Labreport25

Laboratory_Report_Guidelines_Original_Text.pdf

Laboratory Report Guidelines

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Laboratory Report Guidelines

These reports should follow general scientific guidelines. Herein we provide some fundamentals of writing reports. There is also a sample laboratory report with comments that you are strongly encouraged to check. Finally, the assessment rubrics, which your instructor or TA will use, should provide you with a clear idea of what is expected of you and your written reports. Make sure you review the lab report rubric before turning in your report. There are also a lot of other resources available to you at USF (e.g. Writing Studio) that can provide you with a clear idea of how to format and write laboratory reports. Also, check with your instructor or TA to see if they have any specific requirements for the written reports that you might want to consider.

General Format

Laboratory reports, much like scientific articles, contain the following sections: title page, introduction, methods (experimental section), results, discussion, conclusion, and references. In your reports, you will also be asked to include a Research Connection section. Most scientific articles also contain an abstract, but this will not be necessary for your reports.

Title Page: This should be the first page of your report. Include the title of your report, your name, the course and section number, your instructor's name, and the date the paper is due. There are many online sources that could help you in creating informative titles for your report. Do not simply copy the name of the project from the laboratory manual.

Introduction: In this section, you should introduce the reader to what you are trying to explain, and why it is important. Explicitly detail your project objectives and why the proposed experimental procedure will be effective in addressing those objectives. Include citations to valid and credible resources and references beyond the laboratory manual and your TA. Remember to clearly describe the source of the information and include it in the Reference section at the end of your report. The introduction section should be quite extensive and as comprehensive as possible in order to provide the reader with a good understanding of your project and the chemistry behind it.

Methods (or Experimental Section): In this section you explain to the reader how you went about your work, and why you did it in that manner. This should be detailed; others should be able to replicate your work!

Results: Use this section to include the data that helps you answer the project objectives. You will often need to present your results in tables, graphs and figures. However, keep in mind that you should not simply include tables and graphs without explaining the relevance of the data!

Discussion: In this section you need to address how you interpret the results? Why are they relevant to include in your report? What are the particular strengths or weaknesses of your methods or analysis? These are all questions that readers are likely to want to know. By the time you have addressed these questions, you are ready to conclude your paper.

Conclusions: In this section you need to provide a summary of the results and discussion. This is the outcome of your investigation and again should explicitly tie to what you said you were going to investigate in the introduction.

The Results, Discussion and Conclusion sections are included as one in the laboratory report rubric. However, scientific articles have a separate subsection for each of them. Other reports may have a "Results and Discussion" section and a "Conclusion" section. Whereas other reports may have a "Results" section, and a "Discussion" section that also concludes the report. So, the decision of how to organize these sections will be up to you.

References: Use this section to tell the reader where to find the sources of information you used in your report. In the body of the report, particularly in the Introduction and Discussion sections, you should have cited other sources. Refer to the Sample Laboratory Report for general examples!

Also, you can check online for more detailed information on how to correctly cite a reference. The American Chemical Society (ACS) style should be followed in your lab report.

Research Connection: This section is not a normal component of scientific reports. Sure, chemistry continually links their work to others through references, but they do not title a section Research Connection. For this section, if required, you are asked to consider your laboratory work, and how the work you have completed connects to current chemistry research. You may have to consult some outside resources for this.

GUIDING IDEAS AND PLANNING QUESTIONS FOR THE PROJECT

1. What safety precautions must be taken with the material you are working with? 2. What common criteria for assessing water quality will you use? 3. Bring a water sample from the community. At the end of this project, you will compile your data with all other groups in your lab. Therefore, it will be important to note the date, time, and location of your sample collection. Water samples should be obtained from unfiltered sources. 4. Is there a criterion you can use to base your judgments on water hardness? 5. Which physical and chemical properties of your water samples will you test? 6. How can the water hardness be reduced? What is the material used in the water softener systems that reduces the hardness of water? 7. What is an ion exchange resin (sodium or mixture type)? 8. Is time a factor when using a filtration system? How long must the water be in contact with the filtration system?

PROJECT SUMMARY

1. What conclusions can you draw about the quality of the water you have tested? Are these conclusions in the range of accepted standards? 2. What level of certainty do you have in your judgments? How will the number of trials you have tested play into your confidence? 3. Another group analyzed the same sample as you; please find a way to share your findings and make a record of their findings. This will help you with your post-lab report. 4. It would be a good idea to discuss your strategy for analyzing the compiled data. What analysis might be helpful? Are you using a criterion to judge the water hardness? Does your criterion provide you with any ideas about how you may want to analyze the compiled data? 5. Is your water hardness data comparable with standard water samples from the city of Tampa? 6. Compare your results with the data obtained from your peers in the lab, can you explain the similitudes or discrepancies? 7. By how much did you soften your water sample? 8. Compare the water hardness measurements obtained using the conductivity meter, pH meter, and water hardness strips. Are there any discrepancies? If so, why might they occur? 9. How could this experiment be expanded or modified to investigate other aspects of water quality?

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR REPORT

1. What is your final assessment of the quality of drinking water for the water you analyzed? 2. Does your experimental evidence support your claims? 3. Are your claims consistent with your classmates' claims who analyzed the same water? If not, it may be helpful to attempt to justify the differences. 4. What judgments would you make about the water hardness of the community's water? 5. Remember to use the compiled data from your lab section for your report. Were there any patterns in the data that suggest the hardness of water across the community varies? 6. How much hardness did you reduce using the filtration system? 7. Remember that we want you to connect your experimental work to research. What kind of similarities do you find between your lab work and what you understand from research (refer to the research connection in this document and other resources you find for this)? What kind of differences do you see? 8. Do not forget to get information about the water quality of the city of Tampa (hardness) and compare it with your results.

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Laboratory Report Guidelines

Your laboratory reports should follow standard scientific writing conventions. Below are the

essential components and recommendations for creating clear, professional, and well-structured

reports.

You are strongly encouraged to review the sample laboratory report with comments

provided, as well as the assessment rubric your instructor or TA will use to evaluate your work.

Reviewing the rubric before submission will help ensure that your report meets all expectations.

General Format

Laboratory reports—similar to scientific journal articles—should include the following sections:

Title Page, Introduction, Methods (Experimental Section), Results, Discussion, Conclusion,

and References.

In addition, you will include a Research Connection section. While most scientific papers

include an abstract, it is not required for your lab reports.

Title Page

The title page should be the first page of your report and include:

• The report title (create an informative and original title; do not simply copy from the lab

manual)

• Your name

• Course and section number

• Instructor’s name

• Due date

Introduction

In this section, introduce the purpose and significance of your experiment. Clearly state your

objectives and explain why the experimental procedure effectively addresses them.

Include citations from credible sources beyond the lab manual or your TA, and properly

reference all information in the References section. The introduction should be detailed enough

to give the reader a solid understanding of your project and the chemistry concepts involved.

Methods (Experimental Section)

Describe how you conducted your experiment and why you chose those methods. This section

should be detailed enough for another person to replicate your work based on your description.

Results

Present the data that supports your objectives. Use tables, graphs, and figures where

appropriate, but remember to explain their significance—do not simply include visuals without

context or discussion.

Discussion

Interpret your results here. Explain:

• What your results mean

• Why they are relevant

• The strengths and weaknesses of your methods and analysis

Address any unexpected findings and compare them to your initial objectives or hypotheses.

Conclusions

Summarize your key findings and interpretations. Connect your conclusions directly to your

stated objectives in the introduction.

Note: In the lab report rubric, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion are combined. However, in

formal scientific writing, they are often presented as separate sections. You may choose your

preferred structure.

References

List all sources used in your report. Be sure that every source cited in your Introduction and

Discussion is included here. Follow the American Chemical Society (ACS) citation style.

Refer to the sample report or online resources for citation examples.

Research Connection

This section is unique to your lab report. Reflect on how your experimental work relates to

current research in chemistry. You may need to consult outside sources to explore these

connections.

Guiding Ideas and Planning Questions for the Project

1. What safety precautions must be taken with your materials?

2. Which criteria will you use to assess water quality?

3. Bring a community water sample and record the date, time, and location of collection.

Samples should come from unfiltered sources.

4. What standard or criterion can you use to evaluate water hardness?

5. Which physical and chemical properties of your samples will you test?

6. How can water hardness be reduced? What materials in water softeners achieve this?

7. What is an ion exchange resin (sodium or mixed type)?

8. Is time a factor when using filtration systems? How long should water remain in contact

with the filter?

Project Summary

1. What conclusions can you draw about your water sample’s quality? Are your results

within accepted standards?

2. How confident are you in your results? How does the number of trials affect your

confidence?

3. Compare your findings with another group’s results from the same sample and record

both sets of data.

4. Develop a strategy for analyzing the compiled data. What criteria or methods will you

use?

5. Is your data comparable to Tampa’s standard water hardness levels?

6. Compare your results with those of your peers. Can you explain any similarities or

differences?

7. By how much were you able to soften your water?

8. Compare the hardness values obtained using conductivity meters, pH meters, and

hardness strips. If discrepancies occur, explain possible reasons.

9. How could this experiment be expanded or modified to study other aspects of water

quality?

Things to Consider for Your Report

1. What is your final evaluation of the drinking water quality you analyzed?

2. Does your experimental evidence support your claims?

3. Are your claims consistent with your classmates’ who tested the same sample? If not,

justify the differences.

4. What conclusions can you make about your community’s water hardness?

5. Review the compiled class data—does it show variation in water hardness across the

community?

6. How much hardness was reduced using your filtration system?

7. Connect your experimental findings to current scientific research. What similarities

and differences exist?

8. Compare your results with official data on Tampa’s water quality and discuss your

findings.

Follow the rubric below and these formatting guidelines to create your report:

1. Each section, following the rubric, should have a header (Introduction, Results.... etc.). You can add sub-headers as well if needed. The font for the headers and sub- headers cannot be larger than a size 14.

2. Use Times New Roman or Calibri as font styles for the body of the report with a font size 12.

3. Number your pages but exclude the title page.

4. Your report has to be double spaced.

5. The introduction must be written in present or future tense. The rest of the report must be in the past tense using passive voice. This means avoid using "you", "I", or "our" in your report.

6. All the sections should be in paragraph form with the exception of the results section.

7. All the data collected in the lab must be in the results section in tables as the ones shown below. Create the tables in WORD and do not copy/paste the tables below to avoid any issues. The tables must be numbered and contain a short descriptive title.

8. Use Microsoft Equation Editor for ALL the calculations in your report.

9. Your references (you can use more than 3 if needed) must follow the ACS format. A page can be found under the "Supporting Documents" Module titled " ACS Citation Sources" where you can find links to help you with the citations. Look at both and use the one that is easier for you to follow. There is also a link above in this page.