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How to Write a
Laboratory
Report
A-2 1: How to Write a
Preparatory Comments
The format of scientific writing is more restricted than a short story
or novel. Scientists, when reporting their research results to a journal,
are not given wide latitude with respect to style, but must follow
carefully scripted conventions. Each portion of a lab report (lab
summary), has a particular limited purpose. All of the parts integrate
into a meaningful whole which precisely reports the results and
importance of that research study.
TITLE
The title should indicate what the laboratory report is about. It should
be brief, start with a key word, and indicate the nature of the
investigation.
ABSTRACT
In a paragraph or two, explain the objectives of the research, how the
experiment was conducted, the findings of the experiment, and
finally, the implications and conclusions of the experiment.
Remember, an abstract is KOT an outline of your experiment. Rather,
it is a short synopsis and should be written after the remainder of
vour lab summary has been completed.
Appendix 1: How to Write a Laboratory Report A-3
INTRODUCTION
M~AsANDMETHODS
~s sec~his
(4) any statistical techniques use he rea&sJ~ d be able to
reproduce your experiment after rea . section is
usually written in paragraph form and in ....~t tense.
RESULTS
In this part of the laboratory report, you organize and summarize the
data generated by your experiment. General trends in the data should
be discussed. Use tables and figures and graphs, as appropriate, to
summarize the quantitative data. See Appendix 2 for graphing
techniques. Data organized by statistical measures, such as means (a
measure of central tendency) and standard deviations (a measure of
variability) or standard errors (a measure of reliability), should be
included in the form of tables and figures. Also, you should describe
the important aspects of your data in words.
Make sure to label your tables and figures properly so they can be
understood without having to read every word in the Results section.
Remember to give all graphs and tables a title and make sure that all
axes of graphs are clearly designated. Concisely state the results of
any statistical analysis you perform. Interpretations are not made in
this section!
DISCUSSION (CONCLUSIONS)
The Discussion section gives you the opportunity to intrepret your
results and explain why they are important. For a strong Discussion
section:
A-4 Appendix 1: How to Write a Laboratory Report
Bl~GRAPHY
5. Do not wait until the last minute to write your laboratory report.
First, make a detailed outline and write a draft of your report. Let it
sit for a day or so, re-read it for clarity and make corrections, then
write the final copy. Have a friend read your first draft and make
suggestions. Always keep an extra copy of your report (and a backup
copy of your computer disk)-things do get lost! And turn in your
report on time.
6. You should write the Abstract last, after you have first written and
completed your report. Remember to keep your abstract short and
precise. Excess verbage will distract your reader from the intended
purpose of your paper.
A-6 Appendix 1: How to Write a Laboratory Report