LABORATORY REPORT WRITING

A typical science laboratory report is written to describe and to analyse an experiment

on a scientific concept. Writing reports are a vital part of the scientific process. They
should communicate the important work you have done in lab so that someone who
was not there can understand and replicate your experiment.

Lab report structure

Lab reports can vary in length and format. These range from a form to fill in and submit
before leaving the lab, to a formal written report. However, they all usually follow a
similar basic structure. The sections of a laboratory report can vary between scientific
fields and requirements.

A good laboratory report is not just the presentation of data but must include how the data
is gotten and the concept behind the data collected. The principles behind the experiment
and formats adapted are also vital. A typical lab report would include the following
sections: title, abstract, introduction, method, results and discussion presented,
sequentially, under the following sub-headings:

i. Date the experiment was performed

ii. Title of experiment: this must indicate what the study is about. It must include the
variables under investigation and should not be written as a question.
iii. Introduction: the purpose of the introduction is to explain where your hypothesis
comes from (i.e. it should provide a rationale for your research study and Aim and
objectives of the experiment
iv. Method for the experiment;
 Materials to use (these include tools, reagents, equipment);
 Method adopted for analysis (e. g. the bell jar method of determination of
transpiration).
 Procedure for the analysis (sequential activities performed to attainment of the
results for each experiment)
v. Results and Analysis:
 Presents results of the experiment graphically or by using tables. Figures
often include error bars where applicable
 discusses how results were analysed
vi. Discussion of Results:
  interprets key results in relation to the aims/research question
 summarises key findings and limitations
 makes recommendations to overcome limitations and indicate future
directions in research

The discussion section is allocated the most marks, so it is well worth your investment
in time to do it thoroughly. You can begin with a sentence or paragraph, summarising
the results, including whether or not they support the hypothesis. You can then choose to
highlight similarities in findings between your study and previous ones.
The most challenging part of the Discussion is explaining your findings. A good
proportion of your discussion should be devoted to explaining, interpreting, and where
relevant, justifying your findings. This can involve repeating some of the theoretical
frameworks or models mentioned in the Introduction, but with a greater focus towards
making sense of the outcomes in your study. Beyond affirming the theory, you should
also consider any alternative explanations for the findings. These may be drawn from
studies that presented inconsistent findings with the theory. Additionally, you may also
be able to draw on aspects of the study which may have been left to chance, rather than
being experimentally controlled.
In the last part of the discussion, it is beneficial to mention any flaws in the study, such
as a lack of diversity amongst participants, sample size, and other characteristics of the
sample population. If you can think of other disadvantages associated with the design of
the study, then it is a good idea to discuss these if you can. In the final part, before your
concluding paragraph, it is a good idea to consider the future application of the findings
in some way, and even the need for further investigations to ascertain unexplained
aspects of the research outcomes. This particular part can also be included in the
concluding paragraph, but will depend on your assignment instructions. In closing the
report, finish by reaffirming the findings and their significance to the research area.
vii. Conclusion

This is a summarized statement indicating whether the result answers the aim and
objectives of the experiment.

viii. Recommendation: This constitutes suggestions as to what to do with the findings.

 redo the experiment because the results are doubtful or
 The results are the expected ones and a lot was learnt from it etc.
ix. References (if applicable).
x. Appendices (if applicable)