A lab report is a comprehensive written analysis of everything done and required while conducting lab experiments.
A well-written lab report depicts all the stages involved while conducting a hands-on experiment. This includes the aim of the experiment, ingredients used, methods followed, results, and the conclusion.
Writing a lab report aims to illustrate your understanding of the scientific concept used for experimenting. Lab reports form a fundamental part of all scientific disciplines from molecular biology to public health. Reports are often considered synonymous with research papers but are quite different and more precise.
This article will guide you through the steps and procedures of writing a lab report.
1. Title
The first page of a lab report should be dedicated to introducing the topic of the experiment. The title should not be too long (10-12 words maximum) and should be able to describe the main purpose of the experiment.
2. Abstract
An abstract summarizes the main purpose of the experiment in about 200-250 words. Abstracts are generally written to brief the readers about what might be expected from the experiment in question. Although placed at the beginning, right after the title page, an abstract should be written only after the completion of the entire experiment.
An abstract aims to answer certain questions, like why the experiment was conducted, what are the outcomes, what these outcomes signify, and so forth.
3. Introduction
Right after writing the abstract, you need to introduce the topic comprehensively through the introduction. The introduction is the only major theoretical part of the entire report. It maps out the total experiment in brief. In the first part, the key problem is discussed along with all other relevant theories and models.
The second part discusses the motivation behind experimenting and the specific focus of the study.
The last portion of the introduction conveys the research question, before delving into the methods and procedures.
4. Methods And Materials
This section of the report gives a heads-up on what all materials and equipment were required to conduct the experiment. Also, make sure you mention the specific quantities in which certain materials were used.
The method section should include a list of steps that were followed to gather the requisite information. The steps should be in chronological order and in case an extensive data analysis was performed, be sure to include the method of planning for the same.
While discussing the steps, you need to describe the sequence of steps you followed and not the ones you were supposed to follow. The list of steps should be accurate, such that any other experimenter following the same steps should end up with similar outcomes.
Lab report writing involves a lot of technical knowledge about the experiment you are writing about. If you’re interested, you can hire lab report writers to write the report for you.
5. Results
This section is meant for reporting the outcomes of the experiment. The outcome doesn’t only refer to the end product. While reporting the results you need to explain the outcomes of each method and procedure that you followed.
Here again, the outcomes reported should be the real outcomes you received and not the ones you were expecting.
6. Discussion And Conclusion
Discussion is the detailed extension of the outcomes section. In this portion, you’re supposed to write about what the results signify. Did you receive the result that you expected, or is the result unexpected? Explain the gap. Try to analyze the experimental errors (if any).
Do a comparative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your experimental model with another similar experiment. Did the outcomes give rise to any new questions, if yes, do you have a way of resolving them?
The conclusion section is where you wrap it all up, discuss the merits of the experiment conducted, and give a brief overview of the expected and received outcomes.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that not all lab reports follow the same structure. Part of it is because few of the sections seem to overlap- for example the discussion and conclusion. Consult your advisor before writing, and only proceed with the sections you have been asked to include.
Good Luck!
