Potato Lab Write Up
How to Write a Lab Report
Lab reports are formal papers that describe and analyze lab experiments. They follow a very specific format. If you study this paper carefully and follow its directions, you will find that these papers are not at all difficult and can have a positive impact on your Biology grade.
Paper formatting: The paper should be typed and double spaced. Use a standard 12 point font (do not use cute fonts or colored paper!). Except for the title and abstract – each section should have a subheading.
Title: The title should be placed at the top center of the first page. Lab reports do not need a separate title page. The title should be specific enough that the reader will know the subject of the experiment. Titles …show more content…
such as “Macromolecules” or “Experiment 2” are too general and not acceptable.
Under the title list the names of all members of your lab group, placing an asterisk beside your name. Be certain you have the correct, full names of all members of your group.
Abstract: An abstract is a one paragraph summary of your experiment. Although it comes after the title – it is the last part you should write. It is probably the most difficult part of the report. The abstract should contain 1-2 sentences that summarize each section of the report. The main reason that points are deducted for this section is for lack of completeness. The abstract is placed under the authors names. The paragraph should be single spaced (the rest of the paper is double spaced), and it is not given a subheading.
Introduction
This section is a general discussion of the main topic under investigation. The introduction should explain the theories behind the experiment. Why is this question interesting and worth investigating? You should give enough information so that your readers will understand the experiment and will know why you are doing the experiment. In writing your purpose and reasons phrases such at “the purpose of this experiment is…” or “in this experiment we …” are considered poor writing.
Your hypothesis or hypotheses should be presented toward the end of the introduction. Discuss the reasons for your hypothesis. Your hypothesis should be a logical extension of the background information presented. The rationale for your hypothesis should be clear from the preceding description of relevant theories.
A sufficient introduction will require that you do some research. You may use your lab manual, textbook, and class notes to provide information. Be certain that any internet resources are reliable and accurate. Information on “.edu” and “.gov” is usually reliable. Any and all information used that is not original must be given a proper citation. Failure to properly cite information is plagiarism and will bring severe consequences. (see the “What is Plagiarism” & “Sources & Citations” sections that follow).
Materials & Methods
The Materials & Methods section describes how the experiment was performed.
You need to give enough detail that someone could repeat the experiment from your description. Do not make a list of materials. Do not include obvious, trivial details. Look at the statements below:
1 – “The potato section was placed in 50 mL of 10% sucrose solution.”
2 – “A graduated cylinder was picked up from the lab cart. My lab partner filled it to the 50 mark with sugar solution. Then the solution was poured into a paper cup. Then a potato slice was added to the cup.”
Statement 1 is clear and concise. Statement 2 is full of trivial detail but omits 2 essential details – the concentration and type of sugar solution used. Pay attention to numbers and units. Be certain all numbers have the correct units. Do not write out numbers – write “50 mL” not “fifty milliliters”. Be certain you do not leave a number on one line with its unit on the next! If this happens – figure out how to insert a “sticky space” with your word processor.
Do not include any results or measurements taken in this section. This section is also not the appropriate place for any explanations of why you got the results you …show more content…
did.
You may cite the lab handout as your source for the information in the Materials & Methods section.
Results
The Results section is a description of what happened in the experiment. Give a verbal description of all outcomes and measurements. Do not give long lists of numbers – present the data in tables. You should, however, give a summary of the numbers with a reference to the table or graph that contains all of the data. Since you are talking about something that has already happened – use past tense. If your experiment had several different sections, you may want to divide your results with subheadings. Analyze the data, but you must save any interpretation of meanings for the “Discussion” section.
All calculations or graphs belong in this section. See the section “How to Make Tables and Graphs” for specific instructions on how to correctly present data.
Discussion
The Discussion section is where you apply meanings to your data. What do the numbers and observations tell you about the phenomenon you are investigating? What did you find out? What does it mean? Do you accept or reject your hypothesis? Why? Use your data to support your conclusions. Be certain to refer to your controls. If your controls did not work, your experimental design is probably invalid or you made errors in carrying out the experiment. Compare your experimental data to your control data.
The discussion section is an appropriate place to discuss problems with the experiment and to suggest extensions of the experiment.
How might the experiment be improved? What further experiments could be done to clarify things? What further experiments are suggested by your data?
Illustrations
Graphs, diagrams, drawings, & photographs (but NOT tables) used to illustrate your report are referred to as Figures. Each figure should have a number and a caption. Number the figures in the order they are referred to in the report. The caption gives a brief description and identifies any symbols used. In the body of your paper, a drawing or graph should be referred to as Fig. 1, Fig 4, etc. Refer to the “Graphing” handout to decide what type of graph is appropriate for your data and how to properly draw the main types of graphs.
Tables are used to organize numerical data. They are referred to as Table 1, Table 3 etc. and should also be numbered in the order they are referred to in the report. Tables should have captions that identify the data they contain. Pay attention to numbers and units in tables.
What is Plagiarism??
Plagiarism in all forms is cheating and will not be tolerated. The most common forms of plagiarism encountered in lab report writing
include using information in a report without a proper citation using another student’s work – i.e copying someone else’s paper. Even if you worked together on the lab and helped each other understand the experiment – you may not turn in similar copies of a report.
It is not correct to use quotations of source information in a lab report. You must paraphrase the information that you use. If you do not know how to paraphrase – you must learn. You cannot change one or two words or change the order of the sentence. You must write the information in your own words.
Sources & Citations
You must give proper credit for any and all information that does not come from your own brain! Failure to properly cite sources will result in a failing grade. Internal citations should be used. At the end of the sentence that contains the material from an outside source, place the author’s name and the page number where the information may be found in parentheses.
All sources used will be listed in a “References” section at the end of your paper. Use standard MLA style giving complete information for each source. There is a great web page called the “Citation Machine” [http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php] that will generate them for you!
Lab reports are formal papers that describe and analyze lab experiments. They follow a very specific format. If you study this paper carefully and follow its directions, you will find that these papers are not at all difficult and can have a positive impact on your Biology grade.
Paper formatting: The paper should be typed and double spaced. Use a standard 12 point font (do not use cute fonts or colored paper!). Except for the title and abstract – each section should have a subheading.
Title: The title should be placed at the top center of the first page. Lab reports do not need a separate title page. The title should be specific enough that the reader will know the subject of the experiment. Titles …show more content…
such as “Macromolecules” or “Experiment 2” are too general and not acceptable.
Under the title list the names of all members of your lab group, placing an asterisk beside your name. Be certain you have the correct, full names of all members of your group.
Abstract: An abstract is a one paragraph summary of your experiment. Although it comes after the title – it is the last part you should write. It is probably the most difficult part of the report. The abstract should contain 1-2 sentences that summarize each section of the report. The main reason that points are deducted for this section is for lack of completeness. The abstract is placed under the authors names. The paragraph should be single spaced (the rest of the paper is double spaced), and it is not given a subheading.
Introduction
This section is a general discussion of the main topic under investigation. The introduction should explain the theories behind the experiment. Why is this question interesting and worth investigating? You should give enough information so that your readers will understand the experiment and will know why you are doing the experiment. In writing your purpose and reasons phrases such at “the purpose of this experiment is…” or “in this experiment we …” are considered poor writing.
Your hypothesis or hypotheses should be presented toward the end of the introduction. Discuss the reasons for your hypothesis. Your hypothesis should be a logical extension of the background information presented. The rationale for your hypothesis should be clear from the preceding description of relevant theories.
A sufficient introduction will require that you do some research. You may use your lab manual, textbook, and class notes to provide information. Be certain that any internet resources are reliable and accurate. Information on “.edu” and “.gov” is usually reliable. Any and all information used that is not original must be given a proper citation. Failure to properly cite information is plagiarism and will bring severe consequences. (see the “What is Plagiarism” & “Sources & Citations” sections that follow).
Materials & Methods
The Materials & Methods section describes how the experiment was performed.
You need to give enough detail that someone could repeat the experiment from your description. Do not make a list of materials. Do not include obvious, trivial details. Look at the statements below:
1 – “The potato section was placed in 50 mL of 10% sucrose solution.”
2 – “A graduated cylinder was picked up from the lab cart. My lab partner filled it to the 50 mark with sugar solution. Then the solution was poured into a paper cup. Then a potato slice was added to the cup.”
Statement 1 is clear and concise. Statement 2 is full of trivial detail but omits 2 essential details – the concentration and type of sugar solution used. Pay attention to numbers and units. Be certain all numbers have the correct units. Do not write out numbers – write “50 mL” not “fifty milliliters”. Be certain you do not leave a number on one line with its unit on the next! If this happens – figure out how to insert a “sticky space” with your word processor.
Do not include any results or measurements taken in this section. This section is also not the appropriate place for any explanations of why you got the results you …show more content…
did.
You may cite the lab handout as your source for the information in the Materials & Methods section.
Results
The Results section is a description of what happened in the experiment. Give a verbal description of all outcomes and measurements. Do not give long lists of numbers – present the data in tables. You should, however, give a summary of the numbers with a reference to the table or graph that contains all of the data. Since you are talking about something that has already happened – use past tense. If your experiment had several different sections, you may want to divide your results with subheadings. Analyze the data, but you must save any interpretation of meanings for the “Discussion” section.
All calculations or graphs belong in this section. See the section “How to Make Tables and Graphs” for specific instructions on how to correctly present data.
Discussion
The Discussion section is where you apply meanings to your data. What do the numbers and observations tell you about the phenomenon you are investigating? What did you find out? What does it mean? Do you accept or reject your hypothesis? Why? Use your data to support your conclusions. Be certain to refer to your controls. If your controls did not work, your experimental design is probably invalid or you made errors in carrying out the experiment. Compare your experimental data to your control data.
The discussion section is an appropriate place to discuss problems with the experiment and to suggest extensions of the experiment.
How might the experiment be improved? What further experiments could be done to clarify things? What further experiments are suggested by your data?
Illustrations
Graphs, diagrams, drawings, & photographs (but NOT tables) used to illustrate your report are referred to as Figures. Each figure should have a number and a caption. Number the figures in the order they are referred to in the report. The caption gives a brief description and identifies any symbols used. In the body of your paper, a drawing or graph should be referred to as Fig. 1, Fig 4, etc. Refer to the “Graphing” handout to decide what type of graph is appropriate for your data and how to properly draw the main types of graphs.
Tables are used to organize numerical data. They are referred to as Table 1, Table 3 etc. and should also be numbered in the order they are referred to in the report. Tables should have captions that identify the data they contain. Pay attention to numbers and units in tables.
What is Plagiarism??
Plagiarism in all forms is cheating and will not be tolerated. The most common forms of plagiarism encountered in lab report writing
include using information in a report without a proper citation using another student’s work – i.e copying someone else’s paper. Even if you worked together on the lab and helped each other understand the experiment – you may not turn in similar copies of a report.
It is not correct to use quotations of source information in a lab report. You must paraphrase the information that you use. If you do not know how to paraphrase – you must learn. You cannot change one or two words or change the order of the sentence. You must write the information in your own words.
Sources & Citations
You must give proper credit for any and all information that does not come from your own brain! Failure to properly cite sources will result in a failing grade. Internal citations should be used. At the end of the sentence that contains the material from an outside source, place the author’s name and the page number where the information may be found in parentheses.
All sources used will be listed in a “References” section at the end of your paper. Use standard MLA style giving complete information for each source. There is a great web page called the “Citation Machine” [http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php] that will generate them for you!