Writing Lab Reports
I.
Writing Objectively 1
Do not Fear the Passive Voice: The passive voice is often used in formal scientific
writing because it draws attention to the action of the sentence, not the one who performs
the action. EX: “Bacterial samples were collected and weighed.”
Acknowledge Mistakes and Failures: In all realms of scientific research, it is extremely
important to be honest about what occurred during an experiment. For obvious reasons,
maintaining a degree of transparency is paramount in scientific fields. Scientists
incorporate others’ findings into their own research, and a falsified conclusion may have
disastrous results. Furthermore, a negative result (if the scientist doesn’t find what he or
she was looking for) may prove just as useful as a positive result because it eliminates
options.
II.
Writing Precisely
Don’t be funny: Lab reports are not the place for humor; instead, they are factual.
Easy on the figurative language 2: Lab reports are not stories. The purpose of these
documents is to present the method of the experiment and the results in a cut-and-dry
fashion. The creativity of this assignment lies within the experiment and the
interpretation of the results, not the language of the report.
No extraneous detail: While it is important to provide plenty of detail for the process,
instrumentation, backgrounds, and results of a lab report, don’t load the paper down with
details that don’t directly relate to the experiment. Scientific communication is often
space-limited, so let your reader know what they need to know as concisely as possible.
III.
Writing with Clarity
Simplicity of language: Wherever possible, use the “boring” word that gets your point
across rather than a “flowery” word that may confuse or distract your reader.
1
Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (Boston: Bedfords/St.Martins, 2009), D-9.
“Writing in the Sciences,” University of North Carolina Writing Center, 2007,
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/sciences.html
2
Updated 9/10
1
Simplicity of Sentence Structure: Make sure the subject and the action of the sentence are
close together, and eliminate redundant verbs.
Tenses: Scientists use the past tense to describe their own methods and results, but they
use the present tense when referring to published findings of other studies. 3
The General Structure of a Science Lab Report 4
The specific style and order of a lab report varies from discipline to discipline. This handout is a
general guide to negotiating scientific structure, so please use it only in addition to class
instructions.
I.
Abstract
The abstract is essentially your experiment in a bite-sized form. It is a full but brief
summary of the resources, research, procedures, and outcomes of the experiment. From
the abstract, the reader should be able to determine what the objectives of the study were,
how the study was done, the obtained results, and the significance of the results. Since the
abstract is an overview, it will probably be the last part of the paper that is actually
written, but it should be placed at the front. Many readers will only read the abstract in
order to decide if they want to read the entire article, so it is imperative that this section is
accurate and succinct. 5
Qualities of an Effective Abstract 6
1.
Relates work to the field: How does the applied research fit in with the work
of comparable scientists? What does the reader need to know about this
experiment that isn’t common knowledge within the field?
2. Concise: An effective abstract should be one or two unified, coherent
paragraphs which are independent from the rest of the paper.
3. Chronological: The abstract should present the experiment in the order that it
was conducted.
3
Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (Boston: Bedfords/St.Martins, 2009), D-9.
In addition to the other resources mentioned, this handout was created by Kelly Izlar.
5
“A Guide to Writing in the Biological Sciences,” Department of Biology George Mason
University,
http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/writingguide/index.htm
6
“Scientific Writing,” University Writing Center Texas A&M University,
19 Aug 2009, http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/how-to/science-technical/scientific-writing/
4
Updated 9/10
2
4. Adds no new information: The abstract should stay within the bounds of the
experiment.
5. Intelligible to a wide audience: The abstract should be the least technical part
of the entire document. They are designed to entice the reader or at least
supply them with an understandable idea of what was accomplished.
II.
Introduction
The introduction is a way for the writer to move from general information to specific
information. This section should quickly narrow the scope of the research to a particular
topic. Limit the introduction to research that relates to the experiment at hand and guide
the reader through this information to the objective. The last sentence should be a
definitive statement of this objective and the hypothesis.
Qualities of an Effective Introduction
1. Establishes context of the work: The introduction should provide primary research
literature with citations and detail what they contributed to contemporary
understanding of the issue at hand.
2. Explains rationale behind experiment: Why is there a need for this experiment to
be done? What information is missing in the research?
3. Clearly states objective and hypothesis: The reader needs to know the purpose of
the experiment and the expected results.
III.
Methods
The methods section is a step-by-step walk though of the scientific proceedings in the
experiment. This section should be written so that another scientist with the same basic
skills as the experimenter would be able to follow along without confusion.
Qualities of an Effective Methods Section
1. Does not include any calculations: Save manipulation of data for the results
section. Just the facts here.
2. Glosses over commonly-used procedures: Don’t spend half a page talking about
how to use a ruler. The reader just needs to know that something was measured.
3. Does not quote or cite lab manual
IV.
Results
The results section presents the reader with explanation of findings through text,
tables, and figures. It should include a very brief summary of the methods which will
Updated 9/10
3
give context to the results. The information is concise, and the raw data is not
presented here.
Qualities of an Effective Results Section
1. Points out trends in the data: Displays analytical skills and leads to the discussion
section.
2. Does not present same data on both a table and a figure
Example of Figure:
Figure 2: High resolution CO2 record from Taylor Dome of Indermuhle et al (Graph from Ruddiman (2003))
Updated 9/10
4
Example of Table:
Table 1. Data for the Time and Associated Voltage.
T +/- 0.02 s
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
V.
V (mm)
195
182
167
153
140
δV(mm)
2
1
1
2
1
Vo(mm)
195
195
195
195
195
v/v0
1.00
0.93
0.86
0.78
0.72
δ(V/Vo)
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.02
0.01
ln(V/Vo)
0.00
0.07
0.16
0.24
0.33
δln(V/Vo)
0.02
0.02
0.01
0.02
0.01
Discussion
(There are many variations of this section from discipline to discipline, so check the
syllabus.)
The discussion section is where the experimenter determines whether the data
obtained supports the hypotheses. It draws conclusions from the results, explain what
the results mean, and, if they differ from other findings, why this occurred.
Qualities of an Effective Discussion Section 7
1. Relates the topic back to the objectives: Connect what you found to the questions
you raised in the introduction section.
2. Limits conclusions to what the data can support: Resist the temptation to make
overarching claims about the implications of your findings.
3. Notes problems with methods and explains anomalies in data: If necessary,
provide thoughtful commentary on how possible errors in the process or
instrumentation may have affected the conclusion.
VI.
References
This section provides a list of the sources you cited. Typical style recommended (again,
check with instructor.)
7
“A Guide to Writing in the Biological Sciences,” Department of Biology George Mason
University, http://classweb.gmu.edu/biologyresources/writingguide/index.htm
Updated 9/10
5