Lab Reports and
Scientific Writing
Checklist for Lab Reports and Research Papers
Title
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Is it specific and informative?
Does it contain relevant keywords?
Does your title accurately reflect the contents of your paper?
Abstract
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Are you concise?
Do you summarize all major parts of the paper?
Have you omitted literature citations?
Can your Abstract stand alone and still makes sense?
Introduction
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Do you give a brief overview of the topic, providing a context for your study?
Have you cited pertinent references to the literature, using an appropriate
scientific documentation style?
Do you state your objectives, hypothesis, or predictions?
Materials and Methods
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Have you explained all the procedures used for collecting the data presented in
your Results?
Is there enough information to enable someone else to repeat your study?
Have you omitted any unnecessary details?
Results
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Do you summarize all major findings, supporting your points with specific
references to your data?
Are your results supported by appropriate statistical analysis?
Do you provide a coherent narrative, using the past tense?
Have you omitted peripheral or unnecessary details?
Do you refrain from interpreting your findings and from citing other literature?
Is every table and figure absolutely necessary?
Does every table have a title, every figure a legend?
Do you use a figure rather than a table to show a pattern, relationship, or trend?
Are data in related figures or tables presented in a consistent manner?
Lab Reports and
Scientific Writing
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Are data in figures, tables, and text consistent with one another?
Are figures and tables numbered consecutively in separate series?
Do you refer to every figure and table, and have you numbered them in the order
in which they are mentioned in the text?
Are tables and figures understandable apart from the text?
Discussion
Do you address the major implications of your findings?
Have you considered problems, inconsistent results, and counterevidence?
Have you interpreted your results in the context of other literature?
Do you use the past tense to refer to your own findings and the present tense to
refer to established literature?
Is your scientific documentation style the same as the one used in the
Introduction?
Have you cited all important sources?
Is your discussion coherent and organized?
Acknowledgments
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Have you thanked all those who helped with the research or writing of the paper?
Have you acknowledged any sources of funding for the project?
References/Literature Cited
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Are all sources cited in the text also listed in your References?
Does your References section contain any sources not cited in the text?
Have you followed a conventional format consistently and meticulously?
Is the information about every source accurate and complete?
McMillan, V. E. (2006). Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences (4th Ed.). Boston:
Bedford/St. Martins