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Lab Report Importance and Format

This document discusses the importance of lab reports and provides guidelines for their format. A good lab report helps the student understand experimental concepts and communicate results. It should include a title page, abstract, discussion, results, error analysis, and conclusion. The discussion section interprets and analyzes the results, compares measured and expected values, and addresses any difficulties. Tables and graphs in the results section help interpret data. The error analysis quantitatively discusses sources of error. References and an appendix with original data complete the report. Lab reports should be a maximum of 12 double-spaced pages to concisely communicate the essential information.

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Aziz Somro
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327 views

Lab Report Importance and Format

This document discusses the importance of lab reports and provides guidelines for their format. A good lab report helps the student understand experimental concepts and communicate results. It should include a title page, abstract, discussion, results, error analysis, and conclusion. The discussion section interprets and analyzes the results, compares measured and expected values, and addresses any difficulties. Tables and graphs in the results section help interpret data. The error analysis quantitatively discusses sources of error. References and an appendix with original data complete the report. Lab reports should be a maximum of 12 double-spaced pages to concisely communicate the essential information.

Uploaded by

Aziz Somro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Need of Lab Report and Format

Course:
MTS- 337 Industrial Electronics

Instructor:
LE Muhammad Umar Masood

The Lab Report:


An experiment is not considered complete until the results have been properly reported. One of the primary
tasks of an engineer is to interpret results of work, rather than just to gather data. A good report helps you
understand the concepts in the experiment, and also helps you when you wish to discuss and communicate
those results with others. A high-quality report allows a reader to understand your results and gain the benefits
of your insights. Working engineers often mention technical writing as an area in which they could have used
better preparation -- because of the need for good engineering reports.

The report has six elements:

The Title Page


This must show the report title, author, dates, and names and duties of group members.

Abstract
A one paragraph summary of the report, including:

 A brief but clear summary of the objectives and results.


 An indication of the system studied, loads used, and the basic work performed.

Discussion
This is the body of the report, and may contain subheadings as needed. It should report on the laboratory effort,
summarize the data and any calculated results, and briefly describe the important theory and concepts. It should
compare measured results with those expected, and contrast the various cases studied. It should discuss
important sources of error and their relevance to the results. Finally, it should discuss any difficulties
encountered and suggest what might have been done differently. Study questions assigned in class or in this
manual should be addressed in the Discussion. Figures, tables, and circuit diagrams are encouraged. Laboratory
reports in which the discussion merely paraphrases the lab manual are not acceptable. Suggested subheadings
include:

Theory
Brief overview of theory and the methods used for the experiment and its analysis. This should provide sufficient
background for the reader to understand what you did and why. It should help the reader follow along with the
rest of your discussion. Detailed or basic theory should not be repeated from the lab manual or textbook.

Credit: University of Illinois


Results
This portion provides an organized summary of your data and calculated results, in forms that help you interpret
them. Graphs are a powerful tool for this subsection. When you include graphs, be sure to label them properly,
and talk about them in your discussion. A good sample graph from a student report appears in Figure 5 below. In
most reports, this subsection also will include tables of numerical results. When calculations are involved, you
should show one example of each type of calculation (please do not provide extensive numerical calculations). A
sample table from a student report appears in Figure 6. Perhaps the most important aspect of your report is the
task of analyzing the results, such as comparing expected and actual results. This discussion should be
quantitative whenever possible. Be sure to include percent errors or other indication of deviations from
expectations. Be aware of significant digits in your data and calculations. Keep in mind that engineering is about
interpretation of results much more than generation of results. The results subsection is the usual place to
address study questions given in the lab manual.

Figure 4. Sample graph from student report.

Error Discussion
In most reports, it is important to point out sensitive places in the data. The issue is to determine the level of
confidence in the results. Error issues should be discussed in quantitative terms. Consider the following
example, from a student report:

Figure 5. -- Sample table from student report

Credit: University of Illinois


“The calculated results depend on the phase measurements in Part I. These were hard to make and may not be

μs scale, this is 300 ns. So the measured phases c


the scope has less error.”

Conclusion
A brief summary of the results and significant problems uncovered by the work. These should represent the
actual results as opposed to any expectations you might have had. This is a good place to suggest how you
would do it differently if you were to repeat the experiment.

References
A list of any references used. Please be aware of University regulations involving written work. Quotations or
paraphrases from other works, including the lab manual, must be properly referenced. If the lab manual is the
only source you used, you can just list “MTS 337 Industrial Electronics lab manual” as the reference. When other
references are involved, list them in the order used. Examples of the format (IEEE style):

[1] I. Rotit, The Basics of PWM Inverters. New York: Energy Printers, 2026, p. 142.

[2] E. Zeedusset, “Phase error effect in bridge converters,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol 66, pp.
4231-4236, October 2019.

In the text, you should use the reference numbers. For example, “... methods for PWM control are described in
depth in [1]...,” or “... are discussed in detail in the ECE469 lab manual.”

Appendix
This must include copies of the original data sheets. Number the sheets if you refer to them in the discussion.
The appendix should also include any auxiliary information such as semiconductor manufacturer's data sheets, a
summary of the procedures actually used, and an equipment list if it differs from that in the lab handout. It is
not necessary to include copies of material from the lab manual.

Lab reports should not be lengthy. Except for the Design Project report (which covers extra information), the
total length of a report, except for the Appendix, should not exceed twelve double-spaced pages. This includes
the title page. Lab report grading will address format as well as each of the six major sections. The discussion is
most important. More details about grading will be provided by your instructor. To help you in writing the
report, there are several study questions given at the end of each experiment write-up. These questions do not
substitute for a complete discussion of results, but provide a starting point. They are not to be taken as
homework problems to be answered one by one in the lab report, but rather as important points that should be
addressed in the body of the report. The study questions are of two types:

Specific questions about results


These might request certain plots or calculations. You are expected to provide the expected information
completely in your reports.

Credit: University of Illinois


Thought questions
These are intended to guide your thinking when evaluating the results. They should be covered in your
discussion, but do not answer them one at a time as if they were test problems.

Credit: University of Illinois

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