PH424: Writing Guide

Lab reports most closely mimic the research paper, which follows a fairly standard form in most disciplines (including humanities):
• An abstract summarizes the results and major findings of the experiment.
• An introduction/motivation puts your work in context. In your lab report, it will likely set up the model you intend to use to understand the physical system, which provides a motivation for the exploration, but in more advanced work, it might also survey the literature in the field.
• The methods section describes the experimental setup (or the computational or theoretical methods).
• The results section describes the outcome of your work.
• The analysis and discussion section interprets your work for the reader (how well have you modeled the system?) and brings your own insight to bear. Sometimes, the analysis may be better incorporated with the methods, and sometimes the analysis and discussion are presented as two separate sections. This depends on the exact nature of your project.
• The conclusion summarizes, and looks forward.
  

• You must be very clear how accurately you can measure something. This means that significant figures are very important. For example, if you quote a PH211 lab measurement of gravitational acceleration as g = 9.877658 m/s, the scientist's response is, "With that equipment? I don't think so!" The number of figures carries an implicit statement about the accuacy of your measurement. Be very careful, particularly when you present numbers in a spreadsheet, that you quote the right number of signicifcant figures.
• Don't ever ascribe discrepancies between results and expected outcomes to "human error". This is a completely meaningless term. If the human made a mistake in a measurement, the human must fix it.
• Do make reasonable estimates of error and repeatability. If you measure an interval on an oscilloscope, note the smallest division - you probably can't measure to better than 1/2 of one of those. If you make a judgment about where a maximum is, then do it a few times and see how repeatable your measurements are, and compare with those of a peer. Is the signal stable?
• Do make use of your knowledge of statistics to find the mean, the error in the mean, and do simple regression analysis.

FAQ:

QUESTION: How do I get started writing a scienctifc manuscript?
ANSWER: You ALWAYS strart a scientific manuscript by making carefully, prepared, insightful and information-dense FIGURES with captions. Modern manuscripts of experimental science revolve around the figures; the purpose of your text is to support the scientific story that should be self-evident from the figure and captions alone. I read or review scienctific manuscripts daily and I cannot remember the last time I have read a paper from start to finish (like a book). Scientists will read 1. figures, 2. abstract and concluding paragraphs, 3. introduction and scienctific model; if you can't get a a believeble scientific message from those three areas, the paper will be rejected. For the LRC Resonce Manuscript you'll need 3-4 figures (more if you think they are necessary). Long tables have no place in any scientific manucript (put in an optional appendix if you must).

QUESTION: How long is a scienctifc manuscript?
ANSWER: Don't let the word manuscript scare you! Brevity tend to make the better paper. We routinuely give out the same high(or low) grades to the 10-page and 35-page paper. Making a short manuscript is difficult. Especially on your 1st attempt, it is better include rather than exclude when it doubt (ask for help, irrelevant inclusion do negatively impact the paper). Fundamentally, a scientific manuscript and a 'lab report' are the same thing. We use the word 'manuscript' becuase your experiment is complex and involves theory/data simulation; you can now tell a deep and compelling story. Imagine you were the first person to discover a that a LRC circuit resonates, how would you communicate and prove your ground-breaking discovery?

QUESTION: How should I format a scientific manuscript?
ANSWER: Double-spaced with 12-pt font is best. We will not give you extra points for using TeX or making it look publication ready (but you won't penalized either). All real journals have editorial production staff, once it passes the scientific referees, they will do ALL the formating for you.

Likewise, all manuscripts have labelled sections for Abstract and References. Section heading for Introduction, Methods, Discussions and Conclusions(2-3 paragraphs max) are encouraged to help you organize your thought, but they are not required. Use as many or as few section headings as you need to tell a convincing scientific story. I recommend more section-headings if you find yourself struggling (just be sure to look at the paper holistically afterwards).

QUESTION: Can't you just give me a template and tell me what you want?
ANSWER: In short, no! Organizing your text and figures well is the greatest challenge. Now that you've written 'lab reports' in other classes, we are now leaving the hard part up to you!
Scientific writing is a complex, creative and abstract process; the best template is the one that sells your scientific message clearly and succintly. In the real world, there exists no such templates; you will expected to choose how to communicate your science best.
That being said, I did provide a basic template on the course web-page for those who need it. You can also use the template from previous courses such as 411 too. Also examine some physics journals (Phys Rev B, Amercian Journal of Physics, Nature Physics), how do they organize it? Any of these templates can be successful; it is the content and 'scientifiic story' that matters.

QUESTION: How can you can't possibly expect us to write a scienctific-paper quality manuscript?
ANSWER: I don't!!! I have been working at writing scientific manuscript for >10 years, and I am still terrible at it (but improving)! Real manuscripts (even 4 page ones) take months to write and involve lots of outside help. Still, as physicists preparing a 1st draft manuscript on your science will likely be expected of you in the worksplace or by your advisor in graduate school. The goal here is to get your feet wet, and begin to move beyond the cookie-cutter 'lab report' models and templates you may have encountered in lower-division courses or in high-school.

• Write to learn. Whether you've worked through a problem quickly, or it's taken you ages, the process of writing it clearly will help you clarify your thoughts, recall what was extraneous, and find the central pieces of insight.
• Have a target audience in mind. For most classes, the target audience is a student at the entry point of the present class. Remember how you felt when you started learning the material, and supply the same guidance that you and your peers needed when you began. The target audience is never the instructor.
• State the problem briefly. This doesn't mean rewrite the question, but it is helpful to give a one-sentence statement of the goal. For example: "The terminal velocity of a mass m falling through syrup is found by ..." is a much better opening sentence than "v = ..."
• Have you provided a large, clear, beautifully labeled diagram? There are few problems in physics that do not benefit from a diagram.
• Have you explained the important points in words? Equations & symbols are the physicist's short-hand notation, but symbols must be defined, and treat equations as sentences. Have you defined vectors, constants, etc., so that your notation is clear? A long proof requires prose to explain the reasoning.
• Have you provided enough steps so that one of your peers could follow the logic? Here is where you have to develop judgment. It is not sensible to write every step (canceling a factor of 2 is trivial), but you cannot expect your peers to follow if you do not provide adequate intermediate steps.
• Have you drawn a clear conclusion, supported by water-tight reasoning?
• Have you highlighted the physics - symmetries, large and small limits, connection to other common problems, etc.?

• Is your penmanship such that your work is clearly legible and free of smudges? Space equations, particularly those with fractions, at least a line apart to ensure legibility. Make space for your work - don't scrunch afterthoughts into the end of the line.
• Are your diagrams and tables large, clear, and adequately labeled? Do symbols used in graphs and diagrams correspond to those in your prose?
• Do graph axes have labels (and units if applicable)? Have you chosen ranges for maximal information transfer?
• Have you checked spelling, grammar, and syntax? Remember that equations are sentences, too, and they should be part of the syntactical flow.

• Is your work original? Never plagiarize the work of others nor allow others to copy yours. Controlled collaboration on technical aspects is encouraged (see section on collaboration in "General Information/Ground Rules", but your writing and synthesis should be entirely independent. Acknowledge contributions to your work from others.
• Choose words for clarity and precision. Avoid long, rambling sentences and strive for crisp, clear prose. You are allowed to be funny, but never disrespectful, profane, or arrogant.