Writing Conventions for Engineering
Citations are bracketed numbers in order of first appearance
IEEE numbers references [1], [2], [3] as they first appear, and the number is reused for every later mention. The number behaves like a noun in a sentence — “as shown in [4]” — which is why inserting a source mid-draft renumbers everything after it.
Passive voice in the methods is still the norm
“The specimen was loaded at 2 mm/min” keeps attention on the procedure rather than the operator, and reviewers in most engineering venues expect it. Active voice is increasingly accepted in the introduction and conclusions, where the contribution is yours to claim.
Equations are displayed, numbered, and punctuated as sentences
Each displayed equation gets a right-aligned number in parentheses and is referred to as “(2).” Equations carry the punctuation of the sentence they sit inside — a comma or period at the end — and every symbol is defined on first use with its units.
Figures and tables follow fixed placement rules
In IEEE format, table captions sit above the table and figure captions below the figure, and both are numbered in citation order. Every figure must be referred to in the text before it appears; a figure nobody points at reads as decoration.
Units are SI, with spacing and symbols treated as correctness
A space separates the value from the unit (5 kN, not 5kN), unit symbols are never pluralized, and derived units follow the standard forms. Reviewers treat unit errors as evidence about the care taken with the measurements themselves.
Conference papers are hard-limited and formatted to a template
Six or eight pages in a two-column template is a real constraint that shapes what you can argue, not a target. Trimming happens by cutting scope, not by shrinking margins, and the template is supplied by the venue rather than chosen by you.
