Writing Guidelines for Projects and Reports in Mathematics & Statistics

Your report should be written as a document that stands on its own. In particular, the intended audience (which may or may not be your instructor) should not need a copy of the assignment in order to read and evaluate your report. While you may assume your reader has basic mathematical and statistical knowledge, you should not assume that your reader has been attending our class. Nor should you assume that your reader knows more mathematics and statistics than you do. (A student who is not in our class should be able to understand what you did and why by reading your paper.)

Structure

Your report should consist of the following sections:

Title page, indicating the title of your report, its author(s), the course name, and the date.

Introduction, consisting of a description of the questions to be answered, their context and/or importance, and the mathematical or statistical methods used to answer the questions. Depending on the assignment, you may wish to include a summary of your findings in the introduction.

Body, including a problem statement, a description of the method employed in solving the problem, a discussion of any relevant facts or assumptions involved in the problem or solution, the solution itself, and interpretation and analysis of the solution. (If the assignment involves several separate problems, you may need to repeat the list several times, in separate sections. The section headings should be descriptive of the material – in particular, using “Body” as a heading is not particularly helpful to the reader.)

Conclusion, summarizing the results obtained from the solutions described in the body. Clearly state the relevance of the results to the original questions as described in the introduction. Comment on the significance of the results. Indicate if the problem warrants further investigation, and, if so, the direction future research should take.

Acknowledgements and/or References, recognizing assistance and sources.

Appendices (if appropriate), containing computer output (especially computer code) or long data lists.

Grading

Your report will be graded based on the following criteria:

Mathematical and Statistical Accuracy

· Computations are correct.

· Variables are clearly defined. In statistics, the possible values of the variables are described.

· Appropriate units are given for quantities and variables.

· Mathematical and statistical formulas and their relevance to the problem are clearly explained. If a formula is derived, the derivation is clear and well-explained, using complete sentences. If a formula is employed from reference material, the formula is clearly explained and the reference is given.

· Assumptions for models and formulas are explained, and the models/formulas are used correctly.

· Methodology is explained.

· Clearly labeled graphs, diagrams or tables that are appropriate for the discussion of the problem at hand are included in the body of the report, where they are discussed. (In general, graphs diagrams and small tables belong in the body of the report, not in an appendix.) Graphs are carefully labeled, and include appropriate units.

· Mathematical and statistical language is used correctly and appropriately.

Presentation and Style

· Acknowledgement is given where it is due. In particular, you should cite any book you look at, any student you talk to (whether in this class or not), any instructor you talk to, and/or any software you used to analyze or solve the problem. Plagiarism is a gross violation of the Honor Code and will be dealt with as such.

· When work is completed in a group setting, your name on the report signifies your adherence to the Honor Code. Specifically, your name should not be on a report unless you contributed at least your fair share in completing the assignment.

· The document is free of spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. This includes mathematical grammar.

· The report is written in the first person plural (e.g., "We found the requisite data from the figure...").

· The presentation is appropriate for the intended audience.

· The body of the report is organized logically.

· There are smooth transitions between sections and paragraphs.

· Passive voice, slang, and acronyms are generally avoided.

· Mathematics is embedded in sentences and paragraphs.

· Graphs, tables, etc. are included in the body of the report, as appropriate. All are clearly labeled.

· Conclusions flow logically from the analysis.

· The report exhibits clarity and conciseness. It avoids wordiness and extraneous details.

· The presentation demonstrates the ability of the author(s) to convince the reader of the correctness of the results (which may not be the same as showing step-by-step algebraic derivations of solutions).

Analysis and Conceptual Understanding

· The context and relevance of the problem and the solution are clearly explained.

· The presentation demonstrates a clear understanding of the relationships between the assumptions, the methodology, the results and the implications of the results.

· Assumptions (mathematical and non-mathematical) are explained and justified.

· The question(s) are considered with appropriate depth. Note that projects that receive A’s not only address the assignment carefully and completely, but generally go the “extra mile” and include things that provide a deeper understanding of the assignment, though those things may not have been explicitly requested.

· Subtleties in the problem(s) or solution(s) are recognized, explored and discussed.

· If appropriate, future research directions (including possible generalizations of the solution or methods) are discussed with demonstrated understanding of the issues.