CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

Written Communication Assessment Rubric

1. Organization

2. Content

3. Format

4. Spelling & Grammar

5. References

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

OrganizationReport 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 purposeSection Level• Use sub-headingsParagraph Level• Topic sentence• Additional sentences to support that topic

sentence

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 chequerIt came with my pea seaIt plainly marques four my revueMiss steaks eye kin knot sea

Eye strike a key and type a wordAnd weight four it two sayWeather eye am wrong oar writeIt shows me strait a weigh

As soon as a mist ache is maidIt nose bee fore two longAnd eye can put the error riteIts rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw itI am shore your pleased two noIts letter perfect awl the weighMy chequer tolled me sew.

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 orderBurger and Associates, 1981

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

Some Examples (1)NORMALThe 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 BETTERBecause its research work has been growing

steadily, the corporation will add a new laboratory.

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

Some Examples (2)NORMALThe condition of the gas chromatograph is such that

replacement of it has been deemed to be absolutely necessary.

MUCH BETTERThe 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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 coefficientA = heat transfer area∆T = temperature difference between the hot and cold

fluidsq – heat transferred per unit time

The temperature difference and the heat transfer area are measured.

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

Some Examples (3b)

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

Example Figure (a)UV Absorption Data Vs. Concentration

-0.005

0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

0.045

0.05

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Concentration

Abs

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

Example Figure (b)UV Absorption of 4-Aminobenzoic Acid in Water at 254 nm

y = 0.0052x

R2 = 0.9617

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0 2 4 6 8

Concentration (mg/L)

Ab

sorb

ance

(A

.U.)

CHE 491 – Operations Lab2014

                                                                                          

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 Lab2014

                                                                                          

Example Table (b)

Solute Concentration (mg/L)

Average Absorbance (A.U.)

Standard Deviation (A.U.)

0 0.0017 0.0021 2 0.012 0.0020 4 0.024 0.0040 6 0.030 0.0015 8 0.041 0.0015

UV Absorption of 4-Aminobenzoic Acid in Water at 254 nm