Writing for Advanced Science Courses Part 1: Lab Report Format

1. Writing for Advanced Science CoursesPart 1: Lab Report Format Materials taken from Knisely, Karin. (2009). Writing in Biology. Sinaur/Freeman and edited by Angela Bush, SRVHS

2. Lab Report Format Writing a structured lab report is essential in clearly communicating how the lab was conducted and what the findings were. All scientific and medical journals use a format similar to this to convey information found in lab investigations and field studies. UCs and CSUs require students to be able to follow a structured format in creating reports for ALL subject matters.

3. Lab Report Formats • Always pay attention to the lab report format you are assigned to do to ensure you are completing the report correctly! • Specific instructions for each format are online under the link “Lab Report Format” • 3 lab report formats for Advance Science Courses: • Formal- A full lab report, typed, with all 7 sections (abstract, purpose, hypothesis, null hypothesis, procedure, observations, and conclusions) and proper title • Informal- A typed lab report with observation and conclusion sections and a proper title • Lab Activity- A worksheet that is turned in after the lab is performed in class

4. What does a Formal Lab Report Look Like? Name: _______ Period: ____ Date: _______ The Effect of ____ on ____ Abstract: The purpose of this lab was to… Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to… Hypothesis: If…, then…, (because…). Null Hypothesis: If…, then…, (because…). Procedure: 1) 2) Observations: 1) 2) During this lab, the following observations were made… Conclusions: 1) 2) From this lab, one can conclude that… NOTE: This is the highest level of lab report, informal lab reports and lab activities are variations of this format