READ THIS PAGE BEFORE USING THIS TEMPLATE

The following template was created to provide students with an easy-to-follow guide while
learning to produce professional-quality technical reports. The template has been specifically
developed to follow the formatting requirements of the course “CE 337 - Civil Engineering
Materials Laboratory” at the Pennsylvania State University. This is the only acceptable report
format for the course. Where appropriate, students are welcome and encouraged to also make use
of the template outside of the course and are free to make any desired changes to the document for
this purpose.

This template is intended for use with Microsoft Word, and it includes an automatic Table of
Contents TOC, an automatic List of Tables, and an automatic List of Figures. For these features
of the document to function correctly, and also to maintain a coherent and organized final report,
it is imperative that the correct styling be applied to all portions of the document by using the
formatting styles that have been developed within this template. Since the TOC, List of Tables,
and List of Figures are automatic, there is no need to type anything into them. When you have
finished writing your report, simply single-click in the Table of Contents (or List of Tables or List
of Figures) to select it, then right-click to open the menu options. Select the option “Update Field”
and fill in the circle “Update Entire Table”. Then click “OK”. If you have applied the appropriate
styles throughout your document, everything (text and page numbers) will be automatically
updated.

Text in blue provides general guidance for each section relative to the expectations of this course
and to industry standards in general. It should be deleted after review. Text in red provides more
specific instructions and should be directly replaced with the appropriate text. Be sure to change
the text from red to black in your final report.

THIS PAGE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD BE DELETED

IN YOUR FINAL REPORT.
 Exercise XY: EXERCISE TITLE

CE 337, Section XYZ, Team X

Experimental data acquired on Month DD, YYYY by:

Team Member 1 (team leader)

Team Member 2
Team Member 3
Team Member 4

Submittal Date: Month DD, YYYY

The following two paragraphs should be placed as close as possible to the end of the page.

The Pennsylvania State University

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
(5 Points including Table of Contents and Lists of Figures and Tables)
 ii
ABSTRACT (5 Points)
The abstract is simply a descriptive summary of the information included in the report; it is a table
of contents in paragraph form or a miniature version of the whole report. It should be a brief (about
200 words) description of the laboratory exercise and what was learned from it. Your abstract
should emphasize the objectives, tests performed, results, and conclusions (usually in that order).
Please do not include unnecessarily specific or elaborate details of the procedure or numerical
results in the abstract. This section demonstrates your knowledge of how all the information is
integrated together and gives the reader an overall idea of what the report is about. In practice,
your audience will not read beyond the abstract if it does not concisely attract their interest, so it
is important that you are thorough but to-the-point. Since the abstract is a summary of the report,
the best time to write it is after you have completed the report.

Type your abstract here using the Report Text style.

 iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................iii
LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. iv
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1
IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR INTRODUCTION INTO
MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION TITLE. USE THE SAME
SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR THE GIVEN EXERCISE.
THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE. ............................ 1

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................... 2

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR THEORETICAL
BACKGROUND INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION
TITLE. USE THE SAME SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR
THE GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES
STYLE. .......................................................................................................................... 2

METHODS AND MATERIALS ............................................................................. 3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................... 4
IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR RESULTS AND
DISCUSSION INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION
TITLE. USE THE SAME SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR
THE GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES
STYLE. .......................................................................................................................... 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................... 7

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS
SUBSECTION TITLE. USE THE SAME SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB
MANUAL FOR THE GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE
SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE. ........................................................................................... 7

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 8
APPENDIX A: RAW DATA ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
 iv
LIST OF TABLES

Page
Table X Table Titles Should be Placed Directly Above Tables and Should Concisely
Describe the Information Presented in the Table. Keep Them Brief, Capitalizing
All Major Words. This Paragraph Should Receive the Table Titles style. .......... 5
 v
LIST OF FIGURES

Page
Figure Y Figure captions should be placed below figures, capitalizing only the first word
and any proper noun or adjective; they should end with a period. Like table
titles, keep figure captions brief. This paragraph should receive the Figure
Captions style. ...................................................................................................... 6
 1
INTRODUCTION (5 Points)
The introduction should provide the specific purpose of the experiment performed (e.g., to measure
elastic modulus of structural aluminum alloys). It also need to state the significance and motivation
for conducting this test and how this experiment is related to the job of a civil or architectural
engineer (e.g., knowledge of elastic modulus of structural members is critical for analysis of
statistically-indeterminate structures and also to calculate the deformation of elements).

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR INTRODUCTION INTO

MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION TITLE. USE THE SAME
SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR THE GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS
PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE.

Type your Introduction section here using the Report Text style.
 2
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND (10 Points)
This section (often referred to as the literature review) should include a review of relevant literature
and theories related to what was done in the laboratory test. Include relevant equations in this
section following the format demonstrated by Equation 1. Apply the Equations style to paragraphs
containing equations noting that proper formatting will be achieved by placing one tab stop before
the equation and one tab stop after the equation (but before the equation number). Variables used
in equations should be defined directly following the equation and should be formatted with the
Equation Variables style. Note that once again, two tab stops will be required to achieve the proper
formatting: one directly before the variable and one directly after the variable. All equations must
be numbered sequentially. If your literature review includes sources beyond the laboratory manual
(e.g. textbooks or papers), the grade for the report can be increased by as much as 10%. Eligibility
for extra credit will be based upon relevance of the information cited as well as proper citing of
the source e.g. Smith and Jones (1994), Smith (1998). A list of all cited references should be
included in the References section of the report.

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR THEORETICAL

BACKGROUND INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION TITLE.
USE THE SAME SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR THE GIVEN
EXERCISE. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE.

Type your Theoretical Background section here using the Report Text style.
(α)This is an example equation created (γ)This paragraph should receive
= (1)
(β)using Word's "Insert→Equation" function. (δ)the 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 style.

where: α = an example of defining equation variables

β = an example of defining equation variables
γ = an example of defining equation variables
δ = an example of defining equation variables
 3
METHODS AND MATERIALS (10 Points)
Include a brief description of the experimental method(s) employed and the material(s) used. This
is where you identify the methods of gathering information and describe the materials and
equipment used to acquire it. For this course, it will not be necessary to copy the step-by-step
procedure from the lab manual. Instead, provide a summary description and refer the reader to a
proper reference (e.g., the lab manual, ASTM standard, etc.) for more details. Provide a properly
formatted reference to the appropriate section of the lab manual.
 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (50 Points)
This section is the most important part of the report. It contains the results obtained during the
laboratory testing, and a discussion focusing mainly on the relationship between your results and
the underlying theory. In addition, comparison between results obtained by different groups should
be provided, along with statistical analysis of the data, including the calculation of mean, median
and standard deviation values.

Good presentation of the results is essential before you can effectively discuss and present the
arguments and conclusions you draw from them. Results are usually presented in tables and
graphs. To allow the reader to quickly understand their content, all tables should have a descriptive
table title (above the table) and all graphs (or any other figure) should have a descriptive figure
caption (below the figure).

For headings within tables, use the Table Headings style. For text within the table other than the
last row of the table, use the Table Text style. For the last row of a table, use the Table Text Last
Row style. See Table X and Figure Y below for more specific instructions on creating tables,
figures, table titles, and figure captions. When presenting tables and figures, you must always
introduce them in the text, oftentimes through a parenthetical like this: “(see Table 1)”.
Alternatively, you can reference the table or figure in a sentence like this: “Table 1 shows the
scales used and the standard deviations for each variable.” The table or figure must follow as
closely as possible after the paragraph in which it is first introduced.

When producing tables and graphs using computer software such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft
Excel, do not simply rely on the default product created by the software. Consider adjusting the
format, fonts, scales, borders, etc. so that your table or graph presents the results in the most
effective way possible. Make sure the fonts and formats remain consistent from one table (or
figure) to the next. For numerical results, always remember to only report the true number of
significant figures. Reporting a numerical measurement to twelve decimal places (due, for
example, to the default results generated by making calculations in Excel) is not only erroneous
but looks unprofessional. Remember, your results will be your main evidence in support of the
conclusions you draw so the more effectively they are presented, the more convincing they will
be.

The discussion is where you must demonstrate, in your own words, that you understand the
concepts included in the laboratory exercise. Begin with a simple statement about what actually
took place during the experiment. Follow this with a discussion of your analysis of your
experimental results focused on the objectives of the exercise. If the results show something
unexpected, you should attempt to explain why this occurred. Always try to avoid lengthy
discussions. Make sure your arguments in this section do not have fallacy; all conclusions should
follow logically from a combination of the information included in the Theoretical Background
and the experimental results. Also remember that results obtained under the specific conditions in
the testing laboratory are not necessarily indicative of what might be obtained from repeated tests
under varied conditions; in other words, don’t generalize. If you place specific emphasis on the
importance of a particular subject, material property, test type, etc., please explain why you think
it is important.
 5
In the Discussion section, answer the following questions:

A. Calculate the mean and median values of all the results (pooled from all 6 groups).

B. Calculate the standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Show steps.

C. In statistics, the errors in experiments can be categorized as systematic errors and

random errors. What is the difference between these two? For the particular experiment
you are working on, what could be the sources of systematic error and random error,
respectively? Name at least two errors of each type.

D. What is the difference between accuracy and precision? Which one is independent of
the true value? How to improve the accuracy and precision of the experimental results
that you are conducting? Please specifically mention the detail in your experiment.

E. What are repeatability and reproducibility in experiments? By comparing your results

with the results from other groups, is that a test for repeatability or reproducibility?
Why?

If there are additional Discussion Questions at the end of the exercise in the lab manual, you need
to address them as well in your report.

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION TITLE. USE THE SAME
SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR THE GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS
PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE.

Type your Results section here using the Report Text style.

Table X Table Titles Should be Placed Directly Above Tables and Should Concisely Describe the
Information Presented in the Table. Keep Them Brief, Capitalizing All Major Words. This
Paragraph Should Receive the Table Titles style.
Scale Introversion Extroversion Peculiarity
SPG .77 .45 .12
AIG .43 .89 .34
TRF .78 -.34 .45
XYZ -.03 -23 -.56
PDQ .09 .89 -.09
 6

Normal stress = 10 psi Normal stress = 20 psi Normal stress = 30 psi

0.010
Ver cal displacement (in)

0.005

0.000

-0.005

-0.010

-0.015
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40
Horizontal displacement (in)
Figure Y Figure captions should be placed below figures, capitalizing only the first word and any
proper noun or adjective; they should end with a period. Like table titles, keep figure captions
brief. This paragraph should receive the Figure Captions style.
 7
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (10 Points)
In this section, begin with a short (one to two sentences) summary of the objective of the
experiments and the method used. Then, briefly state your major findings and conclusions from
conducting the laboratory test. Also, comment on the statistical analysis of your results. You may
use either sentences in a paragraph or a bulleted list to create this section.

IF THE EXERCISE IS COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE PARTS, SPLIT YOUR CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS INTO MULTIPLE PARTS TOO AND BEGIN EACH WITH THIS SUBSECTION
TITLE. USE THE SAME SUBSECTION TITLES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAB MANUAL FOR THE
GIVEN EXERCISE. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RECEIVE THE SUBSECTION TITLES STYLE.

Type your Conclusions and Recommendations section here using the Report Text style.
 8
REFERENCES (5 Points)
Begin typing your reference list here. Check styling references for the correct format of how author
names, dates, publication titles, etc. should appear. Pressing the return key after each entry
in the list will advance the cursor to the following paragraph where the next entry can be
automatically placed with the correct style e.g. References.

This is an example of what will happen when you begin typing a new reference after pressing the
return key.