Lab Report Format
I. Title & Heading —Center the title. Make it bold, underlined, or larger than the rest of your
Report so that it stands out. At the top of the 1st page of your Report, write the names of those persons
in your Lab Group (write your name 1st), the date, and the course name.
II. Problem / Purpose—Write a few sentences explaining the problem to be explored / the purpose
of the Lab. There may be more than one purpose. It is important to word this carefully because your
conclusion is centered on whether or not you accomplished you solved your problem / answered your
purpose.
III. Background—The background should include everything your need to know in order to collect
data and understand the lab. Use your text, class notes, or other class information to give a summary of
this information. Give both specific and general information that may be necessary for someone not
well acquainted with the specific subject to carry out the lab. Notes sources used if other than your
textbook.
IV. Hypothesis—Based on the background information, write an educated guess as to the outcome
of the lab. What are the predicted results? Explain your reasoning.
V. Procedure—Write a numbered list of steps that were taken to perform the Lab. The intent is to
create something that anyone could use to conduct the lab. These should be complete sentences. These
steps need not be listed in great detail. A brief explanation is all that is required. State what you did.
Include a list of experimental variables and controlled factors.
Experimental variable: is the factor you are testing
Controlled factors: are the factors that remain the same (controlled) during the lab.
Materials List—When requested, your should be able to produce a list of all materials used during the Lab. Be
specific and use proper terms for equipment and chemicals. Use multiple columns to conserve space.
Diagram of Lab Set-up—This is required only when the Lab Set-up is so complex that it is easier to understand
with a picture than with words alone. All diagrams must have every piece of equipment neatly and clearly labeled.
Every diagram must have a name (figure 1, etc.).
VI. Data Table/ Table of Observations—Give all the information that you gathered in the lab.
This should be in Table Form: you must use a straight edge to draw your lines around the table and
divide columns. Data are number values that were directly measured in the Lab. All number values
should have units next to them or in the row/column heading. Observations are a list of statements
cataloguing what you saw, heard, smelled, or felt during the Lab.
Include the calculations you perform on raw data. This is necessary when ANY of your raw
data (from the Data Table) has ANY calculations (including simple arithmetic) performed on
them. This must be in included with data in Table Format. Example: “Density = Mass /
Volume, Col. 3 = Col. 1 / Col. 2”
Class/Group Data—For some Labs you will collect Data and or Calculations from many Lab
Groups. This also should be in Table Format.
Graphs—Refer to the “Rules for Graphs” below.
VII. Discussion & Analysis—Summarize the major findings of this lab. Use evidence, numbers
and observations to back up your statements in all cases. Make your data make sense to the reader.
Compare the individual data to the class data.
Compare individual data and class data to expected results. Are ranges in the class data large or
small—what does this tell you?
• What are the significant patterns or trends in the data, if any?
• How confident are you in the results? Are the results clear (clearly similar or different)?
• Do the results make sense based on what you learned in the background section?
• Answer any “Lab Questions” here. Include your numbered answers under the sub heading
“Lab Questions.” Your answers to these questions must be in complete thoughts. The reader
should be able to infer each question you are answering.
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VIII. Conclusions—This is of major importance to your Lab Report. Here you state whether or not
you solved your problem / achieved your purpose and explain any error you had in your results.
A) Was your hypothesis supported by the data? Explain.
B) Answer the purpose here. Was the purpose accomplished? If so, state how you know that it
was. If it was not, state how you know that it was not accomplished. What have you proven or
disproved or what was discovered in your Lab? Saying that you “learned a lot” or that you
proved it was possible to carry out the experiment” or other similar comments are unnecessary
and sound unprofessional.
C) If the values your found in your Lab do not correspond well to the accepted values, you must
attempt to explain why. Just saying “human error,” or “perhaps I wasn’t careful enough in
making my measurements,” or “the equipment wasn’t accurate enough” is not sufficient. If you
have unplanned variables, you have experimental error.
D) Recommendations for future study: How could a change in procedure improve this lab? How
could this topic be studied further?
In General
1) Neatness counts for part of your Lab Grade. Use ink or dark pencil throughout the Report. If your
handwriting is poor, use a computer. It must be legible. Reports may be typed on plain white paper
or written on white, loose leaf, lined paper.
2) You are encouraged to write on both sides of the paper in the interest of conservation.
3) Staple the Report in the upper left hand corner before turning your Report in. Unstapled Reports
will not be accepted. If more than on Lab Report are turned in at the same time, staple each Lab
individually.
4) If a symbol is used whose meaning is not obvious, it must be defined. Most graphs will have Keys.
5) Rules for Graphs:
(a) If a Graph is prepared, it should be referred to as an attachment at the end of the Report. (“See
attached Graph 1”)
(b) An entire sheet of graph paper should be used for each graph.
(c) The independent variable should appear on the X-axis and the dependent variable on the Y-axis.
(d) The appropriate scale should be chosen to utilize as much of the graph paper as possible.
(e) Each axis should be labeled and the scale plainly shown. The units used for each axis should
also be shown in parentheses: Time (seconds).
(f) Each graph should have a descriptive Title. Format Example: “The Effect of (Independent
Variable) on (Dependent Variable) for (Items labeled in your Key)”
(g) Clearly show the data points on the graph, connect them with straight lines (for a line graph).