Scientific Laboratory Report
A research paper in a scientific journal is the primary communication used by scientists.
A number of scientists have argued that this printed communication does not really
reflect the thought processes and trial-and-error work that often occurs. Instead it
represents a summation culled from a variety of work and thought.
“We have a habit in writing articles published in scientific journals to
make the work as finished as possible, to cover all the tracks, to not worry
about the blind alleys or to describe how you had the wrong idea first, and
so on. So there isn't any place to publish, in a dignified manner, that you
actually did in order to get to do the work …” Richard Feynman, Nobel
Prize lecture in Physics, 1965.
According to some people, the common format or style of scientific papers in peerreviewed journals tend to make the work look like a purely inductive process. Modern
philosophers of science, such as Karl Popper, argue that most of the work in science
involves testing predictions. Still others indicate that deduction is the primary logic used
in science and engineering. These three categories are more easily described as create,
test and use; i.e., a concept is created and tested in the laboratory before being used.
A Report Outline
A model that accommodates induction, hypothesis testing, prediction testing and
deduction (create-test-use) is shown below. This is not “the scientific method”; it is a way
of reporting scientific laboratory work; i.e., it is a communication convention.
This outline for a scientific
report is generic—it allows for
many kinds of investigations.
For inductive work there is no
hypothesis or prediction
section—an hypothesis is
created in the Analysis. For
testing an hypothesis, the preactive hypothesis is compared
to the empirical hypothesis in
the Analysis. This comparison
is made in the Evaluation, after
evaluating the quality of the
evidence gathered.
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Table 1: Laboratory Report Headings and Descriptions
Heading
Description
most often the purpose is to create, test or use a scientific concept.
Purpose
a question to be answered (a general question for inductive-type labs
Problem
and a specific question for deductive-type labs)
a general concept (untested or previously tested) that provides a
Hypothesis
possible explanation; predictions may be made from the hypothesis
a specific answer to a specific Problem (the general Hypothesis is
Prediction
used to make a specific Prediction; e.g., F=ma is used to predict m.
a general plan or overview of the procedure including a list of
Design
variables and controls; designed to obtain valid and reliable evidence
a specific list of sizes and quantities of all materials used
Materials
a set of numbered instructions designed to obtain evidence
Procedure
all relevant qualitative and quantitative observations
Evidence
manipulations, interpretations and calculations based on the evidence
Analysis
and used to answer the Problem statement
judgments about the validity of the experiment and evidence, and the
Evaluation
acceptability of the Prediction and Hypothesis
The Create-Test-Use Problem Solving Processes
The processes (lab headings) that are logically applicable to each of the CTU(T) (createtest-use-test) problem solving approaches vary. A checklist of what is logically included
and not is provided in Table 2. (See the definitions and descriptions of CTU elsewhere.)
Table 2: Natures of Science in Lab Reports
Progress 
Create
Test
I
H-I5
Logic
Purpose1


(Create, Test or Use)
C
T
Problem


(Question)
general
general
X
Hypothesis2

(Concept)
general
X
X
Prediction
(Deductive)
Exp. Design


Materials


Procedure


Evidence


Analysis


(Answer)
general
general
Evaluation Step 13


4
X
½ verify
Evaluation Step 2
Evaluation Step 3


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Test
H-D

T

specific

general

specific





specific

 verify

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Use
D

U

specific
X
Test
H-D

T

specific

general

specific





specific

falsify5
X





specific

X


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