How to Write a Lab Report
1. Title
Brief (aim for ten words or less) and describes the main point of the experiment or investigation.
Brief (aim for ten words or less) and describes the main point of the experiment or investigation.
Example: "Effects of Different Types of Exercise on Heart
Rate".
2. Purpose:
5-6 sentences
One paragraph that explains the purpose of the investigation. This paragraph should include your well-defined question, hypothesis and the variables in the experiment.
One paragraph that explains the purpose of the investigation. This paragraph should include your well-defined question, hypothesis and the variables in the experiment.
-
In
one sentence, explain what you were trying to learn by doing the experiment:
The question. “In this experiment, I wanted to find out ___________________.”
-
In
one sentence, state the hypothesis. “My hypothesis was that, if I ___________,
then ______________________, because _________________________.”
-
In
2-3 sentences, summarize how the experiment was performed. “To
test this hypothesis, I changed ______________________ to see how it affected
__________________, and I measured ________________________.”
DON’T: Don’t use long, descriptive sentences. Simply state the facts, as directly as you
can.
3. Materials
List every material you needed to complete your experiment. This list should be in a bullet-point form. Make sure you include AMOUNTS: how much of every material did you need?
List every material you needed to complete your experiment. This list should be in a bullet-point form. Make sure you include AMOUNTS: how much of every material did you need?
·
DON’T: Don’t write this as a paragraph.
It should be a simple, bullet-point list.
4. Procedures
Describe the steps you completed during your experiment. This is your step-by-step set of procedures. Be detailed enough that any intelligent 4th grader could read the procedures and duplicate your experiment. If there is some part of your procedures that is difficult to explain, or involves how to set-up some equipment, it may be helpful to provide a diagram to help explain your initial setup.
Describe the steps you completed during your experiment. This is your step-by-step set of procedures. Be detailed enough that any intelligent 4th grader could read the procedures and duplicate your experiment. If there is some part of your procedures that is difficult to explain, or involves how to set-up some equipment, it may be helpful to provide a diagram to help explain your initial setup.
5. Data
Numerical data obtained from your investigation usually is presented as a data table and a graph. The table and graphs include only what you recorded when you conducted the experiment,
Numerical data obtained from your investigation usually is presented as a data table and a graph. The table and graphs include only what you recorded when you conducted the experiment,
6. Conclusions
An explanation that sums up what happened in the experiment.
· In one sentence, accept or reject the
hypothesis: “The results from the
experiment support my hypothesis that…”
· In one sentence, use data to answer the
original question: “The use of fertilizer
increased the rate of growth in plants by 6 centimeters.”
· In one sentence, offer scientific reasons why
the results were the way they were (bring in the science we are learning in
class): “Fertilizer adds nutrients to
plants therefore accelerating the rate of growth.”
· In one sentence, identify any errors that
could have affected the results: “The two
plants used in the experiment were in different conditions, one being more
healthy than the other.”
· In one sentence, write at least 1 interesting
follow-up question that you could investigate now that you have completed this
lab: “Now that I know fertilizer affects
plant height, I would be interested in investigating whether the brand of
fertilizer affects how fast a plant grows.”
