Writing a report

Niels Walet and Marion Birch Niels.Walet@manchester.ac.uk Marion.Birch@manchester.ac.uk (Using material by TSU/Susan Gregory & Sue King)

School of Physics and Astronomy

Before we start

Discuss with your neighbour(s) what you find most difficult in writing a report

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Summary and introduction of todays lecture

Introduction Audience Elements of report style Assessment Plagiarism and other cheats Paraphrasing: how to use sourced material

Writing a report is a skill, that cant be summarized in a set of rules, but like any craft can be learnt mainly through lots of practice and feedback. Todays lecture gives some guidelines and ideas for you to think about; but there is no one size fits all.

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Assessing the Audience

Any piece of written material is aimed at a specific audience:

Who are your readers? Professors, managers, engineers, scientists, or technicians? What terms will you have to define? What background information will you have to include? Why is audience reading the document? Is the document supposed to inform or to convince? How will they read your document? Will they read it straight through like a story or will they turn to specific sections?

Based on http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/workbooks/intro.html#audience

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Elements of style: Report Structure

There are no set in stone rules for the structure of your report but most reports will include some or all of the following***
Title Page Abstract Introduction Experimental Method Theory Experimental Results Discussion and Conclusion References Appendices of raw data and calculations where appropriate. sections have to be in a report

***some

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Elements of style: some key DOs and DONTs

DO:
include an abstract that concisely summarises the outcome of the experiment-including numbers! use the appropriate tense-you are reporting on an experiment that has been carried out in the past ensure all figures have appropriate numbered captions ensure you reference all source material appropriately (see later) consider when words should begin with a capital letter re-read and review your report critically before handing in for marking

DONT:
just list instructions on how to perform the experiment give detailed arithmetic or algebraic calculations use jargon or undefined abbreviations make excessive use of personal style of I or we (but we often use impersonal we!) give long lists of experimental results in the main text of the report-use appendices if really necessary

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Elements of style: use our template for report writing

https://teachweb.ph.man.ac.uk/lab/info/year1/1stYearReportTemplate.doc

Title first word starts with a capital

Jack A Surname1 and (if joint) Jill Surname2 School of Physics and Astronomy The University of Manchester First Year Laboratory Report Nov 2003 This experiment was performed in collaboration with T Partnername.

Abstract
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Assessment of reports: criteria

All 1st Year Lab reports are assessed according to standard criteria relating to:
Presentation and Organisation Use of English (spelling, grammar etc.) Use of Figures, Tables and References Clarity and Conciseness Physics Content

Each of these five areas is scored out of a maximum mark of 10, with a resulting total mark out of 50. Feedback should be provided from marker. Feedback is crucial in learning the art of writing reports. If you are unsure about something, ASK!!
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Assessment of reports: criteria

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Assessment: examples of real reports

Activity:
You have been provided with two anonymous (but real!) reports, and are requested to grade each of them using the criteria in the previous slide. NO CONFERRING!!! You will then submit your total mark using the clickers. We will look at the distribution of marks.

https://teachweb.ph.man.ac.uk/lab/info/year1/reports

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Report A: Thermal Radiation

Please enter your mark out of 50.

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Report B: Gas Flow through narrow tubes

Please enter your mark out of 50.

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Report marking exercise: conclusions

Two general points emerge from this exercise:

1. Even with rather detailed mark schemes, there will always be some variation between assessors!
In practice, this variation is hopefully not too large: marks are monitored in 1st year lab for big variations and, if necessary, reports are re-marked by the lab tutor.

2. Appreciating the perspective of your audience (i.e. the person marking your report) is essential.
Hopefully you now appreciate that a poorly written/presented report can be quite irritating and difficult to read: dont put the person marking your report in a bad mood! Marks can be gained/lost easily: pay attention to the basics of report writingdont make silly mistakes: always re-read and revise your completed report.
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Using external sources

For many documents we write, we use external sources. How do you use sources? Go straight to wikipedia and copy? Use a single authorative source? Use multiple sources without telling? Use an old report as template? All of these have elements of academic cheating (plagiarism). So is there a correct way to use external material?

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Famous examples

George Harrison

Martin Luther King

Ibrahim Al-Marashi

Madonna

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) US (German-born) physicist

Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research. Wilson Mizner (1876 - 1933) US screenwriter

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ACADEMIC FRAUD? ACADEMIC CHEATING? PLAGIARISM?

Here is a set of terms that cover the many different types of academic dishonesty. Look at them and then match them to the descriptions you have on your sheet.
Plagiarism Collusion Falsification Impersonation Copying

An exercise for students adapted from Franklyn-Stokes, A and Newstead, SE (1995), Undergraduate Cheating: who does what and why, Studies in Higher Education, 20:2

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ACADEMIC FRAUD? ACADEMIC CHEATING? PLAGIARISM?

1. Allowing work to be copied by another student
Collusion

2. Fabricating references or a bibliography 3. Copying another students work with their knowledge

Falsification Collusion

4. Submitting work from an outside source

Plagiarism/Impersonation

5. Copying another students work without their knowledge

Copying

6. Inventing/Altering data
Falsification

7. Not contributing a fair share to group work

Cheating

8. Paraphrasing material from a source without acknowledging the original author

Plagiarism

9. Copying material for a report without acknowledging the source

Plagiarism

10. Doing another students work for them

Collusion

11. Lifting information form the Internet without sourcing it

Plagiarism
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WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?

Number 1 is plagiarism. Number 6 is not. Where do you draw the line?

A bibliography is defined as a list of books relevant to the piece of writing but not necessarily cited in the text; a reference list contains all the sources cited in the text.

1. Copying a paragraph verbatim from a source without any acknowledgement. 2. Copying a paragraph and making small changes eg replacing a few verbs, replacing an adjective with a synonym; source in the list of references. 3. Cutting and pasting a paragraph by using sentences of the original but omitting one or two and putting one or two in a different order, no quotation marks; intext acknowledgement eg (Jones, 1999) plus inclusion in the reference list. 4. Composing a paragraph by taking short phrases of 10 to 15 words from a number of sources and putting them together, adding words of your own to make a coherent whole; all sources included in reference list. 5. Paraphrasing a paragraph with substantial changes in language and organisation; the new version will also have changes in the amount of detail used and the examples cited; in text acknowledgement eg (Jones 1999) and inclusion in reference list. 6. Quoting a paragraph by placing it in block format with the source cited in text and list of references.
Based on an exercise in Academic Writing for Graduate Students by Swales and Feak, University of Michigan, 1993.

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COMMON TYPES OF PLAGIARISM

Cut & Paste Plagiarism Whenever you take an entire sentence or significant phrase from a source, you must use quotation marks and reference the source. Word Switch Plagiarism If you take a sentence from a source and simply change around a few words, it is still plagiarism.

Style Plagiarism If you follow a Source Article sentence-by-sentence or paragraph-by-paragraph, it is plagiarism, even though none of your sentences is exactly like those in the Source article or even in the same order. You are copying is the author's reasoning style.
Metaphor Plagiarism Metaphors are used to make an idea clearer than by giving a plain description of the object or process. Metaphors, are an important part of an author's creative style and if you use the metaphor in the Source Article, give the author credit for it. Idea Plagiarism If the author of the source article expresses a creative idea or suggests a solution to a problem, these must be clearly attributed to the author. This is different from public domain information, which is any idea or solution accepted as general knowledge. For example, what a black hole is and how it is defined is general knowledge. You do not need to reference a general description of a black hole.
Based on PLAGIARISM A Student's Guide to Recognizing It and Avoiding It, Dr. C. Barnbaum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valdosta State University School of Physics and Astronomy

PARAPHRASING: SAY IT YOUR OWN WAY

Structure: the grammatical structure should be changed if this can be done without changing meaning. Often this can be done by joining up sentences or by dividing up long sentences.
Meaning: your paraphrase must have the same meaning as the source; it should also have the same relationship between main ideas and supporting details. Words: use different vocabulary when possible, usually more common synonyms/expressions and simpler phrases. Keep specialised vocabulary which has no synonyms (e.g., calcium; plastic; theory; neutron), proper names (e.g., Europe; World Health Organisation), numbers and formulae (e.g. 50%; 2000KW/m; 1984). Length: the length should not vary very much from the length of the original. Style: should be your own and not an imitation of the source, even if your own style seems less perfect to you.
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STEPS IN PARAPHRASING
The following list contains steps which will help you write a good paraphrase.
Read the source. Understand the source. Put away the source. Make a simple list of the main points you remember from the source. Reread the source quickly to make sure you have included all the important points. Put away the source again. Join together the points from your list into proper sentence structure, using suitable grammar to make a continuous piece of writing. Reread your paraphrase, correcting the grammar and organisation if necessary. Check your paraphrase against the source. Is it a good paraphrase?

A GOOD PARAPHRASE IS.

Accurate (the ideas in the paraphrase are the same as in the source) Original (the language use is different from the source) Grammatical

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EXERCISE (1)

Source Article Especially since the launch of HST and the unprecedented clarity of the images satellites have given us, you've all seen on the news or in books, beautiful color pictures of various sights in the cosmos. But is this the way you would see these objects if you went there? Well, to tackle that question, first we have to consider the nature of light and color. Light is made of waves of electromagnetic radiation. We perceive different wavelengths of visible light as different colors.

An Example of Copy & Paste Plagiarism Everyone is interested in astronomical images, especially since the launch of HST and the unprecedented clarity of the images satellites have given us. But is this the way you would see these objects if you went there?

Based on PLAGIARISM A Student's Guide to Recognizing It and Avoiding It, Dr. C. Barnbaum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valdosta State University http://www.valdosta.edu/~cbarnbau/personal/teaching_MISC/plagiarism.htm
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EXERCISE (1) MODEL ANSWER

Source Article Especially since the launch of HST and the unprecedented clarity of the images satellites have given us, you've all seen on the news or in books, beautiful color pictures of various sights in the cosmos. But is this the way you would see these objects if you went there? Well, to tackle that question, first we have to consider the nature of light and color. Light is made of waves of electromagnetic radiation. We perceive different wavelengths of visible light as different colors.

How to use the info without plagiarizing We are all thrilled by the beauty of pictures of the universe taken with space telescopes and other satellites. The pictures display spectacular color and detail, but, as posed in "Source Article" by So-n-so, "is this the way you would see these objects if you went there?

Based on PLAGIARISM A Student's Guide to Recognizing It and Avoiding It, Dr. C. Barnbaum,
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valdosta State University
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EXERCISE (2)

Source Article Until now, infrared carbon stars have been classified as such due to either the presence of carbon-rich dust or to their presence in region VII of the Habing diagram. Our visible spectra show conclusively that these stars are true carbon stars and do not have any O-rich molecules in their atmospheres. Their weak Ba lines might indicate an under-abundance of s-process elements. This important result, if true, would certainly separate infrared carbon stars from the optical population.

An Example of Idea Plagiarism Infrared carbon stars show weak Ba lines and this might mean that they do not have the normal amount of s-process elements in their atmospheres, making them decidedly a different type of star.

Based on PLAGIARISM A Student's Guide to Recognizing It and Avoiding It, Dr. C. Barnbaum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valdosta State University http://www.valdosta.edu/~cbarnbau/personal/teaching_MISC/plagiarism.htm
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EXERCISE (2) MODEL ANSWER

Source Article Until now, infrared carbon stars have been classified as such due to either the presence of carbon-rich dust or to their presence in region VII of the Habing diagram. Our visible spectra show conclusively that these stars are true carbon stars and do not have any O-rich molecules in their atmospheres. Their weak Ba lines might indicate an under-abundance of s-process elements. This important result, if true, would certainly separate infrared carbon stars from the optical population.

How to use the info without plagiarizing The difference between optical and infrared carbon stars might soon be resolved since So-n-so (Source Article) announced that the weakness of Ba lines might indicate that the infrared group originates from a different population than the optical carbon stars.

Based on PLAGIARISM A Student's Guide to Recognizing It and Avoiding It, Dr. C. Barnbaum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Valdosta State University http://www.valdosta.edu/~cbarnbau/personal/teaching_MISC/plagiarism.htm
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PENALTIES

University sanctions
Minor plagiarism School sanctions dealt with by unit coordinator/personal tutor e.g. re-submit work with pass mark as maximum available, written warning from HoD with copy on file. Major plagiarism Faculty/Institutional sanctions. Hearing before Student Discipline Committee. Formal warning.
UG - loss of one degree class PG - loss of degree

Faculty contact person: Alex Scott, Student Services x65756

University policies on Student Services website

http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/examinations/exampoliciesinformation/plagiarism/
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AND FINALLY .

A Final Warning
We will be implementing use of a service that can scan and compare to 4.5 billion web pages and other reports. This will allow lecturers to check the originality of work submitted by students.

Avoiding Plagiarism, Advice for Students by Dr. Hugh S Pyper http://www.jiscpas.ac.uk/apppage.cgi?USERPAGE=7510

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Conclusions

Writing is a skill to learn Need practice Large set of rules, dos and donts But it is very personal Use all the feedback (from lab reports, vacation essays, dissertations,)

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Announcements

The assignment of your first lab report (working in pairs) see notice board in lab, also on TeachWeb
(https://teachweb.ph.man.ac.uk/lab/info/year1/INDEX.HTM)

Deadline: Wednesday 14th November 4.00pm Submit to Martin Coram (First Year Lab Technician)

Uncompleted Lab Assessments = zero marks

Absences from Lab recoup Wednesday afternoons - urgent Penalty for absence
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