Report Writing 2016 Semester 2 Simon Fleming | Senior Experimental Physics Coordinator

Motivation 2 ›Written Communication – an Essential Skill ›Scientific reports -Many aspects similar to other reports -Some aspects specific to scientific reports ›Graduate Attribute -We assess you -We provide feedback and written guidelines -Tutorial… C1. Explain and present ideas to different groups of people in plain English. C2. Write and speak effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of different audiences and purposes. C3. Use symbolic and non-verbal communication, such as pictures, icons and symbols as well as body language and facial expressions, effectively. C4. Present and interpret data or other scientific information using graphs, tables, figures and symbols.

Overview ›Purpose ›Content -Title, Affiliations -Abstract -Introduction -Theory -Experimental procedure -Results and Discussion -Conclusion -References ›Form ›Common Mistakes 3

Purpose ›Communication ›What? ›Who? ›How? -Tell a story / narrative -Engaging, readable -Clearly explain key concepts - appropriate to reader -Self contained -Adequate background and context -Links for reader to pursue further 4

Title, Authors & Affiliations ›Title -Concise, meaningful, comprehensive ›Author(s) -Only you on the lab reports -Very important ›Affiliation(s) -University of Sydney 5 Determination of Boltzmann’s Constant from Measurement of Johnson Noise in a Resistor Joe Bloggs School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Abstract ›How is abstract used? -Searching -Decide whether to read -Key points ›Summarise -Describe experiment -Main results -Implications / importance 6

Introduction ›Context / Background -Why is this topic important -What has been done already -When and by whom (with references) ›This Paper… -Describe what is in the paper -And how it builds on the past -More detailed background information, if necessary 7

Theory ›Sufficient theory to explain -Experiment operation -Results ›Concise vs thorough -Be very selective ›Amount of theory can vary significantly depending on topic ›Mathematical or Physical ›Doesn’t all have to be upfront. Can introduce some theory when needed for: -Experiment details -Results interpretation 8

Experimental Equipment and Procedure ›Describe apparatus ›Figures -Convey complex concepts -Need to be well chosen ›Describe procedures -Narrative, not recipe! ›Not just what: -Why -How ›Flow back and forth if narrative makes more sense 9

Results and Discussion ›Present results -Figures -Key values ›Describe results -Reference figures -Quantitatively -Extra physics to assist interpretation ›Discuss results -Connection with the theory? -Relation to work of others? -Implications? 10

Summary / Conclusion ›Similar to abstract, typically longer ›What was done ›Key results / observations ›What does it mean / implications / why is it important ›Future work (if appropriate) 11

Acknowledgements and References ›Acknowledgements -Probably not needed for Senior Lab -Who helped you -How you were funded ›References -Note how many! -All sources on which your report relies -Several key sources -Text books or seminal papers -How do you find them? -Wikipedia – be very careful! -Reference anything you borrowed from -Otherwise it is plagiarism 12

Form ›Layout / Format / Structure -Required format -How substantial? -Structure -Quality ›Style / Writing/ Details -Readability / Narrative / Engaging -English -Tense – The measurements WERE performed, and the results ARE presented. -Errors -Graphs & Figures -Equations & Tables -Misc 13

Format ›Format – not your choice! ›Understand it before you start ›Physics Review Letters ›Check process early 14

Substantiality / Structure / Quality / Style ›Substantiality -4 pages -Use the space well -Minimum white space, waffle or filler ›Structure -Determined by narrative -How do the parts fit together? -Don’t jump around unnecessarily ›Quality -Layout, errors, figures ›Style -Good English, readable, engaging 15

Graphs and Figures ›Necessary -Not for aesthetic purposes -Serve a technical function -Very efficiently convey complex information -Save space, and reader time ›Properly formatted -No Scans -No Hand annotation -No Photos of instrument screens -Download data and plot – Matlab, Origin, Excel ›Clear and uncluttered -All key information -No confusing spurious material ›Detailed captions -All information in presented figure in detail -Everything necessary to interpret ›Numbered (and referenced by number in text) 16 ›Graphs -Choice of type of graph -Log / lin axes -Data points not joined by dots -Appropriate error bars -Sensibly scaled -Labelled axes -Legend -Font size

Equations 17

Equations, Tables, Misc ›Equations -Appropriate equations – just what is necessary, nothing trivial, no derivations -Properly formatted – not scans or jpgs inserted – use equation editor / formatting -All symbols defined in text immediately before or after equation -Numbered (referenced by number in text) ›Tables -Appropriate use – don’t tabulate large amounts of data -Numbered (referenced by number in text) ›References -Properly formatted -Numbered (referenced by number in text) ›Units – SI (unless some very good reason) 18

Common Mistakes ›Report is very different from lab book ›Do not regurgitate the lab notes ›Do not write lists of instructions ›Do not use bullet point lists ›Don’t do derivations or show intermediate calculations ›Number equations, figures, tables, references ›Graphs are usually better than tables 19

Questions… 20 Also: Read the Report Writing Guidelines Acknowledgements The sample paper is (obviously) from Physics Review Letters Examples taken from past student reports are deliberately not acknowledged to avoid potential embarrassment.