FORMAL Lab Report format-
Conclusion, Discussion, References – at least one reference cited at end of lab that was used and cited within the lab
Introduction - Begin with broad statements, including enough background information (with reference to outside sources) to set the stage for your experiment. Then narrow down to your particular study, explaining why it is of interest. Specify the objectives of the experiment, and make your hypotheses clear. One to three paragraphs is usually sufficient. Do not regurgitate the lab handout; write your own introduction. Identify the dependent and independent variables in the experiment.
Hypothesis - If then hypothesis with dependent and independent variables underlined.
Materials and Methods (or just Methods) - Summarize briefly the entire process that was followed and the materials that were used, and then refer to the lab directions and to any flow charts you have included for the details. Do note any differences in the procedures you actually followed from what was specified in the lab directions. Anyone who reads your report should be able to duplicate the experiment. This section should be a small part of the report, so don't expand endlessly. Do not include results here.
Data/Observations - (states and shows results )This part of the lab includes relevant data tables, figures ( drawings, graphs ). Each table should have a descriptive title which identifies the table eg. Table 2 Percentage of Students with Each Blood Type. Each graph needs a complete title which includes, the independent an dependent variables and tells what the graph shows and. All straight lines should be drawn with a ruler.. Do not use markers on graphs or tables. Chi square calculations would be included in the data section.
Conclusion - ( states answer to original question )The conclusion places the results within the context of the lab and states whether or not the experiment supported the hypothesis. Reference is made to some of the data that support or refute the hypothesis. Eg. “The average number of heart beats in the experimental group was 86 and was too close to the control average heart rate to be significant.”
Discussion - In this section the results should be interpreted and their significance explained. Begin the discussion by interpreting your specific results and end it more broadly by placing your results in context. Don't declare the experiment a success or failure; evaluate the results in view of the purpose of the experiment. If erroneous results were obtained, discuss the results you expected as well as those you received. You may also compare methods or discuss difficulties, but if you list sources of error, you should estimate how important each source of error may be. If you were to do the experiment again, what if anything, would you do differently? It is inappropriate to include statements such as "I learned a lot from this experiment..." The discussion is a very important section; it is your chance to show how well you understand the ideas and techniques involved and to relate your results to the ideas expressed in outside sources (the literature cited). Explains why the experiment produced the results it did. ( explains the finding, explains the reasons )
Literature Cited - List any publications referred to in your paper alphabetically by first author; do not number them. Every item in your bibliography should be referred to in the body of your paper, or it shouldn't be listed at all. If you use information from an intermediary source, you should list the original reference but should also note the intermediary: "...cited in...". We will use the following standard forms (some journals use variations of these), shown in order for: (1) an article with one author, (2) an article with more than one author, (3) a book, and (4) a chapter from an edited volume:
Reynolds, P.D. 1992. Mantle-mediated shell decollation increases posterior aperture size in Dentalium rectius Carpenter 1864 (Scaphopoda: Dentaliida). Veliger 35:26-35.
Gapp, D.A., R.N. Taranto, E.F. Walsh, P.J. Favorito, and Y. Zhang. 1990.
Insulin cells are found in the main and accessory urinary bladders of the painted
turtle, Chrysemys picta. J. Exp. Zool. 254:332-337.
Stokes, D., L. Stokes, and E. Williams. 1991. The Butterfly Book. Little, Brown and Co., Boston. 96 pp.
Pearcy, R.W., and W.A. Pfitsch. 1994. Consequences of sunflecks for
photosynthesis and growth of forest understory plants. Pages 343-359 in E.D.
Schulze and M.M. Caldwell, editors. Ecophysiology of Photosynthesis. Springer
Verlag, New York.