Posted: April 27th, 2017

Identify the hypothesis to be tested. Hypothesis (or hypotheses) should be related to the purpose of the experiment.

Name

Formal Lab Report, Lab #

Date

Formal Lab ReportTEMPLATE and GUIDELINES: Text in RED should be removed before printing and submitting formal lab report.

Original descriptive title here

The title of the lab report should be original and descriptive. It should provide enough information to grab the reader’s attention.  There is no maximum length for the lab report title.  The running title appears in the header of the page and is limited to 50 characters. The running title does not have to be the full title of the lab report.

ABSTRACT:

Although the abstract comes first in the lab report it should be written last. The abstract is essentially a summary or overview of the entire lab report and should not exceed 250 words. Generally an abstract should include why the experiment was conducted, the problem being addressed, what methods were used, the major results obtained, and the overall conclusion from the experiment as a whole.  In-text references are not required in the abstract.

INTRODUCTION:

The introduction defines the topic of the lab report.  It includes background information and clearly explains what you are testing.  The introduction also includes the significance of the topic and gaps in knowledge related to the experiment/research.

Introduction for formal lab report should be a minimum of three paragraphs.

Information taken from other sources (including the lab handout) should be referenced using in-text references (Author, Year).  Refer to referencing guidelines posted on Blackboard.The introduction must include a minimum of 5 references: (i) the lab handout, (ii) two primary literature sources, and (iii) two secondary literature sources.

PURPOSE:

The purpose should be clearly defined and explained in one to three sentences.

HYPOTHESIS:

Identify the hypothesis to be tested.  Hypothesis (or hypotheses) should be related to the purpose of the experiment.

METHODS:

The methods section should explain the steps that were taken in performing the experiment. The methods should be in narrative format, meaning the information should be relayed in a story type of writing.  This section should not be in a list format or read like a recipe. Methods should be written in past tense and third person.