Lap Report
Introduction
What Do I Need to Include?
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Discussion of scientific concepts being studied through the lab
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Background information about the concepts or previous research in the topic
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The objective for the lab
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The lab’s purpose
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Your hypothesis(es) for the lab
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Your reasons for the hypothesis(es)
Before You Write
Understand the difference between a lab’s objective, purpose, and your hypothesis.
Objective
Answers what main action(s) is being done in the lab.
Example: “The objective of this experiment was to determine if lowered pH levels in
water induce greater fruit fly respiratory movements.”
Purpose
Answers what you expect to gain from the lab (the learning you hope to achieve).
Example: “The purpose of this experiment was to learn about pH as a measurement
and how to measure pH with a digital instrument.”
Hypothesis
Answers what you expect to find in your experiments.
Example: “We hypothesize that, under uniformly cool temperatures, fruit flies in
lower pH water will display a greater number of respiratory movements.”
While You Write, use the following sets of questions to help you write your introduction:
Explain the Scientific Concepts/ Provide Background Information
What is the lab about? What problem is being investigated, and why is the problem important
to investigate? What scientific concepts are you meant to be learning? What is the history
behind the problem you are studying? What is the theory behind the problem or subject being
studied? What has other research said about this problem?
Present the Objective for the Lab
What do you need to accomplish? What will you test, measure, analyze and/or determine?
Discuss the Lab’s Purpose
What do you want to understand by completing this experiment? What questions do you want
to answer? What are the lab’s activities designed to teach you?
Propose a Hypothesis
What results do you anticipate for this experiment? Usually a hypothesis is written to show
the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Here’s a basic template
for a hypothesis:
"If A (independent variable) is related to B (dependent variable) in a particular way (X), then...
(prediction)."
Give Reasons for Your Hypothesis
Why do you expect the result you mentioned? What do you already know that leads you to
guess this outcome? Why does the result you suggested make sense logically?
Here we provide a brief breakdown of the Do's and Don'ts of what your Introduction should
look like.
Do's
Include background information, the lab’s objectives and purpose, your hypothesis, and
reasons for that hypothesis. Use transition words and phrases to connect each point you
include.
Don’ts
Don't include details such as the methods, materials, or results, which will be discussed in
later sections.
Methods and Materials
The objective is to summarize the general procedure/method followed and
materials/equipment used so another individual can understand how the results were
obtained. This can be summarized in paragraph form or a series of numbered steps as directed
by the teacher.
Content
 This section should be a description of what happened during the lab, not a set of
instructions or directions for someone else to follow.
 The method should include what types of measurements were recorded (temperature,
mass, volume, etc) and/or what types of observations were made.
 When mentioning solutions, the concentrations and volumes used should be included.
 Include how long data was recorded (such as: for 3 minutes) when appropriate.
Results
What Do I Need to Include?
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A summary of your overall findings in 1-2 sentences

Visuals (graphs, tables, figures) that represent your observations/analyses
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Written introductions for each visual describing relevant observations, both quantitative
and qualitative
Before You Write
Understand the Difference Between Raw Data and Information
When presenting your results, you don’t simply present the data unprocessed to your
readers. Rather, you present the trends and relationships that data reveal. In other words,
you report the information you have gained by analyzing the data. To understand this
difference, see the following explanations and examples.
Important Note: Some instructors may ask you to include the raw data in the results
section. At other times, you will be asked to place the raw data you have in the appendix
at the end of the report.
What Is Raw Data?
Raw data are unorganized facts that need to be analyzed. Without analysis, data appears
random. Often, the data are useless until the facts are processed and organized.
Example: In a study of student test score trends in high school math, students’ individual
scores are the raw data.
What Is Information?
When you analyze data—process, organize, and present the facts in a way that is useful—
then you have created information.
Example: Information gained from the raw data might include the following:

a high school’s average scores
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average scores for women across the province
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average scores for men across the province
Determine What Kind of Data You Have
Knowing what kind of data you have will help you determine the best way to present that
data visually.
Quantitative Data
Anything expressed as a number (e.g., weight, scores on tests, etc.).
Qualitative Data
measures of types -- elements that cannot be expressed in numbers (e.g., gender,
socioeconomic status, religious preference, etc.).
Choose What Type Of Visual Is Best for Each Set of Data
Certain data is best represented with specific types of visuals. To determine what visual to
use, try using the following steps:
Ask yourself the following questions:
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Are the independent and dependent variables qualitative or quantitative?
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How many data points do you need to show?
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Are you working with more than one independent variable?
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In your visual, do you need to show the statistical distribution of the data?
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How important is it that your readers see individual values?
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How important is it that your readers see and understand the overall trend?
Consider common reasons for using tables and graphs:
Tables work best when the reader
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wants to look up or compare individual values
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requires precise values
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has to make sense of values that involve multiple units of measurement
Graphs work best when the writer
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wants to communicate an idea through the shape of the data
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wants to show a relationship among many values
If you’re having trouble deciding what kind of graph or table to use, ask your instructor or
consult your school’s writing center.
Determine the Order in Which You Will Present Your Results
Consider the purpose of your lab as well as who you expect to read your report. There is
more than one way to present your results.
A few strategies include:

chronological
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in order of importance
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from general to specific
Prepare and Format Your Visuals
Formatting guidelines for visuals are often found in your lab report, so look there first.
You can find guidelines for tables and figures in style guides (e.g., IEEE, APA).
The following procedures are commonly expected for visuals. Number and title each table
and figure. In general, tables are numbered independently from figures. So, you might
have both a Table 1 and a Figure 1.
For Graphs
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always label your axes (include the unit of measurement)
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you should also provide a legend to help your reader understand the information
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generally the independent variable on the horizontal (x) axis and the dependent variable on
the vertical (y) axis
For Tables
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organize the data so that the reader reads down through a column
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each column and row should be clearly labeled. In these labels, make sure you include the
unit of measurement that was used
While You Write
Summarize, in Writing, Your Overall Findings
Think of the first paragraph in the results section as an extended topic sentence. What is
this section about? What main ideas will the reader learn? In the rest of the paragraph,
develop a few sentences that present your overall findings. In these sentences, explain
the relationship between the variables shown in your visuals.
Present Each Finding Separately
In the main paragraphs of the results section you will simultaneously:
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describe your findings in writing

present a visual that represents those findings
To present each finding effectively, follow these steps:
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Introduce the visual by referring to its number (e.g., Table 2 lists the rates of. . .).

Direct readers to notice what is important to see in the visual (a trend? a particular
relationship?). Remember that visuals don’t speak for themselves. Readers need to
understand why the visuals are there and how to read them.
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Show readers the calculations you made based on the data. You don’t need to include every
calculation for each value. Include only a sample calculation. Place the rest in the
appendices.
What Should It Look Like?
Here we provide a brief breakdown of the Do's and Don'ts of what your Results should
look like.
Do's
Summarize your overall results and in writing, describe the important point of each visual.
Present data in formats that show important relationships and precisely label each
variable in a visual.
Don’ts
Don't provide more than one kind of visual to represent a single data item, or make your
graphs too small (three inches tall by four inches is a good size). Don't include
interpretations or draw conclusions in your results section.
Discussion
The objective is to provide a clearly stated claim(s) addressing the purpose or essential question
of the investigation. Claims must be supported with specific evidence from the results (data,
observations, graphs, etc.). Generally accepted knowledge and scientific principles are used to
explain the reasoning behind why the evidence can be used to support the claim.
Content
 Claim: Make a clear concise statement that answers the purpose or essential question.
 Hypothesis: Address whether or not the hypothesis was supported when applicable. It is
not appropriate to say the hypothesis was “proven” or “correct.”
 Evidence: Use specific results (from the results section) including numerical values,
graphs, observations, etc to support your conclusion/claim. Focus on the key values. Do
not re-visit raw data or every calculation. Be sure to give the value (in parenthesis) when
mentioned.
 Reasoning: Use generally accepted knowledge, scientific principles (like Newton’s Laws
of Motion, Gas Laws, Laws of Inheritance, etc.) to justify why this evidence can be used
to support the claim. This can be information learned in class or included in the
introduction section.
 Present a logical explanation for findings to indicate you know what happened and why.
 If your results differ from your expectations (or hypothesis) explain why that may have
happened.
 Discuss factors that could have influenced the results, such as sources of error when
appropriate.
 Discuss limitations of the conclusion or the technique used in the experiment. If you
calculated a value would it only be this number under certain conditions? Can this
technique only be used under certain conditions? If some variable in your experiment
changed, would it change the outcome?
 Include calculation of percent error when appropriate.
Tips
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For the claim: Avoid phrases like: “The data proves”..... It is better to state that the data
“indicates” or another similar phrase.
Do not re-state every data point/ observation or re-visit how every calculation was
done. Focus on the big ideas/trends/outcomes.
Give values when mentioned. Example: “The density of metal A (7.2 g/mL) was greater
than the density of metal B (5.6 g/mL) indicating.....”
Refer to graphs or tables where appropriate such as Table 1 or Figure 1.
Sources of error should not include human (including calculations) and mechanical
error. It would be assumed that you had double-checked your work and equipment for
accuracy. Think instead about factors that may have impacted your data or results that
you did not (or could not) control. This may include aspects of the materials used or the
technique/set-up that could have influenced results.
Do not include personal comments regarding your opinion of the lab or results.