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How to write a lab report Example of lab report format
Report Format:
Laboratory Reports
Written laboratory reports are required for most exercises, and the grade for lab is based primarily ( sometimes entirely) on these reports. This section is intended as a style and format guide for students. Additional instructions for preparing lab reports will be given for each report in class.
Lab reports should be organized into four labeled sections: INTRODUCTION, METHODS, RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS. Reports need not be typed, but should be legible and the pages should be fastened together.
The INTRODUCTION should provide some background information about the lab exercise (i.e., discuss the chemistry principle used, or the process being studied, or both). Clearly state the objective, or purpose, of the exercise… It is may be necessary to consult textbooks, or internet material. The introduction should not under any circumstances be copied directly from the lab manual!
The METHODS section should be written in sufficiently clear detail that another student could repeat the exercise. Write down just what you did, preferably in the first person active (e.g., “I examined the slides”, Not “the student was instructed to examine the slides”). If you realized that you did some part of the procedure wrong, be honest…this information may help to explain subsequent unexpected results. If an experiment lasts through more than one lab period, take notes on methods as you go along. Procedural details are rarely remembered accurately after several weeks have passed. Additionally any special precautions, or lab hazards should be noted here.
The RESULTS section will consist of illustrations, raw numerical data, and/or data analyses. Specifics as to what is required will be included in the instructions for each exercise. Some reports may require only illustrations, whereas others may entail extensive mathematical analysis.
In the CONCLUSIONS section, you should discuss what (if anything) you have learned form the lab exercise, and what ( if anything) went wrong in the course of the experiment. Any questions posed in the lab should be answered. A correlation between the introductory background information and the results should be made (i.e. did the results support the chemical law or statement and how did it do so or how did it fail) REMEMBER this is the most important part of the report….tie everything together here…justify your statements with proof from the lab results.