LAB REPORT FORMAT
Pre AP Chemistry, Chemistry
General Report Guidelines:
· Use blue/black ink or type lab reports
· Label the major sections of the lab report
· Mark out errors with a single line
· Write only on the front side of the paper
· ALL raw data must be recorded
· The original lab/data must be attached
· Graphs should be scaled appropriately and should be large enough to be easily read
· Performing the lab and calculations are the only parts of this lab that can be done with a partner. All others parts must be done individually.
INTRODUCTION (Pre-lab)
(This section should be 1-2 paragraphs in length with no bulleted items)
· Statement of the problem/purpose
o What is the problem to be solved?
· Discussion of Topic with hypothesis statement
o Statement of laws
§ What laws and equations will be observed and how are they utilized in the lab?
o Variables
§ Identify the independent and dependent variables and the control variable.
o Graphic Description
§ Describe what graphs will be needed and what information will be gathered from the graphs (optional with teacher).
o Instruments (only Physics and above)
§ Explain the use of and need for the new instruments to be used.
o Statement of hypothesis
§ What results are expected? What basis does the hypothesis have?
PROCEDURE (pre-lab)
(This section should be 1-2 paragraphs in length. Only the materials are in lists, everything else should be in paragraph form.)
· Safety
o List pertinent safety precautions
· Materials and Equipment (optional with teacher)
o Create a list of all materials and equipment to be used. Include units on equipment list. Format in columns if the list is long.
· Procedure
o In your own words, summarize the procedure in one paragraph
DATA (pre-lab)
· Data Table
o Prepare data table with title, labels, and units. Make separate tables for quantitative and qualitative data.
o Record observations and quantitative measurements.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
· Create a graph
o Include the following: title, label axes with units, include a best fit line if applicable
o Describe relationship shown by graph
· Calculations
o Show calculations
· Write equation, show substituted equation with units, state results with units and correct sig figs
· If many of the calculations are the same, but have different numbers, only show one sample calculation.
· Questions
o Write out the questions (optional by teacher)
o Answer all assigned questions in complete sentences, justifying your answers.
o Answer in such a way that the question is understood
CONCLUSION / SUMMARY (This is merely a guideline for what information needs to be included in the conclusion, the order and content varies based upon the experiment performed.) (This section should be in paragraph form with no bulleted items)
· State results and percent error with accepted value
o What was determined during the experiment and how does this compare to the accepted or known value?
· Explain what was done in the lab, describe observations, make inferences, describe trends
o What was done in the lab and what observations were made and what scientific information can be used to explain those observations?
o Use this table to help organize your thoughts and then write in paragraph form a summary of each table row. Unless directed by your teacher, this table should not appear in your report. It is only used to help determine the “what” will go into the conclusion.
State what you did in the lab / State what you saw while doing the lab or what data was collected / Explain what your observations imply (what does it mean?)· Discuss errors consistent with error deviation
o What errors were made during the lab and how did these affect the results? Pay attention to the direction of the error deviation.
· Real World applications/Create new questions
o How does this relate to the real-world outside of the lab?
o After completing this experiment, what new questions arise? What additional experiments could be performed to answer these questions?