Formal Lab Reports (with mostly a lab component--see field methods for field reports)

Students should be prepared to write formal lab reports when requested in a class.  Formal reports consist of an introduction, methodology, results, and discussion section.  There should be a literature or references cited along with the report.  An abstract may be requested.

When writing a report for lab, the student should clearly state the hypothesis (or hypotheses) examined through the research.  An introduction should include general background information, an introduction to the literature on the topic, and a rationale for doing the research.  This is where you establish the overall pattern for the rest of the paper.  Think about how you want to structure the discussion and parallel this structure in the introduction.

Methods should include a good description of what has been done in the experiment.  These should be written as a guide for someone who might want to repeat the experiment.  Standard techniques can be specifically referenced from a lab manual, but variations on these should be noted.  You should make clear that your methods follow good scientific procedure.  It is vital that a good lab notebook be kept for the experiments.  In this way, the methodology is essentially the first thing in the report that can be written easily.  Without a good set of lab notes, it will be difficult for students to look back for information in completing the discussion.  In the methods section, you establish the stepwise process for collecting your data and for its analysis.  Think about whether the presentation is logical.  If there are several steps, consider using subsection headings or flow charts to give the reader a view of the overall procedures.  Always relate procedures to other literature if possible.   It is always a good idea to note conditions in the lab.  For instance, what time of day were experiments conducted?  Was the sun shining or was it cloudy?  What was the lab or field temperature? 

The results should include graphs and expressions of the data collected. You may include tables of raw data or you may include calculations from raw data.  It is often the simple, elegant figure or table that illustrates a point well.  Do not get overly complicated in the results unless you are willing to take time to explain the process carefully and logically.  If there are statistics calculated, be sure to show error clearly.  Note whether any data were omitted from calculations and explain why the data were excluded.  Remember the objectives that were established in the introduction and make sure that the results relate to them.

Discussion format should reflect the overall organization begun in the introduction.  You should include information from outside sources to situate your data with the known literature.  Relating your results to those of others is part of the scientific dialogue engage in during research efforts.  You should be willing to suggest places where errors could have crept into your analysis, but do not dwell one these.  Error should NOT be the focus of the discussion.