About Writing Lab Reports:
a) Please write lab reports as if you were performing scientific research work!
b) The lab report must be typewritten.
c) You will have to write two kinds of the lab report:
i. Some of the labs have printed data sheets with tables and questions, and you will only need to write The Abstract, The Introduction and The Statement of Conclusion.
ii. In the second kind of the lab report, you will need to create your own tables to collect data and write your own report on what you observed.
d) Each report must contain the following components:
i. The Cover Page
The first page of the report, it is printed for each lab report at the end of the each lab in the manual.
ii. The Abstract
The abstract should be a short paragraph that is less than half of a page. The goal of the lab should be stated here and should not be a paraphrase of the purpose given in the lab manual. Included should be what was studied, how it was studied and what the results of the experiment were.
iii. The Introduction
The introduction should 1-2 paragraphs, less than a page, depending on the lab. The students explain why what they are doing is important. They should state was is being measured and how. They should also include the theoretical equations used in the lab. They should state what the equation is called, if it has a name, and define each variable and constant in the equation.
iv. Data Sheets, Graphs, and/or Data Tab
Your original Data Sheet(s) with the instructor”s signature must be submitted. Each lab, your instructor will sign your data sheet. These sheets must be attached to each lab report.
All data sheets from the lab manual and any plots created from other sources and anything else instructed to include. Make sure that all of your tables are properly and reasonably annotated (have captions)! Provide explanations of what the numbers in your data sheets represent.
Each graph should be supported by a data table. Each graph has to be clean and have a title. The axes should be clearly marked and labeled. Quantities that are plotted must have units assigned. Draw your graphs on graph paper or have it generated by a computer.
Please provide a brief error analysis section and data fits if asked to do so in lab manual. It is very important to determine how reliable your measurements are.
v. The Questions
Answer all questions (if any). Most of the questions are labeled in the Extra section of the manual, but some are in the Procedures section.
vi. Discussion/Analysis/Conclusion
This section should be -1 page. Students should restate the results and compare them with the theory and what they expected. Students should relate the results back to the goal from the abstract and answer why they got their results.