Transcript No Slide Title

Writing Review
1. Written Communication Assessment Rubric
2. Dr. Lane’s Tips for Report Writing1
3. Some writing examples2
4. Example figures
5. Example tables
1Dr.
Lane, Summer Lab 2004
2Dr. Arnold Summer Lab Writing Review
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Written Communication Assessment Rubric
1. Organization
2. Content
3. Format
4. Spelling & Grammar
5. References
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Organization
Report Level
• Write an outline
• Prepare figures and tables
• Reassess outline and update
• Clearly state the purpose, and then write out a logical
pathway to meet that purpose
Section Level
• Use sub-headings
Paragraph Level
• Topic sentence
• Additional sentences to support that topic sentence
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Content
•
Cover all aspects – be complete
•
Figures and tables show your data – they don’t explain it…
•
Don’t provide superficial descriptions of figures and tables
•
Explain the significance of your results
•
Do the data help you meet your purpose?
•
Make sure to answer all questions posed in the
experiment assignment sheet
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Format
•
Figures have captions (be descriptive)
•
Tables have titles (be descriptive)
•
Tables and figures should stand alone
•
Tables and figures appear immediately after they are
called in the text
•
Be consistent – pick a style and stick with it! (Applies to
headings and sub-headings, captions, equation
numbering, figures, tables, etc.)
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Spelling & Grammar
1. Use spellchecker! (use some caution)
2. Use grammar checker! (use more caution here)
3. All team members should read the report before
submittal
4. Read multiple times
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Mistakes are easy to read over…
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was
rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't
mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny
iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was
ipmorantt!
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Do not trust spell checker – proofread your work!
A Little Poem Regarding Computer Spell Checkers…
(www.latech.edu/tech/liberal-arts/geography/courses/spellchecker.htm)
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
References
•
If you directly quote someone, give a reference.
•
If you paraphrase someone, give a reference.
•
If you use a figure/table from someone, give a reference.
•
If you modify a figure/table from someone, give a
reference.
•
I you refer to previous work of someone, give a
reference.
•
Reference should be made to the original author.
•
Choose a style and stick to it!
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Dr. Lane’s Top 10 Report Writing Tips
1. Get a good night’s sleep.
2. Outline the report.
3. Just do it – write!
4. Watch an NBA playoff game.
5. Edit
6. Edit
7. Have someone else read it.
8. Edit
9. Submit the report early.
10. Start next report.
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Eight Common Mistakes
1. Wrong kind of word.
2. Sheer superfluities
3. Disregard of common elements
4. Wrong point of view
5. Wrong ways to modify
6. Miscellaneous inefficiencies
7. Repetitive agents
8. Wrong word order
Burger and Associates, 1981
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Some Examples (1)
NORMAL
The need in the corporation for great increases in space,
caused by a steady growth in research-related activities
has created the necessity of the addition of a new wing
to the laboratory.
MUCH BETTER
Because its research work has been growing steadily, the
corporation will add a new laboratory.
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Some Examples (2)
NORMAL
The condition of the gas chromatograph is such that
replacement of it has been deemed to be absolutely
necessary.
MUCH BETTER
The gas chromatograph needs to be replaced.
(Note: sometimes it is appropriate to give specific reasons
“… replaced because the thermal conductivity detector
is broken.”)
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Some Examples (3a)
An overall heat transfer coefficient, U, is calculated by two methods: (1)
commonly accepted correlations (Uexp), and (2) equations involving
individual heat transfer coefficients (Ucalc). These two values are then
compared, to examine the validity of the equations.
One of the commonly accepted correlations used to find Uexp is given in
equation (1).
Uexp = q/A∆T)……………………(1)
where:
Uexp = overall heat transfer coefficient
A = heat transfer area
∆T = temperature difference between the hot and cold fluids
q – heat transferred per unit time
The temperature difference and the heat transfer area are measured.
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Some Examples (3b)
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Example Figure (a)
UV Absorption Data Vs. Concentration
0.05
0.045
0.04
0.035
0.03
0.025
Abs
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
-0.005
Concentration
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Example Figure (b)
UV Absorption of 4-Aminobenzoic Acid in Water at 254 nm
0.05
y = 0.0052x
R2 = 0.9617
Absorbance (A.U.)
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
0
2
4
6
8
Concentration (mg/L)
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Example Table (a)
Conc
Abs
Stdev
0
0.001667
0.002082
2
0.012
0.002
4
0.024
0.004
6
0.029667
0.001528
8
0.041333
0.001528
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014
Example Table (b)
UV Absorption of 4-Aminobenzoic Acid in Water at 254 nm
Solute Concentration
(mg/L)
0
2
4
6
8
Average Absorbance
(A.U.)
0.0017
0.012
0.024
0.030
0.041
Standard Deviation
(A.U.)
0.0021
0.0020
0.0040
0.0015
0.0015
CHE 491 – Operations Lab
2014