Learning Management System

Topic LABORATORY REPORT WRITING

All reports should be written up in the way used in scientific literature. A good lab report
does more than present data; it demonstrates the writer's comprehension of the concepts
behind the data. Merely recording the expected and observed results is not sufficient; you
should also identify how and why differences occurred, explain how they affected your
experiment, and shows your understanding of the principles the experiment was designed to
examine. Bear in mind that a format, however helpful, cannot replace clear thinking and
organized writing. You still need to organize your ideas carefully and express them
coherently.

A typical format for laboratory reports is given below:

1. The Title Page

The experimental title needs to contain the name of the experiment, the names of lab
partners/group, and the date of submission, name of marker, name of college and the
institution. Titles should be straightforward, informative, and less than ten words.

2. The Abstract/ Summary

A tightly written abstract summarizes four essential aspects of the report: the purpose
of the experiment (sometimes expressed as the purpose of the report), key findings,
significance and major conclusions. The abstract often also includes a brief reference
to theory or methodology. The information should clearly enable readers to decide
whether they need to read your whole report. The abstract should be one paragraph of
100-200 words.

3. The Introduction/ Theoretical Background

This is to place the work in the perspective of prior work including key literature
survey. It states the objective of the experiment and provides the reader with
background to the experiment. State the topic of your report clearly and concisely, in
one or two sentences. A good introduction also provides whatever background theory,
previous research, or formulas the reader needs to know. Usually, an instructor does
not want you to repeat the lab manual, but to show your own comprehension of the
problem.

4. Experimental Methods and Materials (or Equipment)

An account of how experiment was carried out. It can usually be a simple list, but make
sure it is accurate and complete. In some cases, you can simply direct the reader to a lab
manual or standard procedure. Always use the third person and the past tense to describe
what was done. Do not copy from the handbook, which, in any case, is not an account of
the method, but a set of instructions. Do not waste time drawing elaborate sketches of the
equipment unless it is vital to what you are trying to describe. A simple line drawing is
sufficient.

Last update: 2 November 2010 Page 1 of 2

This material is only for viewing purposes. Do not print and distribute.
 Learning Management System

5. Results and Analysis

This should include a complete listing of your experimental readings, any data
manipulation, required graphs, etc. Calculations, tables and figures usually dominate
results; however, you still need to state all significant results explicitly in verbal form.
Graphics need to be clear, easily read, and well labelled. An important strategy for
making your results effective is to draw the reader's attention to them with a sentence
or two, so the reader has a focus when reading the graph. All columns and axes
should be labelled with the variable name and its units.

6. Discussion

This is the most important and crucial part of your report, because here, you show
that you understand the experiment beyond the simple level of completing it. Explain.
Analyze. Interpret. Some people like to think of this as the "subjective" part of the
report. By that, they mean this is what is not readily observable. You should not
confined yourself just to these points, but consider other aspects of the experiment.

7. Conclusions

The conclusions represent a summary of the important findings in the experiment. It

can be very short in most undergraduate laboratories. There can be more detail than in
the summary at the front of the report, but any conclusions should be clearly and
concisely stated. Simply state what you know now for sure, as a result of the lab. Do
not introduce any new material here, any conclusions must refer to material that
already discussed in the earlier report.

8. References

Any reference used must be mentioned in the main report and as part of a complete
list at the end of the reports. The reference list should give the author, the title of the
publication and the date of publication.

Last update: 2 November 2010 Page 2 of 2

This material is only for viewing purposes. Do not print and distribute.