How to write a scientific report

What is a scientific report? Why do we need to write a scientific report? Who will use a scientific report?

1. Aim 6. Safety 2. Hypothesis 7. Method 3. Constant 8. Diagram Just like non chronological reports, scientific reports are broken down sections! There are 10 sections in a scientific report! 1. Aim 6. Safety 2. Hypothesis 7. Method 3. Constant 8. Diagram 9. Results 4. Variable 10.Conclusion 5. Equipment Can you memorise them? Have a go!

How to write the - Aim The purpose of the aim is to tell your reader what you want to find out! All scientific reports are written in the ‘passive’ tense. This means they do not use any personal pronouns like, ‘we’ ‘us’ ‘they’. Instead we can use sentences like:

Aim ‘ The aim of this experiment is to find out… ‘ Good E.G – ‘The aim of this experiment is to find out which material is the best insulator..’ Better ‘The aim of this experiment is to calculate the rate at which heat energy escapes containers covered in different materials…’

Aim Or ‘ This experiment will assess…’ Good E.G ‘ This experiment will assess which material is better at keeping a container of water warm…’ Better E.G ‘ This experiment will assess which of these materials, bubble wrap, polythene, aluminum foil and cotton is the most effective at keeping a container of water warm…’

Aim - SC The ‘aim’ must be written in the future tense because is written before the experiment is conducted. It needs explain the purpose of the experiment / What the experiment trying to find out.

How to write the – Hypothesis The purpose of the hypothesis is to tell your reader what you think will be the result of the experiment ( what you think will happen) But be careful!!!!!! Remember not to use personal pronouns! You must write in the passive tense! Discuss with your partner … how might you start your hypothesis?

Hypothesis I think… The hypothesis is… We believe…. Which one of these could you use to start your hypothesis? . We believe…. I think… The hypothesis is… Our researchers believe…

How to write the – Hypothesis The hypothesis is… Good ‘The hypothesis is that the cotton will keep the water warmer for longer than the other materials.’ Better ‘The hypothesis is that the cotton will be the most effective insulator and will therefore be the material that keeps the water warmer for longer than the other materials.’

Hypothesis - SC Excellent The hypothesis must be written in the present and future tense and should include a reason why you think what you think! Excellent ‘The hypothesis is that the cotton will be the most effective insulator and will therefore be the material that keeps the water warmer for longer than the other materials.’ Cotton is the main material used by human beings to keep warm and because of this, is already proven to be a good insulator.

How to write the ‘constant’ section of your report! The purpose of writing the constant is to tell your reader what you are keeping the same in your experiment! If we don’t keep certain things the same, we will have nothing to compare our results to! For example: If we conducted the heat loss experiment in different containers, wrapped in different materials, filled with different liquids, kept in different places and measured them with different thermometers; what would we be testing?

How to write the ‘constant’ section The constant is written in future tense! Good In this experiment, these things will stay the same… Better To make sure this experiment is fair, the following items in this experiment will stay the same… Excellent To ensure that the test remains controlled and fair, the following aspects of this experiment will remain constant…

How to write the ‘variable’ section The purpose of writing the variable is to tell your reader the things that will change in the experiment! For example: If we kept everything the same, wrapped every identical container in the same material, kept them in the same place and filled them with the same liquid; then what would we be measuring?

How to write the ‘variable’ section The variable is written in the future tense Good The materials that the containers will be wrapped in will be changed. Better This experiment will vary the type of materials used as insulators. The materials that will be changed include; cotton, bubble wrap, polythene and aluminum foil. Excellent The purpose of this experiment is to assess which material is the most efficient insulator. Four of the five containers will be wrapped in one of the materials mentioned above and the loss of heat will be measured periodically from each.

How to display your list of equipment The purpose of writing the ‘list of equipment’ section of a scientific report is to tell the reader exactly what is needed to conduct the experiment. This section is displayed as a list that shows the quantity of the materials and objects you need and the specific details and measurements of these objects. (the details are put in brackets) For example: 5 x glass beaker (900ml) 5 x Thermometer 2.5l hot water Remember to make sure you write the quantity first

How to write the – Safety Precaution This section needs to list all of the things that might cause harm to people during the experiment. For this section you need to use imperative verbs! Do you know what an imperative verb is? Can you think of some examples? Make sure the container holding the boiling water is kept on a flat surface. Keep water away from electric sockets. Don’t place experiment containers in a place where they can be knocked over. Wear eye protection. Ensure children are supervised by an adult.

How to write a Method Lets have a look at some examples! What do you think a method is? What is the purpose of the method and why does it help the reader? Discuss! The method is a list of step by step instructions to tell your reader exactly what to do / exactly what you did! This part is written after you have conducted your experiment! Lets have a look at some examples!

Place/ put/ make/ stop/ pour/ insert/ Next / before / after / whilst / How to write a Method A method includes lots of different language features! An excellent method must include: .Imperative verbs .Time connective words .Time connective phrases Place/ put/ make/ stop/ pour/ insert/ Next / before / after / whilst / Before pouring the water / After taking the temperature

How to write a method! Before starting, make sure that all of the equipment necessary for the experiment is ready. To begin with, cover the containers with the different materials, attach with sellotape and place them in the same place. After the containers are covered, fill a separate container with cold water and place all of the thermometers inside. After 4 minutes, check that all the thermometers are displaying the same temperature. Whilst the thermometers are being checked, heat a container containing 2.5L of water and switch off when boiled. Whilst waiting for the water to reach boiling point, place the thermometers into the 5 individual containers. When the water is ready, pour 500 ml of boiling water in to each container. After 1 minute record the temperature of the water in each container. Record the temperature of the water in each of the 5 containers every two minutes for an hour.

What to include in your diagram What is the purpose of the diagram section of your scientific report? What do we need to include in the diagram section of your report? Your diagram must include drawings showing your reader how you set out your experiment. All of your drawing must include labels and must be draw with a ruler! and Your diagram must include labels to show your reader exactly how to set out the experiment. You can include a glossary on your diagram marking unknown words with a *

What to include in your diagram

How to show your results!

How to write a conclusion What do you think the purpose of the conclusion section of your report is for? Discuss with your partner. Start your conclusion by saying if the hypothesis was correct or not. Tell the reader the results of the experiment. Suggest reasons for the results of the experiment. Suggest any future questions that may now need to be answered because of this experiment

The results of the experiment show that the hypothesis was not correct The results of the experiment show that the hypothesis was not correct. 30 different temperature recordings were taken over 60 minutes and the results show that container 1 (wrapped in bubble wrap) had the warmest water at the end of the experiment (37oC). The water in container 3 (wrapped in aluminum) was the coolest (21oC). The water in the container without any insulation was the second coolest at (230c) and the water in the container wrapped in polythene was 26oC and the container wrapped in cotton at 30Oc. This clearly shows that bubble wrap is a more effect insulator and that aluminum is a conductor of heat energy. This report concludes that the reason the bubble wrap was an effective insulator was not due to the material (plastic) but instead due to structure of the material which trapped air. Therefor air mixed with plastic is the best insulator. A further experiment would be to find out if a combination of materials would better at insulating heat energy.