A top priority!

Safety
 The most important topic we will cover

 You will be taught the correct way to operate

equipment, use materials, and think safety

 This may be your only opportunity to learn safety rules

during your school days
Safety
 “Industry can train people to do a job, but safety and safe attitudes are
learned early in life.”

 Remember when you learned to cross the street?

 That was an example of safety training.

Think Safety!
 You must “Think Safety!” all the time.

 Ask yourself, “What if?” questions. Think ahead of

your actions.

 “What if I run in the lab, and I trip or bump someone

while he or she is working with a tool?”
 (I might crack my head or cause someone else an injury)
6 General Safety Rules
 Develop a Safe Attitude
 Have Respect for Tools and Equipment
 Prevent and Control Fires
 Wear Appropriate Clothing and Protective Equipment
 Have Respect for Hazardous Materials and Waste
 Maintain the Lab
Develop a Safe Attitude
 Read and follow all posted safety rules
 Consider each person’s safety to be your responsibility
 Work quietly and give your full attention to the task at
hand. Never indulge in horseplay or other foolish
actions
 Put up warning signs on things that are hot and could
cause burns
 Handle materials with sharp edges and pointed objects
carefully
 Report accidents to your teacher at once
Have Respect for Tools and
Equipment
 Never use any tool or machine until the teacher has
demonstrated and checked the setup
 Before you use any tool or machine, make sure you
know the safety rules and get the teacher’s permission
 Do NOT let others distract you when you use a
machine
 Do NOT use electrical tools if the cord or plug is
damaged
Have Respect for Tools and
Equipment
 Keep hands and fingers away from all moving parts
 Before you leave a machine, turn it off and wait until it
stops. If you are finished, clean the machine and the
area around it
 When you are finished working, return all tools and
unused supplies to their proper places
Prevent and Control Fires
 Know where the nearest fire extinguisher is and how to
use it
 Know the proper emergency evacuation route
Wear Appropriate Clothing and
Protective Equipment
 Use eye protection for specified activities
 Use ear protection near loud equipment
 Do NOT wear loose clothing, jewelry, or other items
that could get caught in machinery. Tie back long hair
 Do NOT wear gloves while operating power tools
Have Respect for Hazardous
Materials and Waste
 Check the labels of materials before you use them
 Wear appropriate personal protective equipment when
working with hazardous materials
 Work in a well-ventilated area
 Follow your teacher’s instructions for disposal of
hazardous materials and waste
Maintain the Lab
 Keep the work area clean. Keep the floor and aisles
clean at all times
 If a liquid is spilled, clean it up immediately as
instructed by the teacher
 Always use a brush, not your hands, to clean dry
materials from a table or piece of equipment
 Store all materials properly
Safety Color Codes
 Red – Danger
 Orange – Warning
 Yellow – Caution
 Blue – Information
 Green – Safety or First Aid
 White – Boundaries or Storage
 Magenta on Yellow – Radiation Caution
Format and content
Overview
 After performing a lab, you will write a lab report. Writing the lab report is an exercise that should
help you in several ways. It will help you make sure you understand what you did in lab, and teach the
basics of scientific and technical report writing.

 Your audience is mixed. You are writing for your instructor, TA, and writing consultant.

 When writing for a group whose technical expertise varies, you must prepare a document that is
simple enough for the non-technical reader, but not so simple that it bores the reader familiar with
the subject matter. This is tricky, but you will develop the skills to accomplish this over the course of
the semester.

 Some reports will be written by each student individually. Others will be written by the lab group as a
team. Because a group report represents all members of the team, and all members receive the same
grade for the report, each group member should know what the report says and be able to discuss it.

 Writing lab reports for EG will help you prepare for other kinds of report writing you will encounter
during your academic career and beyond. By repeating the process over and over, you will have the
opportunity to incorporate your writing consultant's corrections and suggestions into each
succeeding report. By the time you get to Lab 10, you will be an expert!
Submit
Submit On Time
 Lab reports are due midnight on the day before your next lab. If you have a lab on
Monday, then your report is due online the following Sunday at 11:59PM. On-time
submission is essential. If reports are not submitted at the time due, they are late.

Late Reports Submit

 The marks will deduct two points for each day the report is late. A late report will be
accepted by me up to two weeks after its due date. An automatic ZERO will be received
after that 2-week period. There will be no exceptions.

Submit Electronic Copy

 Students are required to hand in lab reports electronically via the EG Web site:
eg.poly.edu. The TA grading committee grade will be based on the technical content of
the report.

 The writing consultant's grade will be based on logical report structure (following the
outline provided), and correct use of standard English (paragraph and sentence
structure, grammar and spelling.)
Formatting
Lab reports are to be written in a professional manner. To
ensure this, students must adhere to the following formatting
guidelines when authoring reports:
 Only professional fonts may be used. (i.e., Arial,
Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri)
 Reports must be written in 12-point font, and be
single-spaced.
 Bulleted and numbered lists are acceptable.
The Components of a Lab Report
Your lab report should be one Word document or file and not
a combination of different files. The report will contain the
following sections:
 Submission - 10 Marks  Data/Observations - 10
 Title Page - 10 Marks Marks
 Introduction - 10 Marks  Discussion - 13 Marks
 Out Comes - 10 Marks  Conclusions - 12 Marks
 Tool/ Equipment - 10  References - 5 Marks
Marks
 Procedures - 10 Marks
The Structure of Lab Reports
Title Page (REQUIRED)
 Lab number and title, course name and section,
your group member's name(s), matrix number, date
of experiment, and the due date.
The Structure of Lab Reports
Introduction (10 Points)
 What was the background (or context) of the
experiment?
 What were the specifications for the experiment?
 Competition rules and restrictions, if applicable.
 Include any formulas you will use here.
 Describe any special equipment/software used.
 What scientific principles were used?
 NEVER JUST COPY material from the manual.
The Structure of Lab Reports
Outcomes (10 Points)
 The objective of your science experiment is the reason
for which you're completing the experiment. Therefore,
the objective portion of your lab report should let your
reader know the purpose of performing your
experiment. For instance, if you're trying to prove the
importance of using hydraulic systems, the purpose of
your experiment would be show the effeteness of using
it.
 When your readers have read through your objective,
they'll know that the rest of your report will cover these
effects.
The Structure of Lab Reports
Tools/Equipment
 Laboratory equipment refers to various gear used in a
laboratory to perform different tasks. These tools are
meant for use by scientists, pupils, teachers and also
students. For example, some laboratory apparatus are
used for weighing objects, mixing and preparing
solutions, and others for cleaning vessels. While
performing any experiment, you need to be careful to
avoid getting hurt. To ensure safety and adequately
carry out an experiment, it is essential to know the
names of laboratory equipment and their uses.
The Structure of Lab Reports
Procedures (10 Points)
 Always begin with materials. What materials were used?
 What steps were performed in the lab, in detail? How were
they done?
 Any modifications made for any/all trials.
 No numbered lists, past tense please.

Data/Observations (12 Points)

 What were the measurements or the outcome of the
experiment?
 Describe the results verbally.
 Include tables, graphs, and figures where appropriate.
 Label all tables, graphs, and figures.
The Structure of Lab Reports
Discussion/Conclusions (23 Points)
 What worked and did not work? Explain any
experimental difficulties.
 Include a sample calculation of any formulas used
(i.e., competition ratios).
 Link the discussion to your objectives.
 What improvements (if any) can be made to the
product or design?
 Can you suggest future work?
The Structure of Lab Reports - References
Introduction
Studies have shown that students’ academic achievement was influenced by factors such as
motivation (Turner, Chandler, & Heffer, 2009), study habits (Proctor, Prevatt, Adams, Hurst, &
Petscher, 2006), self-efficacy (Hsieh, Sullivan, & Guerra, 2007) and social support (Steinberg &
Darling, 1994; Hughes & Kwok; 2007). According to Dollete,Steese, Phillips and Matthews (2006),
social support is care, value and guidance provided from family, peers and community members.
The transition from school to college posed challenges to students such as college adaptation
(Somera & Ellis, 1996), academic stress (Boujut & Bruchon-Schweitzer, 2009) and depression
(Dyson & Renk, 2006). Thus emotional support, such as advice and encouragement, according to
Arnett (2004) were crucial for a successful college experience. Studies by Wang and Eccles (2012)
and Kranstuber, Carr and Hosek (2012) had also shown that one of the factors that influenced
students’ academic outcomes were students’ perceived social support available in and outside of
the college campus (e.g. classmates and family members). In general, this study aimed to
investigate the perceived influence of social support on students’ academic achievement at two
Malaysian polytechnics. Specifically, this study investigated if there was any correlation between
the type of social support (friend, family or instructor) with variables such as gender, and
low/moderate and high-achieving students.

References
Turner, E.A., Chandler, M., & Heffer, R.W. (2009). The influence of parenting styles, achievement
motivation, and self-efficacy on academic performance in college students. Journal of College
Student Development, 50(3), 337-346.

Kranstuber, H., Carr, K., & Hosek, A.M. (2012). “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” Parent
memorable messages as indicators of college student success. Communication Education, 61 (1),
44-66.
The Structure of Lab Reports - References
From web site
Structure:
Author Last Name, First initial. (Year, Month Date Published). Title of web page. Name of
Website. URL
Example of an APA format website:
Austerlitz, S. (2015, March 3). How long can a spinoff like ‘Better Call Saul’ last? FiveThirtyEight.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-long-can-a-spinoff-like-better-call-saul-last/

From Facebook posts:

Structure: Facebook user’s Last name, F. M. (Year, Monday Day of Post). Up to the first 20 words of
Facebook post [Source type if attached] [Post type]. Facebook. URL
Source type examples: [Video attached], [Image attached]
Post type examples: [Status update], [Video], [Image], [Infographic]
Examples:
Gomez, S. (2020, February 4). Guys, I’ve been working on this special project for two years and can
officially say Rare Beauty is launching in [Video]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/Selena/videos/1340031502835436/

Life at Chegg. (2020, February 7) It breaks our heart that 50% of college students right here in
Silicon Valley are hungry. That’s why Chegg has [Images attached] [Status update]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/LifeAtChegg/posts/1076718522691591
The Structure of Lab Reports - References
From Twitter posts:
Structure: Account holder’s Last name, F. M. [Twitter Handle]. (Year, Month Day of Post). Up to
the first 20 words of tweet [source type if attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. URL

Source type examples: [Video attached], [Image attached], [Poll attached]

Example: Edelman, J. [Edelman11]. (2018, April 26). Nine years ago today my life changed forever.
New England took a chance on a long shot and I’ve worked [Video attached] [Tweet]. Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Edelman11/status/989652345922473985

From Instagram posts:

APA citation format: Account holder’s Last name, F. M. [@Instagram handle]. (Year, Month Day).
Up to the first 20 words of caption [Photograph(s) and/or Video(s)]. Instagram. URL

Example: Portman, N. [@natalieportman]. (2019, January 5). Many of my best experiences last year
were getting to listen to and learn from so many incredible people through [Videos]. Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsRD-FBB8HI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
In Your Own Words
Lab reports must be original and unique to the individual or the group
handing in the report. Simply stated, the lab report is to be written in your
own words. There are two major reasons for this:

 Educational: You will develop the skills and knowledge you need only
if you do your own work. If you hand in passages copied directly from
the manual or another student's paper, or downloaded from a web site,
you will not learn what you need to know. Keep in mind that the
author(s) of a report are expected to be able to explain the meaning of
text and graphics that appear in the report.

 Ethical: Claiming someone else's text, data or graphics as your own is

called plagiarism and is a form of fraud. In academic or professional
settings, this can have very serious consequences.
Correct Use of Sources
At times, you will use a source outside your own experience — for example, to
give background information in the Introduction section. At these times, put
the information in your own words (paraphrase), and cite your source. If you
need to use a direct quotation, then indicate the quotation with quotation
marks in addition to citing the source.