So, how do I make 10/10 on my lab report? You start with a good “template” like this…

Your lab partner’s name Title Page Title of Lab by Your name and Your lab partner’s name Biology 112 J. Currie February 7 & 8, 2011

Next is your introduction. There are two parts to the introduction and it should be 2 to 5 paragraphs long.

Introduction (1st part) - a brief discussion about the subject of the lab. For example, if your lab is about microscopes, you could discuss “the microscope” --- Who invented it, the kinds of microscopes, how the microscope we are using works.

Introduction (2nd part) The second part of a lab report states the purpose of your experiment. Your hypothesis should be included here, as well as a brief statement about how you intend to test your hypothesis. Ex. The purpose of this lab is to learn the parts of and how to use a compound microscope.

Materials List the materials used.

Methods or Procedure List the method that you used (the steps, in order), numbering the steps and writing in 3rd person, past tense

The information you include should not be overly detailed, but should include enough detail so that someone else could perform the experiment by following your instructions.

Example of Procedure 1. A drop of water was placed on a slide and a small case “e” cut from a newspaper was placed on the drop of water. A slide cover was then placed over the “e” 2. The “e” was observed under low power and then under high power. 3. A drop of water was placed on a slide and two short strands of different-coloured thread were placed, one crossing the other over the drop of water. (and so on…)

3rd person, past tense This means that you would say: 1. A drop of water was placed on a slide and a small case “e” cut from a newspaper was placed on the drop of water. A slide cover was then placed over the “e”. and not 1. We put a drop of water on the slide, put the cut-out letter “e” on the drop of water and then gently covered it with a slide cover.

Results (data and observations) Tell what you observed. (Not an explanation, just the observation) Your data can be in a table, chart, graph, text.

Results Your diagrams go next. Give each diagram a title and underline the title: Ex. The Letter “e” (40 x) Each one also has the Figure number written beneath it, on the left. If it is the first diagram, it is Figure 1.

Diagrams Diagrams go on plain paper only. (There is some at the front on the table). There can be a maximum of 3 diagrams per page so make them fairly large. To shade, draw lines. (See handout on Biological Diagrams) Labels go to the right. Keep the lines straight. It’s a good idea to use a ruler.

Example of a diagram in a lab report. The 400x should be in the title.

Discussion and Conclusion Under the Discussion section you summarize what happened in your experiment. You will want to fully discuss and interpret the results.

Discussion Sometimes you will be given discussion questions. In paragraph form with no separate sentences for each answer and no numbers.

Conclusion Was your hypothesis correct, why or why not? Were there any errors? If there is anything about your experiment that you think could be improved upon, provide suggestions for doing so. You answer these questions in your conclusion.

References This is the page on which you would write the references for any resources that you used. (See handout.)

In this course, some of the labs are meant to provide you with an opportunity to learn to use equipment such as a microscope or simply to observe. For these labs, you will not write a hypothesis or a conclusion.

Headings Always divide your lab report with headings. These headings are: Introduction (always) Materials Methods (OK to call it “Procedure”) Results: Tables, graphs, etc. next Diagrams Discussion and Conclusion References

Other things that can go in a lab report: Abstract – For those of you in grade 12, some of the labs you do will include a section called “Abstract” which we will discuss at that time. Post-secondary institutions usually require an abstract.