How to Write a Laboratory Report. Scientific Method How to Write a Laboratory Report.

Ask the correct question Do they have a 4th of July in Mexico? Yes, of course they do. They also have a July 5th, 6th, 7th etc. The question didn’t ask whether 4th of July was celebrated as a holiday. This idea is very important in developing an experimental hypothesis (or aim).

Interpret information carefully. A farmer had 20 sheep. All but nine of the sheep died. How many sheep are still alive? If all but 9 died, then there must be 9 still alive!

Divide 80 by ¼ and subtract 10. Read carefully! To divide 80 by ¼ means divide 80 by 0.25 which equals 320. Then subtract 10 to give 310.

Organization of your Lab. Report Hypothesis (or Aim) Introduction Procedure ( or Materials/Method) Results Discussion Conclusion References

Hypothesis A hypothesis can be described as “the best answer to a problem based on all of the available information” i.e. an educated guess. To formulate a hypothesis you should: 1. Confine the problem to a single idea. 2. State the problem in clear, concise language 3. Use an “if……..then” statement.

Hypothesis cont…….. Your hypothesis should include the relationship between the dependant and independent variable. Dependent variable: can be measured, counted or observed. Independent variable. You should also define experimental controls.

Introduction This is a description of the background information required to develop the hypothesis, understand the aim(s) of the experiment and the experimental procedures used and why the experiment is being conducted. Sources of information should be cited in the reference section of your lab report. Examples: - textbooks, reference books, articles, internet sources etc. All lab reports should have a TITLE and DATE. Your lab notebook should have PAGE NUMBERS on each page.

Procedures 1. List of materials used in experiment. 2. Describe the data collection process as a list of numbered steps such that others could repeat. In your procedures you should clearly identify: - experimental constants - necessary controls - independent variable (including levels of treatment) - dependent variable.

Results Present your data in a logical order! All tables and figures (graphs) should have: - table or figure number and title (ABOVE). - brief explanation/legend summarizing what the table or figure shows (BELOW). All tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the results section of the report.

Discussion Detailed explanation of your data. Explain the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. explain patterns, trends, or lack of trends in the data. Summarize your major findings and explain how these findings support or refute your hypothesis.

Conclusion Draw an appropriate conclusion from your experimental data. A statement about whether the hypothesis was supported or disproved by the experimental results.

References Must be listed in APA format. General format: Author (date) Title. Publisher Information. See link on the library website or my faculty web site for examples of APA citations. Sign and date the end of each lab report.

Correct Documentation is key! Laboratory Notebook. Correct Documentation is key! Black pen Bound notebook, do NOT tear out pages! Observations etc should be directly entered into notebook (do NOT rewrite!) Table of contents (page #, title and date) Correcting errors Attachments Signing/dating each page and end of the report.