Reports Overview

Example Laboratory Report

Laboratory Report Handout from Professor Brad Finney

For details regarding the ERE Report Requirements, see the ERE Report Requirements page.

Technical Report Guidelines

Technical reports are targeting a technical audience who may want to review the details of the project's background, methodology, application, results, and conclusions. Briefly, a laboratory report should contain the following:

  1. Introduction
    The introduction can contain the following sections if initializing a large report. For short reports these sections are typically combined. As a general rule, if you do not have at least two paragraphs in a subsection, it does not need a subheading.
    1. Background
      Provides a brief description of the problem. This includes any history leading to the current problem and information that helps the reader understand the problem.
    2. Motivation
      This section typically explains the consequences of not addressing the problem and why an analysis is worth the time and effort.
    3. Objectives
      The specific tasks that will be completed, what will be available after each task is completed, and how each deliverable can be rated as successful.
    4. Outline
      For long reports an outline for the remainder can be included. This section helps guide the reader through the remainder of the report without having to skim through the remainder of the report. The reader may pick or choose which sections to read first.
  2. Methodology
    The methodology frames the problem with respect to availabe theoretical and empirical models. The models are discussed generally along with the solution methods for the model classes under consideration.
    1. Theory
      Theory describes the physics and policy governing the engineering system under consideration. Physical laws are typically classified as conservation principles: mass, momentum, and energy. The resulting equations should be listed and other constraints defined.
    2. Solution Methods
      The solution methods available will be based on the classes of problems that are being solved. Discussion of these methods should be general.
  3. Application
    The application discusses the combination of physical models, policy models, avaialble data, required assumption, solution methods, and exit thresholds.
    1. Data
      Engineering problems will be informed by some input data. An assessment of the available data relative to the data required to the proposed modeling needs to made. Results from this exercise can be used to target resources for additional monitoring or highlight the need for assumptions.
    2. Assumptions
      Assumptions typically have to be made in order to limit the scope of an engineering problem. However, whenever assumptions are made, sensitivity analysis should be employed to ensure that the uncertainty associated with the assumption will not have a major impact on the final result.
    3. Parameters
      All models have parameters associated with them. These parameters can be empirically verified or assumed. Each parameter should be formally defined with some discussion of their source, accuracy, and precision.
    4. Sensivity Analysis
      Sensivity testing of assumed parameter values should be discussed. What parameters do you plan on varying and why?
  4. Results and Discussion
    The results and discussion section should discuss the primary results derived from applying the methodology to the described problem. The solution should be presented and discussed with respect to the engineering implications.

    Sensitivity of your result to input parameters should also be discussed. A common method of exploring sensitivity is to look at a graph of percent change in the result versus the percent change of an input parameter.
  5. Conclusions
    The conclusions sections provides the following:|
    1. A brief overview of the problem statement.
    2. A brief overview of the solutions methods.
    3. The results produced and their implications.
    4. Recommendations based on the results.
    6.  
  6. References
    The reference section will list a set of materials referenced in your laboratory write-up. Typically this will include a reference to the laboratory handout and your numerical methods text books. Additional resources may be referenced.

    The ERE program requires the use of ASCE citation style. Professor Chamberlin has a nice summary of the ASCE citation styles here: http://users.humboldt.edu/chamberlin/ASCErefStyle.html

    Frequently students will need to reference a laboratory handout. The following is an example reference for a laboratory handout:

    Lab Assignment #4 Handout - Pipe Sizing for a Reservoir System.
    Engr 325 - Computational Methods II. Humboldt State University. Spring 2015


  7. Appendix
    The appendix should inlcude extraneous information of relevance to the write-up but may take up too much space in the main body of the document. The items in the appendix are typically referenced from the main body and are made available in case the reader wants extra detail. Typical elements in the appendix include:
    • A program listing (your source code)
    • Tables of parameters or numerical results
    • Large equation sets or derivations

The ERE department also keeps a list of report requirements the ERE student should know well.

© Douglas R. Saucedo 2014
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