1.)
Title: This should be short, but precise, and convey the point of the
report. It could be either a statement or a question. For example, a title like
"Voltage-current relationship of a transistor" is good, as is
"Does the transistor obey Ohm's Law?". But simply "The
transistor" is too vague and is not a good title.
2.)
Abstract: The abstract summarizes, in a couple of sentences, the content of
the report. It provides a brief (5-10 lines) outline of what the report is
about; it should include a statement of what it is you measured and its value
(Warning! -- students often make abstracts too long -- note that an abstract is
not an introduction.)
3.)
Introduction: The role of this section is to state why the work reported is
useful, where it fits in the bigger picture of the field (or of science in
general), and to discuss briefly the theoretical hypotheses which are to be
tested (e.g. for the Absolute Zero experiment, state the meaning of absolute
zero and how it is to be measured, mention the equation PV = nRT and discuss its
verification, and under what circumstances you expect it to be valid).
4.)
Experimental Method: Describe the apparatus and procedure used in the
experiment. Remember that a picture (or simple diagram) is often worth a
thousand words! Enough details should be provided for the reader to have a clear
idea of what was done. But be careful to not swamp the reader with insignificant
or useless facts.
5.)
Results and Discussion: In this section, you present and interpret the data
you have obtained. If at all possible, avoid tables of data. Graphs are
usually a much clearer way to present data (make sure axes are labeled, and
error bars are shown!). Please make sure the graphs and diagrams have concise
figure captions explaining what they are about! Do not show the details of
error calculations. The derivation of any formulae you use is not required,
but should be referenced. Explain how your data corroborates (or does not
corroborate) the hypotheses being tested, and compare, where possible, with
other work. Also, estimate the magnitude of systematic errors which you feel
might influence your results (e.g. In the Absolute Zero experiment, how big is
the temperature correction? Does this alter your results significantly?).
6.)
Conclusion: In a few lines, sum up the results of your experiment. Do your
data agree (within experimental error) with theory? If not, can you explain why?
Remember that the conclusion is a summary; do not say anything in the conclusion
which you have not already discussed more fully earlier in the text.
7.)
References: In this section of the report list all of the documents that you
refer to in your report. We recommend numbering the references sequentially in
the text, in their order of appearance, and listing them in the same order in
the references section.
One
possible reference format is used by the Canadian Journal of Physics. That is:
for
JOURNALS: Author(s), Journal Title, Volume (year) page number
for
BOOKS: Author(s), Book Title, Publisher, city of publication, year of
publication, page (or range of relevant pages).
Alex Portela on 11 Mar 12Formal reports are used constantly in a professional environment to propose and discuss new ideas and designs. An official report has to flow well so the the ideas, designs, and text flow easily when presented to the right audience. It helps organize and structure thoughts to paper backed with data and other supporting documents.
This website discusses the format and purpose of a formal report. The different kinds of professionals that use this report need to know who the intended readers are.
This website contained a lot of information that just gave an overview on the basics of formal reports. It also explained how formal reports differ from an informal way of reporting information. It also split a formal report into 3 sections that I did not see in the other website I found. In this one it states that there is front matter, main text, and back matter. Each of these contains different sections within as well. Very helpful for when we have to work on Project #3!
I like this website because it gives you good explanation on different things you need in a good report. It talks about the front matter like front cover. tittle page, contents page and summary. Also about the main text like introduction, discussion, conlcusion. Back matter is also important with the appendices and glossary.
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