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Justin Morales
Megan Keaton
ENC 1102-01
1 August 2014
Inquiry Research Paper
Math and English, these two subjects are on the far ends of the subject spectrum.
Math is very objective and requires a specific answer. On the other hand, English is very
subjective and the answer can be interpreted in various ways. Most engineers believe that
they only need to master math skills in order to be successful. But how will engineers be
able to record, communicate, and describe their discoveries without the proper English
skills? Writing is essential almost everyday for engineers. Just like in any other major
writing should be approached differently based on the writers audience and purpose.
Writing accomplishes several things and should not be overlooked by this math-oriented
field of study.
What is an engineer? An engineer is a profession that requires the use of
mathematics, science, and creativity to solve problems. Nowhere in this description does
it state that an engineer needs to know how to write properly. So, its no surprise that
throughout the years many engineers have struggled with writing and communication
skills. This is because engineers focus most of their years studying math and science;
they seem to forget the necessity of English. English classes teach students the proper
way of communicating using words, whether it is via papers or oral presentations.
Writing is a part of everyday life and is required in every field of study in some form
because its one of the best ways of communication.
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Writing for an engineer is very different than writing for a novelist. The main
reason is because they each have a different rhetorical situation. The engineers purpose
for writing is to record data and effectively communicate with others (Lopez). On the
other hand, the novelist has the intention of entertaining their readers, by creating an
imaginary world with words. Engineers usually write to companies, organizations,
teachers, contractors and other engineers (Lopez) and use engineering terminology to
explain themselves. Most people would not understand these confusing terms, which is
okay because it was not intended for the general public. However, the novelist plans on
targeting a much larger audience and should use a more casual language in order to
appeal to this vast group of people. Although both the engineer and the novelist have
limitations, they are very different from each other. Engineers need to inform their
audience and focus more on the specifications. P. Berthouex, from the American Society
of Civil Engineering, says that engineers should Us[e] the fewest words possible. Dont
repeat yourself. Dont use a word if it doesnt add to the meaning (Berthouex 109).
Engineers commonly know this as technical writing which means they write in a very
simplistic and descriptive manner, ensuring they leave out all the clutter (Lopez). For
example, Engineers should not try and mask their information by creating it into some
sort of riddle or poem. This can cause some confusion because if the data was phrased
this way, different forms of interpretations could be taken from the reader. Whereas,
novelist have the liberty of using figurative language to make their audience think and
possibly create different forms of interpretations.
One of the biggest forms of writing in engineering is lab reports. In engineering
there will be people performing various amounts of experiments. The proper way to
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evaluate experiments is to write down data in lab reports. An article from the Journal of
Engineering Education says that we need engineers who have developed the capacity
for reflective thought, ones capable of generating alternative solutions, even in complex
and ill-defined situations, and then being able to compare the alternatives and evaluate
the likely out comes for each(Writing in Engineering Courses 481). Lab reports allow
engineers to express their thoughts about the outcome of the experiment and help create
this versatile skill. It also shows whether or not they learned anything new from
performing these experiments. The purpose of writing lab reports is to record and
analyze. Lab reports are divided into different sections and also consist of technical
writing. Most lab reports consist of a hypothesis, the procedure, the results and the
conclusion. The hypothesis is where the person performing the experiment creates an
educated guess on what the outcome might be. The procedure is simply an instructional
tool to help guide the experimenter step by step. The results consist of charts and graphs
showing the data that was collected in the process. Finally the conclusion is where the
experimenter sees whether or not their hypothesis was true, if not they must explain why
their hypothesis was false. It allows the engineer to sum up all the information learned
from the results of the experiment. If the engineer were still taking classes, these lab
reports would be intended for the professor. But once on the field, these reports would be
intended for contractors or business owners. Lab reports shouldnt change based on
audience because it is solely intended to inform others of the engineers knowledge
gained from the experiment. Lab reports also gives engineers a chance to see if their
hypothesis of the experiment was correct. If the outcome of the experiment was different,
the engineer gets a chance to figure out why his or her prediction was wrong. The
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explanation for a wrong hypothesis is a great chance for an engineer to understand where
their logic went wrong and why something else happened. It is better to make mistakes in
a laboratory then on a massive scale. This is also another reason why labs are performed.
They allow engineers to try projects on a smaller scale before committing to a real-life
project that cost money and potentially lives, if not correctly executed.
Another very important form of writing is e-mail. Nowadays most professional
businesses contact people using either the phone or email. Engineers prefer email because
it allows them to write specifics that are important for a project rather than having to tell
them via phone which could lead to some confusion. The reason is because people
sometimes mumble and talk too fast, potentially causing miscommunication which can
lead to some fatal mistakes. While email allows the audience to get a clear view of what
the engineers are saying. Wasisak and his fellow authors said, Email exchanges present
an opportunity to explore both processes of communication and how the information is
used in collaborative work (Waisak et al. 45). Therefore, the main purpose of email is to
inform others about projects and speed up the process of finding new discoveries. Most
emails will be for contractors, businesses, organizations, and other professional
engineers. When addressing this type of audience, emails need to be written in a very
formal fashion. There is a proper way of writing emails and it doesnt matter what field
of study a person is in; it is a life skill that everyone should master. An email always
starts off with a greeting and the name of the person be addressed. Then the writer needs
to create a body paragraph in which all the important information will be held. The body
paragraph should not include any slang or text-talk (improper abbreviations or using
numbers as letters). An email should be professional and straight to the point. The writer
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should also include a signature at the end of the email, notifying the reader of the writers
name. Email should be taken seriously because it could mean the difference between
getting hired or not.
Proposals are another form of writing present in engineering. When an engineer
has an idea for a project he must come up with a proposal to present to a contractor or an
organization. The whole purpose is to persuade people to support an engineers idea. The
reason why engineers are the one to write the proposal is because They have the
technical knowledge needed to demonstrate their expertise and [represent] the firms
ability to successfully complete the proposed work (Steiner 34). There are several
engineers with similar ideas and companies need to know which engineer would be the
most beneficial to their business. A proposal is almost like an advertisement, it needs to
convince companies why one engineer is better than another. The only way to do this is
for engineers to describe all of the positive consequences a project can lead to, in order to
attract their buyers. In order for proposals to be successful, the engineer needs to perform
a little bit of research on the company and see where the company needs room for
improvement. They must also do so while writing in a professional manner. No one is
going to hire an engineer to build a bridge who writes as if he or she is still in middle
school. So just like emails, proposals have negative consequences if not approached
correctly.
Knowing how to properly write should be added to the job description for
engineering. If an engineer has all the knowledge to conduct a project, he or she can
easily complete it. But if they cant communicate properly amongst their fellow engineers
and colleagues, mistakes can me made. Also, companies are looking for mature and
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intellectual to hire. The reason is because companies have reputations and the people they
hire represent them. Engineering is a very difficult major to pursue because of all the
information required to learn. But going the extra mile and learning how to write
effectively can be very beneficial for engineers. Everything in life should be balanced.
People should try and work on their weak subjects in order to become more versatile in
everything they do. Maybe Math and English shouldnt be viewed on a spectrum but on a
circle because they should be connected. English helps express a persons emotions and
Math helps with the communication of facts. Mastering only one of these subjects will
hinder a persons ability in the work field. This is because companies are looking for
people who can handle any situation thrown at them. People who only perfected one of
these subjects will be limited because they lack the proper knowledge to solve these
possible situations. So like Ying and Yang, Math and English should compliment each
other, and together create a sense of harmony.










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Work Cited
Berthouex, P.M. "Honing The Writing Skills Of Engineers." Journal Of Professional
Issues In Engineering Education & Practice 122.3 (1996): 107.Academic Search
Complete. Web. 23 Jul. 2014.
Lopez, Luis. Personal interview. 21 Jul. 2014.
Steiner, Derek G. "The Communication Habits of Engineers: A Study of How
Compositional Style and Time Affect the Production of Oral and Written
Communication of Engineers." Journal of Technical Writing and
Communication 41.1 (2011): 33-58. Web.
Wasiak, James, et al. "Understanding Engineering Email: The Development Of A
Taxonomy For Identifying And Classifying Engineering Work." Research In
Engineering Design 21.1 (2010): 43-64.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July
2014.
"Writing In Engineering Courses." Journal Of Engineering Education 89.4 (2000): 481-
486.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014.