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The format and requirements for writing a laboratory report in the department of civil & environmental engineering at lafayette college. It covers aspects such as report format, headings, spelling and grammar, and the structure of the laboratory report itself.
Typology: Lab Reports
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DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING; LAFAYETTE COLLEGE
Write-up
General Format All reports must be typed with line spacing at 1.5 lines on a word processor (to facilitate editing) and submitted on standard weight 8 1/2" x 11" pages. One or both sides of the page may be used, depending upon the capability of the printer. The font should be12 point and should be easily readable. If sheets supplied in the laboratory manual or by the instructor are used for any portions of the assignment, all requested information should be included in the spaces provided. Margins should be one inch on all sides unless the report is to be bound, in which case the left- hand margin should be 1.5 inches. Neatness and readability should both receive high priority during the preparation of the final copy. Material should be arranged in the order listed, and be securely stapled or bound.
Headings In the body of the report, utilize headings and sub-headings in any style you feel appropriate, but be consistent throughout. As a suggestion, major headings (e.g., INTRODUCTION) could be centered and capitalized while sub-headings could be left justified and include both upper and lower case (e.g., Background). Allow adequate breaks between sections and sub-sections or new sections, but it is not necessary to start a new page for each section.
Spelling and Grammar The use of spell-check software is expected, and the use of additional editing software is very strongly encouraged. In either case, careful proof-reading ( preferably by someone other than the author ) is essential.
Style The use of slang, colloquial forms, shop-talk and other informal phrases is generally not acceptable. Either passive voice or active voice may be used, but the voice should be consistent throughout the document. Each paragraph in a report should express only one essential idea or recommendation. Review St. Martin’s handbook or Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” for information concerning paragraph structure.
The Laboratory Report Cover Page - self-explanatory, include title, author(s), date of experiment, date submitted
Introduction and Background - present the purpose of the experiment, the technique used, and its application in environmental engineering.
Methods and Materials - a concise description of the procedure and instruments used to perform the lab
Results - present your data clearly, using properly labeled tables and figures where possible. Also include your original data sheet.
Discussion and Conclusions - interpret your results and give their significance in the context of engineering. Incorporate your answers to my questions and calculations in this section. Discuss any deviations of your results from expected values.
Literature Cited - all reference materials must be included
Figures and Tables should appear in the report. The following requirements apply to all figures and tables:
They must be computer generated (no hand-drawn figures)
Each must have a number and title, and must be referred to in the text (or appendix) of the report. Each figure must be properly referenced to source. Figures and tables must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text.
They should be self-contained, including sufficient information to allow their effective use even if separated from the body of the text.
On graphs, it is standard practice to use points to represent observed data, and lines to represent theory, equations, or approximations. Data points should be designated with an appropriate symbol (i.e., circles, triangles, etc.). Use legends to distinguish different sets of data points.