Astro 293, Lab Reports
Matthew A. Bershady
A good lab report should be well organized, clearly
written and neatly presented. Keep in mind that quality
is much more highly prized than quantity. You can be
brief, specific, and to the point. There is no need
for the reports to be long or filled with details not
central to the lab itself. For example, while the lab
write-ups provide you with substantial background
information, it is not necessary to include this except
as specifically requested by the questions in the lab
writeups.
Here is a general outline of a lab report:
-
I) Introduction
- Purpose and outline of lab (be brief).
II) Methods
- Description of instruments or software. Be brief,
but include what you think is information relevant
to the lab measurements, analysis and conclusions.
III) Measurements
- Brief log of relevant information on what, how, and
when measurements are made, as well as the measurements.
IV) Analysis
- Calculations based on measurements; be sure to explain
what you are doing.
V) Conclusions
- For the classroom labs this should be quite brief;
for your observational project it may be longer.
Depending on the structure of the lab, you may choose
to vary this general prescription, but the above should
serve as a rough guide.
Other important items of note:
- Tables for data are highly encouraged. These can be
placed in the body of the report, or at the end.
- Identify the units of all measurements, including table
headings and in calculations.
- Explain all calculations. General formulae are good to include,
particularly if they are numbered, and referred to during the analysis.
When in doubt if whether the calculation you are presenting is
obvious, describe what you are doing in more detail.
- Including pages of rough calculations is not necessary,
but is a fine way of 'archiving' your work. However, it
should be in a lab report only as a supplement.
- While the lab writeup may ask a series of questions,
you should feel free to answer them in your writeup in
an arrangement that you see fit.
Last updated: Feb 4, 1997 Matthew
A. Bershady