1
Format for Lab Reports in PLS 440 Plant Propagation
The format for your lab report will follow the journal format for the American Society for
Horticultural Sciences. It should be organized into sections that include a Title, Introduction;
Material and Methods; Results; Discussion; and Literature Cited.
TITLE
The title should be clear and concise. It should be long enough to clearly tell the reader
what the paper is about. The title usually contains the subject of the research and the name of the
plant used in the study.
Proper Title: Determination of the optimal temperature for seed germination in bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris)
Improper Title: the effect of temperature on germination
INTRODUCTION
In the introduction, you are trying to provide the reader with background information on
the subject of your research. You should find at least 3 references that relate to your subject.
You are trying to show "why" the research you are conducting is relevant based on the work that
has already been published. It should be presented in a logical progression leading to your
statement of objectives. The objective statement should be concise one or two sentences stating
what was to be accomplished by the research.
Outline of items to include in an introduction (for the bean example):
I.
II.
III.
Importance of bean as a crop (reference #1).
Problems associated with bean seed germination (reference #2).
(a)
Good bean seed stand depends on appropriate soil temperature (reference
#2).
(b)
Bean seed germinates poorly at high or low temperatures (reference #3).
(c)
Study on bean or related species (ie. pea) shows the importance of optimal
temperature on germination (reference #4).
Objective Statement
(a)
The objective of this study was to determine the optimum temperature for
germination percentage and germination speed in bean seed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The handout for the lab should provide you with enough information to summarize
"what" you did for this research. Present this section in paragraph form, not a list of methods.
You should provide enough information so that another researcher could duplicate your
techniques. Use clear, quantitative statements (50 C, 50 seeds; not some seed or high
temperature). Include the type of data you are collecting (germination percentage) and how it
was collected.
2
RESULTS
Your results section should summarize the results of your data in 2 to 3 paragraphs. Do
not interpret your results in this section. Present your data as treatment means (not individual
data) in a table or a figure. Do not present the same data as both a table and a figure. Choose a
format that most clearly illustrates your data (this will be in the handout). Cite the table or figure
in this section as you summarize your results.
Example: Bean seeds germinated at the highest percentage between 15 and 20 C (Table
1). The poorest germination percentage was seen in seeds germinated at 30 oC. Seeds germinated
at all temperatures but germinated slowest at temperatures above 25 C and below 10 C (Figure
1).
All tables and figures should be computer-generated, labeled and titled concisely.
Treatments and the data collected should be identified. All legends should be labeled in detail.
Present only means for each treatment not original data for each replicate.
Table Example:
Table 1. Germination percentage after 7 days in bean seeds germinated at temperatures between
10 and 30 C.
Temperature (oC)
Germination percentage after 10 days
10
45
15
92
20
90
25
64
30
21
3
Figure example:
Figure 1. Germination percentage in bean seeds germinated at three different temperatures over a
12 day period.
100
90
Germination percentage
80
70
60
50
10C
40
20C
30C
30
20
10
0
0
3
6
9
12
Time (days)
DISCUSSION
In the discussion section, you must evaluate the data collected and try to explain the
results. Were the results similar or different from previously published literature? Did the
results provide evidence to support your objectives stated in the Introduction.
The discussion section is very important. This section shows that you understand the
subject. In this section, I want to know what you think about the data as it relates to your
objective and previously published research. Back up your conclusion with referenced work
from primary journals.
Example:
There was a decrease in germination in bean seeds germinated at 15 compared to
25 C. This result was similar to germination in soybean (Mad Scientist, 1979).
In soybean, the poor germination was associated with chilling injury.
4
LITERATURE CITED
This section contains the published journal papers you cited in the introduction and
discussion sections of your report. Do not include references that are not cited in your report.
Always use original research papers from peer-reviewed journals where available. Review
papers and books are useful references for general items (ie. the general effect of temperature or
germination). However, if you want to cite the direct effect of temperature on bean seed
germination then you should cite an original refereed journal paper. Referencing encyclopedias
or web-sites are not appropriate for this type of report.
Citations made in the body of the introduction and discussion sections should include the
last name of the author(s) and publication year. Use the Latin phrase et al. when there are more
than two authors.
For example – “Bean seed germinated at the highest percentages when temperatures were
between 20 and 25oC (Jones, 2004)”. The format for two authors would be – (Jones and Kester,
2004), and (Jones et al.., 2004) more than two authors.
The references in the literature cited section must conform to a uniform format. There
are many formats for citations depending on the journal, subject and the audience. For this
report, you must follow the format for a manuscript published in one of the journals from the
American Society for Horticultural Sciences. The format is listed below:
Reference style for a paper in a primary journal with one, two or many authors:
Gingis, V.M. 1991. Asexual embryogenesis and plant regeneration from male catkins of
Quercus. HortScience 26:1217-1219.
Drew, J.J. and M.A. Dirr. 1989. Propagation of Quercus L. species by cuttings. Journal of
Environmental Horticulture 7:115-117.
Cuenca, B., M.C. San-Jose, M.T. Martinez, A. Ballester, and A.M. Vieitez. 1999. Somatic
embryogenesis from stem and leaf explants of Quercus robur L. Plant Cell Reports
18:538-543.
Reference style for a book chapter:
Jones, R.J. 1991. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.), Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum L.).
p. 142-151. In: Y.P.S. Bajaj (ed.). Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry: Trees III.
Vol. 16. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Reference style for a book:
Hartmann, H. T., D. E. Kester, F. T. Davies, Jr., and R. L. Geneve. 2011. Hartmann and
Kester’s plant propagation - principles and practice, Eighth ed. Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River, N.J.
Note on Plagiarism: It can be difficult to cite literature and still be sure you are not plagiarizing
the author's work. It is important that your report be written in your own words. When you use
conclusions or ideas from a published work, you should rephrase the information and cite the
source. It is very unusual to quote another's work in a science report.