GUIDELINES FOR LAB REPORT

1. Attendance is required for all experiments.

2. All reports must be typed using a word processor. Use a 12pt Times New Roman font, 1
margins all around, and single-spaced.
3. Lab reports must follow the format outlined below and should not exceed four pages excluding
appendix. Unless otherwise specified, Lab reports are due one week from the completion of
each lab, at the start of your subsequent lab session. The report has to be submitted
electronically via Pilot and it is due before midnight. The document should be named with the
following convention Lab #_Last name_First name.
The report should consist of the following parts:
Title page: Include experiment title, your name, instructors name, the day and the session of your
lab.
Introduction and Objective: Describe the objectives and include theory and background
information relevant to the lab experiment. While the background section of the lab instructions is
a good source for this type of information, you can and should add pertinent material from lectures,
engineering texts, etc. Your goal in this section is to convince anyone reading your report that you
have sufficient theoretical background to interpret your lab results. Be concise.
Experimental Procedure and Data: Explain in your own words what you did in the lab clearly.
Dont copy from lab instruction manual. It is important to include diagrams and also data that
you have recorded during the experiment, preferably as plots or figures with appropriate captions.
Discussion, Analysis, and Conclusions: Use this section to apply the theory that explains your
results. Why did you obtain the results that you did? Were there discrepancies between your
expectations and your actual data? Analyze your data to explain any unusual effects. Sum up the
important concepts and principles discovered in the lab, and how the material might be used in
practice.
References List references here; could be a book or journal reference or a webpage (should cite at
least one journal article and all citations should be in a standard format APA/MLA etc.).
Appendix provide MATLAB code used in the analysis.
4. Each student must write an independent lab report. Lab partners are encouraged to discuss the
results of lab exercises, but each student must write a completely independent report.
Important Reminders for a Lab Report:
a) Check spelling, page, figure numbers and units regarding measurements and calculations.
b) Neatness counts - use rulers especially when using tables and graphs. Add math equations
using word equation editor.
c) Do not copy verbatim (word for word) from the lab handout or any other source. This is
plagiarism and would result in a zero mark and possible further consequences.