The Complete Guide on How to Write an Engineering Research Paper

Need to write a research paper on Engineering? First of all, it is necessary to get the considerable knowledge of the engineering discipline. Remember that the specific activity like research paper writing is aimed at obtaining new theoretical and practical knowledge of some principles according to which the nature exist, the society lives, and the way of thinking develops. In its turn, the research work on Engineering is characterized by such essential features:

• The presence of systematic knowledge (scientific ideas, theories, concepts, laws, patterns, principles, hypotheses, basic concepts, facts);
• The existence of a scientific problem, object, and subject of the research;
• The practical significance of the phenomenon (process) being studied.

This is a quite challenging task to write a research paper that can be simplified after following some simple recommendations. This ‘how-to’ guide gives you some constructive ideas on:

• How to get started with the writing process;
• How to structure a detailed outline for a research paper with the required content of each part;
• How to use a formatting style needed, etc.

The Preliminary Stage of Research Paper Writing

Before you start your engineering research paper writing, it is worth to involve some tips which make the writing process more structured and, subsequently, easier to complete on time. Follow the schedule of how the research paper should be accomplished. The fundamental division of the work on research papers is based on the following 3 points:

1. content of work;
2. overall execution time;
3. reporting of the execution.

In successful researchers’ experience, six steps are essential to compose a paper in relation to this three-point principle:

• The selection of the thematic direction and coordination of the topic – 10% – fixing the topic of the research paper.
• The development of the task based on methods and means to realize the mission – 15% – printing statement of the task and receiving the teacher’s approval.
• The analysis of theoretical materials in the direction of research; study of the subject area – 10% – the design of the first and second sections of the research paper in electronic form; the registration of bibliography list in the electronic form.
• The elaboration of the conceptual and logical model of the software system – 35% – the implementation and specification of models; description of constructed diagrams.
• The development of the physical model and implementation of the software prototype – 15% – the development of a test case and electronic report on the user’s order of actions.
• The designation of an explanatory note – 15% – the printed explanatory note and finished software product on the portable data carrier.

Essential Features of the Research Paper

After getting an exact vision about the essence of engineering subject, you may turn to the next step – the choice of the research paper topic. For example, if the engineering field is applied to informational technologies, possible topics are as follows:

• Designing a Control System for the PC Operating Process;
• Creation of the Architecture for the Internet Forum;
• The Model of the Software Structure in the Internet Forum;
• Simulation of the Maintenance Station Software;
• Designing a Complex Training Program “Addressing in IP-Networks”, etc.

The Initial Outline of Your Engineering Research Paper

After the topic is approved and the pre-writing tips are considered, the next step is to complete the title page, a thesis statement, and the draft content plan or outline. All three may be alternated depending on the research process and appearance of the new facts. The next is the example of the structure of the research paper in computer engineering:

Remarks That Apply Equally to Your Research Paper Writing

The introduction is supposed to have the identification of the purpose, the task, the subject, the object, and the research methods (methodology). The purpose of the research paper is to study the peculiarities of modeling and analysis of the software complexes according to the definite theme of the research paper and via the CASE-technologies. Concerning the research paper tasks, they are as follows:

• The analysis of theoretical foundations in software modeling;
• The analysis and description of the usage requirements;
• The methods of functions and the system behavior modulating;
• The design of the object structure in the system;
• The physical modeling of the software systems;
• The coding out from the models.

The subject of the study in the outline is the possibility to apply the CASE software design tools. The object of this research is the methods and means of designing the software and unification of the design process.

During the process of working on the body paragraphs in the research paper, you can use the mono-graphic, analytical, mathematical, and graphical methods along with the object-oriented design and programming. All these are the research methods applicable to engineering science. Referring to the example of the outline, the following notes mark succinctly how the argument should flow in each paragraph and subparagraph:

• Subparagraph 1.1 contains a technical assignment for the graduation design. The oriented volume is up to three pages.
• Subparagraph 1.2 contains a comparative analysis of at least three software tools in the UML language (optional) + the tool to be implemented.
• Subparagraph 1.3 contains a description of the software requirements.

The recommendation here is to build the chart with use cases. The requirements catalog and glossary are provided in the appendixes; the oriented volume is up to seven pages.

• Subparagraph 2.1 contains activity and status charts illustrating the behavior of the system and the sequence of the operations performed with the description.
• Subparagraph 2.2 contains component interaction charts, a collaboration diagram, and a sequence diagram for system usage options.
• Subparagraph 2.3 contains an object-oriented model of the software complex (class diagram) executed using the design patterns; the oriented volume is around seven pages.
• Subparagraph 3.1 contains the interaction of system components made using a component diagram; the oriented volume is equal to seven pages.
• Subparagraph 3.2 contains a description of the architectural structure of the system based on the deployment diagram; the oriented volume is also seven pages.
• Subparagraph 3.3 contains the order of code-generation software models and a description of the prototype system.

The conclusion gives a brief list of the research results on the capabilities of the engineering project. The bibliography contains a list of all literary sources. The number of references should not be less than twenty-five. The appendixes list the requirements catalog, the glossary, generated code, the code of the implemented interface and other elements per the student’s “imagination.” When the works seem finished, there comes the time of checking all the grammar and structural relevance on the subject of their compliance with the professor’s demands.

The Engineering Research Paper Writing Format Peculiarities Concerning the Additional Material

It is worth to pay attention to some design features of the research paper:

• Paragraphs and sub-paragraphs should have the title in the form of heading. The text of the research paper is recommended to lead via an impersonal statement: “summing up the above,” “given in the work,” or “the research determines.” One has to adhere to a single terminology in the text of the research paper. The names of firms, factories, and organizations are not prohibited, but the individual marks should identify them.
• Formulas are arranged in the arabic numerals in the paragraphs. The formula number consists of the section number and the ordinal number of the formula in the section separated by a dot. The number is indicated on the right side of the letter at the formula level in the round brackets, for example: (3.15) (fifteenth formula of the third section). The values of the symbols and coefficients included in the formula are given under by the formula. After the formula, the data is written without a colon after it; after it – the symbols and numerical coefficients are decoded in the sequence in which they are given in the formula.
• All illustrations in the research paper (drawings, diagrams, graphs) are called charts. They should be numbered within the sections (for example Chart 1.5, Chart 2.3). Each drawing must have a semantic title, which is written under the figure and indicate its number.
• All tables are numbered within the section. The table number consists of the section number and the sequence number of the table, separated by a dot, for example; “Table 2.2” (second table of the second section). The serial number is utilized to cite the table in the Research Paper (for example, Table 2.2). The title “Continuation of Table 2.2” is typed to continue the table on the new page. If the extension takes more than one page, the subject header does not repeat; all parts of the broken table do not begin with the reprint of the header, but a line with the numbering that replaces the column names. The vertical columns are numbered only in cases where references are given to them in the text or when the table continues on the next page. The table maintains the balance of its parts: the left side should not occupy more than a third of its format, and the height of the title – more than a third of the table height. The units of measurements are indicated in the headings. It is desirable to place all illustrative materials immediately after referencing them. The tables and graphics material should be located so that they can be read without turning the sheet. If such an arrangement is not possible, the charts and illustrations are designed so that its reading would demand to set the sheet clockwise.
• Appendices appear after the last page with bibliography. When it is completed, you need to put a blank sheet of the paper and write “appendices” in the middle. There are no restrictions for the pages number here. You can specify both each of the available applications in the text with the respective pages. Appendices are indicated by the capital letters in alphabetical order. If necessary, the application can be split into sections. In this case, the section number of the application consists of the letter and the current section number separated by a dot. The appendix should have a generic title from uppercase letters symmetrically regarding the text of the page. On the right part above the headline, aligned in the middle of the lower case, the first capital letter must be written with the word “Appendix _” and the capital letter denoting the application. Attachments are a standard part of the work.

All the illustrations, tables, and formulas available in the text of the application should be numbered within each application. For example, Figure A.1, Table B.2, Formula D.3. If the work contains the application documents (originals or their copies), which have independent values and are executed following the requirements of the report of the given type, then they are used in their work as examples. Write: “Appendix _” on the first page of the document with the shift to the right (if there is a place) and on the second line – its name. If there is no place, then a blank sheet of paper is placed in front of the application, where the number and the name of the application are written in the middle of the sheet. The pages of the document are indicated through the numbering. The number is placed in the lower right corner without a dot at the end.

The in-text references to literary sources are given in parentheses or as footnotes, depending on the type of quotation – MLA, APA, Chicago Turabian, or Harvard. The parentheses or footnotes assist in identifying the source, given in the literature rubric. All references are listed in Bibliography. It is recommended to organize it either in an alphabetical order or the one mentioned in the text. These could range from the articles in scientific journals to the dissertations of other researchers and books on the subject. It is beneficial to choose books that contain some investigations, for instance, the works of:

• Lazar, Feng, and Hochheiser “Research methods in human-computer interaction” (2017);
• Reddy, Sridhar, and Rangadu “Knowledge based engineering: notion, approaches and future trends” (2015);
• Popovic, M., Mohiuddin, M., Tomozei, D. C., & Le Boudec, J. Y. “ The parallel redundancy protocol for IP networks: Protocol design and operation” (2016).

Our Experts On the Final Lap of Engineering Research Paper Writing

Congratulations! Now there is no doubt that you are ready to start this extraordinary journey – writing the engineering research paper. As a bonus, to provide you with professional engineering assignment help online, here you have some useful tips which prove the benefits of writing the research paper from the engineering subject:

• The systematization and consolidation of theoretical and practical professional knowledge, revealing the student’s ability to apply this knowledge in solving specific scientific, technical, economic, and production problems;
• Checking the student’s ability to independently master the use of the modern information technologies, software, and hardware of the computer technologies;
• The development of the student’s skills in conducting independent research and practical search, mastering the methodology of research and experimentation in solving problems and issues posed for course design;
• Consolidating the knowledge and skills of performing the graphics works and other design documents through the requirements and rules established by the official standards.