Sample Introduction

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Mark Isham Hanson CTC Writing Consultant
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Fall 07 Grading Support for Materials Science

• Hanson Center professional writing staff will
  grade the following assignments
• Lab Report 2 (due September 17 - 21)
• Project Proposal (due October 30)
• Final Project Report (due December 19)

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Grading Overview

• We will grade for logic, clarity of expression,
  and proper formatting.
• Of the 50 points you receive for each assignment
  we grade, 20 points will be based on your
  writing.
• For a closer look at our grading criteria, see
  the writing evaluation sheets online by clicking
  the Materials Science link on the Hanson
  Centers (CTC) home page.

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Signs of ExcellenceWhat We Look for as Graders

• A clear, concise, non-technical Abstract so that
  a top executive can review and act on the
  report.
• Introduction and Background and Discussion and
  Conclusion sections that provide detail but
  remain general enough so that immediate
  supervisors can understand main points even if
  they are not subject- matter experts.
• Professionals in your field will understand
  Experimental Methods, Results, and Appendices
  sections.

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The Lab Report(2 due September 17 - 21)

• The lab report measures your individual ability
  to document your procedures and explain the
  significance of the lab experiment to others.
• Write lab reports that can be understood by a
  broad audience.
• Present your procedures and findings in a
  coherent manner that allows experts in your field
  to easily duplicate the experiment.
• Organize your lab report in the following manner
  Abstract, Introduction and Background,
  Experimental Methods, Results, Discussion,
  Conclusion, References, Appendices.
• See (http//www.engineering.uiowa.edu/ctc/) for
  specific instructions.

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The Lab ReportAvoid Plagiarism

• Although you may do the work of the labs with
  others, you must write a report on your own.
• Copying the written work of others or any
  collaboration with others on writing the report
  may mean that you receive no credit for the lab.
  In addition, you may be charged with plagiarism
  and your teacher or the University may take
  further action.

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The Project Proposal (due October 30)

• Your team will propose a study, which involves
  testing a material for a specific application.
• Address clients needs and offer solutions to
  their problems. Your team must present the
  material in a coherent manner so that clients can
  see answers to their questions about the
  soundness of your project and your ability to
  complete it.
• The proposal also offers a roadmap to the final
  project. To that end, organize your proposals by
  sections in the following manner Cover Sheet,
  Project Summary, Research Plan, Specific Aims,
  Background and Significance, Research Design and
  Methods, References.
• See (http//www.engineering.uiowa.edu/ctc/) for
  specific instructions.

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The Final Project Report (due December 13)

• The final report documents the experiment your
  team conducted based on your project proposal.
• To that end, organize your teams final report in
  the same manner as a lab report Abstract,
  Introduction and Background, Experimental
  Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion,
  References, Appendices.
• See (http//www.engineering.uiowa.edu/ctc/) for
  specific instructions.

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Remember

• Write to specific audiences.
• Organize coherently.
• Write unified paragraphs and use strong subjects
  and verbs in sentences.
• Cite your sources and include a reference page.
• Tell what you did, how you did it, and why you
  did it. Your audience wants both clarity and
  analysis.

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You Must Convince Your Audience That You

• Define a problem.
• Offer a practical solution.
• Explain your procedure so that some one can
  duplicate it.
• Answer audience questions.

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A Source for Sources

• The Hanson CTC uses the American Psychological
  Association (APA) documentation style for all the
  written assignments we evaluate. No style is
  "better" than the other be it MLA or APA, the
  key is to stay consistent and give credit where
  credit is due.

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Using APA sample of in-text and Reference List
citations

• In-text
• Such a bridge is said to be in equilibrium,
  meaning that the net result of the forces and
  moments acting on the structure are equal to zero
  (Hibbeler, 2004).
• Reference list
• Hibbeler, R.C. (2004). Engineering Mechanics
  Statics. Upper Saddle River, NJ Prentice Hall.

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How to avoid plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing means that you have taken someone
  else's ideas, concepts or language and put them
  in your own words. Since writers often build on
  other people's ideas or borrow from other
  people's work to support their own scholarship,
  this practice is perfectly acceptable.
• HOWEVER, you must give credit where credit is
  due. If you use someone else's material and
  rewrite it in your own words, you must provide a
  citation after that paraphrased information every
  time you paraphrase.

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How to avoid plagiarism?

• If you have any questions about documenting or
  citing material, ask questions, you can check
  with the CTC. They have individuals who can help
  you with documentation and citation questions.
• A final thought. Better to cite too often than
  not often enough. The road to academic hell is
  paved with plagiarized papers.

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Questions?

• Visit the Hanson Center for Technical
  Communication
• You can find the assignments, evaluation sheets,
  discussions of plagiarism, and other useful stuff
  on the Centers web site at http//www.engineering
  .uiowa.edu/ctc.
• Hours 130 430 p.m. Monday-Friday, Sunday
  700-900 p.m.
• Location 2224 SC (in the Student Commons area)
• Scheduling Appointment sign-up sheet posted on
  window outside door of 2224 SC

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Thank You