Technical Writing

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Definition
A technical report (also scientific report) is a document that describes the process, progress, or
results of technical or scientific research or the state of a technical or scientific research
problem.[1][2] It might also include recommendations and conclusions of the research. Unlike
other scientific literature, such as scientific journals and the proceedings of some academic
conferences, technical reports rarely undergo comprehensive independent peer review before
publication. They may be considered as grey literature. Where there is a review process, it is
often limited to within the originating organization. Similarly, there are no formal publishing
procedures for such reports, except where established locally.

"A technical report is a document written by a researcher detailing the results of a project and
submitted to the sponsor of that project." TRs are not peer-reviewed unless they are subsequently
published in a peer-review journal.

What is Technical Report

Technical report is a document that describes the progress, process, or results of scientific or
technical research. It also can include some recommendations and conclusions. Technical reports
may be considered as grey literature because they rarely undergo comprehensive independent peer
review before publication.

Technical reports are a great source of technical or scientific information. They can be written
both for wider or internal distribution. In order to establish novelty, technical reports can be
considered as a primary form of scientific paper when researchers don’t want to wait when
academic journals publish their work.

So, as you see, a technical report is key part of the research that also should be written according
to established rules. Below, you will find some tips on how to write it.

Characteristics of Technical Reports

 May contain data, design criteria, procedures, literature reviews, research history,
detailed tables, illustrations/images, explanation of approaches that were unsuccessful.
 May be published before the corresponding journal literature; may have more or different
details than its subsequent journal article.
 May contain less background information since the sponsor already knows it
 May have restricted access
  Classified and export controlled reports
 May contain obscure acronyms and codes as part of identifying information

Elements of Technical Report

A typical technical report consists of the following elements:

 The title page

 The introduction

 The summary

 Experimental details

 Results and discussions

 The body

 Conclusion (The conclusion may include)

 Recommendations
 Reference
 Bibliography
 Acknowledgments
 Appendices

Tips on How to Write a Technical Report

A technical report doesn’t differ much from other types of technical documents. First steps are the
same — learn your audience, goals of the technical report, what recourses (articles, blogs) can
help you write a good report, and so on.

Then list all your ideas of topics as they come to your mind, sort them into groups — it will be a
rough outline of your future technical report. Now, you’re ready for a first draft. I want to provide
you with some tips on how to write a good technical report in order to help you create a great first
draft and save your time:

 When you’re searching for information on the Internet, keep in mind, that not all the
information is reliable, so check it twice. The best way is to read relevant books, journals,
and articles.

 Speaking of formatting, stick to one format — don’t use different fonts in your work. If you
want to highlight an idea, use bold or italic.
 Heading and subheadings should be clear in order to ease the searching for necessary
information. They also help readers get the main idea quickly. In my recent post called
‘Using Humor in Technical Documentation’ I showed an example of using humor in the
table of contents, and it’s not a good idea — nothing is clear.

 It’s ok to use the information of other people but use citation — plagiarism is not a good idea
of writing content. Check out Top 10 Free Plagiarism Detection Tools in order to be sure that
you cite all sources.

 Proofread your content using these tips or a free grammar checker.

Check List

A presentation is important part of the final outlook of your work. So, what do you need to do:

 Write a script. Your report should be printed on an A4 paper on one side. It should not be
hand-written because it’s not accepted.

 You should number those pages that contain the content, so, a title page and a summary
are exceptions.

 Staple your report at the top left; if a report is too long, you should bind it.

 Formatting: usually the font size is 12, style is Times New Roman, and the spacing is 1.5 or
2.

Characteristic Format and Structure of Technical Report

The information provided in reports needs to be easy to find, and written in such
a way that the marker / reader / client can understand it. Reports utilise headings
to divide information into sections. The headings help the reader to locate
relevant information quickly. Below are some guidelines for structuring your
report.

The structure and Format of a report and the purpose and contents of each section
is shown below.

TITLE PAGE report title

your name
submission date
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY overview of subject matter
methods of analysis
 findings
recommendations
TABLE OF CONTENTS list of numbered sections in
report and their
page numbers
INTRODUCTION terms of reference
outline of report’s structure
BODY headings and sub-headings
which reflect the contents of
each section
CONCLUSION states the major inferences that
can be drawn from the
discussion
RECOMMENDATIONS indicates any further work that
needs to be done or identifies the
alternative you think best solves
or improves the problem
REFERENCE LIST list of reference material
consulted during research for
report
APPENDIX information that supports your
analysis but is not essential to its
explanation

Technical Report Format and Structure

A technical report structure in business and industry should contain the following sections:

1. Letter of transmittal
2. Title page
3. Abstract
4. Table of contents
5. List of illustrations
6. Executive summary
7. Glossary and list of symbols
8. Introduction
9. Body
10. Conclusion
11. Recommendations
12. Appendix
1. Letter of Transmittal

The components of a report are not written in the same order in which they appear e.g. the letter
of transmittal is the first thing the reader sees, but it is probably the last to be created. It
introduces the purpose and content of the report to the principle reader. It gives you an
opportunity to emphasize whatever you think, your reader will find particularly in the attached
material. It enables you to point out any errors or omission in the material. Transmittal letter
contains the following element.

 A statement of title and purpose of report.

 A statement of who authorized the project and when
 A statement of method used in the project or of the principal results, conclusion and
recommendations.
 An acknowledgement of any assistance you received in preparing the material.

2. The title page

Usual elements of title page in a technical report are:

 Title
 Name and position of writer
 Name and position of principle reader
 Date of submission

A good title must be informative. It. answers two basic questions:

1. What is the subject of the report

2. What type of report is it? E.g. sea pollution - control devices

Define the type of report by using a generic term such as analysis, recommendations e.g
summary, review etc. For a simple title page, centre the title (typed in full capital letter) about a
third of the way down the page, then add the readers and writer's position, the organization’s
name and date.

3. The abstract
 Format and Structure of a Technical Report

In a technical report structure, the abstract is like a brief technical summary, usually not more
than 200 words of the report. Its directed to readers who are familiar with the technical subject
and need to know whether to read the full report or not. This can use technical terminology and
refer to advanced concepts. Basic types of abstract are descriptive and informative abstracts. The
descriptive abstract sometime called topical or table of contents abstract. It does not provide the
import results, conclusion or recommendations. It lists the topic covered giving equal coverage
to each. The informative abstract states the problems the scope and methods, and the major
results, conclusion or recommendations.

4. The table of contents

The table of contents in the technical report structure enables different readers to turn to specific
pages to find the information they want. Well organized report becomes ineffective if table of
contents, is not clear. T.O.C provide only guide to report's structure, coverage and pagination.
The headings that appear in the report are listed in T.O.C. For effective T.O.C make sure the
report has effective headings.

5. The list of illustrations

It is a T.O.C for the figures and tables in the technical report. If the report contains figures but
not tables, it is called the list of figures. But if the report contains tables but not figures so is
called the list of tables only. List of illustrations may be on the same page as the table of
contents, or may be on the separate page. If it begins on a separate page, it should be listed in the
table of contents.

6. The executive summary

Sometimes called executive overview or the management summary in the technical report
structure. It is a one page condensation of a report. Managers don’t need a detailed and deep
understanding of various projects undertaken in their organization because of limitations in time
and specialization. The background of the project is also discussed clearly herein. The specific
problem that is to be solved through the project is clearly discussed; also the conclusion and
recommendations are discussed in a full separate paragraph.

7. The glossary and list of symbols

A glossary is an alphabetic list of definitions. It is useful if you are addressing a multiple

audience that includes readers who will not be familiar with the technical vocabulary used in the
report. An asterisk or any other notation can be used along the word to tell the audience that the
word is defined in glossary. It is generally placed at the end of the report just before the
appendix. Though if the glossary is a brief one, so can be placed right after the table of contents.
A list of symbols is structured like glossary, but rather than defining words and phrases, it
defines the symbols and abbreviations used in the report. Like glossary, the list of symbols may
be placed before the appendices or after the table of content.

8. Introduction

The material which you are about to present in the main body of the report must be set in context
depending on the type of project/report. This section gives the reader the necessary background
information and leads straight into the report itself. A typical introduction can include the
following content:

 Main aim/s, objective/s and scope (the parameters) of the report

 identify the importance of the current project for scientific knowledge or commercial
operations
 an overview of the report’s sections
 method(s) of approach
 indications of scope and limitations of the study
 outline of material presented in rest of report.

9. Body

This will include all the main content of the report like what task was at hand, what were the
findings, what methodology was used to find the findings, comparison and discussion of the
results. This is usually the longest and most important part in the structure of the report so the
material must be presented logically to make it is easy to read. It is divided into numbered and
headed sections. These sections separate the different main ideas in a logical order.
10. Conclusion

It answers the questions raised by the original research problem or objectives of the study. The
conclusions should be a condensed version of the intervening sections giving the key findings
of the work. No new scientific argument should be presented here - everything should have
already been discussed in the "Discussion".

 reference to original aim(s) and objective(s) of report,

 limitations and advantages of the findings,
 objective opinion, evaluation or judgement of the evidence

The conclusion must arise from the evidence discussed in the body of the report. It should not,
therefore, subjectively tell the reader what to do, this job is performed by the recommendations
section.

11. Recommendations

In some reports recommendations are also required along with conclusions. The
recommendations should emerge from the conclusions of the report. Recommendations tell the
reader what to do: what decision to make, what course of action to take, what solution is superior
or what further work needs to be undertaken. The recommendations section should never contain
any new evidence and should arise from the information presented in the body and conclusion
sections.

Recommendations in the technical report structure should be feasible and appropriate to the
problem; for example, their cost should be realistic to the budget and they should be ethical.
They should be as concrete and specific as possible; they should read as a list of things the client
should do. They can be written in descriptive as well as bullets form, whatever is desired. Let
your reader know why you are recommending an action by supplying the reasons for your
decision drawn from the conclusions of the report.

12. Appendix

In the technical report structure, an appendix is any section that follows the body of the report
(and the list of references or bibliography, glossary or list of symbols). Appendices provide
information that is too bulky to be presented in the body or that will interest only a small number
of readers. For conciseness in the report, this information is separated from the body. Examples
of the kind of material that are usually found in the appendix include maps, large technical
diagrams or charts, computations, test data and texts of supporting documents. Appendices are
usually lettered, rather than numbered and are listed in the table of contents.
Technical Project Proposal?

A technical proposal, often called a "Statement of Work,” is a persuasive document. Its

objectives are to
1. Identify what work is to be done
2. Explain why this work needs to be done
3. Persuade the reader that the proposers (you) are qualified for the work, have a plausible
management plan and technical approach, and have the resources needed to complete the
task within the stated time and cost constraints.
What makes a good proposal? One attribute is appearance. A strong proposal has an
attractive, professional, inviting appearance. In addition, the information should easy to access.
A second attribute is substance. A strong proposal has a well-organized plan of attack. A strong
proposal also has technical details because technical depth is needed to sell your project.
Remember: A proposal is a persuasive document.

Types of Technical Proposals

A technical proposal is a document that describes what all a project requires, such as the time,
money, human and technical resources, and possible gaps and risks involved.

Types of Proposals

Pre-Proposal
Solicited Proposal
Renewal and Continuation Proposals
Limited Submissions
Revised Budgets
Pre-Proposal
A pre-proposal (sometimes called a white paper, letter proposal, letter of intent, preliminary
proposal, pre-application, or concept paper) is a short description of the proposed project.
Usually, the purpose of a pre-proposal is to inform and interest the potential sponsor in the
project, resulting in a request for a more detailed formal proposal. If the sponsor requires an
institutional official to sign or submit the pre-proposal, please contact Sponsored Projects
 & Contracting Services early in the preparation process to determine if the pre-proposal
should be routed through UAccess Research subject to Internal Deadlines for Proposal
Routing.
A pre-proposal must be routed through UAccess Research for institutional approval prior to
submission if it:
 Involves a commitment of University resources
 Includes a detailed budget
 Includes cost sharing or an exception to the University F&A Cost rate

It is not necessary to route a pre-proposal for institutional approval if it:

 Includes a total cost estimate without a detailed budget

 Is not expected to result directly in an award without a full detailed proposal
Solicited Proposal

Sponsors solicit formal proposals by publishing specific program announcements. These

solicitations are often called Request for Proposals (RFPs), Funding Opportunity
Announcements (FOAs), Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs), etc. Researchers
responding to the program announcement write the proposal to meet the sponsor’s program
guidelines. Deadlines may recur annually or several times a year.

A response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) is one type of solicited proposal. Most RFP’s
have a stated deadline and are one-time solicitations for specific needs of the sponsor, not
expected to recur. The proposed project must respond to the specific work statement in the
Request for Proposal.

Solicited proposals must be routed through the University proposal routing process prior to
submitting the proposal to the sponsor.

Renewal and Continuation Proposals

A competing renewal proposal (also called a competing continuation) is a request for
continued funding of a project for which the funding or project period is about to terminate.
Such proposals are similar to "new" proposals and must be routed and approved in the
same manner.
Noncompeting continuation proposals, which request the next year’s funding within a
multi-year grant, generally consist of a progress report, budget, and other relevant materials
such as research results, reprints, vitae for new personnel, etc. They sometimes include a
financial status report showing the unobligated balance for the current year. Generally,
sponsors require the signature of the institutional official and investigators. Noncompeting
continuation proposals are routed through UAccess Research, even if a budget is not
required.
Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) is a federal-wide uniform progress
report format for use by federal agencies that provide sponsored funding. RPPR is also
used for noncompeting continuations. These reports to NSF are now submitted
through Research.gov. Information on how to file annual, final, and interim reports with the
NSF is available at About Research.gov Project Reporting.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires use of the RPPR module to submit
progress reports for Streamlined Non-competing Award Process (SNAP), fellowship, and
multi-year funded awards. The RPPR is currently available to all institutions for non-SNAP
progress reports, including those for complex and training awards. NIH will require all
grantee institutions to use the RPPR for non-SNAP progress reports submitted on or after
October 17, 2014. If you are unsure if this requirement applies to your NIH grant, your
Notice of Award will specify whether an award uses SNAP. Note, “R” awards routinely
use SNAP. In addition, the RPPR requirement also applies to all fellowship (“F”) awards.
Information is available on the NIH’s Research Performance Progress Report site. Please
contact Sponsored Projects & Contracting Services with questions.
Limited Solicitations
Occasionally, sponsors announce program funding opportunities limiting the number of
proposals that may be submitted by each institution/applicant. Research, Discovery &
Innovation distributes the program announcements through the weekly e-news, The
Current, and online. Faculty interested in submitting proposals should follow the limited
submission pre-proposal process. The primary criterion for selecting proposals is the
relevance to the program selection criteria and the potential for successfully competing in
 the sponsor’s competitive process. Faculty whose pre-proposals are selected as the
institutional submission will be notified and must then prepare a complete application to
submit to the sponsor. See Limited Solicitations for additional information.
Revised Budgets

When a sponsor wants to fund a proposed project at an amount different from that
originally proposed, the sponsor asks the investigator to submit a "revised" budget
supporting the amount to be funded. A revised budget must be routed through the
University proposal routing process to document the signatories’ approval of the budget
revisions. If the sponsor reduces the budget, the investigator must determine whether the
originally proposed scope and objectives of the project can be met under the revised
budget. If not, the investigator and sponsor must redefine the scope and objectives in
writing before the University accepts the award.

If the original budget contained cost share or matching, the cost share or matching amount
may need to change to reflect the budget revisions. These changes need to be approved by
the department head prior to routing the budget through UAccess Research

Characteristic Format and Structure of Technical Proposal

What is a Proposal?

A proposal is a written document to persuade the reader for a suggested plan of action. For
example, a proposal may aim to attain a grant from the government to carry out a survey
on communication practices on organizations.

Characteristics of Proposals

1. Proposals are persuasive documents as these try to convince the reader of the suitability of a
particular course of action.
2. Proposals are generally written for an external audience though in some cases they may be
made for internal purposes, by one department for another or from an individual to the
management.

3. These may be solicited or unsolicited.

4. They vary in length from a couple of pages to several pages.
5. Proposals may be made by individuals or organizations for both individuals and organizations.

Types of Proposals

Proposals may be solicited or unsolicited. Solicited proposals are invited, that is, the awarding
organization calls for proposals from interested individuals/parties. The awarding organization
lays down the requirements that the proposal should contain. In many cases, a standard format is
provided for the parties to submit their proposals. Government agencies routinely ask for
proposals from potential suppliers.

Unsolicited proposals are also called prospecting proposals. They are more detailed and should
catch the receiver’s attention. They require more background information and should be
persuasive so as to convince the reader of the suitability of the proposal.

In addition to the above, proposals may be typically research proposals which include details of
the plan of the research, need and objectives of the research and the budget of the research.

(A) Business Proposal is a written offer from a seller to a prospective buyer. Business
proposals are often a key step in the complex sales process—i.e., whenever a buyer considers
more than price in a purchase.

A proposal puts the buyer's requirements in a context that favors the seller's products and
services, and educates the buyer about the capabilities of the seller in satisfying their needs.

Types of proposals

There are three distinct categories of business proposals:

 Formally solicited
 Informally solicited
 Unsolicited

Solicited proposals are written in response to published requirements, contained in a request for
proposal (RFP), request for quotation (RFQ), invitation for bid (IFB), or a request for
information (RFI).
(B) Research Proposal is a document proposing a research project, generally in
the sciences or academia, and generally constitutes a request for sponsorship of that
research.[1] Proposals are evaluated on the cost and potential impact of the proposed research,
and on the soundness of the proposed plan for carrying it out. [2]Research proposals generally
address several key points:

 What research question(s) will be addressed, and how they will be addressed
 How much time and expense will be required for the research
 What prior research has been done on the topic
 How the results of the research will be evaluated
 How the research will benefit the sponsoring organization and other parties

Types

Research proposals may be solicited, meaning that they are submitted in response to a request
with specified requirements, such as an request for proposal, or they may be unsolicited,
meaning they are submitted without prior request. Other types of proposals include
"preproposals", where a letter of intent or brief abstract is submitted for review prior to
submission of a full proposal; continuation proposals, which re-iterate an original proposal and
its funding requirements in order to ensure continued funding; and renewal proposals, which
seek continued sponsorship of a project which would otherwise be terminated. [3]

Academic research proposals are generally written as part of the initial requirements of writing
a thesis, research paper, or dissertation. They generally follow the same format as a research
paper, with an introduction, a literature review, a discussion of research methodology and goals,
and a conclusion. This basic structure may vary between projects and between fields, each of
which may have its own requirements.

Format/Content of Proposal

The proposal may be in the format of a letter (mostly in the case of proposals being sent within
organizations), or a form proposal (in which the form is supplied by the organization calling for
proposals) or in a detailed report form.
The following are the topics under which information may be provided while writing a proposal.
Depending on the complexity and the length of the proposal, these eight topics can be combined
or further subdivided to suit the needs.

(i) Objective statement: The opening statement should present the purpose/objective of the
proposal, that is, what the presenter is proposing to do. It should be linked to the need of the
receiver to gain acceptability. The problem/objective should be stated clearly.

In the case of solicited proposals, it is important to link the objective statement with the topic for
which proposals are invited. In the case of unsolicited proposals, the objective should be of
interest to the organization where the proposal is being submitted and it should also catch the
reader’s attention. This can be effectively done by summarizing the benefits of the proposal.

(ii) Background: Provide the reader with background information of the problem. This helps the
reader to better understand the problem and see it in the right perspective. For example, a
proposal of a research organization to a company for carrying out a survey on consumer behavior
may be backed by information related to declining sales due to changing consumer needs.

(iii) Need: Need for what is being proposed is an offshoot of the background information. Based
on the background information, the need is established so that the reader is clearly able to
understand its advantages.

(iv) Procedure/Discussion of the plan: This is where you provide the details regarding how you
will go about achieving the objectives listed out earlier. Give a step-by-step description of your
plan of action, proposed schedule of the activities and an estimated budget. This is the heart of
the proposal and needs to be written carefully, concisely and logically.

(v) Qualifications: Give the qualifications and experience of the persons who would be involved
in the proposed project. This is given with a view to providing evidence of their ability to handle
the project. Details of previous experiences of the organization/individuals in handling similar
projects, the availability of facilities, equipment, expertise, and so on, provide credibility to the
proposal.

(vi) Request for approval: To conclude the proposal you may briefly summarize it in a couple
of lines followed by a direct request for approval. This may not appear as a separate heading but
may take the form of a few lines at the end. ·

(vii) Appendix: Any supporting information relevant to your proposal may be included as an
appendix towards the end of the proposal.
Guidelines for Writing a Proposal

Scot Ober has compiled some of the points to be kept in mind while writing a proposal. These
are as follows:

 Give ample, credible evidence for all statements.

 Do not exaggerate.
 Provide examples, expert testimony and specific facts and figures to support
your statements.
 Use simple, straightforward and direct language preferring simple sentences and
active voice.
 Stress reader benefits. Remember that you are asking for something, usually a
commitment of money; let the reader know what he or she will get in return.

Technical Article
Technical article is an article for a magazine or an online service that is about a technical topic,
and typically the article drills down into some low-level of detail. Could be computers, could be
physics or chemistry or any other science. Could be about math. Could be about medicine or
health or diet. Could be about the physics of cooking. There are literally thousands of potential
topics of technical articles.

Writing good technical articles is indeed a challenge, takes a lot of your personal time and often
requires doing a lot of research. Of-course you should have a passion for reading and writing it.

Before you write your paper, you need to understand your audience and your message. Who will
read it, and what are the key points you want that person to take away from it?

Always Remember

#1: Always use present tense in writing Technical Article. Furthermore, the use of words like
“will” tends to lead to thinking and writing about what will be done. Conversely, when the article
is written in the present tense, the language is clear and unambiguous.

#2: Avoid lengthy, complex paragraphs. In case your article will appear in columns, even one or
two sentences equal a paragraph.
#3: Avoid use of passive voice.

For example “Each message includes a time interval” (active voice) reads better than “In a
message, time interval is included” (passive voice).

Sentences in active voice have directness and keep the reader interested.

#4: Expand all acronyms on first use, except acronyms that every reader is expected to know.

#5: Avoid “etc.” unless it is obvious.

Good Example: “We shall number the phrases as 1,3,5 etc”

Bad Example: “We measure performance factors such as volatility, scalability, etc”

Also avoid using “that”, “this”, “these”, “such as,” “among others” or, better yet, try to give a
complete list.

#6: Do not refer to colors in Figures. Most people will print the paper on a monochrome (black
and white) printer and will have no idea what you are talking about. Make sure that lines are
easily distinguishable when printing on a monochrome printer.

#7: Keep your bylines down to 6 lines or less. Publishers will not publish articles that contain
excessively long bylines.

#8: Make sure you read your article several times and use spell-check. Though it may be
obvious, this is one of the most important tips. If you are careless making silly spelling mistakes,
editors will just reject your article.

#9 : Never write an article on a topic which you are not confident. Make sure you work out all
steps and give fair amount of information to your readers.

#10: When providing data in form of numbers that include facts, always provide the source of
information. For example “20,000 nodes on internet as per XYZ research paper dated ..”
 Characteristic Format and Structure of Technical Article

A well written article should include the following Outline:-

 Title
 Abstract
 Introduction
 The Body
 Conclusions/Summary
 Future Work /References

Title:

Avoid common phrases like “novel”, “performance evaluation” and “architecture”, since almost
every paper does a performance evaluation of some architecture and it better be novel. Nobody
searches for these types of words on the internet.

Use adjectives that describe the distinctive features of your work, e.g., reliable, scalable, high-
performance, robust, low-complexity, or low-cost.

Use a powerful headline that demands attention and try to keep it all on one line. Look for
keyword combinations that will make a good title, should reflect what the article is about, and
should rate fair in a keyword search.

Abstract :

Lot of people doesn’t realize the importance of “Abstract”. Many people read abstracts and then
decide whether to go through the rest of the paper.

Well written abstract should be no more than 100-150 words. Highlight not just the problem, but
also the results. The abstract must not contain references, as it may be used without the main
article.
 Avoid use of “in this paper” in the abstract. Avoid equations and math unless your article is
about proving an equation.

Introduction:

Should briefly describe the problem along with solutions and alternatives the paper is going to
cover. Problem statement should also lay emphasis on why problem is important.

Be sure that the introduction lets the reader know what this paper is about, not just how
important your general area of research is. The introduction must motivate your work by
covering the problem you are addressing and then give an overview of your approach and/or
contributions (and perhaps even a general description of your results).

Introduction should answer the following questions :-

 What is the existing problem and why it is important?

 What is the approach to solve the problem (leave the details to be covered in the body) and how
is it different than existing approach or solves a known limitation?
 What are the Results?

In this way, the introduction sets up the expectations for the rest of the paper by providing a
context and a preview.

Remember: Repeating the abstract in the introduction is bad idea so avoid it.

Body:

Describe Problem and the necessary details. Unless there is a separate section on
results/conclusion, that should also land up in this section.

Try to tell a story. The story should be linear by keeping the reader engaged at every step. Make
a list of your main points. Then progress from one to another (logically), so that they lead to a
conclusion.
Along with the text (that is obvious) to you since you know what you are writing, try to include
figures, flowcharts, and tables to support the text. Believe me, this is what would keep the
readers interested.

Conclusion/Summary

This should essentially include a summary of all the main points mentioned in the body.
Conclusion may be merged either in the body or a separate section just after the body.

Future Work /References

If you are actively involved in a follow-up work (would often be true for a on-going research),
there is no harm to include a synopsis on the same in this section so readers can look forward to
that.

Provide links to all articles you think will be useful for the reader to get additional information. If
you have referred any books, list them as well. This will give a clear idea to the reader to look
out for more details.

Last but not the least, make sure you follow the publishers’ submission guidelines. Articles
submitted to publishers that don’t follow the submission guidelines will most likely be rejected.

Make sure your article is properly formatted. Publishers won’t take the time to format your
article. They’ll simply delete it and move on to the next article submission.