EECS140 Lab Report Format

As in any lab/tech report, showing your results without explanations on what was done or what the results mean (and background info, etc) is quite useless. A lab report should be self-contained, complete and neat. This lab report template is a good example on the content of the report, with typical sections.

• Each lab will be worth 100 points.
• 15 points for previous preparation for the experiment (quizzes).
• 35 points for the completion of the experiment.
• 50 points for the lab report.

• Please note the subsections of the lab report, and their grade weight. In particular, note that the Results section is worth only 10% of the lab report. If you hand-in a measurement sheet as your lab report, you will fail. The purpose of the lab report is to show your instructors that you understand the material being delivered to you.

• 1. Introduction and Background (5 points)
  • Introduction: This is a highly condensed summary (2-3 sentences) of the purpose of the experiment and how it fits with lecture or previously done labs.
  • Background: This is necessary additional information crucial to understanding the experiment. An example would be how to read the value of a resistor or how a transistor works. This section usually discusses how any new components in the experiment work.
• 2. Implementation Process (15 points)
  • Here you summarize the process used to create/set-up the experiment, with an explanation of such process, equipment and materials you used. If this is lengthy, condensed bullet points are your friends. Don't repeat the instructions, you're not writing lab instructions (that's what we do), you are writing a lab report.
• 3. Evaluation Process (5 points)
  • Describe testing procedures to measure/evaluate the correct behavior of your experiment, including what information you need to gather and how you will measure it. Example: The wave's frequency on the IC's pin 14 output was measured by using the oscilloscope's probe, and then it will be cross referenced it with expected results..
• 4. Results & Discussion (20 points)
  • This is the main section of the report. However, presenting results ("It worked") without an appropriate explanation does not show thorough understanding of the material. Hence, the Results will only count for 10 points, while the Discussion will have a 20 point value. Discussion includes why the experiment did or did not work in accordance to what you described in the evaluation process, how the experiment performed, its measurements and results. In essence, what do the results mean.
  • Note: If the lab experiment required you to write a program, the discussion section must state how the program functions.
• 5. Conclusions and Recommendations (5 points)
  • The final section indicates what you learned from the project, comments on the results you obtained, and future work (next week's lab).

• Tip: If you are unsure if a paragraph belongs in implementation or evaluation, follow these rules of thumb:
  • Implementation: HOW you CREATED your project. Keywords: implemented, created, made, soldered, programmed, etc.
  • Evaluation: HOW you TESTED your project. Keywords: Measured, tested, compared, compiled, downloaded, simulated, etc.

• Overall lab grade constitutes 25% of your class grade. The breakdown of your lab grade is:
  • 95% labs (includes report, completion of experiments and, quizzes); graded weekly.
  • 5% participation