Checklist for formal lab reports

Checklist for Formal Lab Reports

Author: Tom Huber, PhD
Published on: September 22, 2000

In order to eliminate some common problems in formal lab reports, check the following items.

Before starting to write:

____ Analyze data & perform calculations - you may need to redo this if not correct in lab notebook.
____ List all equations which are needed for the analysis - it is likely that these should be derived or discussed in the theory section of the paper.
____ Make an Outline to construct the basic structure of the paper.
____ Decide who you are writing for & aim at that level.
____ Form a "thesis statement" - a short (1-3 sentence) statement of what you want the reader to understand as the most important point in your paper. This statement may end up appearing in the abstract or introduction.
____ Look up the "accepted values" for all constants (e, e/m, ...) in an acceptable reference (see Physics Today, August of most years for an up-to-date list; ; the CODATA database of the latest physical constants can be found at http://physics.nist.gov/funcon.html) and report in your paper with the stated uncertainties and a reference.

While writing and making global revisions to the paper:

____ Double space your paper.
____ Check organization of the paper. It should contain (in some format) an abstract and introduction, some theory to support paper (primarily any equations used), some procedure and apparatus description, the data which was taken & analysis of the data, conclusions.
____ See "Checklist for Global Revisions" (from A Writer's Reference, 2nd ed. Diana Hacker, Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, pp. 24-5, 1992)
____ Make sure that the text in each paragraph agrees with the opening sentence of the paragraph. Break the paragraphs by logical divisions.
____ All graphs, pictures, drawings, diagrams, sketches, etc. must be called a "Figure."
____ All Figures & Tables must be numbered and include a 1-3 sentence caption (if desired, they may be on a page of captions instead of the bottom of the figure).
____ All Figures & Tables must be referred to, by number, in the text - do not include figures or tables which are not referred to in the text.
____ Do not include a Modelfit or spreadsheet table unless it is "cleaned up" (change column headings, correct number of significant figures, units, explain what is on the page, what parameters mean, etc.).
____ Numeric values of importance (fit parameters, results, etc.) should be in the text of the paper or in a figure caption. Don't force the reader to read printouts & graphs to find parameters.
____ Carefully explain the fitting or analysis method (especially how errors were used) for any calculations.
____ All numeric values should have units and errors (if appropriate). Check significant figures.
____ If you are going to state any deviations from accepted values, state as number of standard deviations (in addition to % error if you want).
____ Footnote (endnote, etc.) any material, including apparatus diagrams, which is not your own or is not "common knowledge" and use a standard style for references. Be careful of plagiarism in following the structure of another book too closely. (See A Writer's Reference, 2nd ed. Diana Hacker, pp. 213- 7)
____ Conclusions should logically follow from data & analysis.
____ Carefully read the whole paper!

Proofreading the paper (At the sentence/paragraph level):

____ Carefully read the whole paper again!
____ Check the spelling (run spell checker if using a word processor). Be careful of correctly spelled words that are not correct (such as "than" instead of "that" or "excepted" instead of "accepted")
____ Avoid the first person (We or I) whenever possible in scientific papers.
____ Never use contractions (wasn't, didn't, ...) in formal writing.
____ If a sentence is longer than about 2-3 lines, double check to make sure it is not run-on or that you shouldn't rewrite it.
____ Check tense of verbs and remain consistent: Past Tense (was, were) Present Tense (is, are).
____ Check noun/verb agreement (singular/plural): The coil's diameter were measured ...
____ Check punctuation, particularly of equations.
____ Avoid unnecessary words (often "then" is not needed, replace phrases such as "due to the fact that" with "because" or "in order to" with "to")
____ Make sure you have written in any equations, greek characters, etc. which you did not type into the paper.
____ Carefully read the whole paper still again!
____ While you are at it, carefully read the whole paper one more time!