Third Year Laboratory SEE 3742

Guidelines in Writing A Technical Laboratory Report

Report writing is a skill which you will need in your future employment. In order for you to
write a good report, you must fully understand the purpose and procedures of the experiment.
You are required to spend some time to study the lab sheets and read the necessary background
before you start the experiment. Some of you refer this as ‘long report’.

1. The purposes
• to report the rationale, procedure and results of an experiment in sufficient detail to allow
someone else to replicate it.
• a means of assessing your experimentation skills and your understanding of the
applications of theory.

2. The presentation

• preliminary calculations and your lab report should be typed double spacing using a
word processor
• report must be written in English
• each figures and tables must be numbered and have captioned accompanied
• original results (certified and signed) must be handed in together
• a cover page that stated the date you did the experimental work, the names and ID
numbers of members in your group and the name of the lab supervisor.

3. Report Structure
A technical lab report should include the following sections:
• Title
• Objective
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• References

3.1 Title
Title of the experiment.
3.2 Objective
This section states the aims of the experiment. In any experiment, you aim to do something. For
example, you aim to verify, to investigate, to measure, to determine, to compare or to
calculate.

Objective can be written either in point form or in complete sentences.

In point form: In a complete sentence:
Objectives:
The objective of the experiment is to determine
1. To measure the resistance of a
the resistivity of iron by measuring the
specimen of wire.
resistance of a specimen of wire.
2. To determine the resistivity of iron.

Weak objectives Good objectives

To investigate the effects of passing electric
An investigation of the effects of passing
current through water.
electric current through water.
The objective of this experiment was to verify
Verification of Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.
Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.

3.3 Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background that leads to the objective
of the experiment. This section introduces the reader to the experiment and briefly outlines
theory and background information relevant to the experiment. You need to state any relevant
laws, equations and theorems you will be using or investigating, and you need to explain the
different analyses you’ll be using.

3.4 Method

• briefly reports the steps that you followed in carrying out the experiment.
• do not repeat word for word what is in the lab notes or on the website but
• summarise in your own words the key steps which were taken in the experiment.
• list out the equipment needed for your experiment
• sketch any diagram that may help your description
• describes what was actually done
• use past tense, passive voice (i.e were connected, was measured,was calculated).
• state any problem that you’ve encountered and any assumption that you’ve made
Example
The instructions Method
First the zero reading of the balance was found.
1. Find the zero reading of the balance.
Then the sphere was put in the left pan and
2. Put the sphere in the left pan and put weights
weights were added to the right pan to bring the
into the right pan to bring the pointer to zero
pointer to zero. In this way the apparent mass
and obtain the apparent mass.
was found.

Weak example Good example

Connect four resistors with a 10 V supply and
measure the open circuit voltage, and the short
circuit current between A and B.
Determine the voltage and resistance of the
Thévenin equivalent circuit.
We tested the specimen.
I measured the resistance.
Four resistors were connected with a 10 V
supply and the open circuit voltage was
measured. The short circuit current between A
and B was also measured. The voltage and
resistance of the Thévenin equivalent circuit
were determined.
The specimen was tested.
The resistance was measured.

3.5 Results and Discussion

This is where you present your results, interprete and analyze them by commenting on the
results obtained and explaining any results which are unexpected. Display your results in a clear
and concise form ; i.e tabulate your result or sketch your waveforms with clear suitable scale.

Here you present your measurements and then compare them to the calculations you made in
your preliminary work. You need to identify any discrepancies and to state them as a percentage.
You also need to identify any sources of error in your measurements and, if possible, to suggest
how your experiment could have been performed more accurately.

Use your creativity to make your report interesting and lively, but most importantly, a clear and
consice report. Result and discussion could be mentioned together or separately.

Take notes:
• hand in your original result (certified and signed as a reference). If you have poor or
no results for your experiment, you may use a copy of other students’ results. It must
be stated clearly.
• blaming poor result on the resistance of wires, faulty equipment or errors in taking
readings is not an analysis of the results. This usually account for small errors.
• do not limit your discussions to the questions imposed in your labsheet.

Useful expressions if your measurements correspond well with your calculations:

The measurements are consistent with the preliminary calculations.
The measured values agree well with the calculated values.

Useful expressions if your measurements do not correspond well with your calculations:
The measurements are significantly different from the preliminary calculations.
The measured values do not agree well with the calculated values.

Useful expressions for explaining the source of errors:

The discrepancy may be due to human error.
The difference may be the result of incorrect calibrations.

Weak example Good example

• No comparison of calculations in the • Clear comparison made between the
preliminary work and the measurements in the calculations and the measurements with the
experiment. discrepancy expressed as a percentage.

• No attempt to explain why there is a • Good explanation of the possible reasons for
discrepancy between the calculations and the the discrepancy and the possible sources of
measurements. error in the measurements.

I present … This report presents …

We can show … The results show…

3.6 Conclusions

This section states whether the aims of the experiment were achieved or not and briefly
summarises the discussion of results. In the Conclusions in this report, you need to comment on
how closely your measurements and calculations agree and to summarise the main reasons for
any discrepancies.

Weak example Good example

Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws have been
verified. The superposition theorem for a two
source network has also been verified. The
Despite some errors, the law was verified.
experimental results were always within 1.1%
of the calculated values. The discrepancies may
be due to …………(provide a reason here!).

I found…. It was found that…

We concluded that … It was concluded that …

3.7 References

Give details on references that you have used in preparing your report.
4. Marking Scheme for Technical Lab Report (Long Report)
Report Format & Organization 5
Theory & Background 8
Method 5
Results 5
Discussion 10
Conclusion 5
References 2
_____________________________________________
Total mark 40

4.1 Report Format & Organization

Things to look for are general format and tidiness, and creativity in presenting the report.
These should include cover page, title, and objective.

• Highest mark – complete report and fully complied with the requirement of item no 2
(report presentation) and item no 3. (in the report structure). Nice presentation. Double
spacing.
• Lowest mark - incomplete report, untidy.

4.2 Theory & Background

• Highest mark – the ability of student to present the theory and background relevant to
the experiment. Ideas taken from several resources with clear references, but written in
his own words.
• Lowest mark – ideas copied words by words from websites or references. Mark for
plagiarism would be zero.

4.3 Method

• Highest mark – the ability of student to present procedure of experiment in his own
words as stated in item 3.4.
• Lowest mark – method copied directly from laboratory labsheet or website

4.4 Result

• Highest mark – complete result, concise plots with proper scales, organized tables,
Labeled and numbered. Good presentation. Comments on vagued/bad result.
• Lowest mark – unreadable, inorganized, incomplete result.
4.5 Discussion

• Highest mark – the ability to present, interprete and analyse result, and to compare them
to the theoretical calculation or ideal conditions. Ability to answer and explain the
questions or observation posed on the labsheet. Refer to item 3.5.
• Lowest mark – no analysis, interpretation or comparison on results. Minimum answer
(i.e yes, no, or numbers) without full explanation on the questions posed on the labsheet.

4.6 Conclusion

• Highest mark – the ability to conclude the experiment based on the objective of the
experiment. The ability to learn something or to relate the experiment with real life
applications.
• Lowest mark – wrong conclusion. Conclusion not related to the objective.

4.7 References
• Highest mark – the ability to conclude the experiment based on the objective of the
experiment. The ability to learn something or to relate the experiment with real life
applications.
• Lowest mark – wrong conclusion. Conclusion not related to the objective.

PLAGIARISM
For all items, 0 mark will be given if the student is suspected to plagiarize. Plagiarism – the
act of taking other’s work without giving any credit or claiming the work as his own.

This guideline is taken and modified from three main sources:

1. Guidelines for Laboratory Report Writing, Department of Energy Conversion, UTM

2. Skema Makmal SEE 4712 - Makmal Elektronik Kuasa, FKE, UTM
3. Writing Lab Reports in Electrical Engineering ENG1301, Faculty of Engineering, Monash
University