Reference no: EM132846274

Guidance for Writing logbook Reports

The purpose of these notes is really to help you with two related tasks in relation to the laboratory work that you will be undertaking in the module. The first is related to maintaining clear and compete record when you perform an experiment (this is more relevant when undertaking practical labs). The second part deals with writing a logbook report.

Writing Lab Notes while completing the lab work
Here document both what was done during the lab work (procedure together with the results need to be clearly recorded in a notebook). Avoid the temptation to write these in a piece of paper as this could easily be lost. If there are sections in the instruction sheet, make it clear to which section/subsection the notes/results belong to.

Right at the beginning, record the title and the date of the lab exercise and as you progress through each part of the experiment you should:

a. Make note of anything that was done which is different from what is stated in the lab instruction sheet. If this relates to any specific circuit, diagram etc in the sheet, make references to them - for example, section 2.1 or section 2(a) or Figure 2.1 etc.

b. record all the required experimental data, putting it directly into your notebook as you make (read) the measurements. This must include the units and a quick estimate of the error (where appropriate) in each type of measurement, plus a note of the cause of the error and of how you assessed it (this may not be applicable in all cases). For sets of data, a table is usually best, with the error noted beside the first entry in each column. Where the lab is of a simulation nature, the data could be collected from observation or as tables that are directly generated from the simulator.

c. Jot down short answers to questions that are included in the lab sheet. This is important because it will remind you to collect data that may not be obvious while you still have the setup in place. This is not much of a problem with simulation-based labs as you can always go back and generate the required data at a later date/time.

d. Figures, tables etc must be clearly numbered and labelled as these will be referred to when writing analysis/discussion of the results.
Writing Detailed Answers to questions and Analysing Results

A good logbook report is not used to merely present data. It is meant to give an opportunity to demonstrate your comprehension of key concepts behind the data. Simply recording the expected and observed results is not sufficient; you should also account for how and why the data was collected (briefly, concentrating on steps that were different from those in the instruction sheets) and show your understanding of the principles the experiment was designed to examine. You should also use it to showcase clear thinking and organized writing. Ideas should be organised carefully and expressed coherently.

Typical Sections of a Logbook Report
There is an important distinction between formal reports and the short logbook reports required for many experiments (as written in a logbook). A formal report is complete in itself (completely self contained), so it must contain an account of the procedure and theory. A logbook report is to be read in conjunction with the laboratory instruction sheet, so it should not contain details of procedure or theory. It should have the following components:

Front Page: Title, Full Name of Student, ID Number, Module Title, Programme of Study, and date.
Procedure: This section should only account for things that were done differently form the those suggested in the lab instruction sheets. Indicate clearly which sections in the instruction sheet this applies.

Results and Graphs
The results section must contain the original raw data and the tables of results - these are the essential components of a logbook report. Remember that this section should be purely factual and not your interpretation of facts or results. Where possible/desirable, the raw data should also be presented in a form that will be most useful to the reader, which usually means the final results presented as graphs or tables (if they are not already in that format).

If the final results are derived from the original measurements by calculations, the formula should be stated in the results section. It is necessary to show details of calculation in the results section in the form of an example calculation for sample data and not for all data points. The other calculated values are then presented either in a table or a graph as appropriate.

Although the results section is likely to be dominated by calculations, tables and figures, you still need to state all significant results explicitly in verbal form - at the minimum provide some description (not interpretation) of the results. Graphics, tables, figures etc need to be clear, easily read, and well labelled - they should have a number and a caption (for example, Figure 1: Three bus power system; Table 1: Voltage values in per unit at different reactive power compensation levels in VArs; Graph 1: Voltage values in per unit versus reactive power compensation levels in Vars)

Discussion
The Discussion is the most important part of your write up. Here, you show that you understand the experiment beyond the simple level of completing it. Explain, analyse and interpret the results of your experiments. This part of the lab focuses on a question of understanding "What is the significance or meaning of the results?" To answer this question, the instruction sheets normally provide you some leading questions. Use underpinning theory to help you provide sound analysis and interpretation.
Note that the discussion could also be done along with the results rather than making it a separate section. If you do this, make sure that you clearly state what the results are for first followed by the discussion.

Conclusion
The conclusions section should be a short summing-up of the outcome of the experiment, drawing together the main findings from the results and the discussion. The conclusions should not introduce any new material
- you should not include any discussion of the results here.

Attachment:- Writing logbook Reports.rar