Lab Report Grading Rubric for PHYSICS I and PHYSICS II Labs           

       	Dr. Pinkney
        2022

Start with a score of +10 pts, and then deduct points as follows:

  Part of lab                               Maximum deduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prelab .................................... -3 pts
       - deduct  -3 if missing completely
       - deduct 0.5 to 1 pts per wrong/missing question or task
       - If the pre-lab was done but after the start of lab,
         deduct 0.5 to 1 pts depending on how much was done on time.
Postlab questions ........................  (variable pts)
       - deduct  -3 if missing completely
       - deduct a little (0.5 pt) if your writing is unclear
         and/or you give very vague answers.
       - deduct about -1 (depending on how many questions) for each clearly 
         wrong answer.
Discussion & Conclusion ................... -3 pt  
       - This section should mainly be about how well your results
         agree with theory.  This means you compare the difference
         between measurement and theory with the size of the errors.
         The problem might be that your measurement errors are underestimated.
         So you should discuss how reasonable the errors are.
	 More importantly, you should use your imagination to assess possible
         systematic errors that may have influenced your results.
         You can also suggest better ways to do the measurements.
         If you only talk about how much you liked/disliked the lab 
         and nothing about the veracity of their results, deduct at least -1.
       - deduct 1/2 if you appeal to "human error".  There are measurement
         errors (which human frailties sometimes influence), and there are
         just plain mistakes (which should be fixed during lab).
       - deduct -3 if missing completely
       - deduct 1/2 to 1 if you make a conclusion that contradicts all evidence
Sample calculation (when needed) .......... -1 pts
Title of lab .............................. -0.5 pts
Name of partner(s) ........................ -0.5 pts
Purpose of experiment ..................... -0.5 pts
Line drawing of apparatus (when needed).... -0.5 pts
Missing units.............................. -1 pts
       - especially on final answers and the sample calc.
       - We'll be lenient on units missing on lines leading up to 
         the final answer.
       - Don't forget to label your axes (including units) on graphs 
Messiness ................................. -1 pts
       - if grader has trouble reading your writing and finding the 
	 required information, deduct -1
       - just give a warning on the first labs
Laziness/not fixing problems .............. -1 pts
       - if they did something completely wrong in the
         procedure, they should try to redo the experiment 
         and not appeal to "human error".  This is very 
         serious in real science, but sometimes they run 
         out of time, so its only -1 max.

Maximum deductions for entire lab ............. -7 pts
       - grader should stop taking off points when they reach -7 pts
       - the only way you can get <3 is to not do the
         lab at all.  (There should be a difference
         between not doing the lab at all and doing it
         badly. And that's 3 points.)