Science Lab Report Grading Checklist
Title
(COMM)
Criteria
o Indicates EXACTLY what was studied or what test was conducted (eg. Disk
Diffusion test for antibiotics)
o Provides the names of all organisms or materials that are the focus of the
investigation (eg. Micrococcus luteus bacteria, Pepsin enzyme)
Abstract
(COMM)
o Provides a clear summary of the purpose, procedure, results, discussion, and
Introduction
(KU)
o Gives background information on all organisms or materials that are the
conclusion
focus of the investigation (eg. Micrococcus luteus bacteria, Pepsin enzyme)
the effectiveness of different plant species as antibacterial agents.)
being studied (eg. What plant species have other scientists discovered that
work as antibiotics agains Micrococcus luteus? What have other scientists
discovered about the effect of pH level on the activity of Pepsin?)
o Clearly identified/stated and accurately describes the goals of the study
(eg. The purpose of this study is to determine if temperature has an effect on
amylase enzyme activity.”)
o Clearly stated as an “If…..then….” statement. (eg. If amylase enzyme activity
is affected by temperature, then a change in temperature should increase or
decrease amylase enzyme activity.”
o Based on research, experience, or sound reasoning
o All materials are listed
Materials
(APPLICATION) o All quantities are included (eg. 50 ml of ethanol)
Procedure/
Methods
(APPLICATION)
Observations
and Results
(APPLICATION)
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o Clearly explains why the investigation is being conducted (eg. To determine
o Describes other published research that relates to the investigation that is
Purpose/
Question
(THINKING)
Hypothesis
(THINKING)
Grade
o Clearly describes how and what was done and allows for EXACT replication
of experiment
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o All key observations are present
o Graphs/charts/images are provided where appropriate
o All graphs/charts/images contain descriptive titles (eg. Graph #1: Using
iodine and Benedict’s solution to measure the effect of temperature on the
ability of amylase enzyme to digest starch)
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Science Lab Report Grading Checklist
Discussion
(THINKING)
o What have you learned from the results of your investigation? (eg. Images #1
and #2 indicate that lemon juice and black pepper are effective as antibiotics
when used on Micrococcus luteus. This is confirmed by the clear zone of
inhibition in both images.)
o Trends or patterns are stated and thoroughly explained (eg. From the results
presented in Graph #1, it is evident that as pH increases, trypsin activity
decreases.)
o Attempt to explain results that don’t make sense
o Appropriate comparisons to control samples have been made (eg. The control
test tube did not experience any change in enzyme activity in comparison to
test tube #1, which was heated to 70oC, and to test tube #2 which was cooled
to -10oC.)
o Reliability of results has been thoroughly discussed by explaining sources of
error AND possible problems with the procedure
o Explain what other published research information says in comparison to
your results. (eg. The effectiveness of lemon juice as an antibiotic agent in our
investigation is consistent with the results obtained by Robert Smith (2005)
who investigated the effectiveness of citrus fruit as an antibiotic agent against
various species of bacteria.)
o Based on the results that you have obtained, suggest how your investigation
might be useful and what the next step should be for researchers that are
concerned with the topic of your investigation. (eg. Based on the results of
this investigation it does not appear that flowering plants are effective
antibiotic agents against Micrococcus luteus bacteria. Elijah Royles (2001)
found that various types of cooking spices tend to be effective antibiotic agents
against a wide range of bacteria. This might be an area worth investigating in
further studies of antibiotics for Micrococcus luteus.)
Conclusion
(THINKING)
o Directly answers the hypothesis or addresses the purpose of the investigation
o Refers to specific data or results (eg. The results shown in Table #1 indicate
References
(K/U)
o All necessary material is referenced using APA referencing. This includes
that temperature ranges of 0oC to 59oC cause an increase in enzyme activity.
However, temperatures that are greater than 59oC cause a sharp decline in
enzyme activity and likely cause a denaturation of the protein structure.)
providing full references in a section at the end of the paper as well as in text
references after any information that was retrieved from another source eg.
(Smith, 2009)
(You can find this at www.citationmachine.net)
Organization o All information is under the proper headings
o Neat, legible, easy to follow
(COMM)
Spelling and Work uses proper …
o Grammar, Vocabulary, Punctuation, Capitalization, Spelling
Grammar
(COMM)
Work does NOT use ….
o Contractions such as won’t, doesn’t, can’t (should be will not, does not,
cannot)
o First person (eg. I, us, we, my, our)
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