Full Lab Report Format

When we do a full lab report (when appropriate, generally once per cycle), here are the sections you should include and a description of each. When you’re writing a lab report, please pull this out or see my website where it is always posted! It’s important to follow the guidelines. They are designed to model most college lab reports and papers (lab reports) written in the wider scientific community for science “journals.”

Sections: 
(Sections should be titled and appear in this order)

Introduction:
A paragraph or two including the background info. needed for the lab, the purpose of the lab, and a hypothesis if applicable.  Imagine that you are someone outside APES that wants to read a report about what you did. What background info would they need to understand it? (It’s probably the background info. we’ve covered leading into the lab!) Often it flows best to start with the background info and end with the lab purpose as the last sentence of the introduction.

Materials & Methods:
A paragraph summary of the procedure.  This is NOT a detailed re-typing of the procedure step by step (that doesn’t have much value). Summarize what we did. For example, you could say that we made ozone test strips with filter paper and a heated mixture of corn starch, potassium iodide, and water. You don’t need to include the measurements of the items, how long they were stirred on a hot plate, etc.

Results (Data):
Any data tables completed in the lab and any graphs assigned to represent the results. These should be inserted directly into lab report document in this order.  I’d be happy to help you with creating data tables, graphs, etc. on the computer and lab report. Just ask!

Analysis of Results:
Answer numbered analysis questions given.  (Occasionally I’ll leave this part out).

Conclusion
A paragraph including three things: (1) The overall conclusions taken from lab. What statements can you make from your data? Think back to the lab’s purpose. 
(2) Discussion of any sources of error that could have affected your data and how reliable your conclusion is.  Sources of error don’t technically include you making mistakes (we’re assuming you always measure things correctly, follow steps…). Sources of error include how the lab wasn’t designed perfectly causing the data to not be 100% accurate. 
(3): End with why labs and data like this is important in the “real world” - how the conclusions can be applied to the “real world.”  For example, it is really important to know the nutrient content in one’s soil as it directly affects what plants you can grow and how well they will grow…