Scientific Method
Formal Lab Report
Earth Science
Please use this template when writing your formal lab report. It is expected that each new problem will generate different quantities of information, so there is no set amount required for each section. (“How long does this have to be?” is a different answer for each new problem.)
Problem- Why are we concerned about this?
What question are you addressing, or problem are you trying to solve? Describe the situation with
enough detail to make an ignorant reader appreciate a reason to care about the problem or question.
Investigation- What is already known?
Two possibilities here: Either document the background information that has been gathered by you, or describe the research that would need to be done in a hypothetical experiment beyond your reasonable skill level.
Hypothesis- What do you think will happen?
After completing an investigation of background information, what do you think is the answer to the question or solution to the problem? This is often called a “scientific guess” because it is based on a reasonable consideration of the situation, and yet could be completely incorrect. (Remember, in a good experiment you might prove your hypothesis correct or incorrect. Either way is good science.)
Experiment- How will you test your hypothesis?
Everything about a good experiment is quantifiable (measurable), which makes the whole experiment repeatable. It has only one variable tested at a time, so that the result is clearly caused by that variable. It also has a control group to compare the test group against.
Result- What happens?
This is the data generating part of the experiment, where you measure what actually happens. It is completely without interpretation, only describing what happens, NOT why it happens. No one can disagree with the results of a good experiment because they are measurable and repeatable.
Conclusion- What does this mean?
This final step is an interpretation of the data, the scientist’s attempt to explain the data. Sometimes the conclusions of scientists will differ even though they have seen the same results. This is part of why science is an ongoing, ever questioning field where we are never completely satisfied with the conclusions. More experiments may be required!