chemistry lab report

chemistry lab report

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Chemistry Lab Reports: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Chemistry Lab Reports

From the student’s viewpoint, the purpose of the report is to satisfy the course requirements. From the instructor’s standpoint, the report should capture important features of laboratory work, including: the techniques, measurements and observations used in the lab work; provide a record of the data designed to communicate ideas about the data; and recount information on how to replicate the lab work. In a practical sense, the report demonstrates individual accountability, provides written evidence of learning, and mirrors how a technician would record laboratory information. To promote these objectives we developed a set of guidelines to direct students, and a marking rubric to guide faculty. These checklists, and our other guidance, help students prevent unintentional plagiarism, write more original reports, and ultimately learn more from the lab. This student-directed approach increases personal accountability, adds creativity and synthesizing skills, and produces much more worthwhile reports.

This document presents a comprehensive guide to effective lab reports. It was developed in response to a report from university faculty about the poor quality of lab reports produced by students in a sophomore organic chemistry lab. Industry and government employers are constantly indicating that they are looking for job candidates who can communicate effectively, work in teams, and solve problems. Chemistry laboratory work, particularly in large first- and second-year university general and organic chemistry classes, can offer the opportunity to develop these abilities, the necessary laboratory techniques, and attaching chemical concepts. However, typically the reports produced by students miss the main educational objectives.

2. Key Elements of a Well-Structured Lab Report

It is important for any report to have a background. A background allows a student to better focus their mind on the necessary steps to follow in their operation, by providing a thorough understanding of how a specific physical technique is related to the underlying theoretical principles. Although the quality of recordings might have been suboptimal, especially in laboratory settings in which equipment had to be used that is old or difficult to operate, students should try to obtain the best quality of data and knowledge transfer possible in any real-life setting. Data was collected during a lab. The results represent the students’ understanding of the lab. The next section addresses the heart of the lab and shows the results of the experiment.

Careful emphasis on structuring a lab report is important, not only for the assignment itself, but also to train students in the kind of disciplined organization that will be expected of them as they progress to various levels of study and professional work. If your goal is both the improvement of student writing and subject-specific learning (in the case of a science lab standard subject-specific information, techniques, and use of tools), then suggestions for a science-lab report structure follow, based on our experience and after careful examination of the literature. The traditional protocol begins with Techniques. The purpose of this section is to show the reader that your objective was to learn what happens when you perform a specific physical technique. Thus, this section is entirely method-focused.

3. Experimental Procedures and Data Analysis

The data section should include raw data, also called experimental data. Summarize or discuss the data in tabular or graphical form, but the raw data remained individual observations. Data analysis is a complex area, especially because you are attempting to use a computer to perform the analysis. Therefore, an error copy must also be included as an example of the types of errors encountered and how to handle them. This is needed even when there are no errors (no one wants to read through an isolated data table, so it needs to be included).

The data section should be the most time-consuming of the laboratory tasks, and even more experienced scientists than you generally spend the most time in this area. If the data analysis does not work out, then you will have to spend your time on the data. If possible, try two methods at the same time. The goal is to explore ideas in solving problems in the most effective manner. It is not to define an absolute method for progressing.

The data analysis can be completed in two ways. First, a detailed analysis of the data collected can be done. Second, the data analysis information can be included in the experimental procedures section, discussing how to go through the process and provide a clear copy of the data and an analysis summary at the end of this section.

In this section, you must clearly describe the experimental procedure, including information about the laboratory equipment used, the temperature and pressure at which reactions are performed, descriptions of the data collection methods, and the safety precautions taken. This section also includes the detailed data analysis and the presentation and analysis of error data. The methodology must be written in paragraph form even if the procedure is given in list form in the laboratory manual. This can be a challenging section to write because the goal is to ensure the clarity of the information provided. Therefore, the methodology section can be written over the course of the laboratory period that it describes.

4. Interpreting Results and Drawing Conclusions

Because science is only a human endeavor, scientists can never know all the evidence. One never knows when some official might stumble on and share with the scientific community information which could be very helpful in rethinking the original conclusions. In science, the results must be treated as if they will be subjected to the judgment and scrutiny of the entire community for all time. During this process, circumstances for which you cannot plan, and unanticipated information or ideas could be very helpful. Because it is impossible to know all the ramifications which may reflect on your work, statements of proof are inappropriate in scientific writing.

When you reached your conclusions, it is important to consider the validity of the assumptions on which your interpretations are based. In the discussion section, we pointed out that the discussion should include “theories which form the potential basis for hypotheses and processes underlying the phenomenon being studied.” It is not enough to assume that certain entities or phenomena, for example, the presence of a particular product in a reaction, are definite proof that a hypothesis is supported. After considering whether the evidence is consistent with the hypothesis, you are more likely to stress the search for alternative explanations for your results. Real conclusions follow from interpretations which are predicated on such a search in the interpretation you provide follow from a valiant effort to try to disprove your hypothesis or research objective. In other words, an attempt should be made to answer the following question: Can any possible reasons other than the hypothesis explain why the data came out the way it did?

5. Tips for Improving the Quality of Lab Reports

Whether your chemistry instructor requires a formal report or a quick, informal summary of a lab, using the guidelines contained in this manual will enable you to create an organized and comprehensive report that improves upon the sections you have written in the past. By preparing a superior report on the first try, you will avoid the necessity to repeat the assignment and will also receive better grades. It is no secret that creating a quality lab report can be tedious, but it is also an important part of learning. Get in the practice of creating the best report you can, employing the guidance and tips provided for you, and you will work toward realizing your full academic potential.

Good chemistry instructors do not assign long, complex, and potentially dull lab reports just to be mean. The act of writing lab reports is a major step in the learning process and can be employed as a systematic way of teaching critical thinking, good science writing, logical argument, and the scientific method. If you are enrolled in chemistry, you will be required to write many, many lab reports. Actually, the total number of reports you will write over four years is quite staggering. This document has been created to assist you in organizing and writing the best quality lab reports possible by providing extensive information, hints, and procedures needed to be successful both as a student and as a writer of lab reports.