Report Writing Template

This document will tell you the important elements that all Laboratory Reports or other
technical write-ups must include.

First of all it is important that you are familiar with the software you are using to write the
report. In this case we will focus on Microsoft Word software which is used more
commonly. If you use other softwares, the formatting options are almost the same and
are easily accessible through toolbars or menus in the respective softwares.

Remember that this is a technical write-up so it must be simple and professional. The
examiner is not looking for a document that looks good on paper rather it is the content
that matters. However a poorly formatted document may lead to a wrong impression in
the mind of an examiner as it may cause difficulty to the reader. Formatting is done to
make the document more easily readable.

Font

The most important part of formatting is the font and font size of the report. Do not go
for fancy or custom fonts, it is better to use the conventional fonts e.g. it is preferable to
use “Arial” or “Times new Roman” in Microsoft word. Fancy or custom fonts give a
childish look and in some instances might cause difficulty to the reader. This gives a
poor impression and might affect your grades depending on the conscious or sub
conscious decision of the reader. Also avoid using different colors for headings and
writing, default font color i.e. black (Automatic) is recommended. It is also important that
the font size is neither too small so that the document becomes unreadable nor it is too
big as it leads to wastage of paper. The recommended font size for the fonts mentioned
above is “12” for your main content writing and can go up to “14” or “16” for headings
and sub headings. It is encouraged to use “Bold” and “Underline” text features to
differentiate between various headings in a document.

Alignment

Another important aspect of formatting is the alignment of text. By default the text is
always left aligned. However it gives an untidy look when the numbers of words in
different lines vary. “Left aligned” text is used mainly for headings, sub headings and
points written in bullet form. All other text must be “justified”. Images and tables must be
“center aligned” whereas the formula and equations can be “left aligned”.

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Tables, Figures and Equations

Figure and tables are also an important part of the lab report. Figure may include circuit
diagrams, graphs, screenshots etc. The images and tables must be numbered as well
as labeled appropriately. The image or table number should be referred to in the text
where applicable. An example is given below.

The circuit simulated is as shown in Figure 1 below. (Reference)

D1 R2 L1
1 2
Dbreak 0.5 6.5mH
V I

V1
VOFF = 0
VAMPL = 170
FREQ = 60

Figure 1. Schematic for half wave rectifier(inductive load). (Label)

Same procedure, as shown above, applies to the tables and equations. The figures,
tables and equations must be numbered separately.

Now that you are familiar with the formatting of the report we shall discuss what
headings constitute a report. Given below are 8 constituents of a good report.

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1. Title page
The first page of every report is the title page. This page includes the title of the
report or what the report is about, name and registration numbers of individual or
team members that performed the stated task in lab report, Date of submission,
Class and Section, Course title, etc. A sample report will be provided for
reference.

2. Abstract

Abstract is a crucial part of your write-up as more experienced readers can judge
the quality of report by reading the abstract only. Abstract is a summary of the
report. It tells the reader briefly about the task planned and results that were
expected after the completion of task and how successful have you been in
obtaining these results.

3. Introduction
Introduction is the theoretical part of the report. The aim is to introduce the reader
to the theory involved in the task such as standard operation of a device being
used and how your task will affect the working.

4. Procedure

This part includes diagrams or images of the set up, known as schematics, as
well as a step by step guide to set up, calibrate and manipulate the equipment to
get the desired outcome. This section should also deal with any warnings or
caution that must be observed for safety.

5. Results

This section deals with your findings. They can be anything such as readings,
Tables, Graphs, Waveforms, Screenshots, etc. that result from the steps
mentioned in procedure section. Refrain from commenting on the result as this
will be discussed under the next heading. However you may say if the result is as
expected or not but leave the reasoning for next part.

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6. Analysis and Discussion

In this section the results of the task are discussed in detail. Minor and major
differences are pointed out along with reasons. If the differences are expected it
is mentioned along with an improvement, if possible, to decrease the difference
between theoretical and experimental results.

7. Conclusion

Conclusion is what you may call the crux of the whole effort. In conclusion it is
stated that what was the aim of the task and what was achieved through it and
how can it be beneficial to other people working on similar tasks.

8. References
Finally the most important part of any report is referencing. It is important to give
due respect to the people on whose work you are basing your work upon. All
information you gather must be cited with references. References can be
anything ranging from your lab handouts/notes to a website. However it is worthy
to note here that “Wikipedia” is not considered as a reliable source
internationally.

There are various ways for referencing, however Harvard style referencing most
commonly used worldwide. However for this course you can just write a number
in square brackets [ ] after the text to be referenced and then at the end of the
document, under the “references” heading, write the number in square brackets
again followed by the source. An example is given below.

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Over voltage protection devices were first seen in public in 1940s -1960s era. At
that time, SIC gapped arresters were considered to be the ultimate arrester
configuration. It was not till the 1967 when a researcher at Matsushita Electric
Industry Co. Ltd. discovered a new excellent varistor for electronic circuits. Since
that time, ZNO surge arresters had satisfied the requirements of the public
regarding power protection systems [1].

References
[1] M. Kobayashi 2008, Development of Gapless Surge Arresters for Electric
Power Systems,[accessed 1st December 2010,
http://dbjet.nii.ac.jp/pub/cgi-bin/detail_pro_en.php?id=1309]