Metallurgy Engineering Practice 1B (MPRMTB1)

HOW TO WRITE A REPORT LECTURE

Ms. M.E Maja

HOW TO WRITE A LABORATORY REPORT
• WHAT IS A LABORATORY REPORT
• STRUCTURE OF A LABORATORY REPORT
• LABORATORY REPORT NOTES
• UJ WRITTING CENTRES
• RUBRIC

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Why do we write a laboratory report
The goal of a laboratory report is documenting your findings or what you discovered and
communicate their significance.

The 3 main purposes of a lab report are:

1. Communicate exactly what occurred in an experiment
2. Discuss the results
3. Provide conclusions

A good lab report does more than present data; you should also identify how and why differences
occurred, explain how they affected your experiment, and show your understanding of the principles
the experiment was designed to examine.

Laboratory reports are written so that: someone else could read the report and understand exactly
what you did; repeat the experiment and get the same results.

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STRUCTURE OF A LABORATORY REPORT
A standard Lab Report should contain:
1. Cover page
2. Table of content
3. Abstract
4. Introduction
5. Literature review
6. Experimental procedure
7. Results and Discussion of results
8. Conclusion
9. Reference list

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COVER PAGE & TABLE OF CONTENT
Cover page:
▪ UJ logo
▪ Faculty name and department name
▪ The name of the experiment
▪ Group number and members names
▪ The module (Metallurgy Engineering Practice)
▪ The date

Table of content:

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ABSTRACT
Summarize the entire report (experiment) focusing mainly on the purpose, key findings, significance and major conclusion
(how the experiment was performed, the main results obtained and conclusion from the results.

An abstract summarizes a lab report into a brief overview of about 150–300 words.

List at least 5 keywords underneath the abstract

To write a lab report abstract, use these guiding questions:

▪ What is the wider context of your study?
▪ How did you perform the experiment?
▪ What did your results show?
▪ How did you interpret your results?
▪ What is the importance of your findings?
Example
The experiment was conducted to observe and investigate the effect of fluid flow rate in the bed’s pressure drop. The data
obtained is used to calculate the theoretical pressure drop compared with the practical pressure drop. An experimental or
percentage error is also made to evaluate the theoretical value’s closeness from the one obtained in the experiment. Ergun
concepts were used to calculate the pressure drops in air and water fluid flow experiments. The fluidization practical or
experiment’s main aim was to investigate the characteristics and behaviour associated with fluids (water and then air) being
forced to flow vertically from the bottom through a bed of granular material. Other experimental objectives included
determining the head loss (pressure drop) as a fluid flow rate function.

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INTRODUCTION
Introduction states the objective of the experiment and provides the reader with background to the experiment.

A good introduction also provides whatever background theory, previous research, or formulas the reader needs
to know

Introduction should contain:

▪ Start with the broad, general research topic
▪ Narrow your topic down your specific study focus
▪ End with a clear research question

Example:
All animals rely on senses of taste and smell to find acceptable food for survival. Chemoreceptors are found in
the taste buds on the tongue in humans (Campbell, 2008), for example, for tasting food. Studies of sensory
physiology have often used insects as experimental subjects because insects can be manipulated with ease and
because their sensory-response system is relatively simple (E. Williams, personal communication). Flies are
able to taste food by walking on it (Dethier, 1963). Hollow hairs around the proboscis and tarsi contain receptor
neurons that can distinguish among water, salts, and sugars, and flies can distinguish among different sugars
(Dethier, 1976). These traits enable them to find necessary nutrition.

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LITERATURE REVIEW
▪ Give a full discussion of your material (the material you were given) include; chemical composition,
mechanical properties and where the material is used (application).

▪ Discuss stress-strain curve

▪ Discuss all measures of strength (yield strength, Ultimate Tensile Strength).

▪ Discuss all measures of energy (Modulus of elasticity and Toughness).

▪ Discuss all measures of ductility (% elongation, % reduction, yield strain, uniform strain and fracture strain).

▪ Define Charpy impact test and mechanism of the test.

▪ Applications of Charpy impact

▪ Compare Charpy impact test to tensile test in terms of toughness

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EXPERIEMENTAL PROCEDURE
Materials and equipment used:
▪ Tensile specimen
▪ Marker
▪ Vernier calipers
▪ Universal testing machine
Methodology:
Measure the following before the test:
▪ Initial gauge length of the specimen
▪ Initial diameter of the specimen
Record the following:
▪ Speed of testing (strain rate), to be read on a machine
Measure the following after the test
▪ Final gauge length of the specimen
▪ Final diameter of the specimen (where it necked)

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Neatly present your results:
▪ Draw the engineering stress-strain curve
Determine the following mechanical properties from extensometer.
▪ Modulus of Elasticity
▪ 0.2% offset yield strength
Determine the following mechanical properties from engineering stress strain curve
▪ Ultimate tensile strength (UTS)
▪ %Elongation
▪ % Reduction of area
Discuss the energy absorbed value (measured in our laboratory) against the theoretical energy absorbed and
use literature to support your discussion

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CONCLUSIONS
Summarize the key findings you discussed throughout the work, and state what you have learned.

Example:
Overall, the experiment succeeded in showing that temperature and pressure for an ideal gas at constant
volume and mass follow the relation of the ideal gas equation. Differences existed in the experimental graph of
temperature versus and pressure and the theoretical curve of temperature versus pressure. These differences,
however, can be accounted for by experimental error.

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REFERENCE LIST
Use Harvard referencing style

▪ References should be organized alphabetically by authors names

▪ Minimum of 5 references is required. Make sure that all the references used in the report, appears on this
list.

Books
Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. Location: Publisher.

Journal Articles
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Article title. Journal Title, volume number(issue number), page
numbers.

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LABORATORY REPORT NOTES
▪ Remember to write everything in past passive tense
Example:
1. I wrote the report
2. The report was written

▪ Make sure you follow the set or standard structure of the report

▪ Make sure you justify your paragraphs

▪ Don’t justify or explain in the experimental procedure (e.g. why you choose a particular sampling method),
just report what you did.

Report is due 1 September 2023

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UJ WRITING CENTRES
You can book a consultation with us by clicking on the DFC QR code (please take a look at the attached poster). From
there, you will follow all the instructions and make your booking.
When you have completed that process, please email us a draft of your document with the assignment brief to
dfcwritingcentre@uj.ac.za. Please let us know whom you booked a consultation with and when in the email.
You also can choose if you want the session to be in person (face-to-face consultation) or if you want it to be an emailed
feedback or virtual consultation (via Ms. Teams). Alternatively, you can click on the link below, and it will take you to
our booking system
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/DFCWritingCentreBookings@ujac.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

You can also contact us at 011 559 6595. We are located at John Orr Building, 6th floor, office 6311.

Even if students struggle to make a booking independently, they can always come to our offices, and we will assist with
the entire process.

▪ Consults x2, then get 5% extra marks on your report

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RUBRIC
▪ Consult (x2) at the UJ writing centre and get 5% extra points on your report
Objective Marks allocation Marks obtained

Report layout: 5

Table of content & figures

Abstract 5

Introduction 5

Literature review 8

Experimental Procedure 5

Results and Discussions and 15

Conclusion 5

References 2

Total 50

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Thank you

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