The purpose of the lab report is to provide a clear account of the work you have performed during the workshop and to summarise the physics you have learned. Writing good reports is a skill that is relevant, not just to this course, but to your whole degree programme and will be useful in a wide  range of future careers.

Structure

A good report will be well thought out and sensibly structured. The report should be written in the style of a formal scientific journal article or letter, using the appropriate language. There is no fixed page/word limit, but we recommend no longer than 10 pages to keep the reports concise where    needed.

The following components are recommended:

1. Abstract. This is a short paragraph outlining what has been done and summarising the key findings or results of the work.

2. Introduction. This section should state the motivation for the work, give the specific aims of the investigation, provide any relevant background material, or theory, and summarise   what has been done.

3. Experiment. This section should describe the equipment or apparatus used, including any relevant geometric considerations, and describe the methodology employed.

4. Results and Interpretation. This section should describe the results obtained, including       any analysis carried out. It should include a discussion of the accuracy, or error, in the             measurements. There should be a detailed interpretation of the results. i.e. what do the        results tell us about the physics. This is the place for critical reflection on what went well and what could have been done better. A summary of the results obtained may be given at the    end of this section.

5. Conclusion. The conclusion summarises the broader lessons learned from the                       investigation, i.e. what has been “learned” from the work carried out. It should complete the loop and state whether or not the aims of the investigation have been achieved. It can also   be used to discuss what could be improved in future work.

6. References. These should be used sparingly and to validate specific points or theories         described in your report, or to illustrate particular examples. Full details or each reference    must be given, so the reader can easily find the relevant information. It is not a bibliography, or reading list.

We often find that some students (particularly those coming from Engineering) will include an          “Evaluation” section at the end of the report discussing what they found was useful or insightful       about the labs as well as how they can be improved. We don’t expect to see these in this report as  it’s not in-keeping with a scientific journal article style. We do appreciate the feedback (and want to hear from you), but there are other avenues in place to do this e.g. course feedback survey, class     reps.

Figures and tables

Here are a few tips on producing figures and tables:

1. All figures and tables should be numbered.

2. All figures and tables should have a caption which states clearly what the figure or table contains.

3. All figures and tables should be referenced from a suitable point in the body of the report. E.g. “Fig. 6 shows…”

4. Do not give both a table and a graph showing the same information. Choose whichever is more informative.

5. All graphs should have properly labelled and annotated axes. Scales, and their appropriate units, should be clearly readable.

6. Data points should be clearly visible and error bars should be included where appropriate.

7. Graphs can be drawn using whatever software package you like. However, the more professional looking the better.

8. If you are reproducing someone else's figure, you must provide a full reference.

Equations

Here are some points on presenting equations:

1. You don't need to provide a complete derivation when stating an equation, simply state the final equation that was used. You will, however, need to explain each of the quantities which appear in  the equation. If the equation is complex or unusual, you may wish to give a reference for it.

2. Equation formatting. If equations are treated as part of a sentence, they should be punctuated    appropriately. For instance, if a sentence ends with an equation, then the sentence still needs a full stop after the equation.

Other points

1. Spelling and grammar are important. Ask a friend to read through your report before you submit it.

2. Be concise. An ideal report is 6-10 pages. If it is longer than this the message will become diluted, it will take the marker ages to read, and it will not make a good impression. If it is shorter than this, you don’t really have much to say.

3. Use whatever software you like to write the lab report (Latex, Word, Libre office, etc..) The more professional looking, the better. A useful tip is to style it like a scientific journal paper (Nature,         Physical Review Letters, etc.). Likewise for data analysis etc., use whatever you feel most

comfortable with.

4. Write in the third person and in past tense i.e. like a journal.

5. Use consistent text formatting throughout. (left/right justified).

6. References are generally numbered in the order they are cited in the text. It is usual to cite references within a sentence [1], or at the end of a sentence [2].

Textbooks

Here are some useful medical physics textbooks to compliment the lab / course notes. You can also ask the demonstrators.

1. G. F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, Third Edition, USA: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2000

2. W. R. Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments: A How-to Approach, Springer- Verlag, Berlin Heidleberg New York, 2nd Edition, 1994

3. J. T. Bushberg, et al., The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2011

4. G. Gilmore, Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry, John Wiley and sons, 2nd Edition, 2008