Communication of Scientific
Results in Advanced Labs at
San Francisco State University
ALTC – July 2009
James Lockhart
Physics & Astronomy Dept.
San Francisco State University
SFSU Advanced Lab Format
Traditional: 1-2 courses in advanced
experimental physics, taken in senior year
– Includes lecture/discussion component on
experimental methods and data analysis
– Mix of group tutorial and individually-selected
experiments
Multi-Format Results Communication
– Short “Measurement Reports”
– “Journal-style” report
– Oral (Powerpoint/Beamer) presentation
Goals of Instruction in Scientific
Communication
Principal goal is to prepare students to be
capable scientific communicators in careers in
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Industry
National Labs & Observatories
University Research Staff
MS and Ph.D. Programs
High School Teaching
Management of Technology Companies
Science Museums, Planetaria
Other scientific, medical, and engineering fields
Types of Scientific Writing
Academic/Industrial Research
– Journal Articles; Conference Proceedings
– Research Reports (to sponsor or management)
– Funding Proposals
Industrial Development/Engineering/QA
– Measurement Reports / Engineering Memos
– Equipment/software Manuals
– Funding Proposals
Teaching
– Books, Tutorials
– Lab Manuals
– Exams, Homework, Solutions
Student
– Lab Reports; Course Papers; Portfolio; Resume
– Theses
Physics Word Processing Alternatives
Microsoft Word (or Open Office) with Equation
Editor ($65)
– Prior to Word 2007, “old” equation editor;
can purchase MathType enhanced Equation
Editor ($50). (Barely) adequate in most
cases; saves equations as graphic images.
– For Microsoft Word 2007, “old” equation
editor and “new” equation editor w/ support
for TeX-like "Office Math Markup Language“.
Scientific Word - Specialized scientific word
processor; can save output in TeX form.
($500/$160 student)
Physics Word Processing
Alternatives - 2
TeX (popular versions: LaTeX; MikTex) - Page
formatting language; allows precise text &
equation formatting (free)
LyX - WYSIWYG “front end” for LaTex; no
need to learn TeX commands; produces TeX
and PDF output (free)
Components of Physics Writing
Text (including references/bibliography)
Equations
Tables
Plots
Diagrams and other figures
Photos
Measurement Report
Students write up results of 3 experiments (1
tutorial, 2 individual) as Measurement Reports
Report follows format common in industry focus on measurement, little theory
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What was measured
How (equipment details, procedure)
Major results (plots, uncertainties)
Goodness-of-Fit specifier when appropriate
Reports are prepared with typeset equations
and plots to professional standards
Reports receive careful grading with respect
to both content and writing style
Reports with significant deficiencies must be
revised and re-submitted
Journal-Style Report
Students write up results of one “individual”
experiment as Journal Paper
Report follows AIP journal standards
Background and theory presented, as well as
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What was measured
How (equipment details, procedure)
Major results (plots, uncertainties)
Goodness-of-Fit specifier when appropriate
Prepared with typeset equations and
diagrams and plots to professional standards
Reports receive careful grading with respect
to both content and writing style
Reports with significant deficiencies must be
revised and re-submitted
Plotting Software
MATLAB (site licenses; student version $100)
IDL (site licenses)
Gnuplot (free)
Origin (student version $50 for one year)
Kaliedagraph; Igor Pro
Excel (cannot produce publication-quality plots)
Save plots as .eps files for placing in LaTeX or LyX
document; as .wmf or .jpg files to import into MS
Word (use MATLAB export function)
Diagram Software (Vector Graphics)
Adobe Illustrator/Freehand (CS3 student $200)
Inkscape (free)
– www.inkscape.org
Inkscape and Illustrator can export .eps files for
easy import into LaTeX or LyX, as well as
several other graphics file formats
For photos:
– Photoshop
– Paintshop Pro
– Gimp (free)
Oral Presentation
Students do a stand-up 10-minute “APS
Talk” presentation on one experiment
Presentation includes
– What was measured
– Quick summary of background / theory
– Setup (equipment, procedure)
– Major results (plots, uncertainties)
– Goodness-of-Fit specifier when appropriate
Slides prepared with Powerpoint, Beamer
Presentation made to class + instructor
Presentation graded with respect to
content and presentation style
Presentation Software
Slide Presentation
– MS Powerpoint + Equation Editor
– TeX or LyX with Beamer document class
Poster Presentation
– Large Powerpoint print or TeX/Beamer print
Beamer example (next slide); from Th.
Jolicoeur, LPTMS Orsay University
Summary
Multi-format approach to communication of
measurement results
– Industry-style reports
– Journal-style report
– Oral (Powerpoint) presentation
Preparation for writing in various careers
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Industry
National Labs
Graduate Programs
Secondary Teaching