Lab Report Writing For Materials Science Sarah Livesay, HCTC Assistant Director

Purpose of Lab Reports Explain the intention of conducting these experiments. Lead readers step-by-step through your methods. Display and discuss the results. Provide plausible reasons for readers to accept your conclusions. Narrate the story of the experiments. Narration: the scientific method is a type of narrative (Chong 2019) Quest with a “scientist as hero” Reason for quest=intention for conducting experiments Trials and tribulations=methods and results Reflection or moral=discussion and conclusion Chong, A. (March 4, 2019). “Tell Your Story: Understanding Narrative to Engage Audiences.” IEEE Professional Communication Society blog. Retrieved from https://procomm.ieee.org/tell-your-story/.

Section Style Overview The Abstract could be reviewed quickly and acted upon by a top executive. The Introduction and Background and Conclusion sections provide non-technical detail and narrative for a general audience. Professionals in your field will understand and could duplicate the experiment from your Experimental Methods, Results and Discussion, and Appendices sections. Intro and Conclusion: Readers can understand the story of the experiment even if they are not subject-matter experts. All the others: Present your procedures and findings clearly and completely so that other engineers could duplicate the experiment. Abstract: for company owner or business manager making decisions, not necessarily with an engineering background. Know your audience! Anita’s audience PPT on our website: https://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/current-students/undergraduate-students/academic-support-and-tutoring/hanson-center-technical-2.

Avoid Plagiarism Write your report on your own Do not copy others’ work Do not write collaboratively Cite all sources Apply quotation marks when using sources verbatim For more information on avoiding plagiarism, see also: Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism (HCTC). Source Use and Plagiarism Policy (HCTC). Student Academic Handbook (University of Iowa).

Writing Guidelines Use complete sentences. Pay attention to verb tense. What was done in the lab: past tense The purpose of the lab and your conclusions: present tense Avoid “I” or “we” statements. Use passive voice when needed. Example: “The experiment was conducted under these circumstances.” NOT: “We conducted the experiment under these circumstances.” Do not make bulleted lists within the body of report. This is primarily a written document—meaning that you need to think about how the writing works as a whole. Flow, sentence structure, paragraphs, etc. are all relevant considerations. Bulleted lists: not for materials, values, equations, references, etc. 3rd person Third person keeps the focus on the experiment and not you as experimenter. Example: “The glass shattered when the pressure reached 75 psi.” NOT: “I shattered the glass when the pressure reached 75 psi.”

Word Choice Avoid these words/phrases: Substitute these: Did, made, saw, etc. (weak verbs) Collected, reported, determined, created (strong verbs) Results were found Results were observed, measured, obtained, calculated A study/experiment was done A study/experiment was conducted, performed Weigh / weight was taken Weight was measured Possible Feasible Experiment (verb) Investigate

Abstract The Abstract should address these five issues: Who requires these lab tests and why (present tense) Purpose and scope of tests (past tense) How the tests were conducted (past tense) Results (past tense) Conclusion/Recommendation (present tense) Write this LAST!

Introduction & Background Introduce subject of the lab Describe the problem that the experiment attempts to solve Include definitions of terminology Include who, where, and when Background Include theoretical values for material properties (tensile strength, hardness, coefficient of expansion, etc.) Specify the materials to be tested Introduce equations  Introduction: who conducted the experiment, where they conducted it, and the date when they conducted it (if needed)

Experimental Methods Describe: test(s) that you conducted methods that you used Include relevant photos or illustrations of equipment used

Results & Discussion Summarize major findings Include values calculated and/or measured Indicate additional analyses or experiments needed Describe assumptions made Represent data in a table or a graph (if needed) Typically write in past tense Additional analyses/experiments: Why are they needed? Why did you not do them (time, equipment, funding, etc.)? Assumptions: how did they affect results?

Guidelines for Tables and Figures Place titles above tables Table II: Hardness test results of 1018 steel before and after water quench Title Hardness before Treatment (HB) Hardness after Treatment (HB) % change 45 60 +33.3% 42 -6.7% Place captions below figures Caption Fig. 4: Stress-strain curve illustrating the elastic and plastic deformation of the untreated aluminum bolt before failure. (Credit: Allison Rowe)

Other Guidelines for Tables and Figures Labels: Graphs, figures: “Fig. [#]” Tables: “Table [#]” Note that graphs are not labeled “Graph.” Include critical tables and figures in the body of the report. Less important figures and tables can go in the appendix. Always introduce your figures or tables in writing prior to their inclusion in your report. Keep all parts of a table or figure on the same page. Tables and figures that go in the appendix should still be meaningful. Do not fill the appendix with unnecessary content.

Conclusion Include a two- to three-sentence summary of the report Tell a brief story of the experiment Make a recommendation or discuss future implications The conclusion offers you an opportunity to provide new perspectives on your experiment. Do not simply repeat information from your introduction. Conclude your report with your recommendation (choice of materials) and/or discuss future implications of your findings. The brief story should remind your reader of the narrative quest with which you started.

References In-text citations should be (author, year) Reference list should be in APA style Use the APA Documentation Guide from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab. In-text: The aluminum alloy 2024-T3 has a hardness of 120 using the standard Brinell hardness method (MatWeb, 2007). References: Callister, William D. and Rethwisch, David G., (2008). Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Appendices Include materials that may not fit into the body of the report, but contribute value or add clarity Do not include raw data Title each appendix (e.g., “Appendix A: Tables” or “Appendix C: Example Calculations”)

Visit the Hanson Center You will receive extra credit for one HCTC visit for one lab report this semester. You may return as many times as you would like! Sign up for an appointment online by clicking “Schedule Now” on our website. HCTC visit: We cannot guarantee availability before any of the reports are due. Your best option is to plan ahead and schedule an appointment several days (if not a week or more) before you know you’d like to come in. We recommend that you visit us more than once in order to get the most help possible. Our tutors have collectively helped with hundreds of lab reports, and they are the best resource you will find to help you with the writing of your report. (Do not ask our tutors questions about data or the experiment; these need to go to your TA. Our tutors will tell you that they cannot answer those questions, and that’s to keep the accuracy and integrity of the report intact.) In terms of benefit, you are likely to get the most benefit if you visit us for the first report so that you can employ new strategies for future reports. But like I said, come more than once for the most benefit—beyond the extra points purely given for the visit, you are likely to see an improved report and an improved score each time you visit us. Hours Mon-Thurs 1:00-4:30p.m. Tues night 6:00-8:00p.m. Fri 1:00-4:00p.m. Sun 3:00-5:00p.m. Location 3307 SC

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