How!to!write!a!lab!report!

And not die trying…

A!lab!report!is!a!formal!work!used!as!a!way!of!presenting!scientific!data!and!results!coming!
from!an!experiment.!Is!a!very!powerful!tool!that!the!scientific!community!use!as!a!way!of!
sharing!information!and!making!it!available!to!anyone!around!the!world.!
!
There!are!many!formats!that!a!lab!report!could!use,!but!in!the!science!classes!we!are!going!
to!use!a!general!format!for!our!reports,!divided!in!the!following!segments:!
!
1-!Introduction:! This!is!the!beginning!of!the!lab!report,!in!here!you!should!
introduce!your!readers!to!the!main!topic!of!the!experiment,!also!for!setting!the!main!
goals!of!the!experiment.!Explain!and!define!the!main!concepts!you!are!working!with.!
This!is!the!part!where!all!the!theory!behind!your!experiment!has!to!be.!(remember!
to!use!cites!and!bibliography,!remember!you!are!doing!a!research).!
!
Example:!if!John!is!doing!an!experiment!about!Solar!energy!he!must!explain!what!is!
energy,!electricity,!solar!energy…!etc.!!
!
2-!Experimental! Design:! In! this! section! you! are! going! to! explain! the!
procedure! of! the! experiment.! For! a! better! use! of! this! section! we! can! split! it! in! 2!
parts:!
!!
a)!Procedure: in!this!part!you!are!going!to!present!the!reader!all#the#
steps!of!your!experiment,!with!the!correct!measurements!and!reactants!used!
during! the! experiment.! (tip:! you! can! number! each! step! in! a! list! format! if! it! is!
easier!for!you)!
!
b)!Materials:!here!you!must!list!all!the!material!you!are!going!to!use,!
!
!example:!50!ml!beaker,!rulers,!thermometer…!
In!the!case!of!chemical!reactants,!you!must!create!a!table!like!the!following:!
!
Table!of!Chemical!and!Physical!properties!of!the!reactants!
 Name! Formula! Molar! Melting! Boiling!! Density! solubility! Toxicity!
Mass! point!(C! Point! (g/cm3)!
(g/mol)! )! (C!)!
Water! H2O! 18! 0! 100! 1.00! ether! none!
!
This! are! all! basic! properties! of! each! chemical! substance! that! you! have! to!
research.!You!must!do!this!for!all!the!reactants!used!during!the!lab.!
!
3-!Results!/!data:!This!section!is!the!part!of!the!report!where!you!are!
going!to!present!all!the!graphs,!calculations,!fill!in!tables,!pictures!or!any!type!of!
information!that!you!obtained!form!the!experiment.!Be!careful!!This!is!only!for!
data,!you!shouldn´t#have!any!comment!or!interpretations!in!this!sections.!The!goal!
is!to!present!only!the!facts!!
!
4-!Discussion:!This!is!the!moment!for!interpretations!!Here!you!should!analyze!
the!graphs!and!what!are!the!numbers!saying!about!the!results!of!your!experiment.!
You!must!back!up!your!analysis!with!bibliography!and!point!out!possible!failures!in!
the!experimental!procedure.!This!is!the!time!for!critical!thinking.!
!
5-!Conclusion:!Do!you!achieved!your!goal?!Was!your!hypothesis!right,!wrong!
or!you!got!an!inconclusive!result?!Say!it!!This!sections!is!for!that,!wrap!up!what!
your!goal!was!and!what!you!got!at!the!end.!This!is!also!a!space!for!
recommendations,!think!that!some!other!researchers!might!read!this!and!try!to!
reproduce!your!experiment,!so!tell!them!what!things!you!would!do!different!from!
this!experiment!in!order!to!get!better!results.!
!
6-!Bibliography:!This!last!part!is!where!you!must!list!all!the!references!you!
used,!they!must!follow!the!rules!of!APA!citing.!
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Hope!this!might!guide!you!into!having!a!great!experience!working!at!the!lab!!Remember!
that!science!helps!us!build!knowledge!about!our!natural!world!and!you!are!able!to!be!
part!of!that!amazing!adventure,!so!enjoy!it!!