How to Write a Formal Organic Laboratory Report

How To Write a Formal Organic Laboratory Report

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 non-personal voice. All in-lab modifications to the procedure must be noted. 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 and compare their results with your results. The report must reference at least two (2) ACS published journals (ChemLib Guide, GTC library).

Each laboratory report is worth a total of one hundred (100) points. Each section of the laboratory report is evaluated as follows:

Title Page (5 pt.): Required for submission (however please use the header function to place your name (last, first) on each page in case the title page is separated). The title page must include the following information:

Title of experiment

Student name

Course Title and Code

Instructor Name

Submission date

Abstract

Abstract (5 pt.): Summarizes the report, gives the overall reaction and results. The abstract should not be longer than 250 words. The abstract contains a brief explanation the underlying principles being explored in the study. The purpose for doing the experiment or the hypothesis is clearly stated. The key findings (results) of the experiment and major points of discussion (relating your findings to the big picture of science) are stated as well. Finally the major conclusions which were drawn from the lab are included. *NOTE: THE ABSTRACT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE LAST SECTION ONE WRITES. IT IS A SUMMARY, WHICH CANNOT BE DONE UNTIL ALL OF THE WORK OF THE EXPERIMENT AND THE WRITING OF OTHER SECTIONS IS FINISHED.*

Introduction (20 pt.): This section contains the pertinent historical and theoretical material that is relevant to the experiment. Keep in mind your audience and organize your thoughts in a logical fashion. Present information that suggests why your work is interesting, why the method may prove to be successful and what conclusions can be drawn. The final paragraph in this section should be a brief description of the current experiment as it pertains to the theory described. Include balanced chemical equations where applicable. If you use the course textbook, library resources, the laboratory manual or internet sites to gather information, you MUST reference your sources at the end of your report. All references should be numbered.

Data (20 pt.): This section of the report is usually dominated with figures, charts, graphs, plots and diagrams. All should be clearly labeled and sample calculations and/or formulas should be provided. Each figure should be numbered and have a figure legend briefly describing the figure. This section is only for data, not interpretation.

Results and Discussion (25 pt.): This is the most important section of the report. It demonstrates that you understand and can interpret the data you have collected. Interpret the data obtained, observations, graphs, etc. and compare with literature sources where necessary. Relate the experimental results to the theory discussed in the introduction. This section also addresses the yield and purity of products and possible sources of error that may have influenced these results. Relate your results to other literature or to other groups (be sure to reference the group properly). If the yield is greater than 100% explain why.

Conclusions (5 pt.): This section summarizes the main results. How does this experiment relate to the larger world of science? Did your experiment add anything new, or justify a known principle or law? What would be the next logical step to justify your findings or to clarify your results?

Experimental Section (15 pt.): This section is written in the past tense, 3^rd person and non-personal. You may reference the lab handout; however you must include the actual values used in the experiments (weights, volumes etc.) along with any changes to the procedure that differed from the manual. Do not just repeat the handout with your values or verbiage. Write in your own words and be precise. Remember, you are writing this report so another student can repeat the experiment.

References (5 pt.): As discussed above, numbered according to use within the text. Must contain at least two (2) ACS published journals. Refer to the Citing Reference Guide under the “How to” section in Blackboard

GTC Chemistry - revised 5/2013

Parts of a Lab Report

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 instrucments, you need to write up your results in a lab report. The purpose of writing reports you've performed is to communicate exactly what occured 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:

What the objectives of the study were (the central question);
Brief statement of what was done (Methods);
Brief statement of what was found (Results);
Brief statement of what was concluded (Discussion).

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:

Descriptions of the nature of the problem and summaries of relevant research to provide context and key terms so your reader can understand the experiment.
A statement of the purpose, scope, and general method of investigation in your study. Express the central question you are asking.
Descriptions of your experiement, hypothesis(es), research questions. Explain what you are proposing for certain obervations.

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:

Explain the general type of scientific procedure you used to study the problem.
Describe what materials, subjects, and equipment you used (Materials).
Explain the steps you took in your experiment and how did you proceed(Methods).
Mathematical equations and statistical tests should be described.

Results

The results section should present data that you collected from your experiement and summarize the data with text, tables, and/or figures. Effective results sections include:

All results should be presented, including those that do not support the hypothesis.
Statements made in the text must be supported by the results contained in figures and tables.

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:

Summarize the important findings of your observations.
For each result, describe the patterns, principles, relationships your results show. Explain how your results relate to expectations and to references cited. Explain any agreements, contradictions, or exceptions. Describe what additional reserach migh resolve contradictions or explain exceptions.
Suggest the theoretical implications of your results. Extend your findings to other situations or other species. Give the big picture: do your findings help us understand a broader topic?

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