HOW TO WRITE A LAB REPORT
Mr. Gilliland - Regular & Honors Physical Science @SHS

Lab reports should contain the following parts. When you write a lab be sure to list these categories.

Title: Give your lab a descriptive title. Often Mr. G will give you the title.

Purpose: Explains the reason(s) why you did the lab. "Because my teacher told me to do it" is not acceptable.

Hypothesis*: The hypothesis is stated as an If...,then... statement. The "If" part of the statement is based on related facts you know to be true. The "then" part of the statement is an educated prediction on the outcome of the experiment. * Only write a hypothesis when Mr. G tells you to do so. Most of our labs don't require one.

Materials: List all the material used in the lab. Be sure to list quantities (amounts). If you use different sizes of an instrument, such as a graduate, you only need to write it once and place the sizes in parenthesis, ie. graduates (10mL, 25mL and 50mL).

Procedure: A step-by-step explanation of exactly how you conducted the lab. Like directions you would use to put a bike together, the procedure should be broken down into steps containing one or two sentences. This allows someone to easily follow the steps. Be very clear as this is usually the longest part of the lab. Your procedure should be such that someone who missed the lab could use your procedure to conduct the lab without asking Mr. G how to do it. If you did one procedure at a lab station and then rotated through the lab repeating that procedure at the other stations, just describe the procedure once (breaking into small, numbered steps). Then below that procedure write something like: repeat the above steps at all the other stations. You do not need to list the procedure at every station if it is the same procedure at all stations.

Data: This is information you collected in the experiment. Often the data is placed in a data table for better organization and comparison. This is also where you would include drawings and graphs. Be sure to include units in your measurements. If you had to do calculations in your lab be sure to rewrite them (with units) and include them in your final draft. These calculations are considered data and are either placed below your data table or in it.

Conclusion: This is often the hardest part of the lab. A conclusion explains what your data means - it describes how your data relates to the problem. Part of the conclusion may be a new hypothesis based on your findings. Do not simply restate your hypothesis. Also don't state things like "This lab made be a better person..." or "I learned so much from doing this lab...".
At times Mr. Gilliland will give you questions to answer in lieu of writing a conclusion. When you answer these questions write in complete sentences and keep the questions separated by their numbers. You have the option of either writing the question and then the answer or just writing the answer with the question incorporated in your answer.

If you still have any questions, please ask Mr. Gilliland before the lab is due. Be sure to staple the rough draft (which usually includes your lab stamps) to the back of the final draft.

Things to Remember:

1. You always work together collecting your data in the laboratory. You NEVER work together writing your lab report or give your lab to another lab partner to copy. Collecting data is a collective activity - writing the lab is an individual activity.
2. Labs are to be done in ink or typed. Make sure your final draft is neat and has been checked for spelling and grammar errors.
3. Write the headings in your lab (Title, Purpose...) and separate each section with a blank line. Keep the headings in their correct order - do not place your data after your conclusion or your procedure before the purpose.
4. NEVER change your data! Your accuracy and honesty is crucial. Usually your grade is not determined by your data - instead it is based on your accuracy and attention to detail.
5. Be sure to keep all your original data and staple it to the back of your lab. This allows you to look at your original data if there is a question if you made a mistake transferring it to your final draft. It also includes your lab stamps which verify you did the lab.
6. Have your final draft, with the original data (including stamps) stapled to the back, ready to turn in on the day it is due. As you know, no late work is accepted in Mr. Gilliland's class.