How to Write a Science Lab

Lab reports are a standarized method of reporting findings to the scientific community.

A scientific lab report is a relatively easy thing to write once you know the pattern. All science lab reports follow the same basic structure, which consists of five steps: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Some sources divide materials and methods into two separate categories, while others prefer more technical category descriptions such as "theoretical background" and "experimental design and procedure." Despite these derivations, the basic point of every science lab report is the same: Describe what was done, how it was done, why it was done, what the results were, and what those results mean.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer
• Typewriter
• Lab results

Instructions

1. Write the introduction. Succinctly describe the purpose of the experiment, and include the hypothesis. To create the hypothesis, describe what you thought the outcome of the experiment would be before it was conducted.

2. Explain the material and methods. Create a list of all of the materials used in the process of the experiment. Write this list in the form of a paragraph, and explain what each material was used for. Create a separate, short paragraph explaining the manner in which the experiment was conducted.

3. Share the results. Explain what the outcome of the experiment was. If charts, images or graphs are required to demonstrate phenomena that occurred during the experiment, attach these as indices at the end of the report. Number each image, graph or chart. Refer to images, graphs or charts in the text by the corresponding number. For instance, "Refer to image 5 for full data."

4. Write your discussion. Use the discussion to give reasons as why certain phenomena occurred in the way that they did. Explain the results from the previous section of the lab report. Think of the discussion as an analysis of the results.

5. Write your conclusion. Address the hypothesis directly: was it right or wrong? Explain why the hypothesis was right or wrong. Describe what you learned from the lab, and what the presenting phenomena indicate scientifically.

6. Attach the indices. Include a bibliography listing reference materials used for research purposes, and all charts, graphs and images as referenced in the results section.

Tips & Warnings

• The discussion portion of the report should be fun. This section exists for you to demonstrate your powers of deduction and creative scientific thinking. Consider why the experiment went the way it did and what that means. The discussion is the non-textbook section of a lab report, and should be drawn from all the scientific knowledge you have gained. Discussion is your chance to stand out from your peers.

• Avoid florid writing. Science writing should be readable, but not colorful. It's fine to use a few adjectives here and there, but keep from waxing poetic or including deviations from the primary topic.

References

• University of North Carolina: Scientific Reports
• Columbia University: Writing a Laboratory Report
• Mountain Empire Community College: How to Write Lab Reports
• Ohio University: How to Write a Lab Report