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Writing a Lab ReportWriting a Lab Report

Why?????Why????? Why? To learn how to write a scientific publication Writing a factual report is an important skill in all walks of

life Golden rule - Aim for Clarity Use good English throughout, complete sentences,

paragraphs etc. Impersonal, avoid first person - I/we Best to use passive voice – “The candle was connected

to the pie plate by dropping 4 drops of wax on the pan….” rather than “I connected the candle to the …”

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Major Parts of a Lab ReportMajor Parts of a Lab Report Title on a Cover page Purpose Hypothesis List of Materials and Equipment Procedure Observations Data Chart Calculations and Analysis Graphs Conclusion

Example Cover page:Example Cover page:

Title of Lab (given)

Your Name

Date the lab was performed

Course Name

Instructor Name

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PurposePurpose

Describe why you are performing this investigation. (Stating the Problem)

Explain how you are going to prove or disprove you theory or hypothesis.

“To be able to……”

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HypothesisHypothesis

Educated guess including the student’s expected results.

List of Materials and EquipmentList of Materials and Equipment

Materials and equipment are two different things:

Materials: chemicals and supplies you use

Equipment: safety equipment, beakers, flasks, bunsen burners, etc.

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ProcedureProcedure

Describe step by step “what to do”Summary, either in a numbered or

bulleted list, of what was done in the activity.

Make a labeled diagram of the experiment.

There are no understood procedures!!!

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ObservationsObservations

Describe the initial visual appearance and any other information using your senses

Describe any changes during the experiment.

Use an organized chart for this.

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Data Chart / GraphData Chart / Graph

Organize your observations and measurements in a clear chart or graph

Time (s) Position (m)

0 0

1 6

2 12

3 18

4 24

Velocity

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0 1 2 3 4 5

TIME (s)

DIS

PL

AC

EM

EN

T (

M)

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Calculations and AnalysisCalculations and Analysis

Record of all formulas and complete equations used to arrive at your conclusions.

Measurements are accurate and within 5% of the true answer and show proper units!

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Conclusion Conclusion At least 2 paragraphs!!!At least 2 paragraphs!!!

Summarize essential lab data. Explain how the essential data answers the

purpose. Support your analysis with data from the lab

(usually numeric). Identify possible reasons for error and how they

should be corrected. Define (teacher-directed) new vocabulary terms

and answer all questions given in the lab.

Self Evaluation:Self Evaluation:

Students are expected to honestly evaluate their own work. If the difference between the student evaluation and the teacher evaluation is more than 10 points, 5 points will be deducted from the teacher’s score when the grade is recorded.

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SummarySummary

Lab reports represent 20% of your quarterly grade

You must include all sections of the report

Use Word, Excel or PowerPoint to compose your lab

A portion of your grade will be in the presentation of your work.