Lab Report Format

Lab reports must be prepared with a word processor and organized according to the following format:

Title Page:

This includes your name, lab partner's name, title of lab experiment, date of experiment, and date of completing the final write up.

Abstract:

In one paragraph concisely and effectively explains purpose of experimental work, and clearly summarizes findings shows.

Introduction:

In several paragraphs clearly identify hypotheses/questions/objectives, with appropriate context. When grading this section the reader will ask the question, "What will this experiment show/resolve?" If it is not clear (due to missing information or lack of context), points will be lost.

Experimental Methods:

Thoroughly explain experimental procedures, design of study/experiment, and data measurement techniques. If a piece of software is used, describe what the program does (functional description) and include the actual code in an appendix. A flowchart can help explain the program in an efficient manner.

Results and Analysis:

Report on collected data and provide appropriate/correct data visualization and summaries; Describe the procedure for analysis (i.e. connect the data to the questions raised in the introduction). For figures, all axes must be labeled, for tables all columns and rows must be labeled (no credit is given for a plot or table without proper labels). All figures and tables should be numbered and referred to in the text. Do not include a table or figure without introducing and explaining it within the text. The purpose of the figure or table is to support the conclusions you are working toward in the report narrative. The actual data generated/recorded is presented in this section along with any analysis (formula or code description) used to estimate parameters or functions of the original data.

Conclusions:

Based conclusion on analysis in previous section and clearly state it. Provide context so it is easy to understand. Identify issues which may affect the validity of the study/experiment.