For many students, coalescing the relevant information for an engineering paper and applying learned principles to tackle a fresh engineering perspective may prove a nerve-wracking experience. 

The fact that engineering is an application-oriented discipline may also heap on to the challenge. However, writing an engineering paper needs not to be a daunting task. 

Here, we will highlight various tips for writing an engineering research paper and some topic ideas to get you started. 

Guide to writing an engineering research paper

Like any other discipline, it is advantageous to start with familiarizing yourself with rules as you master how to write an engineering research paper. The key rules to remember when preparing a research paper in engineering are:

• Formulas should be arranged in Arabic numerals. Each formula should be properly identified with a section number and an ordinal number separated by a dot. E.g., figure 4.7 i.e., the seventh formula of the fourth section.
• Illustrations and charts should be properly labeled with a number and have a title.
• When performing your research, use current sources to accommodate the changing nature of the engineering field. This will help you to cover the most cutting-edge ideas and employ the latest resources and ideologies to address the issue under investigation.
• Ensure to chunk your research into phases to ensure that you dedicate ample time to focus on various arguments.
• Besides the results highlight the theory behind your research to show your reader that you are well acquainted with the topic under investigation. This theory should help you present the relevance of your study and negate various counterarguments existing within the field.
• Be keen to conclude your paper based on the results you have acquired. This will tie your hypothesis, body, and ideas together and expound on the overall implications of your research.  
• Always prepare an outline to guide your writing efforts. An outline will help you to connect various ideas you’ve collected from research and help you connect the ideas and realize good coordination of ideas presented within your paper.

Engineering research paper format

An engineering research paper is usually divided into seven key parts. The introduction, materials and methods, results, the discussion, a conclusion, references, and an appendices section. 

1. Introduction

This section analyses the research background and the history of the issue under study. The introduction should carry the thesis of your work and elaborate the significance of your research to the field. 

2. Materials and methods

This section explains the equipment, processes, and techniques used in generating your research and results. The methods section should detail complex programs used in data collection and analysis. 

The section should be easy to follow and cover each minute variable to allow for the duplication of your work. 

3. Results

Results include figures and charts depicting your results. This section should be brief and clear. Each chart used in this section should be properly labeled to help the reader easily derive the information presented by each chart used. 

4. Discussion

The discussion carries the key arguments of your paper and presents the relevance of your results according to the hypothesis and study background. Here, tackle any counterarguments and support your arguments with existing research. 

You can also introduce your hypothesis in this section and show how the claims are substantiated with your data. When dealing with long papers, consider chunking the body into sections with each section elaborating a unique idea of the research question.

5. Conclusion

The conclusion encompasses the summary of your findings and the main argument of your topic. You should also be keen to restate your thesis statement and cover the key supporting argument behind your case. 

6. References

This area should enlist the full references for various sources indicated in your work. You should be keen when preparing this section to cater to every in-text citation indicated in your work. 

Omission/ inclusion of references that are not used within the body may result in plagiarism, resulting in more revisions and poor scores. 

7. Appendices

The appendices include raw data and calculations you used within your work but were not relevant to the results. This will help your readers to authenticate your formulae and follow the interpretation of various data. Be keen to indicate the section and number for each calculation to allow readers to easily follow essential calculations as they analyze your paper. 

How to write abstract for research paper engineering

After you’ve written your engineering research paper, review your work and highlight the significant points within your argument. Also, highlight your research topic, the research question, the results, and your conclusion.

Finally, cover the keywords for your topic to help your readers easily retrieve the paper from online databases. After you’ve collected the necessary materials, write your abstract starting with the general topic idea. Next, discuss the method of study, summarize your findings and finally expound on the impact of your paper on the field. 

After this, come up with a title that best describes your work. 

Engineering research paper topics

If you are stuck with selecting a topic for your engineering research paper, here are some engineering topics for your research paper. 

• Can genetics be altered to change a human’s personality
• An analysis on the impact of powerlines on electricity transmission
• A case study on electrical amplifiers and their circuits
• Impact of algorithms on the efficiency of test operations
• An analysis of modern malware and the approach to curb malware impact on software
• Concrete repair and structural integrity
• An analysis of earthquake resistance techniques

Final take

Although writing an engineering research paper is not a cup of tea for many students, it is not a daunting task as often advertised. These tips should help you make your first steps to writing your paper and reduce various errors that may compromise the quality of your paper.

You may also consider visiting various engineering research paper sites for custom help with your paper, reducing the burden of research, and gaining a broader perspective for your paper.