Cover Page
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Title for your lab
Your name
Class Period
Name of Partner
Optional:
Image related to the lab
Title
Name
Period
Partner
FORMAL lab Report
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Cover Page (5 pts)
Abstract (10 pts)
Purpose/Introduction (20 pts)
Materials (5 pts)
Methods/Procedure (15 pts)
Results (25 pts)
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Qual and Quant Observations
Data Tables
Graphs
Analysis Questions
• Conclusion (10 pts)
• References MLA (10 pts)
110 Points !
Lab Report
NO FIRST PERSON IN A LAB REPORT. EVER. I MEAN IT.
DON’T DO IT
The voice of a lab report is past tense, third person passive
Our hypothesis was…
THE hypothesis was
We took the DNA and did some crazy stuff…
The DNA had some crazy stuff applied to it.
Abstract (10 pts)
• One paragraph that sums up
the ENTIRE LAB
• Include:
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Introduction: main objective(s) of lab/ state the purpose
Hypothesis and independent and depedent variables
Methods: a quick description of the procedure
Results: statement of the overall findings
judgment about hypothesis
– Conclusion: what you learned about the scientific concept
WRITE THIS SECTION LAST!!!
A good Abstract is a miniature version of the lab report in one
concise paragraph and labeled Abstract.
Introduction (20pts)
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paragraph format
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 biology 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
For a formal lab you must do outside research on the subject
– you must cite at least THREE SOURCES (use quotes).
– Scientific Websites ONLY (2009-present)
– NO WIKI OR YAHOO ANSWERS!
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.
Introduction Citation Example:
Endothermic reactions release energy and increase
in temperature, while endothermic reactions absorb heat
and decrease in temperature (Jenkins). Some reactions
only have one of these indicators, while other have
several.
The second purpose of this lab was to make several
hypotheses . A hypothesis is an educated guess in
science. Not only are they important in science, but
hypothesis are also very important in the field of
mathematical statistics (statistics).
*Citations are in parentheses- guidelines at the end
Materials (5pts)
• List all materials used
– Goggles
– Chemicals
– Critters
– Microscope
– Etc
• Make appropriate changes
if anything is switched per teacher
BULLETED
Methods (15 pts)
• Paragraph Form
• Do not copy the procedure
– Often times procedure may change per teacher- make
notes
• SUMMARIZE the procedures
• Methods are in your own words- a written
paragraph summary of what occurred
during the experiment
• Sketch a picture what the experimental
setup looked like
Results (25 pts)
Interpret your data and results
Include observations, data tables, and any graphs FIRST
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All charts and graphs must have a title
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Columns and rows of charts should be labeled
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Axes of graphs should be labeled and units given (time, min,
cm, etc)
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If you present a chart, explain the results
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If you include a graph, interpret the findings
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If there are any calculations, put them here also
All observations and data are followed by ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
from the lab itself. You do not need to re-write the question but
they must be written as full, complete sentences
Discussion/Conclusion (20pts)
Recall what you did during this lab.
Explain why you did this lab and what you were trying to find out.
Reflect on the lab's meaning and did it match your hypothesis or was your
hypothesis wrong? and why?
– the data support the hypothesis;
– the data do not support the hypothesis; or
– the data generally support the hypothesis but with qualifiers (tell what
they are)
– Must use and discuss ACTUAL DATA from the results when discussing
the hypothesis…similar to when we use quotes in reading texts to
answer a question
Uncertainty (errors that were in the lab that you could not control [aka:
weather problems, measurement mistakes] or just any errors that you came
across during running this lab that you could fix for the next time you perform
the lab).
New questions- make a final statement about what you learned in the lab and
a new question/extension from that statement.
Make sure you do not put in 1st or 2nd person in this lab (me, you, I, we)
References (10 pts)
How to “Cite” from the Internet
• If the author’s name is available
Author’s last name. “Article title”. Source of article.
Publication date. Web. Date Retrieved. URL
Jenkins, H. “Volcanoes are hot”. National Geographic.
19 Feb 2008. Web. 15 Sept 2011.
http://www.nationalgeographic.org
• If the author’s name is not given
“Volcanoes are hot”. National Geographic. 19 Feb 2008.
Web. 15 Sept 2011. http://nationalgeographic.org
References (tips)
• In Text Citation (In Your Introduction)
– If the author is known
• Put the author’s last name in parentheses at the end of the
idea/sentence.
• The internal temperature of a volcano can reach up to
3000o F (Jenkins)
– If the author is not known
• Choose a key word from the title of the article (don’t choose
the main word because it will most likely be in every title)
• The internal temperature of a volcano can reach up to
3000o F (hot)
Remember…
• Formal Lab Reports MUST BE TYPED
• 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
P.S….
• You will have almost a WEEK from the time
you collect your last data to when the report is
due
• DO NOT wait until the night before to write
Formal Lab Reports!