UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

DEPARTMENT OF SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLIED PHYSICS

LABORATORY REPORTS

PREAMBLE

Purpose
Laboratory work is an important part of the programmes in Engineering and Science and enables you to do
experiments on the fundamental laws and principles encountered in the theoretical work.
The laboratory sessions will enable you to develop skills in fundamental scientific measurement and
increasing your understanding of the physical concepts. It is profitable for you to experience the difficulties
of making quantitative measurements in the real world and to learn how to record and process
experimental data. For these reasons, successful completion of laboratory work is required of every student.

The Lab Report

Engineering and Science students need to acquire a number of key skills in order to qualify as effective
professionals in their chosen fields. One of the most important is the ability to communicate technical
information, both verbally and in writing, to a wide variety of people. This section is designed to introduce
you to some of the basic requirements of laboratory report writing. Formal laboratory reports are typically
required in the sciences either for writing up a given laboratory that you performed or for designing and
conducting your own laboratory exercise. As such, you will be required to prepare formal reports about
experiments or investigations undertaken in the practical components of your courses. The report must
clearly communicate the aims, methods, findings and conclusions of an experiment.

Practical Report Structure

Practical reports have a clear structure. Table 1 shows the different sections of a practical report and states
the function of each section.
Table 1: Practical report sections and section functions
Section Function
Cover Page Key features include:
 Title of practical
 Name of student
 Name of partner(s) if any
 Date (of executing the experiment)
The title should clearly and concisely inform the reader of the practical report
topic (a title may be provided to you)
Aim(s) and objectives The aim(s) and objectives have to be stated clearly and can be copied from the
laboratory manual.
Introduction Provides background information needed for the reader to understand the
context and purpose of the experiment. It should be brief, written clearly in
(Approx. word count: 200)
your own terms, and explain the relevant theory or formulas used in the
experiment.
The introduction gives the reader background information about the topic of
the practical report, and places your report in the context of that background
information.
You should begin by summarizing what is already known about the topic.
Because of this, the introduction will often need to include references. The
introduction should then highlight how your report relates to the background

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 information, e.g., through investigating a research gap, examining the physical
properties of a rock or demonstrating a scientific law. The introduction should
culminate in a clear statement of the aim of the experiment.
Structure your introduction to answer the following two questions:
1. What is known about this topic?
2. Why was the experiment performed?
Materials and Methods Describes what was done in the experiment. Includes materials used and
procedures followed.
(Approx. word count: 300)
The materials and methods section thoroughly describes how you carried out
your experiment and should provide the reader with sufficient information to
replicate the experiment. Structure your materials and methods section to
provide a step-by-step account of what you did when you performed the
experiment.
Your materials and methods section should answer the following two
questions:
1. What materials were used?
2. How were the materials used?
Use past tense because you are providing a description of what you did.
However, avoid the use of personal pronouns, such as, I or we. Always use the
PAST, IMPERSONAL style to DESCRIBE ALL YOU DID during your lab
session, e.g. “ The eyepiece was adjusted ” not “ Adjust the eyepiece ” , or
"Fringes were observed” not “I saw fringes”.
Experimental Results Presents the findings of the experiment and should be broken down into
sections as in the lab manual. See the sample of numerical and graphical
presentations.
The results section is where you present the data obtained in your experiment
in a logical order. Depending on how much data you have, it is usually best to
summarize results. Your complete datasets can be included as an appendix. It
is desirable to display results using tables or figures (e.g., graphs or
photographs). Tables and figures in the results section must be referred to in
the text before the table or figure is presented. Tables and figures must also
have captions. The caption belongs above a table and below a figure. Do not
replicate how you present the data. If data is in a table, the same data must not
also be presented in a graph.
Discussion Interprets and explains the findings, and places them in the context of
background information.
(Approx. word count: 500)
The purpose of the discussion section is to provide an explanation of your
results and to interpret those results in the context existing theory and
knowledge. Therefore, the discussion section will generally need to include
references.
The discussion section should cover the following points, but note that for
some experiments not all of these points will be relevant:
• Relate results back to the aim
• Provide an explanation of why the experiment produced those results
• Compare and contrast results to findings of other research
• Identify problems in experimental technique or design and suggest
improvement
• State the significance of your results and suggest areas for future research
In the discussion, do not simply restate the results. You must interpret the data.
For example, what trends are evident in the data? What are the implications of
your results? Do your results fulfill the aim of the experiment? Are there any
potential errors present in the results? Think carefully about how you structure
the discussion so you achieve logical flow from one topic to the next.
Conclusion The conclusion summarises key results and interpretations of the experiment.
The conclusion should be concise and brief. Importantly, the conclusion should
(Approx. word count: 200)
not introduce any new information.
References Presents the sources of information used in the report.

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Appendix/Appendices Appendices may be used to present detailed information that is not critical to
the content of your report, but are necessary to help the reader to understand
the findings such as calculations or raw data.

Use of computer-based word processing and graphing

All laboratory reports must be prepared using computer-based word processing, preferably MS Word. If
you do not have independent access to a computer, PC’s, with word-processing software and printers, are
available for use in several computer labs throughout the campus. Most word processing software
incorporates useful features that significantly enhance the capability to produce a professional-quality
report. These features include formatting, graphing, drawing, and spell-check. Graphs will normally be
drawn with any standard spreadsheet or plotting software. The steps might depend on the type of software
you are using. In Excel, for example, you would start by entering your data in two columns. The first
column gives the x values and the second column gives the corresponding y values. Select/highlight the
data you want to plot, then
• Charts → Scatter → Marked Scatter will produce a plot of your data
• Chart Layout → Trendline → Linear Trendline will add a best-fit line to your plot
• To see the equation of the best-fit line go to Chart Layout → Trendline → Trendline
Options... then in the dialog box that appears go to Options and check "Display equation on chart".
Fig. 2 is a screenshot of a typical Excel plot.

Figure 2: A screenshot of a typical Excel plot.

Graphs can be moved into word processing programs, such as MS Word, or into PowerPoint slides by
using the clipboard.

Submission of the report

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Laboratory reports for each experiment are to be submitted before the beginning of the next lab. Submit
your report by uploading the WORD file on the course site on www.lms.uz.ac.zw. If the site is down,
email the completed report file directly to a lab TA, copied to [email protected]

Please submit your own work. The online submission tool has an automated plagiarism identification
feature used to detect plagiarism on all submissions.

Grading Scheme
Each lab report (including the pre-lab) will be marked. Laboratory reports will be graded not only for
technical content but also for writing and style. The quality of your written report will strongly affect your
grade for the experiment. Marks will also be assigned to group members according to their participation
during the performance of the experiment. It is important to show the demonstrators that you are working
with the group and understand the operation of all equipment.

The grading scheme is as follows:

Title page 2%
Brief introduction 10%
Aims and objectives 3%
Methodology 12%
Results presentation and discussion 50%
Conclusions 10%
Participation** 15%
Pre-lab and preparation** 15%

**It is important that you prepare for each experiment by reading the instructions and the theory before
conducting the experiment. Recording the data only is not considered participation, participation means
that you work on all equipment (changing the settings, making the necessary connections, and interpreting
the results, etc). The preparation and participation of each member in the group will be evaluated during
each laboratory session.
Marking Scheme for Lab Reports
Section Expectations % of Marks Comment or typical mistakes
total
1. Title page • Lab report cover 2% 0 • Section missing completely or failure to
page as provided in attach mandatory cover page and correctly
guidelines fill all required information.
1 • Lab report cover page given, but missing
some important information
2 • Lab report cover page as provided in
guidelines
2. Introduction/ • Provide background 10% 0 • Section missing completely.
Theory information needed 1-5 • Background info only from lab manual
for the reader to • Inadequate written explanation of theory
understand the • Equations incorrectly written or symbols not
context and purpose defined
of the experiment. • No outline of study’s hypotheses.
• It should be brief, 6 - 10 • Clearly written, well structured, with
written clearly in the evidence of extra reading.
student’s own terms, • Clear outline of study’s hypotheses.
and explain the • Show something novel in it as compared to
relevant theory or the introduction/theory supplied in
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 formulas used in the handout/laboratory manual.
experiment. • Includes the rationale for performing the
experiment.
3. Aims and • The introduction 3% 0 • Section missing completely.
Objectives should culminate in 1 • Too vague, ambitious or broad in scope.
a clear statement of • Just repeat each other in different terms.
the aim(s) and • Just be a list of things related to the topic.
objectives of the 2 • Contradicts with methods.
experiment. • Does not identify subject of study.
3 • Concise and brief objectives given.
• Interrelated and clearly identify the subject of
study.
• Related to the experiment that was done.
4. Apparatus/ • Present a list of all 2% 0 • Section missing completely.
Materials apparatus, 1 • Full list of equipment/apparatus provided but
equipment or missing details of equipment
components used 2 • Full list of equipment/apparatus provided
• Details, such as with appropriate and relevant details of
model and serial equipment provided
number may be
included
5. Procedure/ • Describe the 10% 0 • Section missing completely.
Method experimental 1-5 • The apparatus and/or procedure are not
strategy and the clearly described
procedure followed • Diagrams are not labeled and/or numbered.
to obtain the data so • Important information and/or details on data
that others can acquisition and analysis are missing or stated
assess the validity of incorrectly.
the results. • Past tense and/or passive voice are not used.
• Use diagrams to • One or more subsections (e.g. techniques or
describe the instrumentation) are missing or parts have
arrangement of been included under the wrong subsection.
apparatus/equipment • Confusing statements.
or components in 6 - 10 • Concise and brief description of methods and
circuits experimental strategy given
• Contains all of the relevant information about
the method used; clearly and systematically
described in such a way that a reader could
replicate the study from the description
• Includes safety precautions taken during
execution
• Includes steps taken to ensure accuracy
6. Results and • Present the findings 25% 0 • Section missing completely.
Analysis of the experiment, 1-5 • An attempt to present observations/data but
broken down into with improper or missing units.
sections as in the lab • An attempt to present observations/data but
manual. with data tables not properly titled and/or
• Show all relevant numbered, missing units.
tables and graphs 6 - 12 • An attempt to present observations/data but
illustrating results. graphsare not titled and/or numbered.
• Give all intermediate • Graph axes are not labeled and/or units are
and final results. incorrect/missing.
• Provide appropriate • Incorrect type of graph is used or information
error analysis in calculations.on graph is not clearly labeled.
• Provide a 13 - 20 • Calculations are not included and/or not
comparison of clearly explained step by step.
experimental results • Uncertainty propagation calculations not
with the accepted included and/or not clearly explained step by
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 values (i.e step.
percentage error, or • The results are given with an incorrect
"accuracy" in number of significant
results). digits.
21 - 25 • Observations/data with proper units are
presented and data tables/graphs properly
titled and/or numbered, with appropriate
units.
• Graph axes are well labeled and units are
correct.
• Correct type of graph is used and information
on graph is clearly labeled.
• Calculations, including uncertainty
propagation calculations are included and
clearly explained step by step.
• The results are given with an correct number
of significant digits.
7. Discussion • Discuss the results 25% 0 • Discussion section missing completely.
(range, trends, 1-5 • An attempt to relate experiment findings and
sources of error). collected data.
• Interpret and explain 6 - 12 • Showing attempt to discuss the findings and
the findings, and collected data, but using inaccurate theories
place them in the and justifications.
context of 13-20 • Incorrect or trivial arguments are used (e.g.
background sources of error are not sufficiently explained
information or trivial explanations are offered, such as
“old equipment” or “human error” are
blamed for poor accuracy).
21 - 25 • Able to demonstrate analysis skill in
discussing the results, including the
inaccuracies of data, using logic and
appropriate statements to justify the
experiment outcome.
• Includes discussion of ways to improve
accuracy
• Includes improvements to methods given in
lab manual
8. Answers to • Answers to questions 10% 0 • Section missing completely or unable to
Questions showing answer any questions.
understanding of 1-5 • Very little attempt to answer questions
conducted correctly.
experiment(s) • Most answers are incorrect, and some are
irrelevant to the question type.
• Some answers maybe very short or
incomplete.
6 - 10 • Questions are answered to the best of
abilities and answers match the question
types.
9. Conclusions • Present conclusions 10% 0 • Section missing completely.
based on the results. 1-5 • No sensible conclusion is drawn.
• Conclusion is merely a repetition of
discussion.
• A conclusion is drawn, but is not supported
by experimental evidence.
• A conclusion is drawn, but there is no
clear evidence of a thorough understanding
of the experiment and/or theory behind it.
6 - 10 • Sensible conclusion is drawn.
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 • Conclusion is drawn and supported by
experimental evidence.
• Shows clear evidence of a thorough
understanding of the experiment and/or
theory behind the experiment.
10. References • State complete 3% 0 • Section missing completely.
references to any 1 • Incomplete references to the sources used in
books, articles, the report.
websites, etc., from • The references do not point to the place in
which information the report where the sources were used.
used in the report is 2 • References in the text and in the reference
obtained list conform in all respects to the formatting
• The appropriate convention (e.g. APA or Harvard format)
places in the body of 3 • Complete references to the sources used in
the report where report.
these references • References in text are matched with
were used should be references in reference list (e.g. no missing
indicated. references)
Total mark 100%

Penalties
Penalty Marks deducted Marks deducted

Late Report (up to a maximum of one week) 5 marks / day 35

Plagiarism of reference material 20 20

Copying/representing someone else's work as own. 20 20

Allowing/enabling copying of your work for submission by 20 20

others.

Total 95