Experiment Report Template
Include the subheadings in your report and use complete sentences whenever possible.
Title:

a brief, concise, yet descriptive title
Statement of the Problem:
 What is the scientific question you are trying to answer?
 A problem can be phrased in the following way:
What effect does ______________ have on ______________ ?
Hypothesis:


A possible answer to the problem or a prediction of the outcome of your
experiment.
o A hypothesis can be phrased in the following way:
If _(this is done)_ then _(this will happen)_.
Explain the reasoning behind your hypothesis.
Variables:

Identify the following variables:
o Independent variable - what the experimenter changes in order to do the
experiment. There should be only one Independent variable. Also known as
the manipulated variable.
o Dependent variable – the change that occurs due to the independent
variable. Also known as the responding variable. *It is what you measure
when you collect your data.
o 3 Controlled variables – they do not change throughout the experiment.
The Control Group:
 This is the normal situation to which the experiment is compared.
 The control group is untreated (or not exposed to the variable that you are testing
in the experimental group).
Procedure:


A numbered description of the steps which explain how to perform the experiment.
Your procedure should be like a recipe. Another person should be able to perform
your experiment following your procedure.
Materials:

List all materials and equipment that will be used.
Results Tables, Charts, Graphs, and Observations:
 Write detailed notes of observations and collect data.
 There are two kinds of observations:
o Quantitative Observations – these are actual measurements (numbers). For
example: length, height, volume, mass, temperature, etc.
o Qualitative Observations – these are observations that are made using your
senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch)
 Raw data should be collected in tables or charts.
 Use graphs to create a visual summary of your data.
Analysis/Inferences:
 Summarize your data in a paragraph by answering: what did your data show you?
 Restate your hypothesis.
 Was your hypothesis supported or unsupported by your data?
o Accept or reject your hypothesis.
 Accept if your hypothesis was supported. Reject if your hypothesis was
not supported.
 Must provide PROOF or EVIDENCE
Conclusion:
 In a few sentences, answer the problem you were trying to solve in this experiment.
Rephrase the problem in your answer.
 If you repeated your experiment, what would you change? You must list one specific
error that could have occurred in the collection of the data (experimental error) and
explain how it could be corrected the next time the experiment is done. You cannot
say that, “You did not measure well or precisely enough.” That could be said of all
experiments. Rather, the error has to be specific to what you did (or did not do). It
could also be an error in something other than procedures, like something related to
the validity of the results.
 Now that you’ve learned something from this experiment, generate a related problem
that might build on your new knowledge. Write the problem in the following format:
What effect does _______ have on _______ ?