Lab Reports Explained

ISK Grades 9 & 10

Use this guide when you are writing Lab Reports. For additional support, see the Sample Lab Report
(Excellent) and the Sample Lab Report (Acceptable).
Complete your Lab Reports using the Lab Report Template; you’ll need to “Make a Copy” since you cannot
write directly in the actual template.

Student:
Grade Level:
Date:

Title of Experiment
Statement of the Problem
● What problem are you trying to solve? Or, what question are you trying to answer?
○ Mention the variables that will be part of the hypothesis. For example, “This experiment
will determine how high a ball will bounce when dropped from different heights,” or “It is
important to determine the effect of different fertilizers on the number of tomatoes a
plant produces”.
● Provide background information that will help the reader understand the purpose for doing this
experiment. What makes this experiment significant?
○ If you use resources, cite them and include a Works Cited page.
● This section is typically 2 to 5 sentences in length. It is assessed in Criterion Bi.

Hypothesis
● Make a clear statement about what you believe will happen, which indicates the independent and
dependent variables.

Independent Variable: The ONE thing you will be changing in your experiment. Typically
you increase/decrease something (like dropping the ball from higher and lower points). Or
you provide different things (like giving different kinds of fertilizer to different plants).
Controlled Variables: All the things you keep the same (or control). Controlling things
makes for a fair test. For example, you would control the age of the tomato plants, the
amount of water and light they get, they type and amount of soil, and the size of the pots.
Dependent Variable: The thing you will measure to determine the outcome of your
experiment. For example, how many tomatoes are produced by each plant within 30 days.
● ● Include a reason that supports your hypothesis.
● Use scientific language and scientific reasoning.
● Examples:

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 ○ If a ball is dropped from a higher starting point, it will bounce higher than if it is dropped
from a lower starting point, because its energy will be higher at the point of impact.
○ Tomato plants that receive “Stimulant” brand fertilizer will produce the most tomatoes,
and tomato plants that receive no
fertilizer will produce the fewest
Check Your Hypothesis
tomatoes. Fertilizer is key because
Can you test it?
it provides extra nutrients to the Do you have a variable that you are
growing plant, and Stimulant brand changing? (Independent Variable)
has more nutrients than any other Do you have a variable that you are testing?
(Dependent Variable)
brand of fertilizer.
● This section is typically a paragraph in
length. It is assessed in Criterion Bii.
● This section is assessed in Criterion Biii.

Materials
● Provide a bullet-point list of all the materials you will use. Be specific: exactly what do you need,
and how much? Include everything that is needed to complete the experiment.
● Include materials needed for safety, such as goggles.
● Draw one or more diagrams of how the experiment is set up. A good diagram allows someone else
to create the same experiment. (A diagram is usually needed. But for some experiments, it is not
necessary. If you think you don’t need one, check with your teacher.)
● This section is assessed in Criterion Biv.

Procedure
● Provide a numbered list of all the steps in the experiment. Start with putting together the
materials to match your diagram.
● Make sure your Variables are clear:
○ You should have only ONE Independent Variable (one thing you are changing), in 1-3
sentences.
○ You should have only ONE
Dependent Variable (the thing you
are measuring). Indicate how you Grades 9 & 10
In Grade 8, you had a separate section on Variables.
will measure the outcome (the Now, you must include this in the Procedure section, so
Dependent Variable), including the reader will understand what you are doing with your
what you will measure, how and variables, and how you will gather data.
when you will measure it, and
what equipment you will use. In 1-
3 sentences.
○ You should have several Controlled Variables: What things will you make sure stay the
same, with scientific explanation about why you are controlling these things.
● Include steps about collecting and recording data.
● Include steps about safety.
● This section is assessed in Criterion Biii and Biv.

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Results
● Present the data you collected.
Raw Data
● Start with the basic: present your Raw
Raw Data is basic data. Exactly what you obtained when
Data. you did the experiment.
● After that, present your Processed Data. Examples: Plant #1 produced 2 tomatoes. The ball bounced
● Results are usually (not always) presented 35.6 cm after being dropped from 45.0 cm.
Processed Data
in tables and graphs that help the reader Processed Data is data after you have done something to it.
see what is going on. We process data so that it tells us more than Raw Data.
● Make sure each table and graph has a Examples: The Stimulant plants produced an average of 2.3
title, has clear headers/labels, and is easy tomatoes. Plants without fertilizer produced an average of
1.7 tomatoes. The graph shows that balls bounced to a
to understand. height that was between 75.2% and 81.3% of the height
● Use units. Put them in the header of your from which they were dropped.
tables, or the axis labels on your graphs.
● Usually the Dependent Variable (the one
you’re watching) is displayed on the Y-
axis, and the Independent Variable (the one you’re changing) is displayed on the X-axis. Like this:

● This section is assessed in Criterion Ci.

Analysis & Conclusion

● Analyze the data you collected.
● Help the reader understand what Keep It Real
the data is showing. Sometimes experiments and data don’t tell us what we
○ Identify trends and patterns were hoping to find out. Maybe the data is the opposite of
what you expected. Or maybe the data is just muddy and
seen in the data. it’s impossible to figure anything out.
○ Connect the trends/patterns Scientists love it when that happens!
to your hypothesis. Why? Because it still gives us answers, and answers are
○ Connect to your background what scientists are all about. It also gives us new questions
to explore, and scientists love that too.
information in the So if it happens to you, own it. Put it in the report, and
Statement of the Problem explain what you would do next to explore the new
section. questions.

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 ● State your conclusion: did the experiment support your hypothesis, or not, or was the experiment
inconclusive?
● Discuss why the data did or did not support your hypothesis. Use scientific language and reasoning.
● This section is typically 2 to 3 paragraphs in length, in addition to the graphs or tables.
● This section is assessed in Criterion Ci, Cii and Ciii.

Limitations, Improvements & Future Work

● Explain what was not perfect. What effect did it have on the experiment, results and conclusion?
● What would you change, and why would it make a difference?
● Explain what should be done next, if someone wants to continue this investigation, and/or improve
the existing experiment.
● This section is assessed in Criterion Civ and Cv.

Works Cited
This section is needed if you did research related to this experiment. Cite your sources in the report
(above) and provide the full MLA citation(s) here.
If you didn’t use outside resources, delete this section.