1. The Voice of A Lab Report
Break the Writing Process Apart

2. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Why are we asking for passive voice?
Passive voice is used when describing a procedure in a report because generally who is doing the work, or who is making the observations is not important. Presumably, anyone with lab skills should be able to get the same results.

3. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Exercise 6.1: Rewrite the following sentences in passive voice.
1. I transferred the contents of the beaker to the graduated cylinder.
2. I found the slope of my graph to be 0.04 g/min.
3. I added 3 drops of bromophenol indicator to the Erlenmeyer flask.

4. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
I transferred the contents of the beaker to the graduated cylinder.
Example of student response:
An acceptable response:
The contents of the beaker were transferred to the graduated cylinder.

5. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Part II. When is passive voice not necessary?
As a rule of thumb, it is not necessary for passages other than the procedure.
The active voice is preferred to keep the passage less wordy, more direct and less awkward.
HOWEVER…generally we do not use the first person singular pronoun.

6. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
"we" or "one" is used instead of "I":
From the color of the endpoint we can conclude that the equivalent point has been reached.
From the color of the endpoint one can conclude that the equivalent point has been reached

7. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Part III: Writing Experimental Procedures or Methods
“Experimental procedures/methods” in a report are not instructions telling others what to do.
The experiment has already been performed.
You are telling others what you have already done to obtain the results you are reporting.

8. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Exercise 6.2: Rewrite the following sentences from the procedure in the preferred tense and voice:
Examine the popped corn and record the number of duds.
Example of an acceptable response:
The popped corn was examined and the number of duds was recorded.

9. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Part IV: Writing the experimental method in an abstract
This is the probably the hardest part of writing a lab report.
The experimental method in an abstract must be kept short and therefore cannot include too many details.
Students do not have the experience to tell what is "too much" and what constitutes "not enough."

10. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
We begin with providing an example of a procedure as it might appear in a lab manual: Record the unknown number. Place the unknown metal on the balance pan and record the mass to 3 decimal places. Next place exactly 5.00 mL of water in a 10-mL graduated cylinder, taking care not to let any water splash out.... etc.

11. Example provided in lab manual of how the procedure in the previous slide could be written as an “experimental method” as it might appear in an abstract: The volume of the unknown metal was determined by its displacement of water, and the mass was determined on a balance. From the volume and mass thus obtained, the density of the metal was calculated.

12. Exercise 6.3: Effect of Eye-Level on Accuracy of Reading Volumes
Write the experimental method for an abstract from the procedure described below:
1. Place exactly 7.00 mL of deionized water into a 10-mL grad cylinder. Use a disposable pipet to help you add or remove excess water so that the bottom of the meniscus is at exactly the 7-mL mark when held at eye-level.
2. Hold the cylinder so that the meniscus is well above your eye-level. Record the volume. (Remember to record to the correct sig. fig.)
3. Repeat with the cylinder at eye-level and below eye-level.
4. Complete the calculations specified on the Calculations & Results page (p.48).

13. Our Solution 1: Providing Writing Exercises
Example of an acceptable response: A specified volume of water was placed in a graduated cylinder and readings were taken with the meniscus at eye-level, above eye-level and below eye-level. Using the reading when the meniscus was at eye-level as the correct volume, error and percent error were calculated for the other two readings.

14. Our Solution 2: Post-Lab Questions that Prepare Students for Lab Reports
Every experiment has post-lab questions, regardless of whether a formal report is required.
These questions help them analyze the data without telling them step by step (cookbook style) what to do.
Questions help them think about what the effects are on their results if they make a particular experimental error (preparing them to do an error analysis).

15. Purpose of Post-Lab Questions
These are questions for an experiment for which a report is not required. They may...
help students decide what goes into the discussion section of a report.
be questions that make students think beyond blindly plugging in numbers and grinding out an answer.
that force them into doing some critical thinking.
require students to use the Internet to search out answers.
Generally much of this would have gone into the discussion section had a formal lab report been required.