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Lab Report Format

The document outlines the structure and requirements for chemistry lab reports, including sections for title, purpose, procedures, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion. Each section has specific guidelines and grading criteria, emphasizing the importance of clarity, detail, and relevance in presenting experimental results. The total lab report is worth 50 points, with points allocated for structure, purpose, procedure, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion.

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1 views

Lab Report Format

The document outlines the structure and requirements for chemistry lab reports, including sections for title, purpose, procedures, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion. Each section has specific guidelines and grading criteria, emphasizing the importance of clarity, detail, and relevance in presenting experimental results. The total lab report is worth 50 points, with points allocated for structure, purpose, procedure, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion.

Uploaded by

luke.harris26
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chemistry Lab Reports

Dr. Cernota

Lab reports should be typed in a reasonable font, though calculations may be


done by hand in black ink and include them as an image.

1. Write the title of the experiment and the date on the top of the page.
2. Purpose: Write a short description (one or two sentences) about the purpose of the
lab. What are you trying to show or determine? What techniques are you using to
determine this?
3. Do any pre-lab problems.(This tends to be rare)
4. Write the procedures for the lab. Write these in the past tense as a paragraph.
5. Data: All of your data, both qualitative and quantitative, should be included in this
section. This will include any measurements or observations you make while doing
the lab. In addition to numerical data, you should record qualitative observations
that affected the outcome of your experiment. Basic qualitative observations like
color and smell are fine if they are pertinent to the experiment and provide context
for the process. More importantly, any observations about the procedure should be
noted. Was a particular aspect of the lab difficult to do for some reason? Did you
make a deviation from the procedure? Did you observe something that would affect
the outcome of your experiment?
6. Calculations: For all quantitative work, show sample calculations that explain how
you have manipulated your raw data to achieve any results. You do not need to
include every calculation you do, just enough so that you show how you worked
with the data. Repeated calculations of the same type can be shown explicitly once,
and then only the result needs to be reported for subsequent trials. This section
should contain the final results of all calculations required for the lab.
7. Discussion: This is the place where you formally present your results, even if you
already have them in your calculation section. Begin your discussion with a
summary of results to make sure they are not scattered among your calculations. Be
sure to explain the physical significance of your result. If you know the “true”
answer, you should include it and make the comparison to your experimental value.
Your discussion should include comments upon the results of your calculations and
explanations of your qualitative observations. Types of questions that should be
answered may include: What do the results of your experiments mean? How do
your results relate to any hypothesis we are testing or law we are investigating?
Does your result make any sense? Always include a discussion of what types of
errors could account for any results that do not comply with the chemical laws we
are testing. Any issues noted as qualitative observations about the lab procedure
should be addressed here.

8. Conclusion: You should conclude with a brief recap of your goals for the
experiment, your results, and what they mean. In general, this should be a short
paragraph. My rule of thumb is: If I looked back on my lab a year from now, what
would I want to know about the lab? This section should be completely redundant,
repeating information from your data, calculation and discussion section. This
should be no more than two or three sentences.
Grading:

Labs will be worth 50 points.


Structure and format:
5 pts (are all the pieces there, in the right order, with the right information,
neatly presented, with appropriate headings)

5 pts for your purpose (relevant, includes what we are studying and what
process we are using),

10 for procedure (tense, voice, form, and appropriate level of detail, correct
reasons for steps, shows understanding of why things are done)

10 points for data (neatness, appropriate display, inclusion of qualitative data


about process)

5 points for calculations (correctly done, neat and understandable)

10 points for discussion (includes numerical results, effects of qualitative


observations and error analysis – how does your error affect your final result)

5 points for your conclusion (repeats important qualitative and quantitative


conclusions, parallels purpose)

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