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Laboratory
Reports
At
the completion of your independent work investigation
you must write a report that explains the design of your experiment in a manner
that will permit others to understand and repeat your measurements. Present
also an analysis of your data, including a discussion of its limitations,
and the conclusions that you reach about your posed problems. Your report should
be as concise as possible consistent with clarity and you must
edit it before handing it in for credit.
In order to get in the
habit of writing your reports in the "voice" of an acceptable technical
report each must contain the following sections:
An ABSTRACT which gives a thirty to
fifty word summary of the objectives of the experiment, the
results obtained,
and any important conclusions. This should be the last section to be written
but is
placed at the head of the report to entice others to read further.
It should include measured values where pertinent.
An INTRODUCTION which outlines
the objectives of the experiment and provides the theoretical
background needed
for understanding the experiment, the data analysis, and the conclusions
that can be drawn from it. Give references to technical works consulted in
this and other sections of the report. If you use information from discussions
with your partner or other individuals, identify this in the reference section
of your report with the persons name as a private communication. |
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