Physics 201L Formal Lab report Hints and Guidelines
During the semester you will write two types of reports: informal and formal. This
document deals with the latter and is broken into two parts. The first part is just a list of
strong suggestions that you may follow or not (of course following these suggestions
will help your grade). The second part is the require format for the report. This format
must be follow to be able to obtain full credit.
Part I: Suggestions:
1. Neatness: Anything I cannot understand or read will not be graded. It is very
frustrating to try to grade a report that is poorly organized. It only shows lack of
dedication and tells me that you are not truly dedicated to this class.
2. Correctness: Make sure that the sentences make sense and reasonable. Do they
conform to theoretical expectation?
3. Conciseness: Do not spend time or words on unnecessary details, or rewriting
sentences that are already in the lab manual.
4. If you are confused by the layout or what should be included in write-up, ask me.
5. Also go to the writing lab in the library to get your report checked for grammar
and spelling.
Part II. Lab Format (you must do this)
1. Your report must be typed. I will not accept anything that is not typed.
2. You will turn in a hard copy of your report with all pages stapled together on the
upper left corner.
3. Use a one inch margin all around.
4. The report format given on the next page must be followed. Notice that each
portion has an assigned point value.
Report Format:
The following format must be followed for full credit.
1. Title Page: The following information must appear all by itself on the first page.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The title of the experiment
Your name
The name of your partners, if any.
The date the experiment was performed.
Due date
Course name.
Instructors name.
2. Abstract: It should be short, state what you are going to do in the lab, and
provide some general overview so a student who has not yet done the lab next
year will know what you are doing.
3. Equipment: This is a list of the equipment use for the experiment. You should
only list the actual equipment that you used.
4. Procedure: List the necessary steps to perform the experiment. A year from
now anyone should be able to read this list of steps and perform your experiment.
Remember what is obvious to you know, may not be obvious to someone else a
year from now.
5. Data: Only measured values during the experiment should be included here.
Present the raw collected data, in tabular form if at all possible. Include units for
each quantity.
6. Sample Calculations: Show one sample of each major calculation performed to
obtain the results.
7. Graphs: I would prefer that you do not embed graphs on this part of the report.
Include your full page graphs as part of the appendix section. Here just include a
list of the graphs on the appendix page and where they are located. For example:
1. Appendix A: Velocity vs. Time graph
8. Results: Here you will use tables to list all your results. As always unit are
critical.
9. Error Analysis: In a single paragraph comment on the accuracy and precision of
the apparatus. Errors are not “mistakes”. They arise because the apparatus and/or
environment inevitable fails to match the “ideal circumstances” assumed when
deriving the equations. Two principal sources of error are:


Physical Phenomena similar to the phenomena measured that affect
the measured quantity, like unaccounted friction.
Limitations of the observer, the analysis and/or the instruments. For
example parallax errors when reading a meter stick.
Here also calculate you percent error (if you have a theoretical value), or you
percent difference if you have to values that you are comparing.
10. Conclusion: Restate your results, including uncertainty in any numerical results.
Tell me what your results demonstrate. Include here recommendations for
improvements in technique and/or analysis.
11. Appendices: Here include a section with you full page graphs print outs. The
answers to any questions in the lab manual should be included here. Finally, any
other relevant information (if available) to the experiment that did not belong to
any of the previous sections of the report.
Grade Sheet:
This a sample of the grade sheet that you will receive back with your report. The point
values may be adjusted depending on the experiment.
1. Title page:
2. Abstract:
3. Equipment:
4. Procedure:
5. Data:
6. Sample Calculations:
7. Graphs/Appendix/Questions :
8. Results :
9. Error Analysis :
10. Conclussion :
11. Total :
/5
/5
/5
/10
/15
/10
/20
/10
/10
/10
/100