Have a comment or feedback on the new Assignment Calculator? Click here to leave a comment...
1
Understand your assignment. Attend lab and complete experiment.
Before lab:
Read over lab assignment in advance.
Define your objectives, prediction or hypothesis.
Summarize your expected outcomes.
If needed, do brief literature search to understand context around experiment.
During
lab: Take detailed notes on procedures and results and note
any
differences in procedures or expected outcomes. Record
enough detail to
allow someone else to repeat experiment based on your notes.
As you write your report be aware of the style of scientific writing in your discipline and grammar:
Write in complete sentences. Try to stay away from using "I". Use past tense. Use an active voice not passive.
Note:
This is most useful for lab reports which are based on IMRAD
(introduction, methods, results and discussion). Each discipline,
course, and instructor may require a different format and style for
the
lab report. Be sure to tailor these general steps to your specific
assignment and talk to your instructor if you have questions.
2
Describe your materials and methods
Briefly explain overall procedures. List materials and equipment used.
Explain
in detail the steps in the experiment including
sub-headings, if
needed. Be specific so another student could replicate the
experiment.
Do not include results.
Include lab notes, if required.
3
Analyze and describe your results
Analyze data collected or observed.
Report major results with no interpretation.
Create data tables, graphs, or charts to clearly display results.
Use subheadings.
Do not make up or modify data if results are different than you expected.* Explain possible causes of unexpected results.
*Note: Fabricating or falsifying data is considered Scholastic Dishonesty in the Student Conduct Code.
4
Conduct library research. Develop your introduction
Review the literature to find relevant material and theories to provide context and rationale.
Contact the libraries for more help finding relevant materials
Interpret and synthesize your results in the discussion and conclusion
Refer to your hypothesis, outcomes or predictions as you discuss conclusions.
Support
each conclusion with evidence from your experiment. Describe
your
rationale for your conclusions and any patterns or
relationship your
results demonstrate.
Compare results to the expected results and to those found in the literature (include citations).
Discuss
the limitations of your experiment: what can't you conclude?
What other
interpretations may be correct? What were the limits of the
methods you
used?
Discuss how your results fit into a broader context such as practical applications or other situations, species, systems, etc.
6
Write your abstract. Develop a title. Revise and rewrite
The abstract is generally 100-200 words and summarizes the whole lab report in a concise and descriptive manner.
1