Name

groff-lab-reports — Unix lab report writing template via the groff(1) ms macro package. IEEE format with eqn(1) and tbl(1) preprocessors. Demonstrated with an Ohm’s Law (V = IR) measurement exercise.

Synopsis

  eqn report.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tpdf  > report.pdf
  eqn report.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tps   > report.ps
  eqn report.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Thtml > report.html
  eqn report.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tascii | less    # terminal preview

The -ms flag is shorthand for -m s: the -m option loads a named macro package, and s selects the ms Manuscript Macros. In older documentation and informal usage this flag appears as -ms, -m ms, or colloquially “the md package” — all refer to the same macro set. eqn and tbl are preprocessors that must run before groff in the pipeline; order matters.

Description

The groff(1) document formatting system is the GNU implementation of AT&T troff. Source files are plain ASCII with embedded requests (lines beginning with a period) and escape sequences (backslash followed by a code). The ms macro package provides high-level commands for the standard elements of an academic paper: title block, abstract, numbered section headings, indented paragraphs, floating keeps, and reference lists.

Two preprocessors handle specialized content before groff ever sees the file:

• eqn(1) — translates human-readable math notation (V ~=~ I cdot R) into troff drawing commands.
• tbl(1) — lays out tabular data from a compact format specification into aligned columns, with optional box rules.

Source files conventionally carry the .ms extension. They are plain text; any editor works. The pipeline above produces print-quality output with correct equation typesetting, aligned tables, and automatic page numbering.

Section I. The ms Macro Package

A. Title Block and Front Matter

B. Section Headings

C. Body Text

D. Inline Font Escapes

E. Special Characters Relevant to Lab Reports

F. Keeps and Floats

Section II. Simple Writeup

The complete groff -ms source for the V = IR lab report. Copy into ohmslaw.ms and compile with the pipeline in the SYNOPSIS above. Comments begin with .\" and are stripped before output.

.\" ============================================================
.\" ohmslaw.ms  --  Verification of Ohm's Law
.\" Compile:  eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tpdf > ohmslaw.pdf
.\" ============================================================

.TL
Verification of Ohm\(cqs Law:
Voltage Measurement and Current Confirmation via Series Ammeter
.AU
J.\~ Smith
.AI
Department of Electrical Engineering
State University \(em January 2026
.AB
This experiment verified Ohm\(cqs Law (\fIV\fP\~=\~\fII\fP\|\(*W) by
applying a regulated 5\~V source across a nominally 100\~\(*W carbon
film resistor and measuring the terminal voltage and branch current
independently.  A 4.5-digit DMM provided the voltage measurement; a
series panel ammeter confirmed the current.  Measured terminal voltage
was 4.97\~V.  Current calculated from the measured voltage and the
in-circuit resistance was 49.7\~mA; the ammeter indicated 49.5\~mA,
agreeing to within 0.4\~%.  Both values fall within the combined
instrument uncertainty of \(pm1.8\~%.  These results confirm the linear
voltage-current relationship predicted by Ohm\(cqs Law for this class
of resistive component at the stated conditions.
.AE
.
.\" ---- I. INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------
.NH 1
Introduction
.PP
Ohm\(cqs Law states that the voltage across a resistor is proportional
to the current through it, with the constant of proportionality equal to
the resistance.  The governing equation is:
.EQ
V ~=~ I cdot R
.EN
where
.I V
is the terminal voltage (V),
.I I
is the current (A), and
.I R
is the resistance (\(*W).
The objective of this experiment is to verify Equation\~(1) by
independently measuring all three quantities and checking internal
consistency.
.
.\" ---- II. MATERIALS AND METHODS --------------------------
.NH 1
Materials and Methods
.
.NH 2
Equipment
.IP "\fBDigital Multimeter (DMM)\fP \(em Fluke 115" 4
DC voltage range 400\~mV\(en1000\~V; accuracy \(pm0.5\~%\~+\~2 counts.
Configured in voltmeter mode (high impedance, parallel with DUT).
.IP "\fBSeries Panel Ammeter\fP \(em 0\(en100\~mA" 4
Analog D\(cqArsonval movement, \(pm2\~% of full scale.
Connected in series between the supply and resistor.
.IP "\fBResistor (DUT)\fP" 4
Carbon film, 100\~\(*W nominal, \(pm1\~% manufacturer tolerance,
axial through-hole.  Measured with a bench LCR meter before assembly:
99.8\~\(*W.
.IP "\fBRegulated DC Bench Supply\fP" 4
0\(en30\~V\~/\~0\(en5\~A; output resolution 10\~mV; load regulation
<\~0.1\~%.  Set to nominally 5.00\~V before connecting the circuit.
.
.NH 2
Procedure
.PP
The resistor was placed in series with the ammeter between the supply
output terminals.  The DMM was connected in parallel with the resistor
only (not including the ammeter) to measure terminal voltage across the
DUT.  The supply was energized and adjusted to 5.00\~V on its own
display.  After a 30-second warm-up period, terminal voltage and ammeter
current were recorded simultaneously.  Three successive readings were
taken without disturbing the circuit; the mean of the three readings is
reported.
.
.\" ---- III. RESULTS ---------------------------------------
.NH 1
Results
.PP
Measured values are summarized in Table\~1.  All quantities are means
of three readings; the stated uncertainty represents one standard
deviation of the three measurements combined in quadrature with the
instrument accuracy specification.
.KS
.TS
center box;
lb   lb     lb       lb
l    l      l        l  .
QuantityNominalMeasuredError (%)
_
R (LCR)100 \(*W99.8 \(*W0.2
V\d\s-2s\s+2\u (DMM)5.00 V4.97 V0.6
I\d\s-2calc\s+2\u50.0 mA49.7 mA0.6
I\d\s-2meas\s+2\u (ammeter)50.0 mA49.5 mA1.0
.TE
.ce 1
\fBTable 1.\fP  Measured values for the V = IR verification circuit.
.KE
.PP
The propagated relative uncertainty in the derived resistance is given by:
.EQ
{ delta R } over R ~=~ sqrt { left ( { delta V } over V right ) sup 2
~+~ left ( { delta I } over I right ) sup 2 }
.EN
Substituting \(*dV/V\~=\~0.7\~% and \(*dI/I\~=\~2.1\~% yields
\(*dR/R\~=\~2.2\~%, which bounds the observed deviations in Table\~1.
.
.\" ---- IV. DISCUSSION -------------------------------------
.NH 1
Discussion
.PP
The ammeter-voltmeter method introduces a systematic loading error
because the voltmeter draws a finite current (\(ap0.3\~mA at 5\~V
with input impedance 10\~M\(*W), and the ammeter has a non-zero internal
resistance (\(ap2\~\(*W).  At 100\~\(*W the ammeter burden is 2\~%,
which is the dominant contributor to the uncertainty budget.  The DMM
loading at this impedance level is negligible (<\~0.1\~%).
.PP
All measured values agree with nominal within the propagated uncertainty.
The 0.4\~% difference between calculated and directly measured current
is within both the \(pm2\~% ammeter accuracy and the \(pm2.2\~%
propagated resistance uncertainty.  No correction for systematic loading
error was applied; the residuals are smaller than the systematic term.
.
.\" ---- V. CONCLUSION --------------------------------------
.NH 1
Conclusion
.PP
Ohm\(cqs Law was confirmed for a 99.8\~\(*W resistor energized at
4.97\~V.  Voltage, current derived from V/R, and directly measured
current agree to within combined instrument uncertainty.  The primary
error source is ammeter internal resistance; it is bounded by the
published accuracy specification and requires no correction at this
precision level.
.
.\" ---- REFERENCES -----------------------------------------
.SH
References
.LP
.IP "[1]" 4
G.\~S.\~Ohm,
.I "Die galvanische Kette, mathematisch bearbeitet."
Berlin: T.\~H.\~Riemann, 1827.
.IP "[2]" 4
IEEE Std 1459-2010,
.I "IEEE Standard Definitions for the Measurement of
Electric Power Quantities Under Sinusoidal, Nonsinusoidal,
Balanced, or Unbalanced Conditions."
IEEE, 2010.  doi:10.1109/IEEESTD.2010.5439063.
.IP "[3]" 4
J.\~R.\~Taylor,
.I "An Introduction to Error Analysis,"
2nd\~ed.  Sausalito, CA: University Science Books, 1997,
pp.\~45\(en73.

That is the complete source: 90 lines of plain text, no binary assets, no build system. The output is publication-quality PDF with typeset equations, an aligned box-ruled table, centered caption, and a hanging reference list.

Section III. Complex Annotated Writeup

The following is how a researcher approaches the document from scratch. Each block of roff source is shown exactly as typed, followed by an explanation of every macro and escape sequence used. Read this section alongside the simple listing above.

A. File Header and Comment Convention

.\" ============================================================
.\" ohmslaw.ms  --  Verification of Ohm's Law
.\" Compile:  eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tpdf > ohmslaw.pdf
.\" ============================================================

The .\" request (period, double-quote) is a comment. Everything after it on the same line is ignored by groff. The researcher uses the first block of comments as a file header: the filename, a short description, and the exact compile command. This is the roff equivalent of a shebang line and is considered good practice — the document is self-documenting about how to build it.

B. Title Block (.TL, .AU, .AI, .DA)

.TL
Verification of Ohm\(cqs Law:
Voltage Measurement and Current Confirmation via Series Ammeter
.AU
J.\~ Smith
.AI
Department of Electrical Engineering
State University \(em January 2026

.TL (Title) begins the title block. The lines that follow, until the next macro, become the document title. A second line is permitted (used here for the subtitle after the colon).

.AU (Author) takes the author name on the following line. For multiple authors, repeat .AU and .AI pairs. The escape J.\~ Smith uses \~ (non-breaking thin space) between the initial and surname to prevent a line break there.

.AI (Author Institution) prints the affiliation below the author name. Here the researcher folds the date into the second line of the institution block using \(em (em dash) rather than a separate .DA macro — a common shortcut when only a month and year are needed.

.DA date is the formal alternative. Written as .DA January 2026 it prints the date in the standard ms location below the institution. Without an argument it inserts the system date at compile time.

C. Abstract (.AB / .AE)

.AB
This experiment verified Ohm\(cqs Law (\fIV\fP\~=\~\fII\fP\|\(*W) by
applying a regulated 5\~V source across a nominally 100\~\(*W carbon
film resistor ...
.AE

.AB (Abstract begin) and .AE (Abstract end) bracket the abstract paragraph. The ms package centers and italicizes the heading “ABSTRACT” automatically and applies a narrower line measure to the paragraph.

Inside the abstract the researcher uses several escapes:

• \(cq — typographer’s closing quote (for Ohm’s). Do not use a straight apostrophe; it renders poorly in PostScript output.
• \fI...\fP — italic font for variable names (V, I). \fP restores the previous font.
• \~ — non-breaking thin space. Keeps numeric values and their units together: 5\~V, 100\~\(*W.
• \(*W — the omega glyph (ohm sign, Ω). This is the most common special character in electrical engineering lab reports. The two-character code *W is the traditional troff name.
• \| — hairline space. Used between a closing parenthesis and the unit symbol to avoid optical crowding: )\|\(*W.
• \(pm — plus-or-minus sign (±), used for tolerance and uncertainty: \(pm1.8\~%.

D. Section Headings (.NH)

.NH 1
Introduction
.PP
Ohm\(cqs Law states ...

.NH 1
Materials and Methods

.NH 2
Equipment

.NH 1 generates a numbered primary heading. The ms package maintains internal counters; successive .NH 1 calls produce I., II., III., etc. The heading text on the following line is typeset in boldface and the counter is prefixed automatically.

.NH 2 generates a secondary heading (A., B., C.) and resets when a new .NH 1 is encountered. There is no need to type the Roman numeral or letter — the package tracks them.

The bare period on its own line (.) is a null request. The researcher inserts it as a visual separator between sections in the source file. It has no effect on output but makes the source easier to scan.

E. Equipment List (.IP Hanging-Indent Paragraphs)

.IP "\fBDigital Multimeter (DMM)\fP \(em Fluke 115" 4
DC voltage range 400\~mV\(en1000\~V; accuracy \(pm0.5\~%\~+\~2 counts.
Configured in voltmeter mode (high impedance, parallel with DUT).
.IP "\fBSeries Panel Ammeter\fP \(em 0\(en100\~mA" 4
Analog D\(cqArsonval movement, \(pm2\~% of full scale.

.IP label n (Indented Paragraph) creates a hanging-indent entry. The label argument appears at the left margin; the body text indents n characters from the margin. This is the idiomatic ms construction for equipment lists, definition lists, and reference entries.

The label is double-quoted because it contains spaces. Inside it:

• \fB...\fP bolds the instrument name.
• \(em separates the instrument type from the model number with an em dash — a common lab report convention.
• \(en is the en dash for ranges (400 mV–1000 V, 0–100 mA). Do not use a hyphen for numeric ranges in typeset output.

After the last .IP group, the researcher resumes with .NH or .PP to exit the hanging-indent mode. An explicit .LP can also reset the margin.

F. Typesetting Equations (eqn Preprocessor)

.EQ
V ~=~ I cdot R
.EN

.EQ and .EN delimit an equation block. The eqn preprocessor (the first command in the pipeline) reads between these delimiters and translates the human-readable notation into troff sizing and positioning commands.

The eqn language for common operators used in this lab report:

The uncertainty propagation equation from the results section:

.EQ
{ delta R } over R ~=~ sqrt { left ( { delta V } over V right ) sup 2
~+~ left ( { delta I } over I right ) sup 2 }
.EN

Long equations may wrap across source lines freely; eqn treats whitespace as a token separator, not a line terminator. The researcher breaks the source line here for readability only.

To add an equation number right-aligned on the same baseline, append a label argument to .EQ:

.EQ (1)
V ~=~ I cdot R
.EN

This places (1) flush right, matching the IEEE convention of right-justified equation numbers. In-text references use Equation\~(1) with a non-breaking space before the parenthesis.

G. Typesetting Tables (tbl Preprocessor)

.KS
.TS
center box;
lb   lb     lb       lb
l    l      l        l  .
QuantityNominalMeasuredError (%)
_
R (LCR)100 \(*W99.8 \(*W0.2
V\d\s-2s\s+2\u (DMM)5.00 V4.97 V0.6
I\d\s-2calc\s+2\u50.0 mA49.7 mA0.6
I\d\s-2meas\s+2\u (ammeter)50.0 mA49.5 mA1.0
.TE
.ce 1
\fBTable 1.\fP  Measured values for the V = IR verification circuit.
.KE

.TS and .TE delimit a table processed by the tbl preprocessor (the second command in the pipeline).

The tbl block has two parts before the data: a global options line and one or more format lines.

H. Compilation, Output Formats, and the Preprocessor Pipeline

The researcher types one of these commands at the shell prompt. The source file is read left-to-right through each preprocessor before reaching groff.

eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tpdf > ohmslaw.pdf

eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tps > ohmslaw.ps

eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tascii | less

eqn ohmslaw.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Thtml > ohmslaw.html

I. Makefile for Reproducible Builds

For a report that will be revised and recompiled repeatedly, a one-rule Makefile eliminates retyping the pipeline:

# Makefile for ohmslaw.ms
GROFF   = groff
MS_FLAG = -ms
PREPROC = eqn $(MS_SRC) | tbl
MS_SRC  = ohmslaw.ms

all: ohmslaw.pdf

ohmslaw.pdf: $(MS_SRC)
$(PREPROC) | $(GROFF) $(MS_FLAG) -Tpdf > $@

clean:
rm -f ohmslaw.pdf ohmslaw.ps

Run make to (re)build only when the source has changed. Run make clean to remove generated files. This pattern scales to multi-file documents by splitting chapters into separate .ms files and concatenating them in the pipeline:

eqn intro.ms methods.ms results.ms discussion.ms refs.ms | tbl | groff -ms -Tpdf > report.pdf

Section IV. Common Pitfalls and Diagnostics

Notes

References

1. GNU Project. The GNU troff Manual. groff 1.23.0 edition. https://www.gnu.org/software/groff/manual/
2. M. E. Lesk. Tbl — A Program to Format Tables. Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, 1976.
3. B. W. Kernighan and L. L. Cherry. A System for Typesetting Mathematics. Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, 1975.
4. J. R. Taylor. An Introduction to Error Analysis, 2nd ed. Sausalito, CA: University Science Books, 1997.
5. IEEE. IEEE Author Center: Manuscript Templates for Conference Proceedings. https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html

Lynx compatible.