Name: _______________________
Lab Write Up Expectations
Title (1 point): The title should be at the top of your lab report. It should describe the
lab so that someone with no science background can understand what the lab was about.
Be creative!
Problem (1 point): The problem should follow the title and be written in the form of a
question. This question should ask what you are trying to find out by conducting the lab.
It can be written in the form: How will changing my manipulated variable affect my
responding variable?
Introduction (3 points): This section should follow the written problem and be in
paragraph form. Describe the purpose of this lab and your testable hypothesis.
Your purpose should be a sentence or 2 describing the relevance of your investigation.
Why would it be important (outside of class requirement) for you to complete this lab?
Your hypothesis should contain your prediction about what results you will get (answer
to the problem) and then you must back up your prediction with scientific information
you know/researched about the topic (at least 3 pieces).
Design (3 points): This will include several sentences that describe the planning and
carrying out of your lab, including a non-specific summary of the procedure and
description of your variables. When describing your variables, make sure you include a
control group and its importance to your results.
Procedure (3 points): Create a short paragraph describing the steps involved in this
lab. Steps must be written in sentence form (no lists) and must not contain “we,” “I,”
“us,” etc. Science writing should be as objective as possible. Identifiers (such as names
and “I” statements) add bias that should be avoided. No “I” statements should be used
anywhere in the report. It should be detailed enough that any other scientist could
repeat the lab and duplicate your results.
Data (2 points): In this section, you will present all quantitative and qualitative
observations that you made and nothing else. Often it will be best to create a properly
labelled table, including title and column titles with units to clearly display your data.
Analysis: (3 points): In this portion of the lab report, you will interpret your
observations and describe any trends in the data in the form of tables, graphs or
illustrations.
Here you will do any mathematical calculations such as those for central tendency
(mean, median and mode), the results of which should be shown in a labelled table.
You will also create two graphs of different formats exhibiting major data trends. The
choice of graphs and information you graph are up to you. However, make sure that the
information you graph is important to the lab and that each graph exhibits different
data (for instance, you would not create a bar graph showing how much of each food
type your hamster ate and then a pie chart showing food broken down by percentages).
In paragraph form make statements about what trends your graphs and tables show.
For example, if your data table showed that dried corn was the most-often-eaten
hamster food, you would comment on this here (you would also include at least three
actual data values, such as how much Hammy ate). You must also use research to
support the analyses you come up with. If you found dried corn to be Hammy’s favorite,
you would use data collected from paper sources or the internet (including class notes)
to support what you found. This is extremely important. Make sure that you discuss
your research in your report.
Conclusion (3 points): Your conclusion must be in paragraph form, and in this
section you discuss whether or not the hypothesis created was supported and why or
why not. Explain at least two sources of error that may have influenced the results
achieved. Suggest areas of further study or new questions that you have as a result of
your findings.
Works cited (1 point): Make sure that a works-cited section is included listing your
references. Be sure to follow proper bibliography rules and make sure you use at least
two references.
The lab must be typed or neatly written. It must include all of the elements, with enough
detail to meet the criteria listed above.
The rubric for this lab report can be found on the following pages. Use this rubric to
evaluate your work before handing it in.
Science Lab
Title
if a title is included but does not
address the report topic, half a
point will be deducted
1 point
Appropriate title included in report
0 points
No title included in the report
Problem
Half a point will be deducted if the
problem is not written in question
form or is not specific enough
1 point
Appropriate problem included in the
report (only one problem should be
supplied)
0 points
No problem included in the report
Introduction
Half a point will be
3 points
Introduction is in
2 points
Introduction is in
1 point
Introduction is in
0 points
Introduction shares
deducted if only a
paragraph form,
paragraph form,
paragraph form and
no relevant
minimal amount of
describes purpose,
describes purpose,
either describes
information or is not
background
gives hypothesis,
and gives
purpose or gives
in paragraph form
information is
and shares detailed
hypothesis, but does
hypothesis
supplied (less than 3
background
not provide
pieces) or there is a
information (at least
background
lack of proper depth
three pieces of
information (or any
information)
combination of two)
3 points
Design is in
paragraph form with
an understandable
description of the
lab, all variables
including a control
group are included
and their
importance to the
experiment is
explained.
2 points
Design is in
paragraph form with
a partial description
of the lab and there
are minor details
missing from
variable
descriptions.
Design
Half a point will be
deducted if one or
two controlled
variables are
missing.
1 point
Design is in
paragraph form but
is lacking description
or major variables or
it is evident that the
student does not
understand the
science behind the
lab.
0 points
No appropriate
design given
Procedure
Half a point will be
deducted for a lack
of depth in
procedure
3 points
Steps are in
paragraph form and
written as full
sentences (no
listing), and there
are no “I”
statements
Data
Half a point will be
deducted for one missing
label/unit
Overall Analysis
Analysis (graph)
Half a point will be
deducted for one
missing label/unit
One point will be
deducted for two
graphs showing the
same data
Analysis (description)
If data values are
presented but less
than three are
mentioned, half a
point will be deducted
If research and data
values are included
but there is a lack of
detail half a point will
be deducted
Inaccuracies in analysis
will result in a halfpoint deduction
2 points
Steps are in
paragraph form and
written as full
sentences (no
listing)
2 points
one table with all aspects
labeled; information is
relevant, neat, and concise
1 point
Steps are in
paragraph form,
some of the
procedure is listed
1 point
One table with two to three
labels/units missing, or lack
of relevance and neatness
0 points
Procedure exists
entirely in list form
0 points
Data is unclear or
missing
3 points
2 points
1 point
0 points
two graphs
included, with all
aspects labeled;
information
graphed is
relevant, neat,
and concise
two graphs included,
two to three
labels/units missing,
or lack of relevance
and neatness
one graph included
No graphs included
Analysis is in
paragraph form
and includes
detailed and
correct
description of
data (be sure to
mention at least
three data
values); research
used to support
analyses
Analysis is in
paragraph form with
detailed description
of data
Analysis is in
paragraph form
with very little
detail in description
of data
Analysis is not in
paragraph form or no
description of data
Conclusion
Incorrect reasoning
behind hypothesis
explanation will
result in a half point
deduction
3 points
Conclusion is in
paragraph form
with description of
hypothesis result,
reasons/explanation
why results were
received, and at
least two sources of
error included
Work cited
Half a point will be deducted for
improper citations or only one
source used
2 points
Conclusion is in
paragraph form with
description of
hypothesis result,
reasons results were
received and less
than two sources of
error included
1 point
Appropriate bibliographical
information included with at least
two sources used
The mark I believe I should receive is a ______ because:
Teacher Comments:
1 point
Conclusion is in
paragraph form with
description of
hypothesis result
included
0 points
No appropriate
conclusion given
0 points
No bibliographical information
included