Engineering Laboratory Reports

Engineering Laboratory Reports

Engineering Laboratory Reports

Engineers, like all professionals are expected to be able to communicate their knowledge, opinions and results to each other and the larger public. Part of your grade will depend on how well you present your lab experience in writing.

Format

1” margins all around

12 pt. Times New Roman Font

Left justified

Title of lab centered on 1st page (not including the title page)

Bold and left justify section headings

Number pages

Writing Basics

All technical writing shares the following characteristics.

  • Focused
  • Follows traditional formats
  • Concise

Rules for good writing.

  • Write short, direct sentences; subject, verb, noun.
  • Sentences should average 10 to 15 words each.
  • Maximum sentence length is 25 words.
  • Avoid repetition of words. Never use the same word (except for articles) twice in a sentence, and try not to repeat any expression, in the same paragraph. Never start a sentence with the same word as the preceding sentence.
  • Use superlatives (very, great, etc.) sparingly.
  • Watch out for the TERRIBLE T’s (the, that, there, and then). Do no start more than ½ of the sentences with them. Do no use the chronological style “Then I did this…Then I did that…Then I did something else”.
  • DO not indulge in “stream of conscious” writing. I am not interested in you inner most thoughts.

As a technical writer, it is your responsibility to create a document that makes it as easy as possible for the reader to follow.

Engineering Report Functions

Engineering reports serve various roles. They can,

  • Convey investigative results; such as a lab report.
  • Present designs; such as construction documents.
  • Act as a sales tool; such as a qualification statement.

Each of these has its own unique characteristics. However, they share many common factors.

Laboratory Reports

  • Title, author(s), affiliation, date, team members etc.
  • Abstract
  • Objective
  • Theory
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusions
  • References

Title – Cover Page

Title – short and sweet is best

Author(s) – (your full name)

Author’s organization – (BAE 2022)

Agency report prepared for (prepared for Dr. Carol Jones)

Team members and their job within the group (reporter, leader, etc)

Date (ex. February 3, 2005)

Abstract

In this class, 50 to 100 words should be adequate, while 200 words is the maximum.

Objective

A statement of the objective. In this class, one sentence may be adequate.

Example: “The objective of this laboratory is to determine the soil water content and dry bulk density in the grass outside the BAE laboratory.”

Note: The objective is not what we are doing. It is what we want to learn

Methods

Steps used in collection and analysis of data. If a standard was followed, the procedures may simply cite the standard. Enumerate the steps ( 1., 2., 3., …). Don’t write one massive or several massive paragraphs

Results and Discussion

Data and/or calculations results, discussion of values obtained.

Conclusions

A brief summary and a specific set of conclusions. This is where you convey the knowledge and meet the objective.

References

Supporting information, data sheets, long boring tables, etc. Use the ASABE format. Examples can be found in the author section of the ASABE website (

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