Lab Report:



Format for Homework, Lab Notebook, and Lab Reports

Homework Format

• Use engineering paper

• Only write on one side of the paper

• The heading on homework needs: Name | CompE 250 | HW #

• State the problem (i.e., write the question). It does not have to be verbatim from the text but enough to know what you are looking for along with any schematics or circuits.

• Show your work: If there is no work or the work does not match the answer, no points will be given for the problem.

• Box all answers

o Makes sure all answers are boxed and easy to connect to the correct problem. If we cannot find the answer, it is wrong so make everything neat and readable.

Lab Notebook

All lab work must be recorded in a lab notebook, that has non-removable pages that are sequentially numbered.  All lab records must be written in ink while the experiment is being performed -- not afterwards!   Each page must be signed (or initialed) and dated.

In industry, lab notebooks are used for both technical and legal documentation.  Four elements are required for your lab notebook to satisfy the legal requirements:

    1. It has numbered pages that are not removable. (not required in this class)

    2. Notes are written in ink at the time of the actual experiment.

    3. Each page (or revision on a page) is signed.

    4. Each page (or revision on a page) is dated.

Lab notebooks will be turned in for grading at the end of the semester.  They will be worth 100 points (same as one of your labs). They will be graded on their completeness and whether they meet the above requirements -- not on neatness.  Points will be deducted for each missing, or poorly documented lab.

What should you write in your notebook?  Anything that you need to write down while doing your experiment.  Do not write on scraps of paper, or in the margins of texts or data books.  If you must write it down, it goes in the lab notebook!  Remember to draw the schematic diagrams of your circuits in your lab notebook before wiring them -- it will make troubleshooting much easier!

In addition, each laboratory should have a title page. This page should included the following:

• Laboratory number and title

• A signoff box

• Have a page number

• Be signed and dated by the student

The laboratory book should also have an index page preceding Lab #1 that references the title page for each lab done for this class. You may use lab book from a previous class that has sufficient blank pages but the index should be tabbed for easy reference.

Lab Report

A formal lab report must be turned in for each experiment.  Use the information you recorded in your lab notebook to write them.   Lab reports must be done on a computer.  Each lab report must have the following five sections, with no more than one section on a page. Something always goes in each section. For the preliminary, it can be what is stated in the laboratory and often requires assigned work so look for it.

The following is the format for lab reports:

Title Page (2 pts)

Your laboratory should begin with a title page. This title section should include:

• Name of the laboratory

• Date

• Your name

• Course and section number

Objectives (3 pts)

State the objective of the lab. Why is this lab being conducted, and what do you hope to accomplish?

Preliminary (15 pts)

Each laboratory assignment will contain a Preliminary section. This section is intended to contain work that is done before coming to the laboratory, such as, circuit design or analysis. This is where you will work out such things as equations, tables, and schematics in preparation for the lab. This is where you design and solve your tasks. The preliminary section should be completed before you come to the lab. Schematics must be done on a computer or neatly by hand using a straight edge.

Procedures (60 pts)

In this section you will document what you did during the laboratory and will include such things as: 1) equipment and supplies used, schematics created in the lab., simulations, and circuit results, and 2) What steps were taken to accomplish the stated objectives?  Give enough detail so that another student in the class could duplicate your effort using only your report. Report your experimental data and compare your Expected Results (These are the results you predicted or calculated) with Actual Results (These are the results or values you actually observed or measured). Clearly label each.

If you want to include the laboratory instructions, include then in an Appendix. Do not include them in the main body of your report.

Conclusion (20 pts)

The Conclusion provides an executive summary. Your conclusions show how much you have thought about the experiment. Do not simply say, "Everything went smoothly, and I learned a lot." Nor should you just provide a list of the steps followed. However, it is a discussion of what you concluded after performing the lab experiment!

There is not a specific template to follow when writing the conclusion. However, it would normally contain an overview of what you did in the lab, address how well you met the objectives, and what are the implications and applications of your results. It also typically contains problems that occurred and how they were resolved. If your measurements were different from your calculations, explain the discrepancies.

Consider what are the advantages and disadvantages of this circuit implementation compared to others you know about. You might also, explain the basic principles that were examined and show how your results correlate with the theory.

You may share Figures, Tables, and graphs with your lab partner, but the text needs to be your own. This is especially true of the Conclusion.

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Note: In addition to the items listed above, the overall report will be graded on style. This includes organization, completeness, neatness, professional language and spelling.

General Guidelines:

All figures, diagrams, and tables in the report must be numbered (labeled) and include a reference in the text in the item’s vicinity. The text should explain what is shown in the item and what it means.

If applicable, include bulk program code in the appendix and refer to it in the body of your text.

You must have the laboratory assistant sign off on your preliminary work at the start of the laboratory and your procedure work when it is completed during the laboratory. The signatures are recorded in your lab book

Hints for preparing better reports and making the process go a little smoother.

• Consider using an outline format for the Procedure section. It helps organize the detail steps needed for someone to repeat the laboratory using your report.

• For nice circuit diagrams, create circuits in schematic capture (PSpice) and copy and paste them into your document.

• To get nice copies of your PSpice graphs:

    Edit | select all

    Window | copy to clip board (can change background from black to white)

• Partners should save the data they need on their H drives.  The partner not log in can store data on their H drive through Webshare on my.byui.edu.

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