BPS2032 Chap.9 Reports, Flowcharts and SOPs
Reports, Flowcharts and SOPs
Scientific communication begins with genre. A flowchart displays decisions and branches, a laboratory report explains an investigation and its evidence, and a standard operating procedure directs controlled execution. Reusing one document logic across all three produces the wrong detail in the wrong order.
A flowchart uses action nodes for operations and decision nodes for measurable questions.
Branch labels need meaningful outcomes, and every path should reach a changed experiment, new measurement or justified endpoint. The strongest chart makes the development rationale traceable from the original specification to the selected condition. Decorative nodes and loops that repeat the same state weaken that chain.
A report connects purpose, method, results, interpretation and conclusion.
Methods include details needed to understand or reproduce the evidence. Results organise data without hiding unsuccessful runs. Discussion compares conditions, explains chromatographic mechanisms, evaluates limitations and justifies the final decision.
Repeating table values in prose without analysis is not interpretation.
An SOP defines scope, responsibilities, safety, materials, setup, ordered steps, checks and records. Instructions use executable verbs and measurable conditions. Warnings appear before the relevant action, while acceptance checks appear after the operation they control.
Background theory is included only when it supports safe execution or a procedural decision.
Rubrics should be translated into visible evidence. A criterion about justified selection requires a conditions table, threshold comparison, trade-off discussion and exact retained settings.
A final audit recomputes calculations, reconciles tables and prose, checks figures and confirms the current task's operational requirements.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Genre choice based on the reader's task
- 02
Flowchart actions, measurable decisions and terminating branches
- 03
Report purpose, methods, results, discussion and conclusion
- 04
SOP scope, safety, setup, actions, checks and records
- 05
Figure labels, captions, units and cross-references
- 06
Rubric criteria translated into reader-visible evidence
- 07
Technical, logic, genre and presentation audit passes
- 08
Live submission instructions checked at Monash
Worked example · free
Translate a selection criterion into evidence
- 2Define the proof as comparison of candidate conditions against stated specifications.
- 2Place method settings and the controlled design in the method section.
- 2Place K, α, N or Rs values that inform the decision in a clear results table.
- 2Use discussion to compare the critical pair, explain the lever and evaluate pressure or run-time trade-offs.
- 2End with exact retained settings plus a limitation or verification step.
Key terms
- Document genre
- A communication form organised around a reader's purpose, such as explanation, decision navigation or controlled execution.
- Flowchart branch
- A labelled path from a measurable decision outcome to a defined next action or endpoint.
- Laboratory report
- A structured account that connects an investigation question, method, results, interpretation and conclusion.
- Standard procedure
- A controlled document that directs a competent user through a reproducible process.
- Acceptance check
- A measurable verification placed after the operation it is intended to control.
- Figure caption
- Text that identifies the displayed evidence and explains the context required to interpret it.
- Evidence location
- The section, table, figure or node where a required criterion is made visible to the reader.
- Cold-reader test
- A review asking whether someone outside the investigation can reconstruct the evidence and decision chain.
Reports, Flowcharts and SOPs FAQ
How is a flowchart different from a report?
A flowchart foregrounds decisions, branches and actions. A report explains the scientific question, methods, evidence and interpretation. Long paragraphs inside chart nodes usually hide rather than clarify the decision structure.
What makes an SOP reproducible?
It defines scope, safety, materials, settings, ordered actions, measurable conditions, acceptance checks and records. Another competent user should be able to perform the intended process without guessing critical choices.
Where should chromatographic mechanisms be explained?
A report discussion is the natural place for detailed explanation. A flowchart shows the decision consequence, while an SOP includes only theory needed for execution, control or safety.
How should a rubric be used during drafting?
Translate each criterion into observable evidence, decide where that evidence belongs and audit the final document for coverage. Do not copy criterion wording as a substitute for providing the required result or reasoning.
What should the final submission audit include?
Recompute quantities, reconcile settings across text and tables, trace conclusions to evidence, inspect labels and units, confirm genre logic, and check the current learning site for deadline, format and submission requirements.
Assessment move
Practise converting one investigation into three outlines: a decision flowchart, an evidence-led report and a procedural SOP. Compare which details move or disappear. Rewrite vague chart diamonds as measurable questions and ensure every branch terminates. Turn rubric verbs into outputs such as calculations, comparisons, evaluations or constructions.
Conduct separate technical, logic, genre and presentation passes instead of one general reread. Finish with a cold-reader test and reopen the current Monash task page to verify operational requirements before submission.
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