LAB REPORT FORMAT



FORMAL LAB REPORT FORMAT

If you follow these guidelines you should easily get an A+ on your lab! Don’t forget: 12pt font, 1 inch margins, double spaced, NO TITLE PAGE, normal font. If you must hand write it, it has to be written in your lab notebook or will not be graded. You may email me the paper directly as an attachment only or share it through google drive: KarenResendes@. Use all of the bold, capitalized and underlined subheadings below in your paper.

TITLE:

This should give me an idea of what the lab is about. Example: The Effects of Bleach on Starfish Regeneration or Osmosis in Potatoes. Never ever, ever should you title it “Lab Report.” I’ll take 10 points off.

INTRODUCTION:

PURPOSE: Why are you doing this? Tell me the point of the lab. Example: The purpose of this lab is to determine the presence of organic molecules in certain foods.

PREDICTION/HYPOTHESIS: What do you think is going to happen? In a sentence, predict what you thought would happen. You must be clear and thorough. Formatting: If (independent variable) then (dependent variable) because (supporting science facts).

Good Hypothesis: Radish seeds that were treated with urine would not grow as well as the control group.

Another Good Hypothesis: The potatoes that I put in salt water would weigh more that the ones that I put in tap water.

Bad Hypothesis: At first I thought that bleach would help the seeds and then I was wrong.

Another Bad One: This lab is going to be fun.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: What information or vocabulary does the person reading your lab need to know to understand your lab report? Provide it in paragraph form here.

MATERIALS: What/How many/How much was involved?

Clearly list all materials in a bulleted list. Don’t forget safety equipment.

PROCEDURE: How did you do it?

1. Always use a numbered list.

2. Never use superfluous words like “next,” “after,” and “lastly.”

3. Be very concise.

4. Reread your procedure to make sure anyone could replicate it.

5. Remember safety practices

DATA: What happened?

Organize your data in labeled charts and graphs here. If one is not called for or useful to your lab, then you may write a short, paragraph summarizing the results (NO INTERPRETATIONS!).

ANALYSIS:

If your lab packet included questions, put them here. If they are not answered neatly and in complete sentences, then re-type them here.

Tell me any mistakes you made that could have affected your data. If there were none, tell me that you are some perfect superhuman droid OR tell me how this lab could have been better (not fun-wise but science-wise) using details from the lab.

CONCLUSIONS: Why did it happen?

In a nice paragraph (or series of paragraphs) tell me why you think you got your results. This is where you show me how much science you know. Why did peanut butter come out as a sugar and a protein? Don’t tell me about mistakes here. Address your hypothesis—was it right on or should it now be modified. Be specific.

EXTENTION: If a lab includes extra research options, they would go here.

WORKS CITED:

If you did any additional research outside of the lab packet write all sources in APA format. This includes your text book.

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

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

Google Online Preview   Download