formal lab report

formal lab report

The Importance and Structure of a Formal Lab Report

1. Introduction to Formal Lab Reports

It is always better to get a copy when it is fresh in your mind. Ensure that you have satisfied all of your report objectives. Be a good team member and share tasks for writing the report. Do not make the report any longer than necessary. All reports are checked for plagiarism. Do the work needed and report honestly on those results. Retype your reports so that they are your own work. At the top right-hand corner of each sheet of paper you turn in: your name, title of the report, the date, class, and lab experiment number. Your efficiency will be evaluated. Title, date, and experiment number should be included in the cover sheet.

Neatness and Organization. All work must be in pen and presented in a neat and organized fashion.

Conclusion: Did you complete your objective? Explain.

Pre-Lab Questions and Post-Lab Questions: Fully answer the lab questions.

Analysis: Calculations and graphs.

Data: Data Table or Graph as an Appendix.

Experimental Procedure: Detailed enough so that someone else could repeat your experiment.

Materials and Equipment.

Introduction/Purpose.

Objective.

Title, Date, Name of Partners, and Experiment Number.

One of the most important abilities a scientist has is to communicate ideas and research results to others. A scientist’s first purpose is to communicate new research results to the scientific community. Other researchers can then use the information to replicate the study and brainstorm new inquiries. A formal lab report is a scientific explanation clearly organized and carefully written and must include the following 12 sections:

2. Key Components of a Formal Lab Report

2. Abstract The abstract is a brief summary of the report, with emphasis on the conclusions. The abstract is usually one paragraph (250 words) in length. It may be presented as a single paragraph or with the elements presented in discrete subheadings. The purposes of the study and the principal findings are usually included. It should be concise and understandable without reference to the report. The U.S. Bureau of Mines suggests that the abstract give in sequence the following points: the objective of the investigation; the principle, method, procedure, or the selected important materials (laboratory animals or structural material); the observations or findings; and the principal conclusions. The number of words varies, ranging from 50 to 300. Some institutions require that the abstract be written as a series of separate subheadings. The U.S. Bureau of Mines requires the abstract to be given in that manner: Purpose. The purpose of the investigation is…; Principle, Method, Procedure. The principle of the method employed is…; Observations or Findings. The following findings were made…; Conclusions and Applications. The conclusions suggested by the findings were…

1. Title The title provides an accurate description of the study. It should be specific (e.g., a particular metal, batch, and process), comprehensive (5-12 words), and informative (error analysis of the X-ray analysis of calcium). Avoid unnecessary words, such as “A Study of…,” “An Investigation of…,” or “A Report on…,” and nonstandard abbreviations and chemical symbols. Be mindful of the audience. The title should attract the reader’s interest, help the reader recognize the salient features of the investigation, and let the reader distinguish the report from others on a similar subject. Always provide the name(s) of the author(s), and the organization to which the report is to be submitted, as well as the date of completion of the report.

3. Writing Style and Formatting Guidelines

Before starting the discussion, you should be aware that many colleges and universities have specific guidelines for documenting sources for their term papers, theses, and assignments. For instance, the American Chemical Society’s and Council of Science Editors’ studies provide a uniform and authoritative source of guidance on the style and format used by scientific publishers. However, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is a favorite of the social and behavioral science sub-disciplines because it provides statistical, research, statistical, mathematical, and engineering details. No matter which style you use and regardless of the level, the text should follow the conventions such as proper usage, language, grammar, and punctuation.

The report should be typed using 12 point font and double spaced. This is because your lab reports are not only reviewed by the course instructors or teaching assistants, but they also have to serve as a communication pathway to readers who are not as familiar with the concepts or techniques that form the knowledge base of your science project. Therefore, you have to watch the amount and level of detail you include in your report. While the general layout of most reports involves the title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, summary, and conclusions, the individual sections can be adapted to handle the specific requirements and quirks of your particular situation and discipline. To provide this guidance, the remaining sections discuss the more concrete matters involved in structuring the information.

4. Tips for Effective Data Presentation and Analysis

The discussion section of the main body of the report will include your analysis of your experimental data. However, when appropriate, within the body of the report, insert a single paragraph for the discussion of the data immediately following the results of each major step. There you can explain the purpose and the logic of the presented data, and, if necessary, speculate about possible reasons for the observed results, additional explanations, etc., without requiring that other steps be completed before discussing the data. Unlike the discussion of the data in much of the Results section, the discussion of the experimental results that appears within the main text can propose alternative interpretations of the results or speculate on additional explanations if appropriate.

Tables, graphs, and detailed calculations are tools for easier reading. They streamline written text and make data interpretation and comparison simpler. They should be used wherever appropriate. Do not include raw data or intermediate data in your presentation. Data should be recorded and worked out or shown either in graphs or on tables. Remember to maximize contrast when creating or copying a data graph. Try to avoid using shapes and color (e.g., for filled-in graphs or patterns) that can lead to misinterpretation of the data.

5. Conclusion and Future Directions

You typically sum up the main findings of a report in a brief summary, including these aspects, and make recommendations for future work based on them. These recommendations probably should be summarized and presented in bulleted items, addressing the ‘Out of the Box’ analysis during soil campaigns. In summary, the mechanical/core analysis is a key result of the Vale project. Also evaluated is the performance of the device compared to the puncture device currently used. The aim was to evaluate the device with out-of-the-box personnel in the SoB campaign at DEMO. The preliminary results show that the probe and support well are to be used during campaigns.

The Conclusion and Future Directions section of your lab report addresses the questions of what you achieved and how you made your discoveries. Your Conclusion and Future Directions addresses each question in this list, although not necessarily in the order of the questions. Occasionally, it may address some questions but not others.