Ms. Dellert’s Biology – Lab Report Format
Lab Reports may be either typed (12 point Times New Roman) and glued into INB or written neatly
(printed, not cursive please) in INB. If you don’t think you can write neatly, type it.
We will do two different types of lab reports in this class: Formal and Informal
Formal Lab Reports should include each of the following in this order:
1) Your name, your lab partner(s’) name(s), your class, your period, and the date the assignment is
due. These items should be in the top right corner of your report
2) Title: The question you are researching, written on the top line of the page or top center on a
typed document
3) Objective: The object is a clear and concise statement; it does not need to be a full sentence.
4) Introduction: 4-5 sentences explaining why you were interested in studying your question, any
prior knowledge or observations that you had that led you to ask this question, and your
hypothesis (in an “if-then-because” statement)
5) Materials: This is a list of the objects that you used in your experiment. Be as precise as possible
- don’t just say “beaker” say 240-mL beaker
6) Procedure: This is NOT a list. Tell us what you did in the order that you did it in in a paragraph.
Use past tense (ex. “we poured water into the beaker” instead of “pour water into the beaker”).
7) Data: There are two types of data and either is fine. Which one you use is usually determined
by what your initial question was. Data can be shown as a paragraph, a graph, a chart, a
drawing – however best conveys to the reader what went on during your inquiry.
a. Qualitative data: You describe what you saw, heard, or otherwise observed in as
unbiased a way as possible. You do NOT use numbers as measurements.
b. Quantitative: You use numbers to relate how many times, for how long, or for what
distance you measured your observations.
8) Results: One simple sentence that sums up your data.
9) Conclusion: Restate and answer your objective. Tell us why you believe this answer happened,
any evidence you found (scientific laws or theories) that back up your reasoning, and any
improvements you would make if you did this experiment again.
10) Works Cited: Remember those scientific laws, theories, and other evidence you used in your
conclusion. Now you have to cite it. Most scientists use APA format, but if you are more
comfortable with MLA that’s fine too. Just be consistent – don’t cite one source in APA and
another in MLA. You can use easybib.com or citationmachine.net to help you with this!
Informal Lab Reports should include each of the following in this order (same descriptions as above):
1) Your name, your lab partner(s’) name(s), your class, your period, and the date the assignment is
due. These items should be in the top right corner of your report
2) Title
3) Objective
4) Introduction
5) Data
6) Results
7) Conclusion
* No works cited needed here, but remember to quote where you found the information
within your conclusion (for example, “As stated in our science textbook, ecosystems require
a primary producer”)