Introduction

A critical aspect of conducting laboratory experiments is effectively communicating your findings and conclusions in written form. Reporting the results of an experiment and providing a critical analysis of the data is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this goal. This form of writing is called technical writing.

Technical writing involves describing what occurred as clearly and concisely as possible. Technical reports tell the reader what they will see presented in the report, outline the data/evidence, and finally tell the reader what they have seen.

While most people do not have to write about scientific findings in real life, it is essential in today’s world to communicate effectively with others in written form. All areas of employment, from health care to construction, require effective communication between co-workers. Reporting your laboratory findings will help you develop writing and communication skills that will benefit your career after college.

You will be responsible for completing laboratory reports this semester. Your instructor will tell you which specific experiments you will be reporting on. The semester schedule lists the due dates for these assignments. Remember from the lesson on The Scientific Method that reporting your findings is the final step of the scientific process. The work you do in the lab is your research and your work. Present it with pride.

While you may have worked in the lab with a partner to complete this experiment, you must write your lab report in your own words. While working with your partner to determine an experiment outline and analyze the data is okay, you need to write your own lab report. Writing a lab report with your partner, with each of you submitting identical copies or strikingly similar versions of the report, is plagiarism.

The use of AI to write any part of a laboratory report is strictly prohibited in this class and will be considered a violation of the academic honesty policy.

Assignment Requirements

The following is a list of requirements regarding formatting and electronic submission of your assignment. You will receive a zero on your submission unless it meets these criteria.

• All submissions are typed and all tables and graphs are produced using a spreadsheet program such as MSExcel.
• All tables/figures/graphs are electronically inserted into the body of the report in the appropriate section. DO NOT take a photo/screenshot of your data table and paste it into the report.
• All report sections were labeled (see below for sections required).
• The assignment is one continuous document. Therefore, your report should be contained in just ONE document.
• The lab report should be submitted electronically via the assignment folder on Brightspace. Save the document as a MSWord file (.doc or .docx) or pdf. If I cannot open the submitted file, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
• The student completed the report on an experiment assigned by the instructor and conducted in this course. You do not need to write an experiment or find another one to report on.

If you are unfamiliar with using word-processing programs such as Word and Excel, you must learn for this course and your future career. Most employers expect employees to utilize basic word and spreadsheet processing software effectively. Riverland offers computer courses to help you learn how to use these programs. In addition, online instructional videos for MSWord and Excel are available. More information on the availability of technology to assist you in this course is provided in the course syllabus and on Brightspace.

Required Sections

At the top of the first page, please include the title of your report and your name.

Below is a detailed list of the sections and information to include in your laboratory report:

1. Introduction

The introduction tells the reader what they will see in the report. It introduces the reader to the chemical concepts applied in the laboratory. In other words, if the lab is about chemical changes, then the introduction should contain information about what a chemical change is and how to recognize one. Also, define new terms or chemical jargon used in the experiment.

Summarize your experimental procedure by generally describing what you did in the lab. Do not provide a step-by-step summary of the procedure. Instead, you want to familiarize the reader with the general idea of the experimental procedure without discussing details.

Write the introduction as if the reader has never opened your lab manual and knows nothing about chemistry. The reader should be able to clearly read and learn everything they need to know about the experiment by reading the introduction.

The introduction needs to be in your own words. Do not copy the introduction from the experimental procedure and paste it into your report. If you do this, you will receive a zero for the report.

2. Results

The results section outlines the data and evidence collected during the experiment. This section should include the numerical data obtained from your procedure. A table, graph, or figure can be used to summarize this information. Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment. It’s just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.

• Create the tables using a spreadsheet program such as MSExcel or using a table-making tool similar to the one provided in MSWord.
• Paste them into the body of your report. Do not submit them as a separate file.
• Organize them with all rows and columns appropriately labeled.
• Give each table/figure a title explaining the data displayed.
• Number each table/figure. For instance, the first table in your report would be “Table 1,” etc.
• Introduce each table/figure to the reader in a sentence or two in the body of the report.
• Briefly summarize the data displayed in your report. DO NOT just provide a data table with your results. You also need to briefly talk about what your results were.

Include the table in your report if you completed a table during the laboratory activity to document the data collected. Be sure to title all tables and organize them (complete with labeling any columns or rows) to ensure the data can be easily read and understood. Format all tables/figures/graphs in this manner throughout your report.

DO NOT INCLUDE A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOUR TABLE FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE IN YOUR REPORT. Instead, produce these tables using a word processing program such as MSWord or Excel.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion section tells the reader what they have seen. It discusses what your results mean and how they tie back to the chemical concept discussed in the experiment. The student needs to clearly describe the meaning of their data and how it ties back to the concept discussed in the introduction.

• Discuss any trends you observed in your data. For instance, note if the same amount of product was produced in each trial during the experiment.
• Explain the chemistry of your results. Why did they occur as they did? This should tie back to the concept explored in the experiment. Your explanation of this should demonstrate that you understand the concept discussed.
• If your experimental data is incorrect, you need to talk about what the results should have been.
• Identify sources of error for the experiment (i.e., mistakes you might have made while conducting the investigation or why the experiment didn’t work). What would you do differently if you were to repeat this experiment? How would you improve your data? Include percent error (if calculated during the experiment) in the discussion of error. Explain what the percent error means about the data.
• Explain if your data is valid (this considers accuracy and precision if you conducted multiple trials of an experiment). Explain your reasoning.
• Determine if your data supports the concept discussed in the experiment. Then, explain why it does or does not support this concept. For instance, if the experiment examined the Law of Conservation of Matter, tie the results back to how they prove/disprove the Law of Conservation of Matter.
• Include any figures/graphs necessary to explain the meaning of your experimental data. If a graph was created as part of the laboratory experiment, it must be included in the lab report. Video 1.0 demonstrates how to create a graph in Excel (Office 365 version).
  • Figures and graphs are not always necessary to produce a good laboratory report, but they are often the best way to present data or show trends and explain the data’s meaning.
  • For a graph: label the axes on the graph and include units of measurement. The independent variable is on the X-axis. The dependent variable (the one you are measuring) is on the Y-axis. The graph should also have a descriptive title.
  • Include figures and graphs in the body of the report. Also, reference and introduce them in the text of the report.
  • Number all figures/graphs in the report. The first figure is Figure 1, and the second figure is Figure 2, etc. They should also have a descriptive title.