biology homework

Name

Formal Lab Report, Lab #

Date

Formal Lab Report TEMPLATE and GUIDELINES: Text in RED should be removed before printing and submitting formal lab report.

Original descriptive title here

The title of the lab report should be original and descriptive. It should provide enough information to grab the reader’s attention. There is no maximum length for the lab report title. The running title appears in the header of the page and is limited to 50 characters. The running title does not have to be the full title of the lab report.

ABSTRACT:

Although the abstract comes first in the lab report it should be written last. The abstract is essentially a summary or overview of the entire lab report and should not exceed 250 words. Generally an abstract should include why the experiment was conducted, the problem being addressed, what methods were used, the major results obtained, and the overall conclusion from the experiment as a whole. In-text references are not required in the abstract.

INTRODUCTION:

The introduction defines the topic of the lab report. It includes background information and clearly explains what you are testing. The introduction also includes the significance of the topic and gaps in knowledge related to the experiment/research.

Introduction for formal lab report should be a minimum of three paragraphs.

Information taken from other sources (including the lab handout) should be referenced using in-text references (Author, Year). Refer to referencing guidelines posted on Blackboard. The introduction must include a minimum of 5 references: (i) the lab handout, (ii) two primary literature sources, and (iii) two secondary literature sources.

PURPOSE:

The purpose should be clearly defined and explained in one to three sentences.

HYPOTHESIS:

Identify the hypothesis to be tested. Hypothesis (or hypotheses) should be related to the purpose of the experiment.

METHODS:

The methods section should explain the steps that were taken in performing the experiment. The methods should be in narrative format, meaning the information should be relayed in a story type of writing. This section should not be in a list format or read like a recipe. Methods should be written in past tense and third person.

You may have multiple subheadings under this section if multiple methods were used. Be sure to present the methods in a detailed yet concise manner that would allow another scientist to replicate your work.

RESULTS:

The results section should include the outcomes of the experiment(s) in narrative form. The results section must have at least one figure or table. A well-executed figure (graphs, charts, diagrams, and pictures are considered figures) or table representing your results can be very effective in communicating data from your experiment. However, a figure or table cannot stand alone in communicating the results of an experiment. Any figures should be explained in the text of the results section. Figures and tables should also have a legend with a short (one to three sentences) explanation. See example:

You may have multiple subheadings under this section if results from multiple experiments are presented.

The results section should be free of any author interpretation or analysis.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION:

This section should reiterate the results in context of the overall goal/purpose of the experiment. The discussion section should link what is known in the field, as well as, any gaps in knowledge (information presented in the introduction) with the results of the experiment. This section is where the author provides interpretations and analysis of the results. The discussion section should state whether the hypothesis was accepted or rejected. The author may choose to discuss potential modifications to the experiment and/or sources of error. This section contains in-text references as necessary.

The discussion/conclusion should be a minimum of three paragraphs.

REFERENCES:

A minimum of five references should be used: (i) the lab handout, (ii) two primary literature sources, and (iii) two secondary literature sources. References should be listed in alphabetical order by author. Only references that were used in the lab report should be listed. Refer to referencing guidelines posted on Blackboard.

Additional Formal Lab Report Style Guidelines:

• Scientific writing is very concise and precise. The least amount of words you can use to express an idea, the better and more scientific your writing will be.

• Margins should 1 inch.

• The font should be Arial 11 pt. and the document should be single spaced.

• Line numbers should be included in the lab report.

• The formal lab report should include the following and each section should be subtitled:

  • Original Title

  • Abstract

  • Introduction

  • Purpose

  • Hypothesis

  • Methods

  • Results

  • Discussion/Conclusion

  • References (minimum of 5)

• The header should include a running title left justified and the student’s last name and page number right justified.

• The paper should be written entirely in 3rd person.

• No personal pronouns (I, we) should be used.

• If referring to anything that happened in the past, then use the past tense. For example, if you are writing about an experiment you have already performed, then refer to it in the past tense.

• Document your sources. When incorporating information into your lab report from another source, you should always document where you found the information. Please refer to the reference style guides on Blackboard for more help.

• Quotations should NOT be used in a laboratory report. This means that you should always be paraphrasing when presenting an idea other than your own. Paraphrasing refers to the process of putting an author’s words entirely into your own voice and style and integrating them into your work with a lead-in phrase and parenthetical note (Author, Year).

• The final formal lab report should be submitted online through Blackboard.