lecture 2 writing reports 2013 09302013

7/27/2019 Lecture 2 Writing Reports 2013 09302013

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160B


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Not required in160B


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Not required in160B


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Introduction 5 ptsBackground 20 ptsExperimental Apparatus and Procedures 20 ptsResults 15 ptsDiscussion 20 ptsConclusion & Recommendations 15 ptsReferences 5 pts


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Approximate target lengths for each section should be: Introduction : limited to 200 words or (2-3) sentences.Background/Motivation: About 1 page, but no more than 2.Experimental Methods/Procedure: 1-2 pages

Results: 1-2 pagesDiscussion: ~ 1 pagesConclusions and Recommendations: ~1 pageReferences: As needed


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Approximate target lengths for each section should be: Abstract: limited to 200 wordsIntroduction and background: About 1 page, but no more than 2.Experimental Methods : 1-2 pagesResults and Discussion: ~ 3 pagesConclusions and Recommendations: 0.5-1 pageReferences: As needed


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Provide a clear statement of goal and objectives for theexperiment


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Provide Background Information that is needed tounderstand the remainder of the reportE.g. in studying the relationship between Reynoldsnumber and flow regime, it would be relevant to knowwhat the Reynolds number is in words and formula),what the different flow regimes are and what is expectedbased on previous works


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Provide sufficient information on the apparatus andexperimental procedures.

information should be detailed enough so that anengineering student from another school couldunderstand and duplicate the experiment

Pictures are always helpful!


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Give Results in Tabular and/or graphical form. Inaddition, a brief narrative or discussion of EACH tableand/or graph should be given.

1. Are the results presented in a clear manner? Is it easy to follow2. Does your interpretation of results consider a statistical

analysis?


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Discuss the experimental results in light of the knowntheory and the work of others. Do the experimental datafollow the expected trends?

If not, what are the possible reasons for thisobservation?Can some new hypothesis be developed based onthese results?

1. Did you address all questions posed in the Lab manual?2. Does your interpretation of results consider a statistical

analysis?


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Summarize all important results and interpretations in light of goals and objectives for the experiment

Be sure to provide recommendations beyond simple, practicalconsideration (e.g., better instrumentation, more time, etc.).

1. Can recommendations be made for further study or improvement the experiment?

2. Does this section summarize all important results and

interpretations in light of goal and objectives for theexperiment?

3. Are recommendations made for further study or improvement inthe experiment?


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List References used in preparing the report. A notationMUST be made in the report that denotes theinformation obtained from a specific references.

1. Is a list of references used in preparing the report provided?2. Do all the references in the reference list have an appropriate

citation in the body of the text?3. Is the material in the Appendix appropriate?4. Are the references, figures, tables and appendices located in the

right order at the end of the report?


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Final section of your report

If you choose to have an Appendix it should containall raw data (e.g., spreadsheets of collected data if necessary) and any additional information useful inthe reading of the report but not critical to its clarity.

Limit appendix material to supporting informationrather than critical information.


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Use good grammar

Number your pages

Use Spell Check

Be Specific, yet concise

Give Table and Figure numbers and Titles.

Read the report before tuning it in.


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Use a computer

Stay within the page limit (12 pages!)


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160B


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If you write clearly, people assume you think clearlyWriting well takes more effort and more consciousinsight into the way language works than speaking well

doesBefore you can get to the point, you need to have apoint


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Fluff Clich expressions, grandiose claims, minimal or no evidence

Guff Complex words instead of simple ones Long complicated sentence patterns

Geek Disregard for the audiences needs Overuse of jargon and acronyms A focus on technical details instead of jargon or outcomes

Weasel Hyperqualifying every statement Focusing on might and could rather than will and can Avoiding responsibility


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Keep your sentences short.Use words of one and two syllables most of the time.

Avoid starting your sentence with long, dependentclauses


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The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Publishers use metrics to calculate which grade level a book

belongs in

16 Poor


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Extra Concise

Advance plan PlanStudy in depth Study

In the majority of instances usually

For the purpose of For

At this time now

With regard to Regarding

In order to To

Take action act

Have a discussion Discuss

Hold a meeting meet


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SAMPLE A


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S A M P L E B


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No. There is an obvious repetition of thoughts andsentences.


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160B


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o Number each figure and table according to the order they are discussed inthe text.

o Provide each figure and table with a descriptive caption defining itscontents. The caption should be written in sentence form and be asdescriptive (yet concise) as possible.

o Captions should not be used to discuss or interpret the figure. Rather, itshould clearly describe what the figure/table presents, and in the case of figures with data, list key conditions under which the data was collected.

o Be sure that all figures and tables are discussed in the text. If you include

a figure and dont discuss it, the reader wont understand it. Alternatively,a picture is worth a thousand words; discussion without an illustrativefigure can be very difficult to follow.


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1. Table Name on Top2. Caption on Bottom.3. Caption also quickly summarizes and highlights key

points of data.


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y = 0.4611x + 54.41R = 0.9951

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D i s t a n c e

Temperature


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1. Axis Has No Appropriate Units2. Tick Marks are Unclear 3. Axis Numbers and Titles are Small4. No Error Bars!5. Figure has no explanation on Bottom


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y = 0.4401x + 55.277R = 0.9856

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D i s t a n c e

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Temperature ( C)

Figure 1. Temperature of plate versus distance from heating source.


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1. Gridlines are too distracting2. Data Points are not Prominent3. Text Needs to Be Larger.


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Figure 1. Temperature of plate versus distance from heating source.


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The use of a lab mates figure is ok. But you must1. Provide the name of the person who generated figure in each

Caption!2. Be aware that you will be graded based on their figure quality.


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More Guidelines


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Use Equation Editor. If you do not know how, ask a friend or your TA.

Italicize symbol s . Symbols are not words in the text and must be differentiated. e.g., The heat transfer coefficient, h, was used.

Avoid using division and times symbols (*, ) in units. (m/s2) vs. (m s -2) e.g, a (m s -2) is acceleration.

Use consistent notation in document.

Do not redefine the same symbol in the document.


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Include the uncertainty of measurements and do error propagation analysis .

This is clearly suggested in the Lab manual. The difference between your calculated valueand a reported value is not considered error analysis. (see note below)

Include Page Numbers

Make sure that your verb tenses agree in the same sentence (andparagraph). There are rare cases where they do not have to agree but in generalmake sure they do.

E.g correct - There were several errors and I had to correct them. E.g. incorrect. There are errors and I had to correct the m.

Address all questions in the results and discussion section of the manual. If you donot know how, ask your TA.

Comparing your data to reported literatures IS NOT an error analysis . All itdoes is give the quantitative difference. How good are your measurements? 10%,20%, 30% error? If you are only 5% off froma literature value and there is 10% error in your calculations, then you can say thatyour values are accurate. Eye-balling a graph and telling the reader it looks good isnot appropriate.


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If you remove data points or measurements, explain why. What is your statistical or theoretical assumption? How do you know the measured value is not real?

When you write your procedure , write it in report language . Hence, report thethings that you did. Dont tell the reader what to do like a manual. For example, The instrument was calibrated to a set point is correct.

Calibrate the instrument IS NOT correct and is not the proper language for a report.

Cite your references in the text. You have many options. MLS or numeric are verypopular. (e.g, Holman,et al., 2010 or [1])

If you number your citations, they should appear in the order which they arenumbered. Do not cite [3] before you cite [1].

Take this report seriously . Use proper language. Do not use contractions (e.gdont, cant, wouldnt). Spell it out. Contractions make reports unprofessional.

If you choose to print your figures in black and white, make sure it can beread! Greem and red look identical in gray scale. You may want to use open andclosed symbols to differentiate the data.


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Use lines to represent theory and/or equations (fits). Use symbols for data points.

Justify the fit you use. If you increase the power of the polynomial fit, you can fit it toany data set!

Proof read your document. Spell check cannot fix everything. Try reading your reportout loud. It is easier to catch mistakes this way. And if you can't read one phrase inone breath, it is most likely way too long!

I repeat, read your sentences out loud! Do they sound good? Do they read well? Is itprofessional?

It is okay to use we in the report. But be careful and try not over use it. e.g., we did this and we did that then we did some more. It gets monotonous. This is a minor stylistic point,

but add some variety to your sentences.


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Include some type of figure, schematic, photograph of your experimental set-up and apparatus.

I recommend that students repeat measurements, is NOT avalid recommendation. Even though this justifies a poor analysis,there is no reason why you could not have done this yourself with thecurrent experimental set-up.

Abide by the document margin and spacing guidelines. If you do nothave at least 1.5 line spacing, it is difficult to write comments on your paper.

Avoid vague and unnecessary comments. e.g., "the value is neither toobig or too small." or "The A/C effects the experiment." How? Whatparameter would it modify? Could this induce a large error? It would bemore valuable to say... A 1 degree fluctuation in the temperature causedby changes in air conditioning can induce changes in heat convection by20%.


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y = 0.4401x + 55.277R = 0.9856

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90100

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

D i s t a n c e

( m m

)

Temperature ( C)

Figure 1. Temperature versus distance from heating source.

lecture 2 writing reports 2013 09302013

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