CSE365 Style Guide

This document is intended to provide a high level overview of how you should be formatting your lab reports. Strict adherence is not required, but failure to follow the general guidelines may result in a point reduction on your labs. Your current or future workplace may have a specialized writing style guide. Style guidelines exist to govern high-quality academic writing projects. This guide communicates some general style rules and best practices that will be useful for academic and commercial reporting and communication.

Screenshots

For each screenshot, use complete sentences to explain the procedure/lab deliverable documented by the screenshot. Center-justify and crop screenshots showing only relevant inputs and outputs. Use in-image highlighting to identify relavent content. Resize screenshots so all content is readable at 100% view magnification and fits within margins. Border screenshots with a consistent, black or dark grey color to contrast screenshots from the report background.

Good screenshot examples

Screenshot of a Screenshot

Another good screenshot example

Bad screenshot examples

An example of a bad screenshot

Code Files

In some labs you maybe required to submit code files of Python/C code. Please submit these files as text files (with a .txt extention). This is to make the grading easier in brightspace.

Title Pages

Title pages are not formally required for the labs, but you are expected to provide a title consisting of the the class, lab name, your name, and the date of submission.

An example of a title bar

Section Headings

In addition to including the section number (e.g. 3.2.1) please also include the relavent question that the particular deliverable corresponds to. This is as simple as copying and pasting the deliverable requirement next to the section number. (The example below is highlighted to act as an example. You do not need to highlight in your report).

An example of a title bar

Citations

Please be sure to cite all the external resources that you use. This class doesn't require a particular citiation style, just that you cite. Use whatever format works for you.

Quoting, plagiarism, and original work

Please review the lab policy sections on citations and external sources.