If the lab is qualitative (observations only), how did the results compare to logical scientific expectations?

LAB REPORT WRITING GUIDE
A guide to writing formal lab reports with the correct content and formatting for each required section.

See the Laboratory Instructions document and the Lab Report Rubric for complete information on deliverables, photo requirements, submission details, and grading.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Well in advance of the due date:

Check that you have all of the required lab materials in your kit. Check the specific lab and assignment folder instructions and review the photo requirements. All labs must be typed and not hand-written. Your lab report will be graded according to the below and by using the Laboratory, Rubric found under the More Tools tab.

You are responsible for ensuring that your lab reports are submitted as a text-based file that our originality checking software, TurnItIn, can read. Your words must receive an originality score to be graded. If you submit a scanned pdf or similar report document, your work will not be graded.

WRITING YOUR REPORTS
Tips for Success
Break your report into the appropriate sections and label them with the headings: Purpose, Experiment, Data and Observations, Calculations, Conclusions, Lab Question Answers, and References.
Put the appropriate content in the appropriate section. If a question asks something that should be covered in the lab r,eport like what are the main calculations in this experiment?, address the question in the Calculations section of the report and then in answer to the question, write See Calculations section above. Then you do not have to register it twice, which is in the report’s proper section.
Please combine all work into a single lab report docum,ent or points will be lost. This mainly includes any photos required for the lab. (If you cant combine your lab documents, your name and date must appear on every document submitted.)
Report Sections
Cover Page
This separate page includes name, date, lab title, and lab partner (state N/A when no partner is used). NOTE: some Question documents may or may not show a Name and Date, but for EVERY lab report you need a Cover Page.

Purpose
This section should be a concise summary of the lab (one paragraph with 3-5 sentences).

State the purpose, the main scientific ideas/concepts you are trying to learn about or prove/observe in your own words. If it is an activity, then again, write about what you are trying to learn about.
This should be in your own words and not copied from any source.
Pre Lab Questions
See below regarding questions.

Data, & Observations & Photos
This section should briefly summarize what you did. Depending on the type of lab, you might be performing an experiment, or completing an activity. Based on that, include the below that pertains to the lab with sections labeled.

NOTE: This section is where you want to place your photos for your lab. Make sure the content is correct AND your Student Information Card is visible/legible in each photo or points will be lost.

Data: Clearly present your data. Include data tables and graphs (if any were needed). While graphs may not be needed for every lab, data tables usually are. If your data consists of numbers, make sure your column label includes the appropriate unit associated with all the numbers in that column (instead of having units within the table itself).
Observations or Activity: Write in past tense. Here you summarize any observations (visual, sound, sight, or smell) that you think are significant and could help you explain or support your results. The lab may or may not specifically direct you to make observations, however in either case you should include a few general observations from the experiment which are not directly reported in your data tables. If your lab was an activity, you can leave this out.
Do not copy the procedure from the lab manual or list the equipment and chemicals that were used.
Calculations
This section needs to show calculations for any calculations that were needed in the lab. If there are no calculations leave this section out.

You must show work for the calculations in the pre/post lab questions, or you will not get credit for your answer.
For calculations dealing with your data, you should have at minimum one example calculation.
For this section it is helpful to think of the assumptions that were made in the lab and how your data would be affected if those assumptions were not completely true.

Conclusion
This section should summarize the main findings of the lab. If the purpose was to find a certain value, or see a certain reaction, what did you find? If the lab was an activity, summarize what you learned. If you conducted an actual experiment, collecting and analyzing data, make sure to include the following in your report.

State how the results compared to expectations and why they did or did not match.
For example, how did your value compare to the accepted value? Calculating percent error is a great way to show this.
If your value was off, why was it so far off?
If the lab is qualitative (observations only), how did the results compare to logical scientific expectations? It is NOT sufficient to say the results of this lab were what I expected. You need to say what you expected scientifically and why. Then say why your results matched or did not. If you do not know the value or expectations, look them up and then reference them as you discuss how your results compare.
State ways to minimize error if the experiment could be repeated. This discussion needs to be in the discussed in the conclusion section. You need specific examples for this. It is NOT ok to say The error could be improved by having better equipment. Be specific.
State at least three sources of error in the lab.
Sources of error do NOT include errors in calculations. Do not say “human error”.
Error in classified as random or systematic, with explanations.
Find things within the lab that you could not control this time, but that might be able to control if you could repeat the experiment under different conditions or with better equipment. Do not list things like not reading the directions, not cleaning glassware, or just being careless.
Answers to Questions
Depending on the lab, there might be both Pre and Post lab questions along with Activity questions, which will all be found in the Lab Questions document. All of these questions must be answered for full credit on the lab report.

Be sure to completely answer and explain all the questions, using complete sentences, and include total calculations for any questions that require measures. Even if the question doesnt specifically ask for it, you should explain how you arrived at your answer.

Under each lab folder, you will see specific instructions concerning the question section of your lab report. These additional questions will touch on the lab’s main concepts and allow you to link your lab material with your textbook learning. Please feel free to ask questions in our discussion forums as you work through them.

References
You need to include, at minimum, one reference. Be sure to reference all information you use to write your report, including any web resources or your textbook. All sources should be cited using APA guidelines.

Students are required to include citations for a couple of reasons. First, include references for the lab manual because the class is following procedures and using materials from the lab vendor. If a person reads a lab but isn’t already familiar with the process, they will have a difficult time understanding what was done. Including a reference at the end of the document provides a pathway for someone to look up the original procedures to help them understand the results. Another point in including references is to practice proper writing citations according to APA guidelines http://ccconline.libguides.com/APAtoolkit. See the report rubric for more information.

Read the measurement and dry lab, answer the three questions, and fill up the tables in measurement and uncertainty data and questions

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