1.
Abstract: (20 pts)
This
provides a summary of your report. The abstracts will consist of a
sentence or two of introduction which includes the objectives of
your
experiment, a description of the investigation to be conducted, methods, and
rationale for the hypothesis you have made.
2. Problem: (5 pts.)
This should be a concise description
of what you are studying and ideally should be a question that is posed.
3. Hypothesis: (10 pts.)
Correctly stated as an if .. then statement which
ties together the independent and dependent variables in the experiment or investigation
The hypothesis is what you think will happen
during the investigation. It differs from a guess in that it is based upon
prior knowledge or evidence. It should be supported by previously
developed evidence and/or concepts.
** Reminder: The hypothesis should be the statement that drives your
laboratory investigation ... and represents your best prediction of the
results based on prior experience with the problem.
** Note: Physical Science courses and experiments often
combine the problem and hypothesis as a hybrid, but biology and psychology
reports usually want a clear statement of the hypothesis when possible in an if
.. then conditional format.
4. Materials: (5 points)
A
list of the materials and equipment used in the lab.
5. Procedure:
(20 points):
Include a listing of the steps for performing the lab. Be specific
but brief.
Diagram
and label the setup of equipment for the lab.
State any hazards that
may be encountered while doing the lab.
The procedure must include an identification
of the independent and dependent
variables and the control(s) in the experiment at the
discretion of the instructor.
** Reminder: A well designed experiment should have one clearly
defined
independent variable and at least one control.
6.
Data/Results: (10 points)
Create a data table as appropriate for all observations and
measurements.
Show
the work for any required calculations as well as appropriate units.
Include
a graph of data as appropriate with appropriate titles and labels.
Do not hide or eliminate suspected faulty data but present it.
Later, in your CONCLUSIONS, you may explain why you have decided not to use
suspected errors in your analysis. Good scientists present the
data they obtain even when it is suspected to be faulty ... they
explain why they feel they are in error in the discussion of their results
later. This is why a true experiment has many trials and much
peer review occurs before results are accepted by the scientific community at
large.
Include
error calculations as appropriate when directed by the instructor.
Data may be qualitative (observational without numbers) or qualitative (with
numbers) or both. Often qualitative data may be used to
support or explain discrepancies in qualitative data in your conclusion.
7. Conclusion/Discussion:
(30 points)
Summarize
the important procedures and result (s) of the lab. The
conclusion
should clearly tie the results of the experiment to the hypothesis and a
discussion
of why the hypothesis should be accepted or rejected must be completed in
detail.
A good conclusion/discussion discuss not merely restate the results or the
procedure ... but it should tie any errors in the procedure to deviations from
the expected results.
Explain
any uncertainties in the observations/measurements.
Identify
and explain how sources of error influence the lab results.
(some
sources of error could include equipment/instrument error, procedural setup
error,
human error, etc.)
Discuss
how the lab could be modified to improve the results.
Cite any literature using
APA format as appropriate.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
Link to APA format assistance
Another link to APA
format assistance
Include answers to additional questions posed by the instructor.
Sample lab report
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