Guidelines on Writing a Laboratory Report
MFET 3451 Laboratory
The most important aspect of both theoretical and experimental technical work is the reporting of
results. The best technical work in the world would be of limited use to anyone except the
person who did the work if the results are not properly communicated to others. In other words,
if you do not effectively communicate your results, they essentially did not happen! Written
reports and oral presentations are the primary means of communicating your results to the world.
In this course, you will write a laboratory report for each of the experiments. As you may be
aware, various companies and organizations have different formats for formal reporting of
results. However, all formats require concise, complete documentation. Furthermore, these
formats are designed for optimum communication to the reader. For this course, we will follow
the format of the major technical journals in our field, such as Acta Metallurgical et Materialia,
Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Journal of Macromolecular Science, and Journal of
Applied Physics. However, if you are interested in following different formats for your report,
such as formats for publications by ASME, SME, and IEEE, please contact your professor or
T.A. in advance.
Outline and Format of the Report
Your reports should be double-spaced throughout, on 8.5 x 11" white paper. Use one side of the
page only, leaving margins (at least 1") at both sides and at the top and bottom. All paragraphs
should be indented, and all pages should be numbered. The report should contain the following:
Title Page, Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Appendices, Introduction, Results and
Discussion; Conclusions, References, and Appendices (if it is needed). The Title Page, Abstract,
Table of Contents, and List of Appendices should each be 1 page each on a separate page. The
Introduction, Results and Discussion, and Conclusions are limited to a total of 10 pages. There
is no page limit for the Appendices, which would include figures, tables, and calculations.
Title Page
The title page contains the title of the experiment, your name and those of your laboratory
partner(s), the names of your Professor and T.A., the date(s) of the experiment, and the date of
report submission.
Abstract
The abstract is on a separate page, entitled "ABSTRACT." The heading of this page should
include the following reference information: MFET 3450, Experiment Number, Your Name as
author, the date, and the title of the report. The abstract is a concise summary of the significant
items in your report, including the results and conclusions, with a limit of 150 words. In
combination with the title, the abstract should indicate the content of your report.
Table of Contents
The table of contents includes the main headings and subheadings. Typically, the title page is
page 1, the abstract page is page 2, and the table of contents is page 3. Thus, page 3 has the
heading "Table of Contents."
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List of Appendices
This section provides a list of the appendices included in the report. Note that any tabular data or
plots referred to in the text of the report should be attached to the end of the report. Similarly,
any lengthy calculations should be placed in the appendices.
Introduction
This section introduces the reader to the topic of the report. It contains the object of the
experiment and any background information. The Introduction usually ends with a very specific
statement of purpose.
Experimental Procedures
This section describes the methodology used for the experiment, including the materials used and
specific procedures followed. Your explanation of the experimental procedures will allow the
reader to evaluate and/or reproduce your experiment. Thus, for both the credibility of your
results as well as for future developments based upon your results, this section is very important.
Results and Discussion
The results and discussion section presents the outcomes of the experiment(s). This section
should be arranged in a logical sequence appropriate to the objectives of the experiment (which
does not always correspond to the actual chronological order of the tasks!). In general, results
are presented in graphs and/or tables (in the Appendix) and the results are described in words in
the text. Next, the results are analyzed and interpreted. The analyses and interpretations are then
used for the next section.
Conclusions
This section consist of a concise summary of the work and the conclusions and/or
recommendations that you make based upon the work. Each conclusion and/or recommendation
is supported by results and/or interpretations of results.
References
Most research and development projects rely on the results of other projects reported in journals
and reports. The references are given in the form of a numbered listing at the end of the report.
The references must be provided such that the reader will be able to locate them. We suggest the
following form:
[Reference number] Name of Author(s), "Title of Article", Name of Publication, Vol.
Number, Publisher (Date of Publication), Page Numbers.
[1] T. Michalske, "Quantitative Fracture Surface Analysis", in Engineered Materials
Handbook, vol. 4: Ceramics and Glasses, ASM International (1987), pp. 652-662.
Appendices
This section includes tabular data (tables), plots, and lengthy calculations. Note that every table
or plot should have a caption which briefly explains its content. Similarly, each calculation
should have a title with brief explanation at the top of the page. Sets of tables, figures, and/or
calculations should be numbered consecutively.
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