Scribd
Upload
224 views

Guidelines and Format For Writing Lab Reports Science Writing Heuristic

This document provides guidelines for writing a lab report, including sections for the title, introduction, safety procedures, methods, observations, claims, evidence and reasoning, conclusions, and reflections. The introduction should state the purpose and questions of the experiment. The safety section lists hazards and precautions. The methods section details the experimental steps. Observations record all data. Claims state inferences, while evidence and reasoning justify claims using evidence from observations. Conclusions compare results to other groups and literature. Reflections discuss how understandings have changed and remaining questions.

Uploaded by

em
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
224 views

Guidelines and Format For Writing Lab Reports Science Writing Heuristic

This document provides guidelines for writing a lab report, including sections for the title, introduction, safety procedures, methods, observations, claims, evidence and reasoning, conclusions, and reflections. The introduction should state the purpose and questions of the experiment. The safety section lists hazards and precautions. The methods section details the experimental steps. Observations record all data. Claims state inferences, while evidence and reasoning justify claims using evidence from observations. Conclusions compare results to other groups and literature. Reflections discuss how understandings have changed and remaining questions.

Uploaded by

em
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Guidelines and Format for Writing Lab Reports

Science Writing Heuristic


Name: Date:
Your name followed by your partners’ names. Date the lab is performed.
Title:
The title of the experiment should not reveal the concepts being discovered.

Beginning Ideas: What do I know? What questions do I have?


After you brainstorm what you already know about the topic, write a question or two that you could solve by doing the
experiment. Ex. How does temperature affect the rate of a reaction? Write a few sentences for each question that
explains why it is a significant question.

Safety/Clean Up: How will I stay safe? (Chemical Safety List AND Safety Statement)
List the major safety concerns for the experiment you are about to do. Be sure to look up the safety precautions for
each of the chemicals that you will be using. Also list the precautions that you will take for disposal of chemicals
during clean up. Some of these ideas may come from the pre-lab discussion.

Tests/Procedure: What did I do? What tests will I conduct or what procedure will I follow?
Make a numbered list of the steps that you will follow for the experiment. Explain how you will do things in significant
detail so that the experiment can be replicated in the future. Include drawings of the set up where
Necessary.

Observations: What did I find?


During the lab, list all data, complete observations, notes, calculations, equations, chemical information etc. in this
section of your notebook. DO NOT USE another notebook or scrap sheets of paper. It is expected that you copy the
data straight into your lab notebook. You are encouraged to organize your data in NEAT lists and/or clearly labeled
tables. Always have your data table drawn up before you enter the laboratory area. Observations, calculations,
and chemical equations should also be included in this section.

Claims: What inferences can I make? Explain what you think happened.
This is a one or two sentence statement about the results of your experiment and should answer your beginning
question. An appropriate claim would be: The mass of the product was 2.1g.

Evidence and Reasoning: How do I know? Justify your claims by providing evidence (observations) for them.
This is a written explanation that supports your claims. Explain the meaning behind the data and calculations and how
they support your claim. Graphs, balanced equations, and calculations not only need to be stated, but they also need to
be interpreted and explained in order to count as evidence. Balanced chemical equations and calculations can be used to
support your claim, but the emphasis should be on the interpretation and explanation of these results.

Reading: How do my ideas compare to others and to chemical theory?


Here you should discuss your results and compare your results with other members of the class and with an outside
reference. The purpose of comparing with your classmates is to discuss the reliability of your claims and evidence. The
purpose of comparing your results with outside references is to place your results in a larger context for the specific
topic that you are studying and to gain insight into the meaning behind your results. You also want to discuss any
connections between the lab and the theory that you have made during your experiment.

Writing: Answer the following writing prompts that you are given.

Reflection: How have my ideas changed? What questions do I still have?

Adapted from: “Guidelines for Writing Lab Reports.” Department of Chemistry. St.Vincent College. Latrobe, PA 15650-2690.

You might also like