The laboratory report describes the experiment, the author gives the calculations and results and draws conclusions. Such a report is evaluated not only by its content but also by its format. Particular attention is paid to illustrations, tables, formulas. In order to write a lab report properly, stick to the following tips.
Stick to the structure
Some educational institutions may recommend a structure for laboratory work that is different from the generally accepted one. But most reports use the option below. Also, to understand how to structure a lab report better, you may order a sample of it. You can do it by googling, “write my lab report.” You will find a service where you can buy an example of a report. If you don’t want to order a sample, stick to the following structure:
- Title page
The top of the page begins with the name of the institution of higher education and faculty. Then the title is written, including the topic. On the right side of the page, the supervisor is indicated; on the left side, a student is indicated. At the bottom of the title page, the year of the report is written.
- Introduction
An introductory section begins immediately after the title page. The lab report is considered to be not large enough to warrant a table of contents. Therefore, most universities do not require it. In the introduction, the author identifies the goal and lists the tasks to be solved in accordance with it.
It provides information about the object and subject of research, that is, the studied scientific area and the problem considered in it. The introduction should immerse the reader of the report into the essence of the work.
- Theoretical part
The theory depends on the discipline. Chemistry requires a description of the reagents used and the reaction scheme; physics requires formulas. Also, here are theorems, laws, fragments of program code may be given. The required information is presented briefly.
- Practical part
After you include the basic theoretical information that is needed to understand the topic of the laboratory report, the description of the experiment begins. Here you need to list the following:
- devices, technical equipment, materials used
- experimental method
- the course of laboratory work performed by the student.
The practical part is composed so that the reader can understand from it that the author independently performed all the actions and reproduced them.
At the end of the practical part, a table is usually drawn up, which clearly displays all the results obtained (and sometimes the initial conditions). If the laboratory report required intermediate results, then they are also recorded in tables.
- Conclusion
In the final part, the author summarizes the tasks performed, briefly lists the data obtained, and draws his or her own conclusions based on them.
- Stick to the format requirements
The report on laboratory work is drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the university or professor. When formatting, we recommend focusing on the manual and not on the work of past years because standards and non-obvious little things can change over time.
- Illustrations
All graphic elements are signed and numbered with Arabic numerals. First comes the text that links to the illustration, then the image is immediately placed. All pictures are presented in one size (if they are small, then you can combine them several in a row, denoting as 6a, 7b, etc.).
- Formulas
If the text contains a link to a formula, then it is placed immediately after the corresponding colon. Formulas in laboratory reports are formatted according to the standard rules for scientific texts.
- Make the outline before writing
Before starting the lab report, familiarize yourself with the report format and write a short outline of the future report. This way, you don’t miss out on important intermediate or experimental information that you might need.
- Enter data in the required table format
Enter data immediately into the table of the format that will be needed in the report. As a result, you will already have part of the data needed for writing.
- Use programs
Ask senior students about which programs are convenient for calculating in this lab report. Sometimes teachers recommend outdated software, or there is no advice at all on this topic.
- To sum up
The laboratory report contains information about the study, the theoretical facts necessary for it, the data obtained, and the conclusions. The assessment takes into account not only the content but also the format. The latter’s requirements may differ in different universities, so we recommend that you familiarize yourself not only with the standard report templates but also with the archived reports of a particular department.
