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