The laboratory report is a formal report of the experiment performed. The report conveys what you have done in a concise, organized and easy to read fashion. It should be written in the past tense using the passive (3rd person neutral) voice. The following sections should be clearly labeled and contain the appropriate information in paragraph style (use of complete sentences: using correct grammar and sentence structure are required). Keep in mind that the lab report must be written so that another competent peer can reproduce the experiment. Laboratory reports must be submitted on Blackboard before the deadline to be accepted for grading. You may submit a draft to your instructor at least one week before the deadline in order to receive feedback.
Title Page: Required for submission. Include a header on each page with your name (last, first). Include:
Title of experiment
Student name
Group member names
Course Title and Code
Instructor Name
Submission Date
Abstract: Summarizes the report. This section should not be longer than 250 words. Include a short statement of the background information or main topic of the lab report. Clearly state the purpose of the study. Report the main result verbally and numerically and state whether the experiment gave the expected results and if not, why. I brief mention of the major points of your discussion should also be included. * Write this section last! It is a summary which cannot be done until all of the work of the experiment and writing of other sections is finished.*
Introduction: Gives background information for understanding the rest of the report. About one page. Keep in mind your audience and organize your thoughts in a logical fashion. Include a broad description of the general topic of the report that includes definitions and any pertinent equations with citations. Progressively narrow your explanations to a more specific discussion of the studied topic including again any definitions or equations. The last paragraph should be a brief description of the current experiment as it pertains to the theory described. Any balanced chemical equations or mathematical equations need to be centered on a new line and numbered on the right hand side. Any figures (charts or diagrams of equipment) must be numbered with a caption. All definitions, equations, or information that was found from another source such as the textbook, laboratory document from Blackboard, or internet sites MUST be referenced with a number. Do not include procedure information.
Procedure: Reference the laboratory handout on Blackboard. Write in paragraph form, in past tense, 3rd person neutral. Include actual values used in the experiment (masses of reagents, volumes of solutions, etc.) and any changes from the lab manual. Do not repeat the handout. Write in your words and be specific in your description. Do not include any calculations, observations, results, or data analysis information.
Data: Use charts, graphs, and tables to organize your data in clearly labeled sections. Number and title every table. Have a caption for every chart or graph. An example of the calculations or formulas should be provided. Any outside information must be referenced properly. Do not include any interpretation or opinions.
Results & Discussion: This is the most important section of the report and should be at least one page long. State the main result of the lab with error and compare it to expected values. Include % error or % yield if appropriate and use those results to discuss the purity of the products. Discuss any differences between the expected result and your result and identify sources of error (human error and equipment error are not acceptable sources; be specific). Interpret the results by explaining what happened during the experiment on the molecular level. Do not recite the procedure again! Reference the theory in the introduction to help explain what happened and why. Did you expect a reaction to produce a gas? Did you observe bubbles or other evidence of a gas? What gas would be produced and why?
Conclusion: Summarize the main ideas of the discussion and restate the result of the experiment. Identify a broader application of the topic with a literature citation. Did your experiment add anything new, or justify a known principle or law? How does this experiment relate to the larger world of science?
References: Number and order references according to when they were used in the text. Cite sources using ACS or APA format. See the Writing for Chemistry guide in Blackboard for help.
Gwinnett Technical College - revised 11/2013
PARTS OF A LAB REPORT
Now that you have completed an experiment and have collected all of the necessary information in your lab notebook and any supplementary data from analytical instruments, you need to write up your results in a lab report. The purpose of writing reports you've performed is to communicate exactly what occurred in an experiment or observation and to clearly discuss the results.
Abstract
The abstract is a one or two paragraph concise, yet detailed summary of the report. It should contain these four elements:
Often, the abstract is the last piece of the report written.
Introduction
This section tells the reader why you did the experiment. Include background information that suggest why the topic is of interest and related findings. It should contain the following:
Experimental (Materials and Methods)
This section should describe all experimental procedures in enough detail so that someone else could repeat the experiment. Some guidelines to follow:
Results
The results section should present data that you collected from your experiment and summarize the data with text, tables, and/or figures. Effective results sections include:
Discussion
The discussion section should explain to the reader the significance of the results and give a detailed account of what happened in the experiment. Evaluate what happened, based on the hypothesis and purpose of the experiment. If the results contained errors, analyze the reasons for the errors. The discussion should contain:
Conclusion
A brief summary of what was done, how, the results and your conclusions of the experiment. (Similar to the Abstract.)
References
A listing of published works you cited in the text of your paper listed by author or however the citation style you are using requires the citation to be listed.
Courtesy of Purdue University Libraries
http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/chemlabs
