In this paper, we present a new approach to partial fraction decomposition of rational functions with irreducible quadratic factors in the denominators. It improves the Heaviside’s cover-up technique to handle this type of problem via polynomial divisions and substitutions only, with no need to solve for the complex roots of the irreducible quadratic polynomial involved, to use differentiation or to solve
a system of linear equations. Some examples of its applications in engineering mathematics are included.