Writing

For help with any stage of the technical writing process, contact the EIC office to set up an appointment with a Communication Fellow, a qualified student that has been trained to help you learn to communicate information more effectively.

Helpful Links for Writing

On-line Technical Writing by David A. McMurrey
The website contains an especially useful section entitled Power Revision Techniques, which provides discussion and examples pertaining to clear organization and sentence structure. Other useful sections provide examples of all types of technical writing:  memos, short and long reports, progress reports, and the like.  However, the examples are culled from student writing and are not always of the best quality.

TechComm Web
This is the website for technical communication by Mike Markel (the textbook used in EAS 400/500).  Links at the website connect to examples of technical writing (memos, short reports, proposals, etc.) and to tutorials on the following subjects:

• Designing for the web
• Evaluating online sources
• Designing documents with a word processor
• Preparing presentation slides
• Preparing effective charts and graphs

Guide to Grammar and Writing
This website contains lessons on general points of grammar as they pertain to writing.  The Power-Point presentations on grammar give useful information about such topics as sentence fragments and run-on sentences.  In an attempt to enliven an otherwise deadly subject, the lessons overuse flying and dancing graphics, but the lessons will inform you as they keep you awake.

Writing Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
For non-native speakers of English:   This website provides a link to an excellent discussions of article (a, an, the) usage.

Conducting Research

If you need help with research, please stop by the Engineering Library or contact an Engineering librarian to set up an appointment. Below are some links to helpful resources.

• Research Basics
  Research Basics helps students identify the most relevant resources for each field of
  study. Students can also find general guides to research skills such as choosing topics,
  evaluating sources, and finding full text.
  
  
• Course Guides
  The course guides help students in specific classes to find the resources that are most
  appropriate for their projects.  The guides take students through the research process in
  a step-by-step fashion, linking to useful sources of information along the way.
  
  
• Research Guides
  Research Guides contains links to the “Information Resources in . . . ” series, which
  covers BE, CBE, CIS, EE, MEAM, MSE and SSE.  Students will also find many other useful
  guides listed.
  
  
• Tutorials
  Here engineering and physical science students can learn to use some of the most
  important resources available to them, such as databases and citation management tools.
  
  
• Penn Online Research Tutorial (PORT)
  For students who are new to research, this is a tutorial covering basic skills such as
  developing a topic, identifying the types of information needed, locating, evaluating and
  citing information.

For more information, contact:

Mary Westervelt
Director, EIC
Office:  Towne 306
Phone:  215.573.6486
mwester@seas.upenn.edu

Danianne Mizzy
Assistant Head, Engineering Library
Engineering Library
Office: 217 Towne (Engineering Library)
Phone:  215.898.5700
danianne@seas.upenn.edu