Lab Report Format
The purpose of the BU lab program is to both provide a personal
experience of the physical principles and also give students practice
communicating their findings in a clear, concise manner with easily
identifiable objectives, metrics, and results.
All lab reports in the ME curriculum should be written using the same
format.Further information about the use of graphics and avoiding
plagiarism are found at the end of this page. Note that this is a standard
format but that it is not the only format possible for a lab report. We
have selected it because it is clear and concise and will provide
consistency across the program.
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Title page
2. Introduction
3. Theory
4. Measurement Methods/ Procedure
5. Analysis and Results
6. Discussion and Conclusions
7. References
Students should arrive to perform a lab able to describe the goal of the
lab and the methods that will be used. If data sheets are supplied as
part of the lab, students should bring them to the lab. If there are no
data sheets supplied, students should arrive at the lab with a data
template they created. Students should also be prepared to complete
their spot checks as they perform the lab.
General Tips:
Reports should be written in third person. Occasional usage of
first person is allowed in order to alleviate overuse of the passive voice.
Any figure or table that appears in the report should be numbered
and referred to in the text of the report.
The report should be written concisely.
Many writing errors can be eliminated by reading the report out
loud to oneself.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________
Title Page:
This should include the title of the lab, course number, names of all
members of the lab group, and the date on which the lab was
performed. Please make this a separate page.
Write this as if it is going to your boss. How will they know what this
report is about?
Introduction:
This should briefly state in your own words what you are trying to
accomplish and why you are performing the experiment. Do not simply
copy or paraphrase the lab handout.
DO NOT write a question. DO NOT re-write the lab handout. Give a
synopsis of what you did, why you did it, and major principles you
employed to do it. NO FIRST PERSON.
Theory:
This should explain the relevant theory that describes the physical
principle of the lab. Equations should be properly numbered (in
parentheses on the right margin), and all variables should be explained
in the text. Be sure to properly document any derivations that are
appropriate for the lab.
Prove you know the concepts behind what you used. Do it briefly,
concisely and correctly. You must do a little reading on the topic and put
things into your own words. Equations MUST BE TYPED. ALL variables
must be defined. A nomenclature section as an Appendix can be
referenced.
Measurement Methods:
This should explain the measurement techniques, equipment used, and
procedures to be employed in the lab. It is almost always desirable to do
an analysis of some data points in the lab while the experiment is
running. This is called a spot check. A spot check permits you to see if
the results make sense, or if the experiment is generating data that is
obviously erroneous and either the experiment or your method of
analysis needs correcting. Your prelab preparation should identify the
relevant equations, along with the necessary unit conversions &
constants to reduce in-lab time. Then in the lab, you will only need to
plug in your experimental values. The method for performing this spot
check should be described in this section.
During the lab, be sure to make a note of problems with the equipment,
if appropriate and include this information in your final report.
DO NOT re-write the lab handout. DO NOT write a list of steps. In a
technical report, you summarize what you did in prose format. You may
use present or past tense, but be consistent. Give enough detail that a
competent person could re-do exactly what you did and obtain the same
results. Make sure you mention all components used and how they
were used.
Analysis and Results:
This section should summarize and display the results of the
experiment. This section should be purely factual, where the results are
displayed primarily in the form of graphs. Describe the results clearly
and concisely. Do you see expected trends? Figures should be
numbered and have a caption below the figure. Use tables if
appropriate. Tables should be numbered, and have a title above. Cite
equations from previous sections as necessary.
Figure axes should be properly labeled, with proper units. If you have
multiple trends to show, make sure to include a legend that
compensates for black and white printing if you don’t have access to a
color printer (ie, use distinct symbols)! Use linear or log scaling where
appropriate. If you are going to comment on how two results compare
then they need to be plotted on the same graph. Do not include graphs
of each individual trial. Combine them into composite figures for easy
comparison.
Introduce and discuss all tables and figures within text – do not just
throw them in. Use proper units and significant figures
Discussion and Conclusion:
This should examine whether the lab satisfied the stated purpose, and
explain what you have observed and learned. Try to explain any
differences that you observed between theory (or accepted
experimental data) and experimental results. What are the implications
of your results? How could they be used in the future? What different
methods could you use in the future? What parameters were more
important in design, less important? Why?
References:
If you used information from external sources (ie, other than the lab
manual or your own work), be sure to cite these references using
appropriate bibliographic style. Quoting references without a proper
citation is plagiarism.
More Info on Graphics:
Introduce each graphic before it appears in document.
o Readers will not know the purpose of a graphic until you tell
them. NEVER include a graphic without mentioning it in the text. This
includes stuff in an Appendix.
Place the graphic as close as possible to its discussion in the text.
o To avoid confusing people, don’t make your readers flip
forward/backward unnecessarily.
Label each figure and table with a number and a caption.
o Your graphic should be able to “stand” on its own – the
reader may only see the graphic and caption… make sure they know
what it means.
Present the graphics professionally.
o Sloppiness undermines the quality of the document. Take
your time to do it right.
Make sure the graphic is large enough to see clearly, and of high
enough resolution.
o Seems obvious… but if your graphics aren’t 100% legible,
they’re 0% useable.
Avoid cluttering the document with unnecessary graphics.
o As with any good thing, too much can be a problem. Use
graphics to enhance understanding of material.
Avoiding Plagiarism:
It can be difficult when you’ve collected information from a variety of
sources to avoid representing someone else’s words or ideas as your
own. Please note, these are some examples of plagiarism:
Copying a phrase, sentence or passage from a source and not
giving credit to the original author;
Summarizing or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas without
acknowledging the source;
Allowing someone else to write significant portions of your
document for you without admitting the help;
Forgetting to place quotations around another writer’s words;
Copy/pasting figures, tables, equations without citation;
Using values from books without citing the source
Arriving at an understanding of the material which coincides with what
others also understand is expected. The engineering concepts do not
change over time. Expressing your understanding in your own voice
with your own words though is important. Thus, copying part of a lab
from a previous year or from an online resource when it describes your
understanding as well is still plagiarism.
NOTE: Your table should be labelled, as in this example,
Table 1. Calculated value of inaccuracy.
Reference to any table or figure should appear in the text. ALL pictures,
diagrams and graph are classified as figure and should be labelled at
the bottom unlike tables.
Also create a table for equipment or component used. for example
Equipment Serial no Model
The pages must be numbered corresponding to what is on the table of
content.
Study the format and try to follow the instruction so that your report is
not rejected.
