Science of Engineering Materials.

Writing is one of the most important tools available to an engineer. The final report of any project is not just a formality. It is a primary product of the effort and is often the basis for the evaluation of the reporter's professional abilities. The report is also a service to those in need of the information. Requirements for style, purpose and organization can differ greatly; the format required for one report may not be appropriate for another. They have, however, certain characteristics in common. Once submitted, it should stand on its own. It tends to be circulated, reviewed and filed. During this process it is subject to critical analysis by a variety of readers. Report writing is one of the primary professional responsibilities of the practicing engineer. Some special courses on report writing are therefore included in the Wayne State curriculum (e.g. ENG 305). You will be required to take these courses later in your program.

The guidelines provided in this manual should be helpful in showing you how to organize and write an engineering report for this course. We do not have the same requirements as subsequent lab classes because of the large number of students in the class and the limited time available for correcting and grading.

General Considerations:

When writing a report on a subject that is new to the author, there is often a tendency to use the report as a study tool and to write about much of what was learned in class or from reading. Such writing is more appropriate for a review or a term paper than a laboratory report.

Before starting to write a report, make sure that the goal and scope are well defined. It is common to find a report that inadequately addresses the main point(s) of the report. The report should be as short as possible while still retaining all the relevant matter. How well one provides this depends on the scope of the project and on one's ability to extract only those items that need to be reported. The value of the report depends not on its length but on its accuracy and utility for its readers.

Format:

The organization outlined in the following report format is suitable for the types of experiments conducted in this course. Each section of the report has a specific function and minimum requirements must be met by the writer. If each section is written so that it performs its intended function, the final report will be a clearly and efficiently written report.

There is a separate cover sheet that should clearly identify the report by title, class, section, date, Lab, and TA. Be sure to include the names of your lab partners. A sample cover page is shown on page v.

Introduction

The function of the Introduction is to describe the purpose and scope of the experiment. The remainder of the report should be tied to this section. Generally, the reader is first introduced to the overall topic and then to the specific areas addressed in the report. There is generally no need to write an extensive introduction section in this course. A length of about 1/2-page should be sufficient.

Procedure

The function of this section is to describe how one went about answering the "question" posed in the Introduction. Testing procedures should be described. Describe the type of data that each procedure is supposed to provide and what part of the "question" it would help to answer.

Results

This section should include some text, mainly to describe the tables and graphs containing the data. Short tables can be included directly in the text, but extensive tables and graphs are put on separate pages following the one on which they are first mentioned in the text. Units should be given in the heading of each data column and not after the individual values listed in the table. All tables and graphs should have titles. Graphs should be neatly and carefully drawn on graph paper or plotted with a computer, and axes must be properly labeled and scaled. Raw data and sample calculation are normally placed in an appendix. A comment on the accuracy and reproducibility of the results is also appreciated in this section.

Discussion

The purpose of the discussion section is to communicate what was learned and how the results lead to the conclusions. The results are discussed in terms of what they show about the material's behavior and what they mean in the context of the goal of the experiment. The discussion forms the bridge between the original observations and what they will ultimately mean to the reader. While the previous sections showed that one knows how to conduct the experiment, the discussion should show analytical ability and knowledge of materials science.

Conclusions

The conclusion section is a concise statement of the key final results and their significance. It is answer to the "question" posed in the introduction.

References

The reference list should include only those books and articles from the technical literature which are used for this report. Use the following format:

L.H. van Vlack, Elements of Materials Science and Engineering, 6th Ed., Addison-Wesely Publ. Comp.,Reading, Mass., (1989), pp100-105.

Materials Science Handbook, 20th Ed., C.R.C. Press, Cleveland, Ohio, (1986), p. 986.

Appendix

The appendix section is available for raw data, sample calculations, list of symbols, computer printouts and programs etc.

Data Sheet

The data sheet signed by your T.A. on the day you performed the lab. experiment must accompany your lab. report.

Additional Comments:

Appearance:

Spelling, grammar and neatness are important components of report writing. Word processing or typing is required. Tables and graphs should be well organized and clearly labeled. They should be able to stand as separate entities. Scaling of graphs should be done in such a manner that the graph is not crowded in a corner or on the side but covers a major part of the sheet. The divisions on the graph paper should coincide with whole numbers of the units plotted along the axis. The use of S.I. units is encouraged.

Do not copy the full calculator readout in your report but only significant figures. If you have measured a length as 3.43 mm in your calculations you divide this by three, then your calculator displays 1.14333333, but at most 1.143 is significant!!

Deadlines:

Be aware of the deadline for the completion of the report and meet it. This is one of the key responsibilities of a practicing engineer. There will be a penalty assessed to the report grade for late reports.