LONG
WRITTEN LABORATORY REPORTS
Whenever any investigation is conducted,
it is essential that a record of the investigation and its findings be
completed. . While oral communication, producing
its only record in a few memories, may suffice in very simple situation, and
memoranda may suffice in a slightly more complicated situation, the usual
manner of communication is by a written report.
The specific format of the report
will vary according to the subject matter (a process design report would be
different from a financial report, etc.) and according to the amount of
information to be transmitted; small amounts of information can be transmitted
very informally, large amounts require a more formal, detailed format. Above
all, the report must be tailored to the needs and desires of the individual or
group for which it is written. For the long reports, write the report as if
to a general audience of peers- do not write this report "to the
instructor". Assume that the reader will have some technical background in
the field, but do not assume any specific knowledge of your experiment or the
equipment used. Journal articles will give good examples of this style-
take time to go to the library and review some. For CHEN 3820 and 4860, the format for the long
reports listed below is to be used.
Overall
Long Report Specifications
The report should be bound with a
plastic spiral with front and back covers. They should have a professional look
about them. All written lab
reports are due on the date indicated on the schedule. Late reports are unacceptable, and 10 points will be deducted per
day late. The internal contents should
consist of all sections listed on the following page. Lab reports must be typed.
Only
the equations and calculations in the Sample Calculations section may be hand
written.
Original
data sheets must be signed by the Graduate Teaching Assistant on the lab day
the experiment is performed, and before leaving the lab. All data must be taken
in a bound (not loose-leaf) lab notebook. A copy of this data sheet should be
included in the lab report.
Format
and Grading
Each long lab report must include
the following sections:
Cover Page, Title Page,
and Lab Report Honesty Statement
Abstract
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
and Background
II. Theory
III. Industrial
Applications
IV. Apparatus
and Procedures
V.
Results
VI.
Discussion
VII. Conclusions
VIII. Recommendations
IX
References
X. Appendices
A. Data
B. Sample Calculations (including mass
& energy balances in prescribed
format)
C. Nomenclature
Detailed
Specifications
Outside Cover Page
This is much like the title page of a book and should
contain the name of the experiment, your name, Group number, other team
member's), “ChE 3820 Lab”, semester, date experiment was performed,
and date report was submitted. The paper used for this cover page should be a
slightly heavier weight than the other pages of the report.
Title
Page
Include experiment title and all of the author’s names. Next to each name
must be a line
containing the signature (hand written) of each author and a percentage (typed)
indicating the contribution of each author. For example, in a 4-person group, if
everyone contributed equally to the report, (25%) would appear next to each
person’s name; if one person contributed more to the report, that person
may receive (40%) or more while the remaining points are split among the other
team members. A report will not be accepted without all the signatures and
percentages.
Honesty Statement
The importance of academic honesty and professional
integrity can not be overstated. Academic dishonesty harms your
classmates, your school, and those who rely on your work for accurate
information. Lack of professional integrity causes enormous harm to
society. Those who begin to practice dishonesty in college are likely to
continue the practice in their professional careers. All students
should sign the Lab Report Honesty Statement
and include it behind the title page.
Moreover, all should adhere to the rules and stand tall for doing
so.
Abstract
Write a 100 to 200 word
abstract. The abstract
must be concise, clear, and complete. The first few sentences will typically
contain information on what was studied as part of the investigation, any
critical background information, and the crucial elements of the experimental
apparatus or procedures. The next couple of sentences state specifically your
experimental results, if they agree with theory, and your conclusions. In many
reports, the abstract is the most critical section of the entire report. This
may be the only section most people read so whatever impressions you want to
convey, the abstract is the place to shine.
Table of Contents
Write a complete list
of the sections used in the report with page numbers designating the first page
of the section. Use “heading“ and “figure” fields
throughout your report so that you may simply use the “Insert table of
contents” function in Word to automatically create the Table for you.
Introduction
& Background
This
section introduces the reader to the material you will present. Even if you are
writing the report to a person who asked you to do the study, it may have taken
months to complete the experiments. A reminder of the original intent (purpose)
of the study is needed. State the objectives of the experiment. Also emphasize
briefly why the experiment is important; if you cannot convince the reader at
this point that your work is worth reading, it may never get read. Very briefly
include any especially pertinent historical information on the subject under
investigation, experimental work done on the subject, etc.
Theory
In a
few pages, give the reader the theoretical and experimental background
necessary to understand the underlying science and engineering involved. Provide
theoretical background and assumptions for the equations and correlations used
to analyze the data. All equations must be numbered. References to pertinent
papers or books should be given here. Avoid extraneous theory, but instead
explain clearly the theory pertaining to your experiment- assume the reader is
technologically proficient.
Industrial
Applications Write a 1-2 page
overview concerning the potential industrial applications of the equipment and/or
process studied. Be specific.
Apparatus
and Procedures
Describe
the experimental apparatus and procedures used in great detail. A clearly drawn
illustration is essential to help explain the setup (see discussion of Figures
in the next section). The equipment diagram can be a line (not necessarily 3-D)
drawing. It need not be, and often should not be, pictorial. Show equipment
items, the flow of materials, and all control (manipulated) valves and other
important valves, such as inlet steam, cooling water, etc. on your diagram. It
is critical to identify all measurement points for temperatures, flow rates,
pressures, etc. and all sampling points. Include physical dimensions when
important to do so. Make good use of the figure caption to help explain
the diagram. Neatness and professionalism, or their
lack, are very apparent here. Use French curves, straight edges, and templates,
or computer software. Avoid freehand sketching unless absolutely
necessary. Equipment diagrams should be original work; they should not be
supplied from a previous lab group’s report, the class web site, or
equipment manuals.
The
equipment diagram should go hand in hand with a description of the apparatus
and the procedure. Describe the apparatus in the text. For the procedure, clearly
describe what you did. Another engineer should be able to duplicate your
experimental data from the information you provide, using a similar, though not
necessarily identical, piece of equipment. Any equipment, valves, etc. mentioned
in the procedure should be shown on the equipment diagram. This section
should be written in prose; it should not be a list. Likewise it should NOT be
written as an “instruction manual” Do not merely copy
instructions from lab book!
Results
This
is where your data is presented. Clarity here is of the greatest
importance. Results should usually be reported using a few,
well-constructed graphs of an appropriate type, along with supporting descriptive
text, i.e. this section should be written out, not just a collection of graphs.
Look in journal articles and/or refer to handouts given in class if you are
uncertain of proper format. The figures should allow the reader to see trends
in the data, and use them for reference while reading your
“Discussion” section. Take the time to format figures in the
clearest possible way and remember the old adage that “a picture is worth
a thousand words". Include any models, literature data, correlations, etc.
on the same graph for later discussion. Use data points for data only and
include error bars; models and correlations should appear as lines. Include
captions below your figures, and be sure to number them. Numerical results must
include estimation of error to be meaningful! Use figure numbers and
descriptive captions- it is not sufficient to merely repeat axis titles in
the caption. Refer to text books, journal articles, etc. to see how
captions are used in conjunction with figures.
Discussion
The
discussion tells the reader what you have found out. Refer to your results. If
applicable, discuss the effect changes in the experimental variables had on the
results. Compare your results with theoretical predictions, correlations,
literature values, etc. Explain or account for any differences. An analysis of
the sources and magnitudes of errors is appropriate. In the discussion, be
quantitative. Also, provide physical insight into your results.
All
equations, etc. must be numbered and referred to. The reader must not have to
wonder how any value was obtained or calculated. Questions like: How were your
calculations done? What was measured and what was calculated? must be clearly
answered. Any ambiguity will be considered a wrong result.
Conclusions
Tell
what specific conclusions you have drawn based on the results you
presented in the previous section. The confidence you feel in your conclusions
and how you have reached them should be fully discussed. The conclusions should
be neither over-stated, nor under-stated. Provide key conclusions relative to
the objectives of the experiment and summarize the most important numerical
data.
Recommendations Suggestions for additional
work or modifications of current procedures, equipment, etc. are appropriately
stated here. What have you learned from performing the experiment or analyzing
the data that could be improved for the next experimenter?
References
Use the format
in AICHE Journal. References are listed at the end of the report in a single
section headed “References". They should be in alphabetical order by
lead author. Only references actually cited in the report should be listed. Be
very specific; give edition and page number for books. Do not cite Perry’s
Handbook; Perry’s is often a great place to start and will refer you to
important literature on a topic. Get this literature at the library and cite
it. Give
the complete citation. References should be cited in the report as (last name
of author, year). If two authors: (name and name, year). If more than two:
(lead author name, et al, year). I will give extra credit for exceptional finds.
Appendices
The appendices
contain materials not included in the main body of the report but relevant to
it. In particular, this includes calculations, derivations, calibration curves,
computer programs, and other such items. Four items (shown below) are
specifically required.
A. References- use format on web page
A. Photocopies of lab notebook
pages
B. Sample Calculations – Start with relevant
material and energy balances using the format on the web page. Include
sample calculations for all results, graphs, etc. showing how you got your results. This section is
critical. It must be clear and unambiguous as to where all values come from. Cite
references for correlations and values for physical properties (i.e., thermal
conductivity). State assumptions. Check assumptions whenever possible. Calculations
can be handwritten if clear. Ease
of following, clarity, source of all numbers used, and completeness (not
ambiguous) are more important than word-processing skills.
C. Nomenclature
- Follow format on web page
REPORT
PREPARATION DETAILS
1. Paper - Standard 8.5" by 11"
white paper should be used. Normal margins are 1.5" on left and 1" on
right, top, and bottom. The report text must be typed, but calculations and
equations may be presented in clear, easily read, neat, hand-written
form. Content and clarity are more important than word-processing skills.
2. Headings- Format major and minor
headings so that they give a clean, organized appearance to the report. Using
the heading fields built into Word allows you to automatically create a table
of contents.
3. Tables - Follow format on web page
4. Figures - Follow format on web page