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    Lab Format Outline

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    charmdoodle6965
    This document outlines the typical sections and content included in a formal laboratory report: 1) title page with experiment details; 2) introduction stating the purpose and background; 3) methods and materials describing the procedure; 4) results and observations summarizing data in tables and figures; 5) discussion analyzing and interpreting results and addressing sources of error; and 6) conclusions summarizing whether the hypothesis was supported. References should be included in ACS format for any outside information used. Key details and formatting are provided for each section to guide students in effectively reporting on their experiment.

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    Lab Format Outline

    Uploaded by

    charmdoodle6965
    75 views4 pages
    This document outlines the typical sections and content included in a formal laboratory report: 1) title page with experiment details; 2) introduction stating the purpose and background; 3) methods and materials describing the procedure; 4) results and observations summarizing data in tables and figures; 5) discussion analyzing and interpreting results and addressing sources of error; and 6) conclusions summarizing whether the hypothesis was supported. References should be included in ACS format for any outside information used. Key details and formatting are provided for each section to guide students in effectively reporting on their experiment.

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    This document outlines the typical sections and content included in a formal laboratory report: 1) title page with experiment details; 2) introduction stating the purpose and background; 3) methods and materials describing the procedure; 4) results and observations summarizing data in tables and figures; 5) discussion analyzing and interpreting results and addressing sources of error; and 6) conclusions summarizing whether the hypothesis was supported. References should be included in ACS format for any outside information used. Key details and formatting are provided for each section to guide students in effectively reporting on their experiment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    75 views4 pages

    Lab Format Outline

    Uploaded by

    charmdoodle6965
    This document outlines the typical sections and content included in a formal laboratory report: 1) title page with experiment details; 2) introduction stating the purpose and background; 3) methods and materials describing the procedure; 4) results and observations summarizing data in tables and figures; 5) discussion analyzing and interpreting results and addressing sources of error; and 6) conclusions summarizing whether the hypothesis was supported. References should be included in ACS format for any outside information used. Key details and formatting are provided for each section to guide students in effectively reporting on their experiment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    Formal Laboratory Outline

    Remember this is just an outline for you to follow. Listen to your instructor and if they has a slightly different format than the one outlined here, follow their instructions.

    1.

    Title Page (This page has been removed from example)

    A title page should contain the following information. 1. 2. 3. 4. Helpful Hints: 1. The title should be brief, ten words or less, but still summarize what you did for the laboratory. Try to avoid starting you title with The or A. The title of the experiment. Your name and the names of any lab partners. Your instructor's name and the name of the lab class. The date the lab was performed.

    2.

    Introduction

    For the introduction you need to state the purpose of the experiment in simple terms that can be understood by a peer. You should highlight some of the history, and background, of the experiment as well as any theories that are relevant to the experiment. Try to be concise and to the point, the introduction should not be more than a page or two. Any formulas that are central to the experiment should be introduced, how the formula was derived can be discussed but do not give an example of how the equation is used during the experiment. Do not forget to state the purpose of the experiment; the introduction is where you state your hypothesis. Helpful Hints: 1. 2. Do not forget to properly reference any background information. Do not paraphrase or recopy the introduction from the lab handout.

    3.

    Methods and Materials

    Methods: Describe your procedure during the laboratory; be detailed enough that anybody who was reading your instructions could duplicate the experiment. Details include masses of various reactants and products, volumes of solvents and values of anything you measured. If your experiment deviates from the instructions make sure to mention any

    changes it in this section. Also, key observations like changes in color or temperature, foaming, explosions etc. should also be noted. Materials: In paragraph form list the equipment and chemicals needed to complete the experiment; this includes the model name and number of any instruments used for measurements. You should also mention if a chemical is dangerous and briefly summarize any unique handling procedures for that chemical. Helpful hints: 1. 2. If you are having difficulty describing a set up try drawing a picture to add as a Figure in this section. The method section should always be written in the past tense.

    Results and Observations


    Results: The result section is a summery of all you data. The results should be summarized in one or two paragraphs and should include all data tables and graphs collected during the course of the experiment. Any error, uncertainties and random error should be noted in the result section. Helpful Hints: 1. 2. Remember this is a summery of you data only; your interpretation of the data is summarized in the Discussion Section. Do not forget to label your tables and graphs properly; this includes a title and units of measurements. (See examples below)

    Table 1. Distance traveled in km after predetermined time (sec) Experiment # Time (sec) Distance (km) 1 500 0.5 2 1000 1.0 3 1500 1.5 4 2000 2.0 5 2500 2.5

    3 2.5 Distance (km) 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 500 1000 1500 Time (sec) Distance Traveled 2000 2500 3000

    Figure 1. Distance traveled (km) over a given time (sec).

    Discussion
    The discussion section is where you analyze and interpret the data collected in the results section. In this section you will discuss if you hypothesis was valid, or not, and why. This section should contain a summary of any formulas used for this experiment as well an example of that equation being used properly. Be objective, if the results are not what you expected, explain why. Explain any sources of error, assumptions or mistakes you made during the laboratory and how it affected you results. In the discussion section you can also describe any ways the experiment can be improved. Helpful Hints: 1. 2. 3. Avoid using 1st person during the discussion. This section should also be written in the present tense. When explaining your results, reference your data, and site specific examples from your data. Make sure your sources of error are valid; I did not understand what I was doing is not a valid source of error. Sources of error are typically events you do not have total control over. For example, trace amounts of material left behind during a transfers or malfunction equipment (before you use this as a source of error try a different instrument) are valid sources of error. When talking about improvements to the lab, avoid feelings. It is irrelevant to the experiment if you liked it or not, this is a discussion of your results not your feelings about the laboratory.

    4.

    5.

    Remember just because an experiment appeared to be successful your results can still be wrong, try and find accepted publish data to compare to your results. Do not forget to properly site that source in the reference section.

    Conclusions
    The conclusion is typically a single paragraph that sums up what happened during the experiment and whether your hypothesis was accepted or rejected and what this means.

    References
    Any facts, theories or research that you put into your report that is not your own should be listed in the reference section in the proper ACS format. Helpful Hints: 1. If you are not sure if something should be sited, site it, better safe than sorry.

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