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Robeson Early College High School Chemistry-Honors Lab Report Format
General Information:
12 pt Times New Roman font
Double Spaced
1 inch margins
Always write in third person
Write in Full Sentences except for the materials list
Each class must write at least one Formal Lab Report
Each lab report should equal 50 – 100 points (approx one test grade)
Important Reminders for a Lab Report
Check Spelling
Use Significant figures and units regarding measurements and calculations
Avoid personal pronouns
Headings should stand out and each section should be separated by 1 line
Neatness counts -> use rulers when needed (especially when using tables and graphs), type if possible
Do not copy verbatim (word for word) from the lab handout or any other source. This is plagiarism and would result in a
zero mark and possible further consequences.
Title- Heading, Name, Name of Partners, Class Name, Teacher Name, Date Lab Report
Abstract- The abstract is a brief summation of the experiment. It should not exceed two hundred words and should
explain, in a concise manner, the purpose of the experiment, how the experiment was conducted, and the results
gained. Any conclusions gained from the experiment should also be summarized within this section.
Introductory Paragraph – This section should be written in complete sentences and should connect lab concepts to class
content, The introduction should provide background information on the history of the concepts tested, scientists,
theories, and any laws tested in the experiment. Cite Sources Used. The introduction should contain any prior
knowledge on which the experiment is based including an explanation of principles, definitions, experimental
techniques, theories and laws.
Purpose The objective is a concise statement in complete sentences outlining the purpose of the experiment. The
purpose section of a lab is where you tell the reader your reason for doing the lab in the first place and briefly
summarize any relevant background information about the experiment, including any relevant chemical equations
and/or algebraic equations.
Hypothesis: Possible if____ then_____ statement. Define any variables such as manipulated, measured, controlled and
the cause and effect predicted. The hypothesis is a one-line sentence where you discuss how you’ll solve the problem at
hand. The statement after “if” is the independent variable. The independent variable is whatever you will do to solve the
problem. The statement after “then” is the dependent variable, because what happens will depend on what you did in
the first place. Generally, the dependent variable will be the problem you mentioned in the purpose.
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Materials: (Bulleted List) The materials section is a list of all equipment, reagents (chemicals), and computer programs
that were used to complete the experiment. Drawings of the apparatus setup should be included in this section if
needed. The materials list must be complete. Indicate how much of each material will be used in the experiment.
If you plan on arranging some of the equipment into a more complex setup (for example, if you are going to heat
something over a Bunsen burner, you will need a ring stand, wire gauze, etc.), draw it as well as mention the equipment
used.
Procedure: This section may be written in either paragraphs or numbered steps. Explain the test design, and allow for
pictures and diagrams. The procedure is a detailed statement (step by step) of how the experiment was performed such
that the experiment could be repeated using your report. Safety precautions that were followed should be stated in this
section. The procedure must be written in the impersonal (3rd person) past tense:
e.g. We are taking the temperature every 2 minutes. NO
The temperature was taken every 2 minutes. YES
Data / Results / Observations: This is a collection of observations, measurements, multiple trials, data tables, charts,
and repeating steps. This section may consist of quantitative and/or qualitative observations of the experiment. A
qualitative piece of data is a written description and/or sketch of what was seen during the experiment.
Quantitative information may be in the form of a table or simply a written description. When graphs are required,
special attention should be paid to the following items: the type of graph expected (straight line or curve), utilizing the
entire graph paper, plotted point size, title of the graph, and axis labels. When numerous measurements have occurred,
data is to be placed in a data table whenever possible. Figure headings are placed below the figure and should give a
short description of the figure. The figure number should be in bold print. Table headings are found above the table and
should also have a brief description.
Analysis / Calculations: Graphs, Error Calculations, Equations, Statistical Analysis One example of each type of calculation should be included. Results from numerous calculations should be placed in a
data table with the proper number of significant figures and correct units. % yield and % error calculations should be
included when possible.
Conclusion: The conclusion is a concise statement that answers the objective. The result of percent error and/or percent
yield should be discussed and compared with known results. A portion of the conclusion should be dedicated to error
analysis which discusses any possible sources of error that may have contributed to the percent error or yield. The
conclusion should be written in the impersonal past tense. How to change the experiment for improved results, What
did you learn? Explain what the results are telling you,
Accept/Reject Hypothesis, Answer any Questions posed by the lab or teacher. A one-line sentence that supports the
hypothesis or states that the hypothesis is incorrect. For example, if you proved the hypothesis that “If I poke myself in
the eye, then my eye will hurt”, this first sentence would be “When I poked myself in the eye, it hurt. “If the hypothesis
didn’t work, an explanation of what possibly went wrong. These should be specific suggestions (I should have heated the
mixture to 55°0 C), not general suggestions (I should have heated it more). List at least two possible errors in the lab, as
well as ways to prevent those errors in the future. The errors you mention should be errors that you can do something
about, not mystical errors that probably did not occur.
Works Cited: (APA Format) Any information borrowed from another source which is not common knowledge must be
cited within the text of the report as outlined in the APA Format Guide
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ . All sources of information are to be listed in the Literature Cited
section of the lab report in alphabetical order.
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General APA Guidelines
Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should
use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
Include a page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page. To create a page header/running
head, insert page numbers flush right. Then type "TITLE OF YOUR PAPER" in the header flush left using all capital letters.
The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and
punctuation.
Abstract
Begin a new page. Your abstract page should already include the page header (described above). On the first line of the
abstract page, center the word “Abstract” (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).
Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract
should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and
conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your
findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250
words.
You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract. To do this, indent as you would if you were
starting a new paragraph, type Keywords: (italicized), and then list your keywords. Listing your keywords will help
researchers find your work in databases. The abstract presents a synopsis of the experiment. The following guidelines
for preparing an abstract arise from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Note that although
your instructor may define the term "abstract" differently, these guidelines still give you a sense of the stylistic issues,
such as whether to include numerical data, that distinguish abstracts:
The abstract should be written concisely in normal rather than highly abbreviated English. The author should assume
that the reader has some knowledge of the subject but has not read the paper. Thus, the abstract should be intelligible and
complete in itself; particularly it should not cite figures, tables, or sections of the paper. The opening sentence or two should,
in general, indicate the subjects dealt with in the paper and should state the objectives of the investigation. It is also desirable
to describe the treatment by one or more such terms as brief, exhaustive, theoretical, experimental, and so forth.
The body of the abstract should indicate newly observed facts and the conclusions of the experiment or argument
discussed in the paper. It should contain new numerical data presented in the paper if space permits; otherwise, attention
should be drawn to the nature of such data. In the case of experimental results, the abstract should indicate the methods used
in obtaining them; for new methods the basic principle, range of operation, and degree of accuracy should be given. The
abstract should be typed as one paragraph. Its optimum length will vary somewhat with the nature and extent of the paper,
but it should not exceed 250 words.
How to Cite the Purdue OWL in APA
Individual Resources
Contributors' names and the last edited date can be found in the orange boxes at the top of every page on the OWL.
Contributors' names (Last edited date). Title of resource. Retrieved from http://Web address for OWL resource
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format.
Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
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Additional Notes:
Reports will be graded largely on their ability to clearly communicate results and important conclusions to the reader.
You must, of course, use proper English and spelling, along with comprehensible logic and appropriate style. You should
proofread your report as well as spell-check it.
-Neatness and organization will also influence the grade a report receives. Be sure to follow explicitly the format
indicated above. Type reports, and attach lab notes as appendices.
-Avoid being overly verbose and flowery when attempting to convey your point – be concise.
-Avoid qualitative phrases such as "the results were quite close" or "heat fluxes were in good agreement with the
correlation." Be as quantitative as possible.
- Do not copy material without citing the source. This includes lab manuals, text books, your neighbor, old labs, etc.
Plagiarism, of any degree, will not be accepted.
Lab #1 Boiling Point of Water
John Smith
Partner: Jane Jones
1st Period Chemistry-Honors
Mr. Locklear
Robeson Early College High School
26 November 2014
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Abstract –
This report presents the determination of the boiling point of water. If the pressure in the classroom is close to 1
atmosphere, then the boiling point of water should be approximately 100 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the water
bath on the hot plate was recorded every 2 minutes until 6 minutes after boiling began. Numerous small bubbles formed
at the bottom of the beaker at 70.6 oC. The size and rate of bubble formation increased as the temperature increased. At
100.0 oC the rate and size of bubble formation remained constant. At that temperature, there was constant production
of steam. It was determined from the data plotted in the temperature versus time graph that the boiling point of water
is 99.51 oC. This concurs very closely with the stated hypothesis, therefore the experiment was deemed a success. The
percent error was found to be 0.49%.
Introduction:
Kinetic theory states that all molecules in matter are in constant motion (Kane and Sternheim, 1984). As these molecules
absorb more energy they have a higher amount of random movement. As energy is absorbed in the form of heat the
average kinetic energy (temperature) of the molecules will increase except during a phase change. The absorbed energy
used in the phase change breaks the attractive forces between the molecules, thus transformation occurs in the
orientation of the molecules. An example of a phase change would be the boiling point of water which is a change from
a liquid to a gas. This can be observed by using a temperature versus time line graph when the slope becomes zero
(plateau) The boiling point of water is expected to be 100.00 oC (Merck, 1976).
Objective:
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the boiling point of water.
Hypothesis: If the pressure in the classroom is close to 1 atmosphere, then the boiling point of water should be
approximately 100 degrees Celsius.
Materials List:
500 ml beaker
hot plate,
distilled water,
Word Processing Software
thermometer,
Procedure:
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The required materials were selected and taken to the workstation.
The beaker was filled with approximately 300 ml of distilled water.
The beaker was gently placed on the hotplate.
The thermometer was placed in the beaker and the initial temperature was recorded.
The hotplate was switched on to high.
The temperature was recorded every 2 minutes until 6 minutes after boiling began.
The hotplate was turned off and the materials were allowed to cool for at least 10 minutes before the equipment was
dismantled.
Qualitative Results
Numerous small bubbles formed at the bottom of the beaker at 70.6 oC. The size and rate of bubble formation increased
as the temperature increased. At 100.0 oC the rate and size of bubble formation remained constant. At that
temperature, there was constant production of steam.
Calculations / Analysis:
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Conclusion:
It was determined from the data plotted in the temperature versus time graph (Figure 2) that the boiling point of water
is 99.51 oC. This concurs very closely with the stated hypothesis, therefore the experiment was deemed a success. The
percent error was found to be 0.49%. Possible sources of error could have involved impurities in the water and human
error in reading the thermometer. Possible sources of error may be impurities in the water which may be chemicals
from dirty glassware. Improvements would include more accurate thermometers, clean equipment and proper reading
of the thermometer.
Works Cited:
Kane, Joseph W. and Morton M. Sternheim. Physics.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1984 ed.
Merck, Josef. Merck Index of Chemical Constants. New
York: Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc. 1976.