How to Write a Lab Report

Your lab report is divided into several sections, including title page, introduction, objective
statement, results, discussion, figures and tables. Each section is graded separately, and
grading is done according to "Rubrics for Lab Reports".

Following is a description of each section, which will help you write your report.

I. Title Page:

 It should be a separate page.

 It should include the following: name, date of experiment, semester, course, title,
instructor and a statement of contribution.
 The title should be concise and informative of the topic.

II. Introduction:

 It should be stated in the form of a paragraph.

 It's a background that explains the topic.
 It should not include objectives, results or conclusions.
 It should be limited to 3-5 sentences.
 It should not include very little or too much information.

III. Objective Statement:

 It should be stated in the form of points.

 It should address issues related to the lab session.

IV. Results:

 They should be stated in the form of a paragraph.

 They should report the data obtained (observations, measurements, counts, values…).
 They should not include discussion of data or conclusions.
 They should be reported in the same order as methods (i.e. experimental procedure).
 They should be complete, accurate and clear.
 They should refer to figures and tables.
 They should not reinstate data in figures or tables, but should rather report the pattern of
data via ranges and values.

V. Discussion:

 It should consist of several paragraphs, of few to several sentences each.

 It should provide logical explanation for results (analysis, interpretation, significance…).
 It should not repeat the results.
 It may include conclusions.
 It may compare the obtained results to literature findings or theoretical results, and
emphasize consistency or explain discrepancies.
 It should provide sources of error.

VI. Figures:

 They include drawings, pictures and graphs.

 A figure includes the figure itself and a figure legend.
 A figure legend includes figure number (e.g. Figure 1, Fig. 1) and a description.
 A figure legend should accurately describe a figure and provide enough information, such
that it stands alone without referring to the "Results" section.
 Figures should be labeled where applicable.
 A graph should contain axes, axes labels and units.
 A figure legend should be placed below the figure itself.

VII. Tables:

 A table includes the table itself and a table legend.

 A table legend includes table number (e.g. Table 1) and a description.
 A table legend should accurately describe a table and provide enough information, such
that it stands alone without referring to the "Results" section.
 A table legend should be placed above the table itself.
 A table should have three horizontal lines: one under the table legend, one under the
column caption and one under the last data row.
 Column captions should include units.
 Values should not be separated by horizontal lines.