Collaborative Development Of An Engineering Style Manual

This paper recounts the development, testing, and publication of a style manual at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University/Prescott Campus. This manual was jointly developed by faculty at the College of Engineering and the Department of Humanities/Communications in response to faculty concerns that, despite a required course in Technical Report Writing devoted to engineering students, these students were still having difficulty mastering the organization, formatting, and technical style of lab reports and other professional genre. This paper introduces the project and its academic context, describes the process by which the manual was composed and classroom tested, and outlines future plans for similar manuals at Embry-Riddle based upon the success of the College of Engineering Style Manual. Sample entries from the manual are provided in a set of Appendices as well.