Engr 5011 Resistance & Propulsion of Ships Laboratory Exercises: Winter, 2008

Lab report writing.doc

Brian Veitch, EN4042, Tel: 737-8970, e-mail: bveitch@engr.mun.ca


Writing a Laboratory Report

Youve probably had lots of advice on how to write a lab report. What Ive presented here isnt
intended to be definitive: its meant as guidance. Basically, when you write a lab report, you
should provide enough information so that the reader could repeat your experiments. You
shouldnt start by asking How long should this report be? It should be as long as it has to be,
and no longer.

As for format, I suggest you follow the IMRADC structure. That is, the report should include an
Introduction, a description of the Methods and equipment used, a presentation of the Results, a
Discussion of the results, and Concluding remarks. These are discussed briefly below.


Introduction

In the introduction, you should state first, in simple terms, what the report is. You should then
explain what its purpose, or aim, is. For example:

The subject of this report is a resistance experiment done with a 1:20 scale model of
the ship Mk-123. The experiment was done by ONAE-2006 for the Elbonian Navy.
The purpose of the experiment was to determine the resistance of the bare hull form
of Mk-123 over a range of speeds corresponding to the full-scale speed range of 4 to
24 knots. An additional objective of the experiment was to determine the hulls form
factor.

You may include other relevant information in the introduction, such as the scope and
background of the work, which might help the reader appreciate what you have done and how
you are about to report it. For example, you might explain the scope of the experiments as
follows:

The experiments were done in accordance with the ITTC-78 test procedures. Form
factor was determined using Prohaskas method. Tests were done at roughly equal 1
knot speed intervals from 5 knots to 24 knots. The speed interval was reduced to a
half knot near the design speed of 22.5 knots. Tests were repeated at several speeds
to check on the repeatability of the measurements. All the measured results are
tabulated and presented in the report. Results are also presented as plots of resistance
coefficient versus Froude number.

This (above) tells the reader the overall extent of the tests and also gives some indication of how
s/he can expect to see the results presented. As for background, in our case, it might be:

These experiments were done as part of the course requirements for ENGR 5011.
The purpose of the lab exercise was to become acquainted with the process of
planning, executing, and analyzing model test data in order to make full-scale
predictions of ship resistance for the smooth hull. A log book was also kept.
Engr 5011 Resistance & Propulsion of Ships Laboratory Exercises: Winter, 2008
Lab report writing.doc
Brian Veitch, EN4042, Tel: 737-8970, e-mail: bveitch@engr.mun.ca


The introduction should stick to the main facts and these should be related to the reader in clear,
simple language. Before you begin writing, you should understand the matter thoroughly and
have a clear plan for presenting it in an organized format.


Methods

This section is very important and tends to be the one most likely to be under reported. It should
provide enough information to allow another investigator (with skills nominally equal to your
own) to repeat the experiment you did. This means that you have to give a detailed account of
the test setup, which can often be aided with complementary figures, and specify the equipment
that you used. You neednt include detailed calibration procedures nor results in the report, but
you must have these in your log book. I suggest you include them in the report. You can start by
explaining the approach that youve used to accomplish your stated goals.

The resistance and form factor of the Mk-123 unappended hull form was evaluated
experimentally using the ITTC 78 test procedures and Prohaskas method,
respectively. A step-by-step account of the procedure is given below, along with a
description of the test setup. .

I recommend starting with the setup and then moving on to the methods. These can be sub-
sections. Incorporate figures with care. Figures should be complemented by accompanying text
and vice versa.

You have to present all the equations that you use in your analysis method, including any
necessary explanations. Dont give tables of computed results (e.g. in a spreadsheet) without
showing the corresponding equations. This advice applies to assignments too.

Equations should be numbered and referred to in the text by the number, as in the resistance
coefficient calculated in accordance with equation (7) is then

Its important to give a balanced description of your setup and method. Provide the essential
facts and details, but avoid digressions and discussions. You can refer the reader to other sources
for additional details.


Results and discussion

If you prefer, you can present only the results in this section and refrain from adding a discussion
until the conclusion section. Sometimes, it is better to include your discussion along with the
results. Its up to you.

If you present all the measurements that you made, say in tables, then you should tell the reader
that they are measurements (rather than calculated values).

Engr 5011 Resistance & Propulsion of Ships Laboratory Exercises: Winter, 2008
Lab report writing.doc
Brian Veitch, EN4042, Tel: 737-8970, e-mail: bveitch@engr.mun.ca

Likewise, if you present plots of results, you should describe carefully what appears on the plot.
This includes telling what the plot axes are, what the symbols indicate, and what any lines are.
For example, if you fit a curve through some data points, you should tell what kind of line it is.
Also, if you plot an equation, say for comparison, dont use point symbols for the same equation:
point symbols should be used for experimental results.


Conclusion

You should state your findings in this section. If you dont know what you should be saying
here, refer back to your introduction. Presumably, youve stated clearly there what the objectives
of the work were. Now you can tell the conclusions. In our sample case, you should at least tell
that resistance was evaluated over some specified speed range, give the numerical value of
resistance at the design speed, and give the form factor.


A matter of style

You should also be conscious of matters of grammar and style. Sentences should be
grammatically correct. You should use complete sentences, not sentence fragments. Be careful of
your punctuation. Avoid run-on sentences. Avoid using the same word to start every sentence.
Conversely, dont affect a style that is inappropriate to the subject matter. And as always, keep it
simple and to the point.

Normally, formal technical writing is done in the passive voice. This can make it a bit dry. Dont
slip in and out of voice and tense. You can get good advice on matters of style, grammar, and
punctuation from lots of sources. I like Strunk & Whites The Elements of Style. Its concise.