Official Instructions For Final NNIN REU Report        
(Final Report Rules in PDF)


Folks: Please read and follow these instructions carefully. The maximums really are the maximum. Look at last year's book to see how the rules work. Note that each report is two pages long, the columns are ~3 inches wide and the text is 11 point Times. Your figures especially must be legible at 3 inches wide - print them out and check!

As noted in the NNIN REU Expectations, sit down with your mentor or PI thru-out the program to set an outline for your report. They will know what you can leave out and what you need to put in, in order to submit an accurate and compelling report of your research. For instance, most everyone has to spin resist, pattern it and get rid of it, so do not spend a lot of time and words explaining the exact process -- cover all that in a sentence or two. Instead tell us how the device worked -- or didn't as the case may be. That is what makes your research unique and interesting.

Please stick to the 975 word, 4 graphic maximums. If you can't figure out what to cut, ask your mentor for assistance -- combining the abstract and intro can save you 100s of words. (BTW: The abstract/intro in your report does not have to be the same abstract you submitted for the convocation.) Thank you!!

IMPORTANT: Your PI/Mentor must approve your report, so plan to hand them a first draft BEFORE you even leave your REU site. Make any corrections your PI/Mentor requests by the end of August and resend to them. Then, send your FINAL REPORT to your PI/Mentor, REU Site Coordinator, AND Ms. Mallison -- all at the same time -- by Friday, September 19th!

1. Send your written report as a PDF file named "YourlastnameYourREUsite.pdf" (If you cannot create a PDF, send the report as a properly named Word document -- be sure to accept all edits so I don't have to guess if they were accepted or not!)  
2. Send your figures in a Word file, and please separate each figure with a page break! Name the file: "YourlastnameFIGURES.doc"
   

4) PLEASE START YOUR REPORT with the FOLLOWING SUMMARY INFORMATION:

a. REU Report Title: (Note this may be different from your original project title in your award letter)
b. REU Intern, Major, Home Institution:
c. REU Principal Investigator(s), Dept, Institution: (Full Name, i.e. "Katherine" Not "Kate")
   (Please note that many PIs appreciate the use of their professional title, i.e., Prof. or Dr.)
d. REU Mentor(s) Dept, Institution: (Full Name, i.e. "Robert" Not "Bob")
   (Again, note that many mentors appreciate the use of their professional title, i.e., Prof. or Dr.)
e. Email Addresses for Intern, Principal Investigator, & Mentor: (in that order please!)
f. REU Current Street Address: (I need the address you want the book mailed to, and this address is NOT published of course!)
g. Report Catagory [please choose only one]

• Biological Applications
• Chemistry
• Electronics
• Materials
• Mechanical Devices
• Optics & Opto-Electronics
• Physics & Nanostructure Physics
• Process & Characterization 
  

5) TYPICAL REPORT SECTIONS INCLUDE:

Abstract:, Introduction:, Experimental Procedure:, Results and Conclusions:, Future Work:,
Acknowledgments: (* below), References: (No footnotes please, only references!!) (** below)

6) TEXT RULES - 975 MAXIMUM: SEND AS PDF FILE  (IF YOU MUST SEND A .DOC, BE SURE TO ACCEPT ALL CHANGES AND SEND AS FINAL)

[1] Refrain from formatting! DO NOT USE COLUMNS! Avoid bold/styles/hypertext, indenting/tabs/etc. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All research is a team effort, so it is inappropriate to say "I" or "my" in your report -- except perhaps in your acknowledgments. Also, since you are reporting on research that is now done, the report should be in the past tense, except if you have a "Future Work" section, of course. Finally, please note '@' is not a word! 'At' is a word! "&" is not a word! "And" is a word!

[2] Do not refer to the placement of a figure in your paper, i.e. "In Figure 3 below, we see..." Just say, "In Figure 3, we see..." The actual page layout I use may not allow figures to be placed where you would like them to be, however I will try to put them as close to the text where they are mentioned.

[3] Send captions as TEXT in the Word document -- do not make them part of the photo file. Captions should be short, about 10 WORDS EACH. Critical information on the figure should be in the report, not in the caption.

[4] * For your "Acknowledgements:" typically, researchers thank their PI, research group members and site coordinators for their assistance, and both the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network Research Experience for Undergraduates Program and National Science Foundation for funding. Of course, you can thank whomever you want, but I will go through all reports and make sure that the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network Research Experience for Undergraduates Program is thanked!

[5] ** In general, references should read: Author Last Name, First Initial; "Title"; Journal, Volume, Pages (Year). Also, the first reference you refer to should be [1], and the second reference you refer to should be [2]. This seems obvious but I often get papers where the very first time there is a reference, it is [2], which will make the reader think they've missed a reference somewhere. So put the reference numbers in order, [1] first.

7) GRAPH/PHOTO RULES - FOUR GRAPHICS MAXIMUM: SEND AS TIF or JPG, or IN WORD FILE

[1] While I ask that you send your figures in the Word document, I would also appreciate receiving them as separate files if you have them ORIGINALLY in tif or jpg. Name the files: "YourlastnameFig1.jpg" etc.

[2] Please keep in mind that equations and formulas count as graphics.

[3] Four graphics maximum. Please do not put six photos in a figure and call that one graphic. By the time such an item is resized for the book, it is almost completely incomprehensible. ONE graphic per figure! (Process outlines and small inserts will be tolerated, but PRINT THEM OUT AT 3 INCHES WIDE and see if you can read them without a magnifying glass!)

[4] If you used Excel for your graphs, PLEASE send the original Excel file. All text in graphs should be LARGE (at least 18 point) and BOLD, and lines should be THICK (at least 2 pt). REALLY! Just do it. Similarly, if you used PowerPoint to create your graphic, then please send me the original PowerPoint file. These can be obscenely large files, so save the pertinent slide(s) ONLY, and send them named "YourlastnameFigures.ppt"

[5] Just so you know - All graphs and photos will be printed in greyscale. So if color is critical to the understanding of your diagram, I'm sorry - but it won't be understood!

Thank You !!

Melanie-Claire Mallison, 250 Duffield Hall, CNF, Ithaca NY 14853-2700
mallison@cnf.cornell.edu • Phone: 607-254-4858 • Fax: 607-255-8601

FINAL REPORTS ARE DUE TO YOUR PI, SITE COORDINATOR,
AND MELANIE-CLAIRE BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH

PS: Once the 2008 NNIN REU Research Accomplishments are complete, here is how you cite the publication for graduate school applications and etc:

YourLastName, YourFirstName. "Your report title as published"; 2008 NNIN REU Research Accomplishments, your page #s, Nov. 2008. http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reu.html