Writing Guidelines

In written work such as lab projects, attention to the following points will help you demonstrate and solidify your understanding of details and concepts. It will also lead to better grades and make your paper useful as a study aid later in the term.

• Your paper should be neat, with pages stapled together and no loose fringe. The overall organization should be clear and easy to follow. Don't try to cram everything onto one page.
• Prepare your paper so that it can be read as an independent document. In particular, you should begin each solution by stating the problem. It's ok to paraphrase as long as you retain the meaning and content of the question. It should not be necessary to look up the problem in order to understand what is going on.
• Explain your reasoning as you go in complete sentences. Organize your solution on the page so that it is clear how your ideas progress from beginning to end. Be sure to give your answer in complete sentences. This need not make your solutions longer, but it will make them clearer.
• Show all supporting evidence, such as graphs, tables, and symbolic calculations. Explain the role of each such piece of evidence. Label the axes and scale on all graphs and indicate what is being graphed. Label rows and columns of tables. Organize symbolic calculations so that someone can learn how to do it by reading your paper.
• Explain each new piece of notation when it first appears on the page. For example, if you are working with a particular function f(x), you should give the definition of f(x) the first time you use the symbol.
• Attempt every problem.