Sabrina Leonard

Department of English, City College of New York

ENGL210: Writing for Engineers

Professor Jacobson

March 3,2022 

The most important topic taught worldwide as it pertains to the study of science is the scientific method which follows a specific standard format. Scientists and engineers use the scientific method to conduct research and record data that will transform into a lab report. The lab report consists of eight different elements which are the title, abstract, introduction, materials/ methods, result, discussion, conclusion, and references(Markel et al., 2018). The functionality of a lab report in a specific structure is used to convince the targeted audience that the research conducted is credible (Markel et al., 2018). The lab report articles that I will analyze is “safety optimal design of lithium-ion battery cell based on multi-physics models” (Li et al., 2022) and “quasi-z-source network-based hybrid power supply system for aluminum electrolysis industry” (Sun et al., 2017). I will compare the elements between these two reports such as the organizational structure of each text and their purposes.

The title is the first element that readers use to determine whether the report is relevant enough to spark their interest. In  Sun et al.’s lab report article the title directly targets a specific group of readers in a particular electrical industry because the report’s information may be relevant to them. The title of this lab report compared to Li et al.’s  lab report, follows a similar structure to allow scientists and engineers and stem students to save time in determining if the lab report is relevant to their research(Markel et al., 2018). The titles are an efficient way for readers to gauge what is within the article.

Another efficient way for readers to gauge the content within an article is by reading the abstract. The abstract is considered one of the most essential elements of a lab report because it enables scientists and engineers to save time. After skimming through the abstract,  readers can decide whether to read the entire report. The purpose of an abstract is to summarize the elements of the lab report to provide readers with an condense version of what the report is about. The abstracts should be present in a persuasive manner to convince reader of creditability. In journal quasi-z-source network-based hybrid power supply system for aluminum electrolysis industry begins abstract with critical components such as problem statement, methods used, and recommendations. A hybrid power supply system (HPSS) based on the quasi-Z-source network is proposed for aluminum electrolysis, which can reduce energy consuming and carbon emission through the use of renewable energy. An ac–dc integrate controller is designed in the HPSS that contains a two-layer control(Sun et al., 2017). In comparison to safety optimal design of lithium-ion battery cell based on multi-physics models that just provides the problem statement. The behavior of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) under mechanical loading is a complex multi-physics process including mechanical deformation, internal short circuit, and thermal runaway(Li et al., 2022). The author Sun et al. has provided more information than Li et al., 2022  abstract.

The process of writing an introduction consists of many sub-sections such as past research, purpose statement, plan, procedures, report descriptions, defined keywords, limitations, and assumptions (Markel et al., 2018). Authors Li et al provided a concise context to their research by analyzing what the previous researches contributions were missing by furthering the research to studying the behavior of the lithium-ion – batteries instead of the accuracy of the multi-physics model (Li et al., 2022). However, current research mainly focuses on the multi-physics model’s accuracy and further the mechanism analysis based on the model (Li et al., 2022). However, in the author Sun et al lab report, the introduction was the last section that followed the specific format structure for writing lab reports. The paper is organized as follows. In Section II, an HPSS is established and the power scheme algorithm (PSA) is analyzed in detail. Section III focuses on the system modeling and control strategy(Sun et al., 2017). The proposed control strategy is verified by series of simulation and experimental tests in Sections IV and V. Finally, the conclusion is given in Section VI(Sun et al., 2017). Usually, lab reports do not require mentioning that information because it is the standard.

The materials/methods section allows scientists, engineers, and students to prove to the reader that the experiment was conducted in a creditable manner. The materials/methods section provides enough detail for another researcher to be able to repeat the experiment(Markel et al., 2018). Li et al material/ method section prove their experiment is creditable by properly following the standard structure. For instance, the diagrams and equations in Li et al methods were detailed and precise compared to Sun et al section II which left ambiguity. Fig. 3 Setups of the submodels: (a) setup of the mechanical model, (b) boundary conditions of the thermal transfer model, and (c) schematic diagram of the internal short-circuit model (Li et al., 2022). Structure of the PV-system with the Q-Z-C(Sun et al., 2017). The methods section requires organization for readers to comprehend the data. The method section in author Li et al., 2022 lab report appears most credible.

The result section of the lab report aims to present evidence that will support the hypothesis. The author Li et al results section provides the data in a well-organized structure, shorter in length than Sun et al result section. The force, voltage, and temperature behavior of batteries with different SOCs under steel ball compression are recorded and analyzed (Figs. 5 and 6) ( Li et al., 2022). The reason is that author Sun et al is merging the discussion with the result section to prove creditable. Authors should allow readers to infer the credibility of the result obtained in the experiment. Thus, the fast dynamic response performance of the ac–dc integrate controller is proved (Sun et al., 2017). The results section doesn’t require interpreting or clarifying the data results. The results section is used to capsulize the required evidence explained in the discussion section (Markel et al., 2018).

The discussions section allows an author to interpret the results obtained in the experiment to persuade the reader of further creditability. The discussion section is typically detailed because scientists and engineers must elaborate on the process to answer the hypothesis. There are times when results are not within the expected range and must not be withheld from readers because it creates knowledge in their field (Markel et al., 2018). In comparison to Li et al, Author Sun et al provided the best discussion by successfully convincing the reader of the experiment results. By analyzing the test, results can draw that the designed ac–dc integrate controller can solve the problem of anode effect satisfactorily ( Li et al., 2022).

The conclusion of a lab report is the last opportunity to persuade the reader the research and experiment provided are credible and can be repeated. The conclusion in a lab report objective summarizes the main goals set out to be achieved for the experiment. The author Li et al expressed the significance of his experiment by using a convincing argument to persuade the audience that the experiment will also benefit the next-generation battery. This model can lay a solid foundation to understand the mechanical integrity of LIBs and guide the safety design of the next-generation battery ( Li et al., 2022). Similarly, the author Sun et al was able to find a remedy to the anode effect during aluminum electrolysis.

Moreover, the designed controller can solve the problem caused by the anode effect during aluminum electrolysis production satisfactorily (Sun et al., 2017). At last, simulation and experimental tests are proposed to verify the effectiveness of the designed HPSS and ac–dc integrate controller (Sun et al., 2017). Both authors follow the required structure by convincing the reader that the lap report is creditable and reliable.

In summary, the lab report consists of eight elements: the title, abstract, introduction, materials/ methods, result, discussion, and conclusion. These elements require meticulous scrutiny to convince a reader that the experiment is creditable. The creditability of scientists and engineers is imperative to their reputation in research. As a result of analyzing both lab reports, I considered both authors have proved the experiments conducted are creditable bases upon previously mentioned sections. However, the lab report flows the best in the “safety optimal design of lithium-ion- battery cell based on multi-physics models” (Li et al., 2022) because the scientific method is apparent. Author Sun et al., the report followed a different format to convey creditability due to the many components used to create the complex design.

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