Overview 

 The aim of the short laboratory reports to be submitted for LC Mechanics-1 is to outline the main sections and content expected from a professional laboratory report. These reports are intentionally short, and should be easily completed within 1 week. While reports, and even theses, in future years of your degree may contain much more detailed explanation, they will likely contain a similar generic structure and sections.  

Presentation 

 The report should be composed of a 3-page report and a 1-page appendix containing sample calculations. Two additional pages are allowed: a title page, and a references page. Thus, no report should exceed 6 pages. Submission of all lab reports will be via CANVAS.

The report should: 

• be word processed and submitted as a pdf file; 

 • not exceed 4 A4 pages including the 3-page report and 1-page of calculations (i.e. 6 pages when including a title page and a references page); 

 • have margins set at 2.54 cm, top, bottom, left and right; be written using an Arial font, point size 11; 

 • use single line spacing for the text. 

Note, for each formatting rule broken your overall marks will be capped: 1 rule = 70% maximum, 2 rules = 60% maximum, 3 rules = 50% maximum, 4 rules = 40% maximum 

Late submissions will have a penalty applied of 5% per day late. 

Quality of Written English 

A report must meet the following standards to pass: 

• The work is written / spoken to an acceptable standard of English 

 • Spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, sentence construction, and textual coherence is of an acceptable standard. 

A report that does not reach the above standard or falls into the categories below will fail: 

• Poor standard of written / spoken English, making it difficult to understand the points being made. 

 • Weaknesses of writing / speaking are so frequent or serious that they impede communication

The format should include the following components: 

Title Page  

As minimum, the lab title and number, date of experiment, and your lab group number (e.g. A1, C2, etc.) should be included on a title page. 

Executive Summary (150 words)  

This section should not exceed 150 words and should summarise the report, including the study aim, methods used, results obtained and key conclusion(s).  

Introduction and Background (½ page including Aim & objectives) This section introduces the reader to the background of the experiment and explains the purpose/value of the study. Reference to the literature may be used to provide context.  

Aim and Objectives 

This section should provide a concise statement of the overall aim of the experiment, and the objectives to be completed to achieve this aim. 

Methods (¾ of a page)  

This should include an explanation of the methodology used, including any data analysis and equations used for calculations. SI units should be used throughout. This section should not read like a lab-manual (e.g., it should not use comments such as, “First we lifted the lid, then we placed the masses in the slots”; instead it should state, “Two masses, 0.05 kg each, were placed 50 mm from the centre of rotation…”).

Results (¾ of a page) This section should report the key results obtained, and any important observations. The results should be presented clearly, in tabular or graphical form. Commentary should be included which aids the reader in interpreting the findings, this narrative should refer to the Tables and Figures presented.  

Discussion (½ a page; including Conclusion) The discussion should emphasize the main findings from the study, and place these findings within the context of the literature. The key sources of error should be highlighted and, where possible, the magnitude of any errors should be estimated.  

Conclusion The main findings from the study should be outlined, consistent with the initial study aim. This section should not exceed 3 lines of text; in-essence, it should provide the ‘take-home message’ from the study performed. 

References References to textbooks should include: Authors, title, edition, place of publication, publisher, year of publication and page numbers, such as: 

Gere JM, and Timoshenko SP. Mechanics of materials. 4th SI ed. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes Ltd, 1999, p. 27-37. 

Further styles, for book chapters, journal papers, and other material can be found at:

 https://studysites.uk.sagepub.com/repository/binaries/pdf/SAGE_Vancouver_r eference_style.pdf

Appendix: Sample calculations (1 page) An appendix containing sample calculations performed should be included. This section will enable the accuracy and rigour of calculations performed to be assessed and will be assessed as part of the ‘Results’ section (see marking criteria, below).