Report Guidelines - Ryerson Department of Physics

5. Discussion of Results And Conclusions:This section is probably the most important one of your report and the main reason you arewriting the report. All previous sections are just the foundation, but this section is the realmeasure of what you have learned from this experiment and of your writing skills. You shouldindicate whether your measurements and/or calculated values make sense. Do they fall withinthe expected range? In case the data or results appear to be outside a reasonable range, pointout what possible problems might have occurred. Point out any real trends, analyze why theyoccur, and explain any significant features or differences from expected results. Summarizereasons for any disagreement between your results and the expected results. When analyzingsources of uncertainty and/or error, be specific and avoid using vague phrases such as "humanerror". Present the conclusions you draw from the results. All conclusions should be clearlystated and supported with evidence. Cite specific results and observations from theexperiment and tie them to your conclusions. When appropriate, recommend ways to correctproblems and improve the experiment. This section should:• Discuss the results (range, trends, sources of errors)• Present the conclusions you draw from the resultsDISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:TYPICAL MISTAKESTypical mistakes encountered in this section are:(a) Discussion of results:• This section is only a restatement of the results from the previous section withoutcommenting on the key expected points• Incorrect or trivial arguments are used (e.g., sources of error are not sufficientlyexplained or trivial explanations are offered, such as “old equipment” or “humanerror” are blamed for the poor accuracy)• Suggestions for improving the experiment are missing, are insufficient orinconsequential.(b) Conclusions:• This subsection is merely a repetition of the “Discussion of Results” part.• A conclusion is drawn, but is not supported by experimental evidence.• No sensible conclusion is drawn• There is no clear evidence of a thorough understanding of the experiment and/ortheory behind it.