How to Write a Lab Report
Intro
• All labs, unless stated otherwise, will be hand
written in your lab composition book
– Name/Class/Period
– 1st Page: Table of Contents
Grade
Date
9/7/11
Lab#/ Lab Title
Unit #
Page #
Scientific Method
1
1-4
LAB Report
Unit #/Title
Title of Lab
Date
heading
• Purpose/Introduction (10pts)
• Materials /Methods/Procedure (5 pts)
• Results (20 pts)
– Data Tables
– Graphs
– Analysis Questions
• Discussion (15 pts)
All labs are worth 50 pts total
1 day late ONLY (-10 points)
This is the order your
labs should be in
Points will deducted if
your headings are out of
order
Introduction
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
paragraph format (save space, write later)
describe the objective and hypothesis of your investigation
The purpose should be clearly stated and should clearly identify the dependent
and independent variables (if applicable)
procedural steps should not be discussed in the purpose section
give the background for the experiment
in a sentence or two, describe/explain what you’re going to try to find out
discuss the science principles, as though your audience was an individual who
knows little about your topic
define terms and discuss equations to illustrate how they can be used
take time to look back through the book and your notes to find the biology
concepts that apply to the lab
NEVER USE FIRST OR SECOND PERSON!!
I we you
Introduction Example
• “The purpose of this experiment was to do an in-depth
examination of muscle fibers, which form the different
parts of muscles in the human body. The particular skeletal
muscle being studied, was a hamstring, which is connected
to the upper part of the leg. Chapter 38 of the Biology
textbook discusses how bones and muscles cooperate with
each other in order to move certain parts of the body.
• Studying the muscle fibers allows one to see how durably
built muscles are, and shows how easily they can control an
arm or a leg. In this experiment, bovine muscle was
specifically investigated under the microscope and
compared to human muscle. It was hypothesized that both
bovine and human muscle would be heavily striated with
several nuclei.
Materials
• List all materials used
– Goggles
– Chemicals
– Critters
– Microscope
– Etc
• Make appropriate changes
if anything is switched per teacher
BULLETED
Methods/Procedure
• Do not copy the procedure
– Often times procedure may change
per teacher- make notes
• SUMMARIZE
• Number the steps
• Not in a paragraph
Results
DATA:
• Include data table and graphs here
• Data should be presented in chart or graph form
• All charts and graphs must have a title
• Columns and rows of charts should be labeled
• Axes of graphs should be labeled and units given in the label (e.g., Time minutes)
• If there are calculations/EQUATIONS : SHOW THEM HERE
Analysis questions (questions on the lab) will be answered UNDERNEATH your data
• Full Sentences
DATA WILL ALWAYS COME FIRST- ANALYSIS QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED UNDER
Discussion
The most important part of the lab- where you discuss the evidence you gathered
and state whether or not it supported what you were investigating
1. Restate the purpose/objectives of your investigation
2. Discuss the hypothesis
1. Was the data collected good evidence to support your hypothesis?
2. HOW did the data collected support/not support your hypothesis? Connect
what you saw in the lab to what was learned in class and what you were
trying to investigate
3. If your data collected did not support your hypothesis or was unexpected,
please give possible explanations for what was observed
• No where in the discussion do you say “The hypothesis was right/wrong
proved/disproved- you must talk about your data and how it supported your
original question. We cannot PROVE a hypothesis , only gather evidence to
support it *
3. Think of an extension of your hypothesis -come up with another question you have
and discuss how you would attempt to gather evidence for it (think of an experiment
you would design). Members of the same lab group can have this the same (do not
copy from one another, but the idea and design can be the same).
Do Not use I, We, Me, Our!!
Remember…
• Lab Reports must be in your notebook- looseleaf
copies will NOT be accepted!
• May be turned in 1 day late only for a 10pt deduction
• Hands-on lab work is done in groups BUT lab reports
are INDIVIDUAL work
• The only thing that should be similar in your lab
reports is your group’s data
• Lab Safety and Clean Up is part of your grade- points
will be deducted if they are not adhered to
• If you miss a lab, you MUST see me immediately to
schedule a make-up date or to discuss an alternate
makeup assignment for the lab
P.S….
• Tuesday LABS- (due Thursday)
• Wednesday LABS- (due Friday)
• Remember to see me BEFORE a lab is due if
you have questions!