MYP Lab Report Writing Guide Write an appropriate title for your investigation. Title Describe what you are trying to find out in this investigation. Usually one or two sentences are sufficient if the independent and dependent variables are clear. Aim Prompt: Does changing the ………………………affect ……………………………………………. Hypothesise what the expected the outcome of the investigation will be Use scientific knowledge and terminology to explain your hypothesis Hypothesis Prompt: I hypothesise that …………………………………………..because………………………….. Identify your key variables i) the independent variable which you are changing ii) the dependent variable which you are measuring or observing iii) the control variables which you must keep the same. Variables You may present this in the form of a table: Independent variable Dependent variable Controlled variable Describe how you plan to collect sufficient and relevant data. List all of the materials and equipment (including chemicals) you will use. You may use a table to show this. Materials Make sure that you choose the best materials available for the purpose. Identify the relevant safety issues. How will you make sure that your investigation is safe? Safety Explain how to carry out the investigation, step-by-step. Use numbered steps. The method must explain how you will be manipulating; measuring and controlling the variables you listed. Describe how you plan to collect how sufficient and relevant data. Method Diagram You may need to draw a labelled diagram to help show how your materials are set up. In some simple experiments a diagram may not be needed. Record your results in a table. Your table will contain raw (directly measured) data and may include processed (calculated) data such as averages. Data Collection Make sure the table has a title and correct headings with units. In most investigations you are expected to repeat results (trials). Then you can calculate the average. Your processed data should be presented visually, either as a line graph or sometimes a bar chart. Data Processing Conclusion You are expected to select the most appropriate type of graph/chart. Give your graph(s) a title. Make sure that the axes are correctly labelled, including any units. Make your graph large enough to read clearly. If you data shows a trend, then include a suitable best fit line (trend line). This may be a straight line or a smooth curve. Reflect on your data and graph. What do your results show? Does this agree with your original hypothesis? You are expected to describe your results using correct scientific reasoning. Evaluation -You should always criticize your results. All experiments are vulnerable to errors, whether by equipment or human error. It is important to reflect on the process and results of the experiment. Identifying possible errors such as: misreading a thermometer or using broken equipment can seriously alter the results. Finding solutions to fix such errors would provide more accurate results in the case the experiment was conducted again. You are expected to reflect carefully on your experiment. The following prompts may help you. Describe if/how the method enabled you to collect the necessary data. Was your method valid? The method I chose was valid/not valid because …………………………………….. I would like to continue / change ……………………………………………………………… next time. Why is this? Describe how you could improve or extend your investigation. If I were going to extend this experiment I would…………………………………………… Why would you do this?
