Date: September 9, 2005
To: Aer E 161 Students
From: Dana Haugli, Instructor DGH
Subject: Example Technician Report Format
The purpose of this report is to provide an example of a technician report. Technician reports are also called test
reports, because they typically contain the results of tests performed as part of a project or experiment. Like any
technical report, technician reports should be reviewed for clarity, grammar and spelling, and should be presented in
a professional manner (typed, with type-set equations, clear margins and lack of crowding). All tables and figures
should be identified in the text and labeled clearly.
The test report consists of three sections, which follow. These sections cover experimental procedures, equipment
and data.
Procedures. This section does not restate procedures, but rather, documents where the procedures are located and
what changes were made to the procedures. An example might be, “The procedures followed during these tests are
documented in the file, ‘test.doc,’ on the desktop of the laboratory computer. No changes were made to the
procedures.”
If changes are necessary because something about the experiment would not work or a specific procedure cannot be
followed, document the changes. For example, “Step 3 was changed because the probe described in the procedure
would not fit, so the next smaller version of the probe was used.”
Equipment. This section identifies the specific equipment used in an experiment. The documentation, usually in
the form of a table such as the example in Table 1, includes descriptive information such as the serial number, to
help recreate the tests with the same equipment if necessary. Pictures of the equipment or setup may also be
included, such as in Figure 1 (next page). Tables and Figures should be placed as close to the text that refers to them
as possible, in the order to which they are first referred.
Table 1. Example equipment identification table1.
Equipment Description Identification Material Purpose
Propellers 11 x 7 propeller ZIN504 Wood Material optimization
testing
11 x 7 propeller APCLP11070 Sport Material optimization
testing
11 x 7 propeller MAS1170 Nylon Material optimization
testing
Multimeter Radio Shack Digital
Multimeter
CAT NO. 22-813 Determine power output in
voltage and amperage
Stopwatch Timex Iron Man
Triathlon Watch
CR2016 Measure time intervals for
tests
Ruler Measure the distance from
the propellers to the fan
Multimeter
Clips
Attach the multimeter to
the motor
Coupler Attach the multimeter to
the motor
Best Nr. 1799 Test which motor is best
Generator Graupner
1Exerpted from “Research in Small-Scale Wind Turbines,” a paper presented at the 2004 AIAA Region V Student
Conference by Jacob J. Sullivan and Nathan C. Thomas.
