Lab Reports

Mrs. StewartBiomedical Science

Lab Report Guidelines

1. Students will only copy data from his/her lab partner(s).

2. You may discuss the experiment with your lab partner

and other classmates, but the lab report that you

turn in must be your own work. Lab reports are

subject to all the rules governing academic honesty.

3. Photocopies of any parts of the lab report are not

permissible.

Know the Purpose

• You MUST know the purpose of each lab.

• Keep the focus on the big picture…– Ex. What was the lab all about?

Determining the effects of temperature on growth rate of stonefly larvae…. It was not about measuring, turning on the balance,labeling the tubes, etc.

Quote:

•Those who know HOW to do something, work for others who know WHY.

-Don Odom

Parts of a Lab Report

• The Title page

• The Abstract

• The Background/Introduction (includes hypothesis)

• The Methods and Materials

• The Results

• The Discussion (includes conclusion)

• Literature Cited

Professional Voice

• 3rd person

• Past tense

• Passive

Title Page

• Title should be a clear and concise way of indicating the purpose of the lab

• Example: Determining the effect of (the independent variable) on (the dependent variable)

Title Page Setup

Clear, concise title goes here!

Your NameYour lab partner(s)

Medical InterventionsActivity #Date of lab

Abstract

• An abstract is a paragraph summary of your completed research.

• Includes one sentence from each section of your lab report.

Writing an Abstract

• Sentences should be ordered as:

1. What is the purpose of the lab?

2. Why is the lab important?

3. What did you do to get the results?

4. What were your results?

5. What are the implications of your results?

The Introduction/background

• What is the purpose (big question)?

• What is already known about this topic?

• What is your research question?

• Why is it important to ask this question?

• How will you answer this question?

• What do you expect to happen? PREDICTIONS

• Formal HYPOTHESIS

Materials and Methods

• MUST CITE PLTW. References are absolutely

necessary if you didn’t design the lab - You

can’t take the credit.

• Concise explanation of materials and

procedures…may want to include a small

figure if a procedure involved a weird or

complicated setup.

“Level of Detail” is an art in itself….

Consider these two paragraphs…

1. On January 5, I obtained four paper cups, 400 g of potting soil, and 12 radish seeds. I labeled the cups A,B,C,and D and planted three seeds per cup, using a plastic spoon to cover each seed with about one-quarter inch of soil.

2. On January 5, I planted three radish seeds in each of four

individually marked paper cups, covering the seeds with

about one-quarter inch of potting soil.

Essential details without the tedious details…

• Cups were individually marked• Three seeds per cup• One-quarter inch of covering• Potting soil

• How do we determine if something is “essential”?

• Ask: What factor(s) may have influence over my results?

The Results

• Data only in this section

• Text for each data table shows a SUMMARY- not an interpretation - just the facts.

• ALL of the following are appropriate.• A written description of your figures.• The figures themselves• Sentences like: “Feeding rate increased as

temperature increased, as seen in Figure X.”

Discussion

• This is your interpretation of your results.• why, not what• Relate results back to hypothesis and either

accept it or reject it.

• What is the significance of your data?

• What are the potential errors in your experiment?

• How could your experiment be expanded upon or improved upon?

Literature Cited

• 3 reliable sources are required for each lab report

• MUST cite PLTW

• APA style is required

• For example, in the body of the lab report:

• The sky is red at sunset due to the refraction of light off particles of pollution (Smith and Jones, 1945).

• At the end of the report in the Literature Cited section, specific format and alphabetized by author

• Wilcox, M. R. and G. S. Hoffman. 1987. Human Anatomy and Physiology. Third edition. Benjamin/Cummings, New York, New York. pp. 435-440.

Reference Page AND In-Text Citations Required