diff --git a/src/systems/diffeqs/odesystem.jl b/src/systems/diffeqs/odesystem.jl
index 29423baf5e..5ad275906d 100644
--- a/src/systems/diffeqs/odesystem.jl
+++ b/src/systems/diffeqs/odesystem.jl
@@ -409,10 +409,48 @@ end
 ODESystem(eq::Equation, args...; kwargs...) = ODESystem([eq], args...; kwargs...)
 
 """
-$(SIGNATURES)
-
-Build the observed function assuming the observed equations are all explicit,
-i.e. there are no cycles.
+    build_explicit_observed_function(sys, ts; kwargs...) -> Function(s)
+
+Generates a function that computes the observed value(s) `ts` in the system `sys`, while making the assumption that there are no cycles in the equations.
+
+## Arguments 
+- `sys`: The system for which to generate the function
+- `ts`: The symbolic observed values whose value should be computed
+
+## Keywords
+- `return_inplace = false`: If true and the observed value is a vector, then return both the in place and out of place methods.
+- `expression = false`: Generates a Julia `Expr`` computing the observed value if `expression` is true
+- `eval_expression = false`: If true and `expression = false`, evaluates the returned function in the module `eval_module`
+- `output_type = Array` the type of the array generated by a out-of-place vector-valued function
+- `param_only = false` if true, only allow the generated function to access system parameters
+- `inputs = nothing` additinoal symbolic variables that should be provided to the generated function
+- `checkbounds = true` checks bounds if true when destructuring parameters
+- `op = Operator` sets the recursion terminator for the walk done by `vars` to identify the variables that appear in `ts`. See the documentation for `vars` for more detail.
+- `throw = true` if true, throw an error when generating a function for `ts` that reference variables that do not exist.
+- `mkarray`; only used if the output is an array (that is, `!isscalar(ts)`  and `ts` is not a tuple, in which case the result will always be a tuple). Called as `mkarray(ts, output_type)` where `ts` are the expressions to put in 
+the array and `output_type` is the argument of the same name passed to build_explicit_observed_function.
+
+## Returns
+
+The return value will be either:
+* a single function `f_oop` if the input is a scalar or if the input is a Vector but `return_inplace` is false
+* the out of place and in-place functions `(f_ip, f_oop)` if `return_inplace` is true and the input is a `Vector`
+
+The function(s) `f_oop` (and potentially `f_ip`) will be:
+* `RuntimeGeneratedFunction`s by default,
+* A Julia `Expr` if `expression` is true,
+* A directly evaluated Julia function in the module `eval_module` if `eval_expression` is true and `expression` is false.
+
+The signatures will be of the form `g(...)` with arguments:
+
+- `output` for in-place functions
+- `unknowns` if `param_only` is `false`
+- `inputs` if `inputs` is an array of symbolic inputs that should be available in `ts` 
+- `p...` unconditionally; note that in the case of `MTKParameters` more than one parameters argument may be present, so it must be splatted
+- `t` if the system is time-dependent; for example `NonlinearSystem` will not have `t`
+
+For example, a function `g(op, unknowns, p..., inputs, t)` will be the in-place function generated if `return_inplace` is true, `ts` is a vector, 
+an array of inputs `inputs` is given, and `param_only` is false for a time-dependent system.
 """
 function build_explicit_observed_function(sys, ts;
         inputs = nothing,
@@ -421,12 +459,12 @@ function build_explicit_observed_function(sys, ts;
         eval_module = @__MODULE__,
         output_type = Array,
         checkbounds = true,
-        drop_expr = drop_expr,
         ps = parameters(sys),
         return_inplace = false,
         param_only = false,
         op = Operator,
-        throw = true)
+        throw = true,
+        mkarray = MakeArray)
     is_tuple = ts isa Tuple
     if is_tuple
         ts = collect(ts)
@@ -582,7 +620,7 @@ function build_explicit_observed_function(sys, ts;
     elseif is_tuple
         MakeTuple(Tuple(ts))
     else
-        MakeArray(ts, output_type)
+        mkarray(ts, output_type)
     end
     oop_fn = Func(args, [],
                  pre(Let(obsexprs,