SBI 3U Grade 11 Biology



SBI 3U Grade 11 Biology

Formal Lab Report Guidelines

Formal lab reports should contain the following parts in the order listed on this handout. Lab reports should be neatly handwritten or typed. It is recommended that they be double spaced to allow comments to be added at places where they are relevant. Please consult your teacher if you are uncertain about the requirements for your report.

Remember, your report should be detailed enough that another person will be able to reproduce your work. Please be detailed.

Introduction

• Include background information on the topic under examination. This may include any theory, explanation about instruments used, or other pertinent information, such as explanations of terminology used in the report. Include at least 3 important concepts that will help to better understand the lab.

• When writing an introduction, it may be helpful to imagine possible questions that a reader may have on the topics or terminology you will use in your report and try to answer them. Assume the person reading your report has no prior knowledge about this experiment.

Purpose

• This is a statement of what you want to discover by conducting your experiment. It may be written as a question or as a general statement.

Hypothesis

• This is a statement that expresses your best prediction as to the outcome of your experiment. Your hypothesis should be made prior to the experiment being performed.

• Your hypothesis should explain why you expect the outcomes you predict.

• It should be written in the form: “If…..then……because…”.

Materials

• You should list all equipment and materials you have used in the experiment. You may include a neatly labeled diagram of the experimental set up in this section of your report.

• Diagrams should be drawn in pencil and be of adequate size.

Procedure

• This section indicates the steps you followed while completing the experiment.

• The steps given should be numbered, written in complete sentences and in the order that you followed in performing the experiment.

• You should write your procedure in the impersonal, past passive voice. This means words like “me, I, we, he, she, they, us,” should not be included.

• For example, if the lab manual says:

“Take a 100 mL beaker, add 75 mL of water, and place it on the hotplate.”

then you should write:

“75 mL of water was added to a 100 mL beaker and placed on the hotplate.”

Observations

• You may record qualitative and/or quantitative observations as you experiment progresses. Always record your own observations in sentence form, with possibly some explanation so that you can interpret the data correctly when writing your report

• You will have to decide whether it is appropriate to present your observations in a table, graph, labeled diagram, or in another manner that will best display the information gathered in the experiment.

• Please include descriptive titles with graphs, tables and diagrams.

• All calculations from data collected in the experiment will be placed in this section of the report.

Analysis and Discussion

• You may be asked to answer questions about the results and procedures used in the experiment. These questions should be answered in proper sentence form.

• You should explain any discrepancies with accepted values or theories in this section. You must offer an explanation for any “unusual” results that you obtained. Remember, if you have done the experiment correctly, any results you get are valid no matter how bizarre they appear.

• You may wish to detail any possible extensions that might be applicable to this experiment. That is, what further experiments might be carried out to further clarify the results that you obtained.

• You should list and discuss the effects on your results of any possible sources of error (3 minimum) in your experiment. Remember, error due to poor technique should not be included, and you should correct poor technique while performing the experiment.

Conclusion

• Restate the purpose of the experiment, and assess whether your hypothesis was correct or incorrect, and explain how you know this, based on your results.

• Here you should write a brief statement of the results determined in the experiment. All final calculated values and percent error (if pertinent) should appear in this section.

Appendix

• This is the part of the lab where you should include all rough work, pre-lab questions, extra calculations, diagrams of other referrals that were mentioned in the lab proper.

References

• You need to reference where you obtained the information that you used in your background information, and any information you used that helped you answer your analysis questions. You may include your lab manual, worksheet, texts and at least one non-internet reference.

• At least 3 references will be required.

• Format should be in the form of APA style. Examples are below, as well as posted in the classroom.

Journal of Magazine Article

Iannizzi, M. (1990). Science Fiction Aids Science Teaching. Physics Teacher, 28, 316-328.

Newspaper Article

Mortier, E. (1995, March 15). Careers: Teacher Becomes Sumo Wrestler. Welland Tribune, p. 3.

Book

Turner, T. (2003). Chemistry and Fire Alarms. New York: Pocket Books.

Encyclopedia Article

Purdie, R. (1995). The Science of Prognostication. In The Encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 24, pp. 390-392). Danbury, CT: Grolier.

Website

Tucker, W. (2002). What's Better: Biology or Chemistry? Retrieved October 8, 2004, from Great Debates of the 21st Century, Website: .

Peer-Editing Checklist

Name:

Assignment:

| |What to Look For: |Yes |No |Suggestion / Concerns |

| | | | | |

|1. |The introduction discusses and explains all concepts relevant | | | |

| |to this investigation. | | | |

| | | | | |

|2. |The purpose is stated clearly and is relevant to the experiment| | | |

| |conducted. | | | |

| | | | | |

|3. |The hypothesis is stated clearly with a prediction and a | | | |

| |rationale to support the idea. | | | |

| | | | | |

|4. |The list of materials and equipment is complete. | | | |

| | | | | |

|5. |The procedure is stated clearly, steps are numbered and in | | | |

| |proper order. | | | |

| | | | | |

|6. |Both qualitative and quantitative data are presented in a clear| | | |

| |manner. | | | |

| | | | | |

|7. |Measurement units are correctly represented. | | | |

| |Diagrams and tables are used effectively and are properly | | | |

|8. |labeled. | | | |

| |Calculations are given, including all equations used and | | | |

|9. |appropriate units. | | | |

| |Data are analyzed logically and ideas are expressed clearly, in| | | |

| |coherent sentences. | | | |

|10. |The words and terms used are appropriate. | | | |

| |The conclusion addresses the hypothesis, sources of error, and | | | |

|11. |results obtained. | | | |

| | | | | |

|12. |References are listed appropriately. | | | |

| |Grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct. | | | |

|13. | | | | |

| |All required parts of the report are present in the appropriate| | | |

|14. |order. | | | |

Other helpful comments:

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download