University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CE60 PROPERTIES OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING MATERIALS
Laboratory Instructions and Report Template
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
INSTRUCTIONS ON PREPARATION OF REPORTS
Suggested Form for Reports:
The next couple of pages are a lab report template to help you organize your own reports.
Make sure to read, review, and ask if you have any questions.
Make sure to include the Cover (Grade) sheet. A special cover page will be provided for
each laboratory report. It will show the course number, experiment title, and will have
blank space for student names. It will also contain a list of items to be included in the
report with the number of points to be given to each item. ​BE SURE TO START
YOUR REPORT WITH THE COVER PAGE SINCE IT WILL SERVE AS A
GRADE SHEET FOR THE LABORATORY​.
How do I submit a Lab Report?
For all lab reports, ​please type you report in MS Word as usual and make sure to save
a PDF copy as suggested below. All lab reports must be submitted online only on
bCourses (Tab: Assignments), and in PDF format (Word files will NOT be accepted).
All work must be your own. Reports will have an assigned date when they are due,
usually one week after the laboratory period.
For a detailed step-by-step process on how to save a Word file as an Adobe PDF please
see instructions below.
How to Save a Word file as a PDF File?
In order to avoid un-printed equations, problems of formatting, or blank spaces, it is
strongly advised to save your lab report as a PDF file before submitting it.
Once you’re done typing your lab report on MS Word, please click on the “File” tab
and select “Save as Adobe PDF”. After this you can select the location and the file
name and click on “Save”. Please print this file instead of the MS Word version.
Please note that every time you make a modification to your Word document you
will have to save a new PDF file of the newest version as well.
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Laboratory Experiment #: Lab Report Template
Name
Fall/Spring YEAR
1. Introduction
Give a brief statement of the Objective or Introduction to the lab experiment. Basically,
tell them what you’re going to talk about.
2. Background
Report on the material used, kind of testing apparatus, and principal features of the test.
Each report should be structured so that the reader will understand how the experiment
was performed, what the results are, and what they mean. This will often require you to
restate or repeat certain information which appeared in the laboratory handout. The
preferred method for writing equations is using Word’s built-in equation editor (accessed
going to insert/equation, or click ALT + =), as demonstrated using ​Equation 1​.
σ=
F
A
[Equation 1]
Here the engineering stress, ​σ​, is calculated from the applied axial force, ​F​, and the
original area of the sample, ​A​.
3. Results
State the principal findings and refer to tables or figures (if any) where details may be
found. In other words, make sure to let the reader know where the table or figure is. If
the table is large, feel free to put it in the Appendix, but make sure to reference them in
the text. Sometimes the best way to show experimental results is with a figure which
contains a graph of the data. Include a suitable chart title. Figure titles are typically below
the chart. Table titles are typically above the table. ​Make sure to label the horizontal
and vertical axis and identify the units. Identify and label all critical points.
For example, ​Figure 1 gives the stress vs. strain response of a typical Hybrid Fiber
Reinforced Concrete (HyFRC) cylinder tested under compression. The peak stress and
corresponding strain of the HyFRC cylinder are tabulated in ​Table 1​.
As mentioned, please state all of your tables and figures in this section. You could also
show all of your sample calculations for each of the results you found using the built-in
equation editor. Sometimes, it is better for the reader to verify values on your tables when
the sample calculations are stated in this section. If you feel there are too many sample
calculations to show, you could leave these for the Appendix section as long as they are
referred to properly in this section.
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Remember that you must identify the units in every plot and table you are showing in the
report.
Figure 1: Stress vs. Strain for typical HyFRC cylinder
Table 1: HyFRC compression test peak stress and corresponding strain
Specimen ID
HyFRC
Strain
Stress
(in/in)
(psi)
0.0029
4615
4. Discussion
Compare your results with those given in lecture or other references. Give reasons for
discrepancies if serious differences appear to exist. Compare the characteristics of
materials, experimental procedures, types of specimens, etc. involved in the experiment.
Comment on modes of failure when tested to rupture. Mention limitations of experiment.
State the significance of the experiment. Include several sentences on applicable items.
This is also the section of the report where you will be answering the “Discussion
Questions” located on the lab handout for each lab report. Please list each question and
answer it accordingly.
5. Conclusions
One or two sentences are usually sufficient describing what you observed and learned.
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
6. Appendix
Schematic sketches (or photos) of special apparatus and tables can be put in an appendix
if you wish. This is also a good place for sample calculations. In general, do not include
all computations, merely one complete set. ​ALWAYS INCLUDE THE DATA
SHEETS PROVIDED FOR EACH LABORATORY SESSION.