(Sample Cover Page) Title (The title should clearly describe the nature of the experiment) by (your name) Biology (the date) Abstract or Summary This section is often written last and summarizes the purpose of the experiment and your findings. It gives the reader a quick overview of what you’ve done and what you’ve learned. It should include the following information: the purpose of the experiment, the problem, the methods that were used during your experiment, the results of it, and the conclusion. Make sure this information is given in a clear manner so that it is easy for the reader to understand. How should it look like? Here is a short example: The particular experiment has been carried out in order to define the factors have a positive effect on the rates of enzyme reactions in cellular activities due to the fact that certain enzymes appear to be more effective than others. The catecholase activity of enzymes has been measured through its rate of absorption in a spectrophotometer, with the use of light that has a 540 nm wavelength. In the course of the experiment, we compared samples with a different concentration of enzymes. The comparison was based on their absorbance rates. The experiment has shown that those samples that had a higher concentration of enzymes, respectively showed the higher percent of absorption rate – the difference is significant, 95% against 24%. This proves that a higher production rate is ensured by a higher concentration of enzymes. Introduction The introduction section is one of the last parts that you should write also. In biology lab reports, the introduction is like a framework for the whole text and it shows that you fully understood the topic and the purpose of the experiment. This section should describe the problem or hypothesis you are investigating. The introduction should include the reason your are studying the problem and any useful outside information related to the problem or hypothesis. The introduction should not be too long and it has to contain the specified terminology related to the subject. It is usually not allowed to prove something in the introduction - you should only describe, not demonstrate the truth. Example: It is a proven fact that enzymes are catalytic proteins whose function is to accelerate reactions by means of lowering activation energy (Campbell, 1996). In the experiment, we studied the rate of reaction between oxygen and catechol and their ability to form benzoquinone in a condition where the concentration of enzymes (catecholase) was different. We supposed that the concentration of enzymes directly influences reaction rates. Materials and Methods Write this section at the beginning and have it contain an explanation of the study that was conducted. It should be written in the past tense and passive voice. In this part, you describe the whole procedure you did in the order you did it to help other scientists do this experiment in the future. Describe your procedure, the materials you used, how you gathered and analyzed your data, and the controls in your experiments.It is allowed to use diagrams in this part. You need to write about the measurement methods and techniques, indicate all sizes, quantify things, etc. Be accurate, detailed, and careful in this section! For example: Three 50 mL beakers were each filled with 25 mL of water. Do not write: I filled three beakers with water. Example: Preparing an extract of catecholase, we used a washed, skinned, and diced potato and we used a scale in order to get precisely 30 grams of potato. We also poured 150 ml of water into a beaker. We added water to the potato, removed the cover of a kitchen blender, and added both ingredients to a blender, we then put the cover back on and pressed the start button, noting the time. Then we pushed the button again to stop the blender. We used four layers of cheesecloth to filter the result and then we stored the obtained extract in a clean, closed container. Results Here you need to present the findings to your audience in a clear, orderly way. You can write this part almost at the beginning. The facts here could appear like a story that you want to tell your readers. Describe what you found out through the experiments. Results include your observations, measurement data, graphs, and tables. Calculations and answers to all lab questions should be included. Don’t use too many words - include only important information and write it in a brief but understandable way. Organize all your facts in a logical way but do not interpret your results in this section. You also don’t need to describe your methods here. Here you need to figure out the trends that follow your facts which you have learned during your experiment - try to call the reader’s attention to trends or patterns. Example: Experimental group Protein concentration (micg/micl) Absorbance (595nm) Media 2,04 0,57 Media/LPS 2,16 0,60 Drug 2,50 0,69 Drug/LPS 2,22 0,61 Discussion After you have written the results, start to write a discussion. Here you have to write about your ideas after the experiment was conducted and inform your readers about your thoughts that are based on the results of the experiment. There should be a comparison of your results and your expected findings. Write in this section some information about whether your results supported your thesis or there were variances. Your interpretation must be original and you can write from being specific to general and do not prove or disprove your hypothesis. Add some original ideas to your interpretation and end with a concluding statement. Example: Proteins catalyze reactions by bringing down the activation energy of the reaction; catecholase, an enzyme discovered in potato, changes catechol to benzoquinone with the presence of oxygen. We expected that more benzoquinone would be shaped by the presence of a more noteworthy measure of catecholase. This theory was proven by the outcomes acquired. Catalysts are influenced by the environment – the level of pH present in the environment is one factor that can modify chemicals while the rate at which the compound shape item is moderated or accelerated depending on how near to the standard the environment is. Literature Cited The last part of your work is to cite the source that you have used in order to reference them in the future. Use MLA format. ● Book Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher's Name, Year of Publication. Example: Ride, Sally. Exploring Our Solar System. New York: Crown, 2003. ● Book – By Two or More Authors Note: List the authors’ names in the order given on the publication’s title page. Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Name and Author’s First Name Middle Name Last Name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher's Name, Year of Publication. Example: Gonzalez, Guillermo and Jay Wesley Richards. The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery. Washington DC: Regnery, 2004. ● Book – Reference Book Author of article's Last Name, First Name Middle Name. "Article Title." Title of Encyclopedia. Year of Publication. Example: Brecher, Kenneth. “Universe.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2003. ● Newspaper Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle Name. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper Day Abbreviated Month. Year of Publication, Edition ed.: Page Numbers of Article. Example: Maugh, Thomas H. “Saturn’s Moon Not an Asteroid.” The Seattle Times 24 June 2004, Eastside ed.: B2+. ● Magazine Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine Day Abbreviated Month. Year of Publication: Page Numbers of Article. Example: Cowen, Ron. “Sky Lights.” Science News 18 Sept. 2004:179-180.CITING MISCELLANEOUS PRINT AND NON-PRINT SOURCES ● Film or Video Recording (DVD, Videocassette) Title. Dir. Director’s First Name Middle Name Last Name. Writer, Performer, or Producer’s First Name Middle Name Last Name, Year of Original Release. Media Format. Distributor, Year of Release. Example: E.T., The Extra Terrestrial. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Writer, Melissa Mathison. 1982. Videocassette. Universal, 2002. ● Basic Entry: A Document from an Internet Site Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle Name. "Article or Specific Web Page Title." Title of Entire Web Site. Day Abbreviated Month. Year Web Page Was Last Revised. Sponsoring Organization. Day Abbreviated Month. Year You Read It <URL>. Example: “Space Weather Now.” Space Environment Center. 29 May 2007. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. 30 May 2007 <http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/>. ● Article in an Online Newspaper Author’s Last Name, First Name Middle Name. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper. Day Abbreviated Month. Year of Publication. Day Abbreviated Month. Year You Viewed It <URL>. Example: Vergano, Dan. “Planets More Like Earth Found Circling Nearby Stars.” USA Today 1 Sept. 2004. 13 Nov. 2004 <http://www.usatoday.com/>.
