report writing principles presentation
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Engineering Lab report principlesTRANSCRIPT
Report Writing Principles• General formatting guidelines
» Long report similar to Chapter 1.9 (Jeter and Donnell)» Short report similar to Chapter 1.6 » Use CPE616 guidelines as ultimate guide
• Report preparation » Identify your audience – “the client”» Outline your report identifying crucial information (and restrictions)» Don’t attempt to write final version in first draft
• Report objectives» Clarity» Conciseness » Convey what you did, why you did it, and what you found» Meet all requirements for the document
Long Report Format(i) Letter of transmittal(ii) Title Page(iii) Table of Contents (iv) Abstract (v) Introduction (or “Objectives”) (vi) Theory and Technical Background(vii) Experimental Apparatus and Procedure (viii)Results (ix) Discussion of Results(x) Conclusions and Recommendations(xi) Nomenclature(xii) References(xiii)Appendices
Appendices
Appendix A: Uncertainty Analysis
Appendix B: Instrument Calibration Details
Appendix C: Experimental Data and Computed Results
Appendix D: Sample Calculations
Appendix E: "Other" relevant information
Simple cover letter-Describes briefly to whom report is addressed-Gives briefly the content of the package -Sample in J&D pg. 68 (sample will be posted on BlackBoard)
Title page-First page of report-Short, descriptive title of work-Authors, dates (of experiment and submission) and to whom report is submitted
Table of contents-Identify key sections by page number (including appendices)
Letter of Transmittal , Title Page & Table of Contents
By reading the abstract, the relevance of the report to the reader should be clear:
-Should know whether it is worthwhile or necessary to obtain and read the rest of the report.-May have provided the result needed (e.g. rate constant, validation or improvement of a model or correlation).-Results may not be relevant to the reader (wrong range, material, type of result, quality of result.
Abstract Purpose
What was done and Why?-Goals/Objectives/Hypothesis-Do NOT give a general overview of the topic (that goes into introduction).
How were results obtained?-1-2 sentences on equipment scale/methodology
What results were obtained?-Specific and quantitative yet concise and readable.
What conclusions were drawn and/or recommendations made?
Abstract Elements
Should be as concise as possible – every word needs to have a reason to be included.
-Most important part of the report although only 150-200 words (typical length; may be enforced).-Therefore it needs to be carefully written; no room for redundancy, but short length means that it is easy to leave out key information needed to understand the report.-Multiple revisions WILL be necessary.-Have someone other than the writer review it for clarity and to avoid ambiguity.
First: Does technical content emphasize the key points – and accurately?Second: Does it read well? Is it concise? Is redundancy limited?
Abstract is Concise
Gives purpose for experiment-Why is the work important-What are the implications of the work
Relates current work to previous work-What has been done in the past, what was found in these studies-How does the current work expand on this
Introduction (Objectives)
Theory-Gives reader key physical concepts relevant to experiment-Theory/principles/concepts and equations for analyzing the work
Equations-Provide equations necessary for manipulating data-All equations need to be numbered and symbols defined when first introduced-Provide assumptions and limitations of equations-Properly cite literature used in equation development
Theory and Technical Background
Apparatus-Give information to allow reader to understand how data was acquired-Provide clear description of equipment (generally includes schematic of apparatus)-Report on experimental conditions and calibration details (including measurement uncertainty)
Procedure-How was calibration/experiment run-Give sufficient detail to allow reader to reproduce your experiment-NOT a detailed instruction manual
Experimental Apparatus and Procedure
Data-Important raw data is presented clearly in tables or figures (with uncertainty)-Should be accompanied by narrative which describes content of tables and figures and method of preparation-Final calculated results presented next along with correlations and models-Well conceived tables and figures necessary to convey information to your reader-Focus of this section is to compare measured values to existing data and theory
Results
Evaluation of data-Critical examination of experimental results-Factors limiting accuracy are identified-Significance of results are stated clearly-Validity of major assumptions from Theory discussed-Identify discrepancies and provide reasonable basis for likely causes-Do not just report the results and trends, interpret them based on theories and concepts presented earlier
Discussion of Results
Conclusions-Brief restatement of important results and conclusions drawn from them
Recommendations-Based on experimental results what would be logical extension of study-How would further experimentation build on results presented in report
Conclusions and Recommendations
Nomenclature-All symbols used in report listed (alphabetically) and defined with proper units-Roman and Greek symbols listed separately
References-All references used in report listed here-Citations can be Numerical ( [1], [2], etc.) or Alphabetically ([McCabe, et al. (2005)])-Use proper bibliographic formatting
Nomenclature and References
Uncertainty analysis-Not used for first report-More detail on uncertainty will be given during Uncertainty lecture-Will include derivation of equations for uncertainty analysis-Include measurement uncertainties -Standard deviations, confidence intervals, standard errors for slopes, etc.
Appendix A
Instrument calibration details-Include calibration plots for thermocouples, conductivity probes, pressure transducers, etc.-Brief narrative describing how calibration was performed-Some experiments will have more calibrations performed than others
Appendix B
Experimental data and computed results-Provide all data in tabular form, neglecting unnecessary columns, with proper significant digits-Should be of same quality as tables/figures found in report body-Proper captions provided and all tables/figures properly numbered-Accompanying uncertainties provided next to reported quantity
Appendix C
Sample calculations-May be hand written-All equations used should be provided with proper citations (including those not explicitly shown in Theory)-Indicate the data set used for calculations (eg. “data was from first row of Table A.1”)-Calculations should include units and check for dimensional consistency
Appendix D
Other relevant information-For 2nd and later reports, include a response to most significant evaluation comments from previously graded report and what was done to maintain strengths and improve identified weaknesses-May include information necessary for your report but not included elsewhere (eg. equation derivation for data analysis not included in Theory section)-Any tables and figures vital to analysis but not included elsewhere in report/appendices-NOT a place to dump unused information from your experiment
*everything here should be pertinent or not included
Appendix E
Be empirical and objective-”We found pressure varied with temperature” -”Pressure increased linearly with increasing temperature”
Avoid personal statements-”We used Equation (4) to calculate the Reynolds number”-”Equation (4) was used to determine the Reynolds number”
Be precise-”A sample was heated to high temperature for a long time then was cooled quickly”-”70 grams of sample was heated to 200C for 4 hours then cooled to 0C over the span of 20 minutes”
Writing Style
Submit complete reports- All sections included- Proofread to avoid grammatical errors
Use proper paragraph form- Begin each paragraph with topic sentence- Include supporting sentences to expand on topic sentence- If necessary (long paragraph) use concluding sentence to organize major points and lead into next paragraph
Properly format figures and equations- Figures should have caption below describing what is seen in figure (Table caption appears above tables)- Equations should be formatted with Equation Editor and appear centered in line of text and numbered (right justified).
Writing Style
Written Report Grading
OVERALLRating Technical Work Teamwork, effective use of time (including pre-labs) in lab evident Quality of data set Theory makes results and discussion understandable Thoughtful and accurate analysis Conclusions meet objectives Overall assessment of technical work Numerical Score Presentation of Technical Work Professionally presented with all necessary sections included Effective title: concise yet relevant and specific Well organized, easy to follow logical flow of ideas throughout the report Sections are well-integrated, redundancy absent Well-structured paragraphs Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. Overall assessment Numerical Score
Rating -Exemplary -Good -Competent -Developing -Fails to meet standards
(See posted Grading Rubric for more general details)
REPORT SECTIONS Abstract Appropriate length Statement of objectives Description of methodology Quantification of results Organization of ideas Overall assessment Numerical Score Introduction Relevant background provided, with references Significance of topic conveyed Establishes importance of objectives Description of objectives Conciseness and clarity of expression Overall assessment Numerical Score Theory & Technical Background Relevant physical principles established Key equations used in data analysis presented Assumptions, limitations on equations/theory briefly noted Equations formatted and numbered properly Relevant literature used and cited Logical presentation of concepts Conciseness and clarity of expression Overall assessment Numerical Score Experimental Apparatus & Procedure Apparatus described in appropriate detail Schematic aids description (long report) Key steps in procedure described Variable ranges, key dimensions provided Calibration method linked to Appendix B Clearly described with appropriate level of detail Overall assessment Numerical Score
REPORT SECTIONS Results Data set presented appropriately and linked to Appendix C Results correctly calculated from data as indicated by Theory section Results presented effectively and linked to Appendix C Uncertainty (and sig. figs) correctly determined and presented Professionally designed figures and tables Effective figure captions Clear focus maintained on key results Overall assessment Numerical Score Discussion of Results Data and results correctly analyzed and interpreted Results compared to theory, correlations, or literature, as appropriate Deviations from anticipated results fully and quantitatively evaluated Significance and utility of results made evident Concise, clear and effective discussion Overall assessment Numerical Score Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions are developed logically from the Results Conclusions are specific and address the Objectives Significance and quality of results clearly established Significance and utility of results made evident Concise, clear and effective discussion Overall assessment Numerical Score
Written Report Grading
REPORT SECTIONS Appendices also see comments sheet Numerical Score Appendix A: Uncertainty Analysis Specifically referenced in the body of the report Measurement Uncertainties listed Calibration uncertainty analysis description Calibration uncertainty analysis Data uncertainty analysis description Data uncertainty analysis Overall Assessment (out of 100%) Appendix B: instrument Calibration Adequately supports experimental section Complete description of calibration procedure Complete set of calibration data Adequate plot, when appropriate Overall Assessment (out of 100%) Appendix C: Experimental data and computed results Adequately supports Results and Discussion of Results section Complete data sets provided Figures numbered and titled, clearly laid out, easy to follow, effective labeling Tables numbered and titled, clearly laid out, effective headings Brief narrative summarizing figures and tables presented Specifically referenced in the body of the report Clearly and neatly presented Overall Assessment (out of 100%) Appendix D: Sample Calculations Raw data used in calculations is specifically identified by table Result of sample calculations is specifically identified by table Example calculations for all computed quantities, including uncertainties, provided Sources of literature values cited in this section Sample calculation presented standard algebraic formatting Overall assessment (out of 100%) Appendix E (if needed) Materials have a clear reason for inclusion Overall assessment (out of 100%) Safety and Professionalism in Lab Total Points
Written Report Grading