Writing a Lab Report

Major Parts of a Lab Report Title page Abstract Purpose Procedure Observations Results/Data Chart Calculations Conclusion Questions answered in conclusion

Title Page Title Name Date Class

Title Straightforward (not more than a few words) Examples: Too little detail: Fast food purchases Too much detail: Differences in the fast food purchasing habits of men and women in the last month in Brighton Just right: Differences in the fast food purchasing habits of men and women

Abstract Describe why you are performing this investigation. What you did, what you got, how you got it, and your percent error Short Sweet to the point No more than 5-7 sentences

Purpose Purpose review prompts from lab Why are you performing the lab

Procedure Describe step by step “what you did” Include all experiments for each day written in a paragraph form Past tense because it has already happened Do not use I, me, we, you, etc… What safety cautions should you be concerned with.

Observations Describe the initial visual appearance and any other information using your senses Describe any changes during the experiment. Describe the result of the experiment

Data Chart / Graph Time (s) Position (m) 1 6 2 12 3 18 4 24 Organize your observations and measurements in a clear chart or graph All charts must have a description

Figures: Figure 1: The mean number of fast food purchases made by males and females in last month. Error bars show ± 1 S.E.M.

Calculations Show an example of one calculation and the answers to the same Show how theoretical and percent yield were calculated

Conclusion Questions Summary of all results Include where any possible errors could have occurred.

Summary You must include all sections of the report Use Word or Excel to compose your lab Never use I, me, you, we, etc… Past tense All figures and charts must have description Always explain figures/charts in report and reference them. 12 pt Times New Roman Double space 1 in margins Number pages bottom right Last name in header right