How to Write a College Lab Report

College lab reports are often required for college-level science courses. A lab report is a written document of what was done in your college lab and includes the conclusion you came to after your research and experiment. Each professor will have a different and distinct format for writing a college lab, but there are general steps to follow to make sure you have your lab report completed correctly.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Word processing program
• Science book

Instructions

1. Check your syllabus or online course materials to see if your lab instructor posted a sample lab report or a format that your lab report should follow. If a format is posted, or if instructions have been given, copy the headings on the sample, format or instructions into a word document on your computer.

2. Write headings on your document, either from your samples or, if none was given, in the following format: Problem, Hypothesis, Research, Experiment, Data and Conclusion.

3. Fill in the Problem section by writing down the problem or issue the lab was dealing with. Write in complete sentences but be concise.

4. Complete the Hypothesis section by writing what you thought would happen before you started the lab. If the lab was an experiment, write what you thought the result would be. Write what you thought you would be discovering if the lab was a discovery lab.

5. Finish the Research section. Check your syllabus or lab guide to see how much research is required. Use the Internet, your science book or the library to research the topic and the experiment. Write a report that is the specific number of pages asked for by your professor. If your professor did not stipulate a length, try to have your information or research section be between two and four pages. Document your sources according to the guidelines your professor has set forth. MLA and APA are two commonly used guideline formats, so use one of those if your professor did not stipulate one.

6. Write the Experiment section. Discuss the experiment or lab that was performed. List all steps of the experiment and exactly what you and your lab partners did.

7. Complete the Data section. In this section, include a paragraph about your results. Make a chart, table or graph to tabulate any figures and show any results you might have obtained during your lab.

8. Finish with the Conclusion section. Write a conclusion based on the data you have tabulated. Reflect on your hypothesis and see if you were right or wrong. Add a paragraph about implications of the result or the affect on the world at large.

References

• Lab Report Writing