Lab reports should be written in a paragraph form. Start each lab report with purpose of the lab as you understand it and a short introduction. Do not start report with a table or graph.
Entire lab report should be a smooth text where MINITAB outputs (printouts and or graphs) are naturally incorporated into the text. If there are several parts in the lab, write a transitional sentence between the parts.
Assume that a reader has not seen the questions, although do not copy and paste questions into the reports. Instead write a couple of paragphaphs making sure you answered all questions.
Think of a newspaper article or a textbook as an example of a lab report.

Do not forget to print your lab report.

All lab reports will be graded according to the following:

(1 point)    Include you name, class, lab/assignment number and purpose of the lab    

(2 points)     Start with introduction: What is your sample? What data are you using? If  data was generated, when and from what population? How big is the data set? You could get (and copy into you report) some information from the help menu. What will be done with that data? If several sets are used, introduce each of them.

(2 points)     Display the results. Include MINITAB graphs and printouts in the reports. All graphs should have meaningful titles and your name.

(1 point)     Correct calculations.

(4 points)     Explanations. This is the most important part of any report. Pretend your reader did not see the lab assignment and is not familiar with MINITAB. Do not go into technical details about how you got any particular graph or analysis or what program or macro you used. Write what is important about the picture or numbers you see: Is it a confidence interval? what is it? A sample mean? Why it is important and what information can one gain from this knowledge? etc. In each assignment you will get a list of questions to guide you through analysis. Some of them will be very direct, some will require deeper understading.
Although the labs will be graded on mathematical correctness, there will be a significant emphasis on grammar and the proper use of English!

Writing across the curriculum: Correct grammar, spelling, and use of the English language will be taken into consideration when grading lab reports.
At the University Writing Center at Herb's Place (Guerrieri University Center, room 213), trained consultants are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process. It is often helpful for writers to share their work with an attentive reader. Consultations allow writers to test and refine their ideas before having to hand papers in or to release documents to the public. In addition to the important writing instruction that occurs in the classroom and during office hours, the center offers another site for learning about writing.  All undergraduates are encouraged to make use of this important student service. For more information about the writing center's hours and policies, visit the writing center or its website .

last revised 01/03/2011