Lab reports should be clear, consise and complete documents that describe the objective of the experience, what was done to meet the objective, and the results that were obtained.
Be sure to number and label all figures, tables, programs or other type of output result. Figures, tables and programs should be included along with the text that explains them when they are less than a page in size. If they are a page in size, or larger, they should be included as an appendix and referenced in the text. Appendices should be numbered and labeled.
Abstract
In your own words, state the topic of the laboratory exercise, what was accomplished in the laboratory, and a summary of the results that were obtained. An abstract is usually about 3 sentences.
Introduction
If there is any background material that is required to make the laboratory report clear and complete, use the introduction to present this material. A summary of any introduction material given in the lab handout should be given here. Be sure to include any diagrams that are necessary to understand the rest of the report.
Procedure
Although the procedure section of your lab handout may be very long and detailed, the procedure section of your report should be concise and only include the major parts of the procedure, written in your own words. You may refer to the lab handout via the URL for any details.
Results
In this section you should integrate the results of the procedure with the exercises at the end of your laboratory. It should be the longest part of the lab, and should include enough explanation that an uninformed peer can understand the results without having to consult the lab handout.
Conclusion
In this section you should write about the concepts that you learned
in the laboratory and how they relate to other aspects of the course or
digital design in general. If you experiences problems or obtained data
that was incorrect, here is where you might elaborate on the causes and
ideas for solutions.
CT 9/01