All relevant mathematical analysis should be presented. The question arises: “what is
relevant?” You may assume that your reader can verify routine calculations if he/she desires,
(e.g. “We solved this equation and found its roots to be . . .,” or “we computed the partial
derivative of this function with respect to x and found it to be . . .”) but you should include any
calculations that are, in themselves, relevant to understanding the mathematical reasoning that
underlies your argument. What is crucial to a good analysis is the supporting explanation and
commentary on the mathematics. Your report should not require the reader to do extra work to
follow the flow of your argument.
Results and Discussion: Here the major results of your analysis are presented in summary form.
The summary is then bolstered by your interpretation of the results, by noting what is “as
expected,” what is unexpected, what is of primary interest, and what is particularly intriguing.
Be sure to explicitly answer any questions that were asked of you in the project.
Conclusions: Here you are to explain how your work meets the objectives set out in the
introduction. Usually, no new material will be presented here.
References: A list of references should be provided, indicating all sources of information
contained in the report. For a class project, this may be no more than the relevant sections of
your text. If you sought other sources in the course of the project, however, you should include
the proper citations.
Appendices: Some reports will include appendices, and some will not. They are optional
sections designed for information that may support and deepen understanding of information
provided in the main body of the paper. This can include sample calculations (including
computer work), data, lists of nomenclature or units, copy of the original problem, etc. (Careful:
Appendices should not just be a “data dump.” This material should be just as carefully prepared
and properly presented as the information in the body of the paper. For instance, if you include a
printout of maple work that you did during the course of the project, it should be well organized,
and annotated to make it easy to follow. False starts and irrelevant information should be
removed before printing.)
Beware of plagiarism: This is a good time to remind you that plagiarism is a serious
offence; avoid it at all costs. Here is a definition from Kenyon’s Course of Study. The process
of “learning from other scholars, artists, or fellow students . . . becomes plagiarism whenever the
words, projects, performances, reports, or ideas of another person or source are presented as if
they were the original contributions of the student presented them. Such work is also plagiarism
whether or not the misrepresentation was an intentional attempt to deceive.” If you have any
questions about proper attribution, please consult with your instructor. In your report, you may
be reproducing much of the content of a project handout, but it should be written in your own
words, or you should quote it appropriately.