The Lab Report
The process of writing a lab report should be a learning experience:
it should help you find your own scientific voice.
Content
A well-written lab report should address the following:
- The Basics
- Always include your name, course, lecture section, lab section, assignment
identifier, and the date. If the lab includes electronic submission,
include your BSU CS username.
- Problem Statement
- Restate the purpose of the lab and the general methodology.
If you refer back to your solution after several months, you may not
remember the exact format of the lab: your lab report should contain
sufficient information to recreate the problem.
- Approach
- Explain how you solved the problem, why you used this approach,
and the complications that arose from your decision.
- Correctness
- If you think that your solution is correct, justify it. This often
includes reporting test results and explaining how they indicate that your
solution is incorrect.
If you think that your solution is incorrect, explain why, again using
data and test results to justify your argument.
- Analysis and Conclusions
- Did you get the results you expected? Would you approach the problem
the same way if you had to do it again?
What did you learn from the experience?
- Lab-specific requirements
- Always read the lab description carefully: often there are specific
items to be included in the lab report.
- Extra credit
- If you included any extra credit submissions, always describe them in
the lab report.
Style
Communication skills are necessary for success in science and engineering.
Here are some suggestions to help you write effective lab reports:
- Be precise.
- Be concise.
- Always use correct grammar and punctuation.
- Avoid flowery language and analogies: describe things as they
are, not what they are like.
- Use tables and diagrams to present your data.
- If you need help, ask for it! The professor and graduate assistants
are available to help with lab reports.
Other on-campus resources include
the Learning
Center
and
the Writing Center.