1、UNIT6 How To Write A Research Report 6-1 Sample Rearch Report6-2 Words&Expressions6-3 Reading Material6-4 Exercises 6-1 Sample Rearch Report Lab ReportLabs are an extremely important and helpful part of our course in that they require you to think in depth and detail about its material on a regular
2、basis.While each lab may differ slightly in its mechanics,below are outlined some general recommendations for completing each lab and its associated lab report which will facilitate the exercise for both you and the people evaluating your lab reports.BEFORE LABRead through the instructions for the l
3、ab exercise.Ask yourself1What are the goals of the lab exercise?2What data will be examined?How will an examination of this data help to achieve the goals of the lab exercise?3If there are several data sets,are there any physical relationships we know that relate the variables?AT LABWork through the
4、 exercises.Consider the answers to any questions asked in the exercise as notes for the scientific essay you will hand in.As you work through the exercise,you should constantly be asking yourself:1What are the relationships you observe in the data?2Do you know of any underlying physical principles w
5、hich might produce the relationships you observe?3Is there a common theme to the relationships you observe in the data?Are these relationships relevant to the goals of the lab?LAB REPORT FORMATAfter each lab you will complete a 1-2 page report carefully constructed to express your major observations
6、 and findings.Keep in mind the comprehensive and detailed format you may have encountered in lab reports for other science courses:could someone duplicate your experiments upon reading your report?The brevity of your report requires that you attempt a concise writing style,touching only upon your mo
7、st important observations and results.Nevertheless,you must also present as much supporting detail as is necessary to support your conclusions and allow the reader to understand the logic by which you obtained them.Think of the report as a scientific essay.It will have a title and sections containin
8、g:1Introduction 2Procedure 3Results 4Discussion 5Conclusion A brief description of what should be included in each of these sections is included below.Title.The title should summarize,as specifically as possible,the subject of the lab.Introduction.Your introductory paragraphs must include:1Purpose:A
9、 single,concise statement of the major objective of the lab,i.e.what are the questions you are tying to answer.2Background:A brief summary of the topic being investigated,including any information which may be necessary in order to understand your stated purpose of the lab.3State the major results/f
10、indings of the lab exercises.Procedure.Include the information necessary to allow someone to repeat what you did.1What data did you use?2Include geographic locations,definitions of key terms,and anything else necessary in order to understand exactly what you did.Observations and Results.1What did yo
11、u observe in each part?Include all observations made at the suggestion of the lab exercises.Always include the units of physical quantities and label axes of plots.2Describe any relationships that you observed between variables.3Where appropriate include figures,graphs and calculations.Discussion.Th
12、is is the most important part of the lab,as it is where you interpret your observations and results.1Give explanations for and implications of any relationships observed.Were the relationships as you expected from underlying physical principles?2What are the main sources of uncertainty in interpreti
13、ng your observations?3Address any interesting questions you may have had as you were working through the lab exercises,as well any general questions included in the lab exercises.4Can you make any generalizations?Why or why not?Conclusion.Summarize your results,the main points of your discussion,and
14、 how they relate to your stated purpose of the lab.It is a good idea to include how the main points of your discussion are connected,in order to demonstrate the overall significance of your findings and the concepts you learned.AFTER WRITING YOUR ESSAYMake sure your writing is clear.If you read it a
15、loud to yourself or a friend,does it make sense?Dont forget to use the spell-checker in your word processor.Check to be sure you addressed all the questions included in the lab exercises.6-2 Words&Expressions requisite n.必需品，要素，要件misplace vt.忘记把放在什么地方，把放错位置 pertinent adj.有关的，相干的；恰当的，中肯的；关于的；切题的extra
16、neous adj.外部的；外来的；无关的；不相干的figure n.数字；算术；图解；轮廓table n.表格NASA abbr.=National Aeronautics and Space Administration 美国国家航空和宇宙航行局6-3 Reading Material How to Write A Research ReportReport PreparationResearch information has limited value unless it is collected and published in a usable form and presented
17、 to those who may apply it.For these reasons never assume that your job is finished when the experimental or analytical phase has been completed.It is also your responsibility as an engineer or scientist to show promptly that your results are worthwhile and that you have reason to believe the field
18、will be advanced by your efforts.The only way to convey these thoughts is by writing a good report.The five major stages of report preparation are1Gathering the data(or developing the theory)2Analyzing and sorting the results3Outlining the report4Writing the rough draft5Revising the rough draftGathe
19、ring the DataReport preparation begins with planning the research program.An orderly investigation is a requisite for an orderly report.Report planning and program planning should be considered one and the same.To become a successful technical writer,you should develop the ability to foresee the gen
20、eral content of the report before the program begins.In most cases you should be able to prepare a preliminary report outline at the beginning of the program.Outlining should benefit both the report and the program,for obviously a well-prepared outline requires a carefully planned program.During the
21、 course of the program keep the future report in mind.Maintain orderly records as the data are gathered.The little extra time required to record the results carefully can be of great value later.Report writing is difficult enough without having to recollect misplaced or unrecorded data.Write out you
22、r opinions as soon as the data are obtained.Comparing these opinions with those based on hindsight will often help you to interpret the data properly.During the data-gathering stage consider how the data should be presented in the report and record the results in this manner.Any need for additional
23、data will thus be revealed before the program is completed.Analyzing and Sorting the ResultsThe second stage of report preparation,data analysis and sorting,is probably the most difficult because it requires considerable mental effort to decide what you want to tell your readers.The beginning of thi
24、s stage overlaps the data-gathering stage,for data analysis should begin as the data are collected.But the bulk of data analysis must be done near completion of the program.At this time reexamine the pertinent data and review your earlier opinions with respect to subsequent results.During this data
25、review the program conclusions should be drawn.This is the most important step in report preparation because the conclusions are the reason for the report and the basis for report preparation.They dictate what to include in a report and how to organize it.Trying to organize and write a report withou
26、t knowing the conclusions is like starting an automobile trip without knowing the destination.You will not know where you are going,and you will never know when you get far enough to stop.Therefore choose your report destination early by drawing and clearly defining the program conclusions before yo
27、u begin to organize and write the report.This is best done by first writing down all significant results in no particular order and then sorting them so that the results pertaining to a common factor are grouped together.Once the conclusions are drawn,list them in descending order of importance.Sele
28、ction of the data to be used in the report is another important part of this step.Choose only the data necessary to help your readers reach the conclusions you are drawing.Excessive data or data only loosely related to the conclusions will obscure them and confuse your readers.Of course,do not hide
29、contradictory results.When definite contradictions exist,clearly alert your readers to this fact.The next step in data analysis involves organizing the selected data into illustrations for the report.Sometimes the figures and tables prepared during the program can be used with only minor modificatio
30、ns.But usually these data-book illustrations contain extraneous information.And they seldom are arranged to emphasize the significance of the data and the corresponding results.For example,although data tabulated during a program are commonly arranged chronologically,that is not necessarily the best
31、 way to present the data to the reader.New figures and tables usually must be prepared.Their organization should be carefully considered because illustrations are one of the best means of emphasizing and supporting conclusions.After the illustrations have been prepared,write the significant points a
32、bout each on an attached sheet of paper.What is the figure(table)supposed to show?How were the data obtained?Are there any qualifications to the figure(table)?This information will be useful when you begin writing the report.Before beginning to outline your report you may find one additional step us
33、efulwriting a limiting sentence.This is a single sentence that states the subject,scope,and purpose of the report.It is an additional tool to help define the reports direction and limit its scope.As an example,the following limiting sentence could be written for this guide:1SUBJECT The Glenn Researc
34、h Center guide“Technical Report Writing”2SCOPE Covering the fundamentals of organizing,writing,and reviewing NASA technical reports,3PURPOSE Was written to improve the writing skills of Glenn technical authors and the overall quality of their reports.Preparing a limiting sentence is not simple.It ta
35、kes additional time and effort.But it is a worthwhile exercise because it forces you to focus your attention on exactly what you expect the report to do.Outlining the ReportOutlining is a necessary preliminary step to report writing.It involves the planning needed to prepare a clear report that is l
36、ogically organized,concise,and easy to read.Without an outline most inexperienced authors write reports that are confusing and difficult to follow.The outlining stage is a natural progression from the analysis and sorting stage.In the sorting stage concentration is on what results should be presente
37、d in a report.In the outlining stage attention is directed to how these results should be presented.Often the preliminary outline prepared at the beginning of the program can be used as a starting point for the report outline.But it should be revised and expanded to emphasize the conclusions drawn i
38、n the analysis and sorting stage.The revised outline should contain descriptive headings of each significant part of the report.This expanded outline should show the complete scope of the report,the relation of the various parts of the work discussed,the amount of space to be given each part,the ord
39、er of treatment,the places for inclusion of illustrations,and the conclusions.Remember,the more detailed the outline is,the more useful it will be to you.Each heading,subheading,subsubheading,etc.,should have as much detail as you will need to trigger your thoughts when you later write the correspon
40、ding sentences and paragraphs.NASA reports typically contain a number of commonly used headings:1Summary2Introduction3Symbols4Theory5Analysis6Apparatus7Test Specimens8Test Procedure9Sample Calculation10Results and Discussion11Summary of Results12Conclusions13Concluding Remarks14Appendix15ReferencesA
41、ll these headings need not be used in any single report.And headings may be combined.For example,Apparatus,Test Specimens,and Test Procedure can be combined into Experimental Methods.These commonly used headings may be replaced with more descriptive headings,particularly in program summary reports,w
42、here details may be subordinated to broad objectives and generalizations.In these reports the more descriptive headings provide a means of ready reference and aid clarity.Descriptive headings usually make a report more interesting to read.But you must exercise originality to make them brief but clea
43、r.The final outline should show the exact form,wording,and value of the headings to be used in the report.The headings,although brief,must serve as a reliable guide to the included material.They should be consistent in grammatical structure and should not contain verbs.Headings are not an integral p
44、art of the text but are provided to assist the reader in finding information.Therefore the paragraph below a heading should begin with a topic sentence that does not depend on the heading for clarity.The whole text of the report should be accounted for under the headings shown in your outline,except
45、 for short introductory or transition paragraphs included to make the presentation flow smoothly.Because a subject cannot be subdivided into less than two parts,an outline should have at least two subheadings under a main headingor none.Exceptions to this rule include an occasional short remark or a
46、 single example put in to illustrate a method.In addition to headings the outline may also contain descriptive words and key phrases to serve as reminders.Several methods can be used to arrange the subject matter that will be represented in an outline.One of the best ways to start is to write down a
47、ll the points that you want to include without regard to their order.You can then more easily arrange them in a logical order.Some authors use an index card system in which each separate item of the proposed report is tabulated together with a paragraph describing the material that must be treated u
48、nder that item.Other authors follow a similar method but use full sheets of paper for each subject and give a much fuller description of the material under the subject headings.The latter method puts you in a good position to complete the report in a short time.Each subject has been so fully expande
49、d that the problem remaining is one of combining and rewriting the information contained on the separate sheets of paper.Others choose to do their outlining on a computer.Any of these methods permit you to note thoughts that occur during the course of writing one report section but that should be tr
50、eated in other sections.Cultivate the habit of going to the original outline to record thoughts for later consideration.Another useful purpose of the outline is to indicate the relative importance of headings.This relation can be shown by using a numbering system.(The numbers appear in the final rep
