Queen Mary University of London

School of Engineering and Materials Science

Laboratory report writing instructions

DEN101 - Fluid Mechanics 1

Flow Rate Measurement Experiment

A. Student

Student Number: 1234567

Version 2.0, 27 November 2010

Template for Word 97-2003

Abstract

This document explains what is expected in your Fluids 1 lab report. The sections that should be covered are outlined and a structure you could follow is proposed. Detailed advice on how to edit the report is given. The document concludes with the marking criteria for this lab report.

Table of Contents
Abstract 2
1. Introduction 3 1.1. Writing 3 1.2. Editing and formatting 3 1.3. Content of the introduction 4
2. Background and theory 4
3. Apparatus 4
4. Test 4
5. Experimental procedure 4
6. Results 5
7. Discussion 5
8. Conclusions 5
9. References 5
10. Appendix A: Marking criteria 6

Introduction

Before starting to write a report, you should think about what is your audience. Am I writing for colleagues who want a lot of detail how it is done, or am I writing for my boss who just wants an executive summary as he has no time for details? In general, there is not a single type of audience and we have to make our writing suitable for the detailed read, as well as the fast perusal. To understand what is required from you in this report, please have a look at the marking criteria in the Appendix.

1 Writing

To limit your time that you have to put into this, and to limit the time of the reader (i.e. the marker), I limit you here to 3000 words + Appendix. (More about the role of the Appendix below.) But you still need to have all the essential elements in that volume. Think about your boss, who has not much time, but you still need to impress her.

You will typically find that 5 pages seems not enough. But it is! Go back to your text and query every phrase. Is it necessary to support my conclusions? Am I saying it in the most compact way, but is it still easily understandable and presents all the necessary content?

2 Editing and formatting

A number of formatting standards are expected from your text:

• Titlepage: artwork and fancy editing is not expected, but of course a report that exudes focus, clarity and authority will be read more likely. You would additionally need the SEMS coversheet on top of your titlepage if you were to submit on paper, but for this electronic submission you don't need a coverpage.

• Abstract: You need to answer your boss' question “Do I need to read this?” So you need to clearly spell out: what question you are investigating, what methods have you used, what have you found out. Nothing more, nothing less.

• Table of Contents. Your boss most likely will be looking for specific sections and not read A-Z. Help her find those sections.

• Numbering: Number your pages, sections, but also your figures and tables. Reference those numbers in the text. Mind that the “figure below” may have moved in the editing process, so it is better to refer to it as Fig. 3. The term 'figure' has become standard for all kinds of diagrams, graphs and other illustrations. Give captions to all your figures and tables.

• Cross-referencing: Don't number sections, figures etc. by hand. You are bound to mess the numbering up if you maintain it by hand through the editing process. Get into the habit of using automatic outline numbering and use automatic cross-references for your figure numbers. And you get a Table of Contents for free! If you are not familiar with that, there are numerous guides on the web. But don’t forget to update all fields before submission.

• Diagrams: such as the setup of the apparatus. Use your own where possible, in the same way as you write your own test. If you use someone else's diagram, reference them to avoid plagiarism.

• Graphs: plot your own data clearly. Clearly here means it passes the 'reader test'. Can my boss read and understand these graphs? Are they properly sized? Are they clearly labelled (axes, units)? If I use colour, is it readable (yellow lines on white paper are not). If I use symbols to distinguish lines (a very good idea that also works in b&w), are they distinct and decipherable? If I want to compare between graphs (e.g. two experimental runs, two speeds, etc.), are the units on the axes the same so I can compare 1:1? Or even better, can I plot those graphs as several curves in a single graph?

• Equations: you will need to use the equation editors and typeset your equation in engineering reports. Learn how to use it.

• Spell checker: Use it! Spelling errors are very unprofessional. Beware, spell checkers don't check your grammar, so make sure you proofread before submitting.

3 Content of the introduction

This should consist of a few paragraphs describing in outline what the question is that is being addressed. How is this undertaken? What are the key principles involved? Aims (the desired outcomes) and objectives (what steps are to be completed) should be given. To be concise, the objectives could be stated as bullet points, but stick to text otherwise.

You have already written this introduction (or a very similar piece) for the peer assessment, so this part will not be re-marked. For completeness and your own overview, stick your introductory essay here. This split between “verbal” description here and “mathematical” description in the next section is rather arbitrary, but we suggest to follow it in this report. You have to judge for yourself in other writing, how you would best structure your material.

Background and theory

Having introduced the broader concepts in the previous section, you can now discuss the quantitative details. You can assume that your readers know the basic equations such as Bernoulli, so you just need to state those to clarify which form you are using. Derive the relevant equations that you are using to process your experimental data to obtain the final results. Derivation here does not simply mean to write them down, but to add explanatory comments what you are deriving which guide the reader and demonstrates your understanding. Number your equations (automatically!) so you can reference them in the text.

Apparatus

Present a diagram of the apparatus and explain the components. There is no point in describing what it looks like, this should be evident from the diagram. But do describe how it works. Make sure that all the elements are shown and explained that you will be referring to in Sec. 4 on the experimental procedure. (Note how I have used a cross-reference here.)

Experimental procedure

A clear and concise description of the experimental procedure (bullet points may be used). Also any difficulties and problems occurring during the experiment should be mentioned. You should present raw results (the data as taken on paper in the experiment). But these are only of interest if someone wants to query the accuracy of your results or the correctness of your data analysis. So the raw data should be in an Appendix. Present them there in clearly headed tables.

Results

You are asked to produce a number of results based on your experimental data. See the lab handout for that. Make sure that you explain for each set of results, how they were processed from the raw data. You should be able to just refer to the derivation (Eq. number) in Sec. 2 (note the use of automatic cross-references here). Present a sample calculation in the Appendix, but make sure you cross-reference both text parts. Make sure your graphs are edited according to the requirements given in Sec. 1.2. After having written your conclusions, check whether your results presentation clearly shows the necessary detail to support your conclusions.

Discussion

Discuss your findings. What have you found out? Does it match the theory? How reliable is your experiment? What are the major sources of error? How will they have affected your results qualitatively? Can you quantify the errors in your measurements? And can you quantify the errors in your results?

Conclusions

Summarise what has been carried out and what was achieved. Summarise your key findings. Justify them, are they correct/credible? What do your findings mean? Your boss probably only ever reads Title, Abstract, Introduction (if he has too much time) and the Conclusions. So make sure that the reader can understand the key findings from just those parts.

References

Include references for all the facts you use but do not derive yourself. Make sure that the references are not just listed at the end but that it is shown in the text where the information is used. A Harvard style list with alphanumeric keys such as [Munson 2008] is easier than a numeric list [1] which you need to maintain by hand. Make sure you practice complete formatting for references. Avoid web-based references, they carry little or no authority and show to the reader that you have been too lazy to seek out proper references. Stick to text-books (for this report) or scientific journal publications (in research reports). Make sure you avoid plagiarism. If in doubt, check the SEMS web for help on that.

Appendix A: Marking criteria

Your report will be marked according to the marking criteria shown in Table 1 (note the use of cross-references).

Table 1: Marking criteria

|Criterion |Marker Comments |
|Formal presentation |Mark (/100, weight: 25%): |
|Is there a title page? | |
|Abstract? Concise, descriptive (states purpose, methods and procedures, principal findings)? | |
|Table of contents? With correct page and section numbers? | |
|References used and listed? All correctly formatted? Referred to in the text? | |
|Acceptable spelling and grammar? Clearly formulated, easy to follow? Written in an appropriate academic | |
|style? | |
|Text appropriately sectioned? | |
|Clear and neat formatting? | |
|Tables and Figures numbered, captioned and referred to in the text? Axes labelled, legends for symbols, | |
|units? Neat and readable? Uniform choice of graph axes, where appropriate? | |
|Content |Mark (/100, weight: 35%): |
|Introduction: states broader context of the experiment? Aims and objectives? Outline of report structure | |
|(roadmap) given? | |
|(From PA, not marked here: Background, brief verbal description of Bernoulli’s equ. and how it applies in| |
|this experiment) | |
|Derivation of the used formulae from the basic equations? | |
|Description of the apparatus and how it works? Referring to diagram? Clearly labelled neat diagram? Own | |
|diagram? If copied from handout, properly attributed and not plagiarised? | |
|Experimental procedure: described clearly, but completely? | |
|Raw results presented in the Appendix? Cross-referenced in text? | |
|Raw results clearly tabulated and labelled? | |
|Understanding |Mark (/100, weight: 40%): |
|Derivation of the integration procedure for the Pitot mass flow given? Correct? Explanation how this is | |
|applied to the discrete measurement points? | |
|Good understanding of the derivation demonstrated in the writing? Correctly applied? | |
|Analysed results presented? In tables and figures? | |
|Brief discussion of problems in the experiment? And how they affect the analysed results and the | |
|conclusions? | |
|Are the errors in the analysed results estimated, quantified? | |
|Qualitative comparison of the observations with the theory, does this match what we expect? | |
|Comparison of the two approaches to measure mass flow? Quantification? Relate the discrepancy to the exp.| |
|errors? | |
|Discussion whether aims and objectives have been achieved? | |
|Conclusions: concise summary of the discussion section? Any practical and theoretical implications of the| |
|results mentioned? | |
|Overall, are the arguments logically constructed and follow each other in appropriate sequence? | |
|Other comments | |
| | |
|What these ratings mean |
|Most of you will not get a rating of 100% in all areas of assessment. This does of course not mean there is a problem; for instance, a rating |
|of 60 simply means that that particular area requires continuing development. If your rating is 40 or 50 in a particular area, then that |
|particular aspect of your report needs improving and you might discuss this with one of the course organisers. A rating below 40% means that |
|you urgently need to address this area in your writing. |