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Guide in Making Activity Report

The document serves as a guide for writing a laboratory report in a General Botany course at Pangasinan State University, outlining the IMRAD format: Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. It details the components of each section, emphasizing the importance of clarity, accuracy, and adherence to scientific writing standards. Additionally, it instructs on the inclusion of references in APA format at the end of the report.

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3 views3 pages

Guide in Making Activity Report

The document serves as a guide for writing a laboratory report in a General Botany course at Pangasinan State University, outlining the IMRAD format: Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. It details the components of each section, emphasizing the importance of clarity, accuracy, and adherence to scientific writing standards. Additionally, it instructs on the inclusion of references in APA format at the end of the report.

Uploaded by

Mena Nacional
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FC 101- GENERAL BOTANY PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

ACTIVITY 1 BS BIOLOGY PROGRAM


1st Semester, AY 2022-2023

ACTIVITY REPORT GUIDE (TITLE)

INTRODUCTION

The main purpose of a lab report is to describe an experiment you have carried
out in the lab and to communicate the results. Writing lab reports is part of learning to be
a scientist, and provides you with experience in writing in a scientific style similar to that
used in articles published in scientific journals. Reports that communicate the results of an
experiment generally follow the format known as IMRAD: Introduction, Method, Results,
(and) Discussion. Each section has a specific purpose and contains different information.

I. Components of the Laboratory Report


START HERE
Abstract
The abstract allows you to elaborate upon each major aspect of the paper and
helps readers decide whether they want to read the rest of the paper. Therefore, enough
key information [e.g., summary results, observations, trends, etc.] must be included to
make the abstract useful to someone who may want to examine your work. Use the active
voice when possible, but note that much of your abstract may require passive sentence
constructions. Regardless, write your abstract using concise, but complete, sentences.
Get to the point quickly and always use the past tense because you are reporting on
research that has been completed. Also, it should be limited to 200-300 words only. After
the abstract write 5 key words used in your activity.

Introduction
The Introduction provides an overview of the experiment and informs the reader
about what to expect in the report. It should include the following information:
• Background information to put the experiment into context
✓ What have you investigated?
✓ Why is it worth investigating? (Significance)
✓ What have previous studies found in this area?
• The aims of the experiment which are indicated in the statements of the problem

Key references supporting background information should be provided in this


section. The introduction present in the manual may serve as a guide should not be copied
in toto. Define any specialized terms, definitions or abbreviations you intend to use.

Materials and Methods


In this section you explain to the reader how you carried out the experiment. It
explains what you did and how. It should be written in the past tense and include enough
detail to enable a reader to replicate the experiment. This means that you need to be
specific (e.g. detail the concentration of solution used, the time that the experiment sat in
the water bath, the temperature of the oven). If necessary the Method section can be
divided into subheadings, such as subjects, apparatus (or materials), and procedure.
It should include the following information:
• The materials, subjects, and equipment (e.g. chemicals, experimental animals,
apparatus) you used.
• The steps you took (in chronological order) in carrying out the experiment.

Results
This is a very important section of your lab report because it is where you present
your findings. You need to present all relevant findings in a clear, concise, and accurate
way that is easy for the reader to follow and understand. Never falsify your findings. Even
if your findings do not support the hypothesis, they are your findings and should be
reported.
You might find it useful to present some of your findings using tables or figures. A
figure is anything other than a table (e.g. graph, diagram, drawing, photo, map).
Sometimes your lecturer will advise you which to use, but if you have to make this decision
FC 101- GENERAL BOTANY PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY
ACTIVITY 1 BS BIOLOGY PROGRAM
1st Semester, AY 2022-2023
yourself, think about the most effective way to present your findings in a clear visual form.
For example:
• Tables are useful for presenting summarized data in rows and columns
• Pie charts are useful for communicating findings expressed as different
percentages of a whole
• Graphs are useful for demonstrating numerical difference or trends

It is important that the tables and figures you use summarize or enhance the
information you present in the text of the report rather than merely repeating it. Tables and
figures should be labelled and numbered separately as they appear in the report, so it is
possible to have both Table 1 and Figure 1 in the same report. The number and label
should be provided at the top of a table, and at the bottom of a figure.
You must always refer to a table or figure in the text of your report, and when doing
so, try to point out to the reader what it is you want them to notice. For example, ‘As shown
in Figure 1, almost all of the energy consumed (95%) was produced using non-renewable
sources’. There are some things you should not include in the Results section. You do not
discuss your results here; this occurs in the Discussion section of the report.

Discussion
This section of the report requires the most thought. It is where you analyze your
findings within the context of the information you have presented in your Introduction. Your
discussion should be clearly linked to the introduction and might include:

• whether or not your findings support the hypothesis. If not, can you suggest any
reasons why?
• the extent to which your findings agree with previous studies in the area. If not,
can you suggest any reasons why?
• whether there was anything you could have done differently in terms of
methodology and procedures.

The Discussion section should end with a concluding paragraph that states the
significance of your findings. You should indicate the extent to which your findings are
useful or conclusive, indicate the possible direction of further research, and discuss what
improvements could be made to the methodology for future studies

References
You will need to include a Reference List at the end of your report: a list of all the
references you have cited in the report (e.g. textbooks, journals, lab manuals, web sites).
If you have read a reference but haven’t cited it in the report, you do not include it here.
Please see APA format of citation.
FC 101- GENERAL BOTANY PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY
ACTIVITY 1 BS BIOLOGY PROGRAM
1st Semester, AY 2022-2023

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