A Small Problem (bacteria lab) Guide for writing the paper
Overall Formatting Proper grammar Proper spelling Organized Same font style/size throughout Each section has the correct heading; in order Overall neatness
Introduction Provide context for the lab Cite 3+ background sources Background; what do we already know Cite 3+ background sources What have others studied and found out? Proper in-text citation (Darrow, 2016) Give them credit for using their work State question/hypothesis for the lab
Materials & Methods Describe in detail so it can be repeated Sentence/paragraph format, not a list/outline Identify variables Manipulated Responding Controlled Explain how data was collected/measured
Results Using numbers and words, describe your results Include specific data One (or more) graph One (or more) table Properly labeled and titled figures Do NOT explain the why of your results, just the what
Conclusion/Discussion Restate your hypothesis (make sure it’s the same one in your introduction) Did your results support your hypothesis or not? Do not say “prove” in your paper, just “support”, “negate”, “inconclusive”, etc. Include key data, but not all of your data if it’s a lot
Conclusion, cont. Refer back to your background sources— Do your results support or conflict with someone else’s work? Cite that source Sources of error Implications/applications of your results Future questions—what would you test next time? Make sure your conclusions are logical
Bibliography Authoritative sources (Proquest, JSTOR, etc.) MLA format (www.easybib.com) 3 sources minimum