Every academic or industrial research project should culminate in a Final Research Report which summarizes the results of the investigation, analyzes the results in terms of the essential conclusions which can be drawn, and points the way to additional research which should be carried out if an extension of the project is feasible. Therefore, for students who have participated in an undergraduate research project, the writing of a good Final Report is considered to be an essential part of their educational experience. To ensure that all participants will complete a suitable Final Report, the Chair of the Department of Chemistry must approve each individual report before credit can be awarded by the supervising faculty member for either CHM 5998 or 5999. (Failure to submit a Final Report could jeopardize one's graduation.)

The Final Report provides a permanent record of the work accomplished and its apparent significance. In industry, such reports are often submitted to higher administrators where they serve as the basis for critical decision-making which might involve the commitment of thousands (or even millions) of dollars. In an academic setting, research reports are more likely to be utilized as the basis for scientific publications and/or as background material for future research workers who may continue the project. In either case, it is important that the report be complete and understandable.

Final Research Reports for academic research projects normally follow the same format as that used for scientific publications in refereed research journals. Such publications generally consist of the following main sections:

• Introduction-The previous state of knowledge is reviewed (with citations to the relevant scientific literature) and the goal of the current project is outlined.
• Experimental-The specific details of the experimental procedures utilized are described in sufficient detail that they could be duplicated by someone else.
• Results-The experimental results are presented, including tables of data (if appropriate), spectra, etc.
• Discussion-The conclusions derived from the research are interpreted, particularly in terms of their relevance to the work of previous scientists as reported in the literature.
• References-All literature references cited in the report are numbered in the order in which they are first cited. The format for all references should strictly follow the format used by the Journal of the American Chemical Society or the format used by some other major journal in the specific area of the project. (Consult with your research advisor for the journal format that s/he prefers.) Above all, references should be complete and the format consistent!
• Figures and Tables-Figures and Tables should be numbered sequentially and either inserted at the point where they are first mentioned or placed together at the end of the report (depending upon the preference of the research advisor). The Table headings and Figure captions should follow the format used by the Journal of the American Chemical Society or the format used by some other major journal in the specific area of the project.