndNote:
http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-using/endnote/
Figures and Tables
Each figure and table must
Be inserted into the body of the paper and referred to within the text
Be numbered and include a title
Table 5: Non-reactive aggregate types (placed at the top of the table)
Figure 3: Steel strains in AAR – reinforced concrete beams (placed at the base of the
figure)
Include a reference indicated at the base (eg. Source: Smith and Jones (2005)) if it was
not prepared by the student. If the student used data from a source to prepare the figure or
table (such as to make it clearer, to compress it from the original, etc.), the source should
be given as "After Smith and Jones (2005)". If the source is a website, it should still be
referenced with an author (or organization), plus the date of publication or the date
accessed. The url is to be given in the list of references.
The following sample pages provide detailed examples to help in the preparation of the
Technical Paper.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
7
Title page:
The Impact of Forestry Roads on Rivers
Jim Jones
9299100
McGill University
Department of Civil Engineering
and Applied Mechanics
Montréal, Québec
September 2007
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
8
Abstract
The impact of forestry roads on rivers has direct and indirect impacts on the morphology and
ecology of the rivers. These impacts have led Quebec and British Columbia governments to put
forward new regulations regarding road construction on public lands. This paper reviews these
regulations and finds that the Quebec regulations are generally more stringent, and less flexible,
but may be operationally difficult to implement. The BC regulations stipulate that bridges and
culverts shall be designed for the 50-100 year flood, while the Quebec regulations require that
the structures should be able to cope with the 10-30 year flood. In Quebec, all crossings must be
passable to fish, while in BC, only fish bearing streams need to be passable. Quebec also has
much stricter regulations regarding ditches by prohibiting ditch water to be directly connected to
a watercourse. A case study on the impact of a forestry road on the Chandler river in BC is also
discussed.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
9
Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my appreciation to Professor ------------- for her guidance and support
throughout the preparation of this technical paper. I would also like to thank Mr. Robert Marks,
President of ABC Corporation who provided the resources to assist me with data gathering.
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
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Table of Contents
Page
Abstract
Acknowledgements Pages i to v:
start each
Table of Contents section on a
new page
List of Figures
List of Tables
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 River
1.3 Fish Habitat Requirements
1.4 Other Considerations
2.0 Laboratory Model
2.1 Overview of Model
2.2 Model Parameters
2.3 Model Test A
2.4 Model Test B
3.0 Numerical Model
3.1 Depth Averaging Model
3.2 River Bed Model
4.0 Experimentation Method
5.0 Uniform Flow
6.0 Case Study
7.0 Conclusions
References
Appendix A (to be included only if necessary)
Statement of Authorship
Pages 1
to end
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
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List of Figures
Number Caption Page
1 Expansive concrete strains in a beam 14
2 Flexure vs load characteristics 16
CIVE 432 Technical Paper GUIDES: Sample Pages.
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List of Tables
Number Caption Page
1 Comparison of experimental strain with calculated strains 14
2 Predicted vs. measured strains 16
13
The following excerpt from a journal article illustrates the proper format for citing sources
within the text.
.
McGill University
Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Technical Paper CIVE 432
EVALUATION OF THE INITIAL SUBMISSION
Name of student: ________________________________________
Student I.D: ________________________________________
Title of Paper: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Topics Comments
Projected table of contents; introduction, including
objectives of the paper
Originality of the work (are ideas from multiple
sources combined in a unique way?)
Body of the paper. Complete. Must include
references in the text, figures, etc.
Quality of the writing. Spelling, grammar,
sentence structure, absence of typos.
Tables and figures.
List of references. Each reference must be given in
its final form (i.e., according to the format given in
this handout).
Overall evaluation and comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Professor:_________________________________ Date:______________________
.
Checklist for Technical Paper
(Verify carefully prior to submitting final draft)
Name: ___________________________________________
Student I.D. : ____________________________________________
Title: ____________________________________________________________________________________
.
___________ Title Page
___________ Abstract
___________ Acknowledgements
___________ Table of Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables
proper page numbering (“Introduction” begins on page 1)
__________ References
proper treatment in text, figures and tables
proper presentation in List of References
cross-checked: body of paper list and vice versa
__________ Figures, graphs, photographs, diagrams, and tables
numbered and with a title
source acknowledged beneath figures, tables, etc. where applicable (do not
acknowledge your own materials shown for the first time in this paper)
__________ Length (3000-5000 words)
5000 words equals approximately 20 double-spaced pages
__________ Double spaced with margins as follows:
left margin 30 mm
right margin 25 mm
top and bottom margin 25 mm each
__________ Headings and subheadings
adequate number; consistent treatment throughout text
___________ Statement of Authorship included as final page of Technical Paper
__________ Proofread by colleague
.
Statement of Authorship
I hereby certify that this technical paper,
______________________________________________________________________________
Title
is the original work of
Name of student
and has not previously been submitted as part of the requirements of any other course or project
at McGill University or elsewhere.
All sources of information used have been fully referenced.
______________________________ ____________________________
Signature Date
(simply typing your name here is sufficient)
.
Evaluation of Final Submission of Technical Paper
Name: ______________________________________ Student I.D: _________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Content: (30%) _________
Originality, completeness, effort
Engineering relevance and significance
Organization: (20%) _________
Clarity in statement of objectives
Suitability of introduction and conclusions
Logical development of the subject matter
Paper Presentation: (20%) _________
Proper breakdown to sections
Quality of figures, and tables
Table of contents, acknowledgements, references list
Proper attribution to sources in the text, figures and tables
Quality of writing: (20%) _________
Accuracy and terminology
Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation, overall sentence structure
Quality of Abstract: (10%) _________
Penalty for late submission: _________
Final Score: _________
Faculty Reviewer: ___________________________________
Comments: