9 Effective Tips for Writing a Lab Report
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Have you been tasked with writing a lab report? If so, then you probably realize how daunting a task it can be. However, with the right tips, you can create a brilliant report regardless of your data quality.
Below, we set out our guidelines to help. Read on for our 9 must-know tips on writing a lab report.
1. Get the Title Right
When you write a lab report, try to avoid writing a story. Your title page does not need to be exhaustive or overly descriptive. However, there are a few elements that need to be included.
Your title should be ten words or less. It should sum up your report succinctly, and phrase itself to answer a question. These questions should combine the what, why, where, and when that you are addressing.
As well as your title, your lab report should include your name. In a working laboratory, it should include the lab and company you are assigned to. For an academic lab report, this can just be your course or the class you are in.
2. Stay on Track With Your Abstract
The abstract is in fact not abstract at all. You should stay on track, keeping it to around 200 words. It should be a summary of the report and its findings.
This should actually be the last section of the report you write. This allows you to know your findings and conclusion, then work this into a brief summary. Start by telling the reader about the purpose of the study.
Always end your abstract with a sentence that entices people to read on. It does not have to be overly descriptive but should tell them the significance of the findings within.
3. Funnel Your Introduction
The introduction is there to provide the basis for your study. You must give a rationale as to why the study took place. The best way to structure this is by following a funnel, starting broad, and narrowing it down as you go.
Discuss the larger topic, then follow it up by explaining the framework. This should lead to a brief discussion of previous studies followed by your rationale and prediction in the form of a hypothesis.
4. Allow People to Replicate the Method
In this section, you should detail the materials and methods that you have used. This is the section where your writing needs to turn informative. It should be as if you are writing a recipe or a ‘how-to’ guide.
Always do this description in the present tense. Although you are writing details, you need to be concise in your descriptions.
Once you have written it, go back and check for any information not needed. This step should be to remove any evaluations or predictions about the procedure. In this section, you are simply doing the method, nothing else.
5. Include a Graph in Your Results
Including a chart or graph is not always essential, but it does make your report look much more professional. After a lengthy amount of words, it also offers a reprieve for the reader and allows them to visualize findings.
Make sure these tables or graphs are clear. You must explain fully what they represent, though you must try to avoid any discussion or outcome.
6. Edit Your Discussion
The discussion is the section where you can talk about your findings. Do not be afraid to admit if the data totally went against what you had predicted in your hypothesis. In fact, this shows that your experiment was conducted with no bias and that you are willing to accept the results.
The section should also be used to discuss how you can improve and extend the research. This should include a brief comment about the fallibility of your experiment, what it may not show and how you would extend it.
Once you have done this, go back through your report and make sure the discussion remains clear. For many, this is the section where they tend to get overly wordy. Keep it simple and to the point.
7. Make the Conclusion Short
The conclusion is a summary of the discussion. You need to say if your hypothesis turned out as expected or not, and what this means going forward. This should be kept short, and should never exceed more than a paragraph.
8. Do Not Manipulate Results When Writing a Lab Report
You should never attempt to manipulate results in any lab report. Even if they have been caused by random or anomalous data, then you must divulge this. You should admit in the report that the results may be accidental.
If something did not go to plan, or you made a mistake, then you should also include this in the text. This will stop anyone replicating the tests from making the same mistake.
9. Use Correct Tense
One of the main lab report tips regards using the correct tenses in your report. Stick to the present tense throughout, even with the method. Although you did it in the past, the people following the experiment will be in the present.
All of this should be done in the third person. This gives it an air of impartiality.
Keep Drafting
When writing any academic piece of work, you must always draft and edit when it is complete. Writing a lab report is no different. Start by going back through what you have done, taking out unnecessary information and sentencing while implementing our tips.
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