Work Term Reports

All work-term reports submitted should follow these suggestions and guidelines.

  1. Plagiarism is the copying and use of others' words, ideas, figures, tables, photos, diagrams, etc., without giving proper credit. It is a serious academic offence, and an unprofessional act. See Section 9.10 of the co-op student reference manual, and some other useful information.
  2. One way to avoid plagiarism is to properly cite your references. See Section 9.9.5 of the reference manual. More detailed information on how to cite references using either the Harvard (name, year) or Vancouver (citation number, superscript or in parentheses) system is available at this Colorado State University website, and other websites listed in the Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) co-op student reference manual. Make note especially of proper referencing methods for online resources. Another website that provides nice examples of reference and citation is a tutorial offered by Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
  3. Make sure your summary is a stand-alone description of the salient points in your report. It should not be an introduction to the contents, and it should not refer to figures and tables in the main body. It may be the only part a manager reads, so it should be as good as you can make it.
  4. Determine as early as possible whether your intended report topic may be considered confidential by your employer. If it might contain confidential material, see these suggestions (PDF).
  5. The work term reports are part of the course requirements for the specified terms, and therefore they cannot be submitted in other terms (i.e., cannot postpone nor fast-track).  Work term reports are due at the start of the following terms for students:
    1. Architectural Engineering stream 4
      1. 2B (WKRPT 200), 3A (WKRPT 300), 3B (WKRPT 400)
  6. Don't rely exclusively on websites and old books. Make use of the University of Waterloo electronic library resources.
  7. Read through the FAQ (PDF) and if you have extra questions, contact the AE Undergraduate Coordinator.