Lab Title

Date

Section Number

Team Number

Name 1 (Team Leader) Name 2

Name 3 Name 4

University of Massachusetts Lowell

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1. ABSTRACT.............................................................................31.1 General Notes on Formatting........................................................31.2 General Notes on Figures and Tables...........................................31.3 Updating the Table of Contents and List of Figures and Tables....5

2. INTRODUCTION......................................................................52.1 Common Problems in Lab Report Based on Past Experiences......5

3. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH.....................................................74. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS........................................................75. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS................................................76. CONCLUSION.........................................................................87. REFERENCES.........................................................................8

APPENDIX A Data SheetsAPPENDIX B Excel Analysis Worksheet Printouts

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Example Figure and Figure Title.................................................................4

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1. Sample Table Heading and Formatting......................................................4

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1. ABSTRACT

The Abstract should summarize, in a few sentences, the main points and outcome of

the work. The abstract is a standalone section that encompasses the entirety of the

work completed in a paragraph or two.

The next subsections are helpful hints on how to use this template. These subsections

should NOT be included in your laboratory reports.

1.1 General Notes on Formatting

This Word Template uses Arial 12 point font with double line spacing for the text. The

text should be justified. Single line spacing should be used within tables. The page

should have one (1) inch margins. The following sections of your laboratory reports are

Style Heading 1: Abstract, Introduction, Experimental Approach, Experimental Results,

Interpretation of Results, Conclusions, and References. Subsections of these sections

(if needed) can use Style Heading 2 (e.g. 1.1 General Notes on Formatting).

1.2 General Notes on Figures and Tables

Use the [References Tab] above to set up tracking of Table 1 within the paragraph

(Cross-Reference) as well as its caption (Insert Caption) shown above the table. Table

or Figure captions need to be created first, then you can reference them within the text

so that they automatically update the list of Tables and citations within paragraphs as

figures are added/removed. This same feature will also apply to Figure 1, any

equations and Appendices as well. See the following examples for placement of table

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and figure titles on Page 4. You are not allowed to use the figures in the provided

analysis templates for each lab as figures in your reports. Also see Table 1 for an

example of table formatting.

0.010.101.0010.000

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Particle Diameter (mm)

% P

assi

ng

#4 #10 #40 #200GRAVEL CoarseSAND

MediumSAND

FineSAND

SILT/CLAY

Figure 1. Example Figure and Figure Title.

Table 1. Sample Table Heading and Formatting.

Column One Column Two1

(units) Column Three Column Four Column N

1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5NOTES:

1. Notes are Size 10 Font located in table.

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1.3 Updating the Table of Contents and List of Figures and Tables

After you have completed your reports, you can have Microsoft Word automatically

update your Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables. Bring the mouse

pointer over the Table of Contents, hit the “minor” mouse button (typically the right

mouse button), and then click “Update Field” on the menu that appears. You will want

to select “Update Entire Table” if another menu appears. Click “OK” and you are done

updating.

2. INTRODUCTION

This section contains the objectives for the work, the need for the measured values (i.e.

the purpose of the lab), and relevant background information.

2.1 Common Problems in Lab Report Based on Past Experiences

The following is a partial list of common student errors that have been observed over

the years. You should try to avoid these, as these errors will adversely impact your

report grade.

Abstract: Needs to state the outcome; a person reads the abstract and then

decides if he/she will read the report.

Proof-Read: spell check finds misspelled words not the wrong word. Without

proof-reading it is very easy to tell what sections were written by different people.

Write in 3rd person: (don’t use “I” or “We” etc.), e.g. “I measured the water

content…” should be written as “The water content was measured…”.

Verb Tense: keep the same throughout (don’t switch between past and present).

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Figures and Tables: Figures are labeled below, while Tables are labeled above.

Figures and Tables should all be referred to in the report before they appear.

Make sure you reference the correct Figure. Incorrect references are as bad as

no references. Refer to and Label Figures in a way other than “diameter vs.

percent finer graph”. Use a meaningful name such as “Grain Size Distribution”

etc.

Don’t “Steal” Figures. List a source (e.g. Figure 3. Casagrande’s Apparatus

(reference)).

Make Neat Tables – Bold, capitalized headings. Be consistent, center the data

too, not just the headings. Be consistent with decimal places and use significant

digits as detailed in ASTM D6026. Do you know the water content accurately to

9 decimal places? Indicate units. Only put a table landscape when there is a

great deal of data and it is necessary.

Appendices should also be referred to in the report.

Focus on presenting and discussing results (not on background and procedure).

Keep formatting and style consistent throughout report.

Use superscripts (e.g. ft3 not ft^3) anywhere they appear.

Equations: use equation editor and label equations, even simple ones. Define

the terms.

Liquid Limit plot is semi-log.

Use “entire” not “whole”.

“Weighted” is not the same as “Weighed” – Use the correct word!

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3. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

In this section you describe the experimental apparatus and procedure. You should list

equipment used and describe the test procedure. It is highly recommended you

reference the applicable standards (e.g. ASTM D1557) and any deviations from the

standards.

4. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

In this section you present your results in a clear and professional manner using tables

and/or figures. Hand written notes can be in an appendix and referred to in the text.

This section is not a spot to just ‘dump’ tables and figures. Only the important and

relevant tables and figures should be presented here with a brief description.

Supporting raw data tables and such should be in an appendix. If it’s not worth talking

about, it’s not supposed to be in the body of the report. Remember, the items in the

appendices should be referred to in the body of the report and need to be relevant.

5. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

Interpret and discuss the results in this section. Are the results in agreement with the

theory? If not, explain why or why not. Compare your results to those available in the

literature and provide relevant references. This section is where you elaborate on the

results presented in the Experimental Results section. What do the results mean? Do

they make sense? Why or why not?

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6. CONCLUSION

In this section you will summarize the main points and findings. The conclusion should

have no information that the reader hasn’t seen already but can refer to it by

summarizing the main findings. Keep in mind that this section is mainly what people will

be using from your reports.

7. REFERENCES

Books, papers, standards (ASTM), reports, websites, etc. should be listed here in

alphabetical order using the ASCE author-date referencing format. Go to

http://www.asce.org/Content.aspx?id=29606 for further information. It is also suggested

you go read an article from an ASCE journal in an area of civil engineering you are

interested in to see this reference system in practice. ASCE journals are available from

the Lydon Library. A list of ASCE journals can be found at

http://www.asce.org/PPLContent.aspx?id=17273.

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APPENDIX A Data Sheets

Appendices of report contain raw data, spreadsheet outputs, sample calculations, tables

and graphs which are important for backing up the work but are in the way of the report.

Appendices should also be referred to in the report when needed. Attached are cover

sheets to two (2) appendices that you will need for your laboratory reports. You are

welcome to submit additional appendices if you feel that they are warranted.

APPENDIX B Excel Analysis Worksheet Printouts