chemistry experiment template

Mind that sometimes these sections are called differently but have the same purpose. Some of the sections may be missing, but the general structure should be close to this. Everything depends on the educational institution.

It is important to know that usually lab reports are written after the lab session is finished . This means that you need to have everything previously recorded in your lab notebook . You are supposed to keep track of everything you do in the lab in your laboratory notebook, and then using that notebook to write down your lab report, not the other way around.

Reviewing Every Step

Now, we’d like to go through the main stages of a chemistry lab report. It’s necessary to add brief comments concerning each of them. Your laboratory report begins with a title page. You already know what it consists of. Let’s check how to compose it correctly. The information must be presented on the upper right-hand side of the page. All the points (the title, your name, collaborators, etc.) should be mentioned on the separate line.

Afterward comes the second part, which includes:

• The course title
• Title of the experiment
• Title of the parts within the experiment
• Semester, year, etc. (optional)

This data appears in the middle of the title page.

The next section is the Introduction and it begins with this word in the left upper corner of your report. It should consist of no more than a couple of paragraphs and end with at least one hypothesis.

The body of your project consists of the procedure, materials and methods employed; data; results and observations.  The section Procedure commonly consists of several steps that were followed for the proper conduction of the experiment(s). They could be divided in different parts, and those would describe your actions.

The section Data contains the numerical facts and Observations that provide the changes that took place. Afterwards, you move to the Discussions, in which you ought to plainly explain all the numbers, observations and collected data. Your conclusions provide an overall summary of the entire lab report, and the whole experimental session itself.

Writing a Chemistry Lab Report

The last lap in our “race” is to write a laboratory report . We have already mentioned the main constituents of the title page. Therefore, we can hit the text of your project. Your abstract appears soon after the title page. An abstract is a quick summary that sums up the whole thing (hypothesis to be proven, and conclusions that are reached). Nonetheless, you should leave some space and skip it until the entire project is finished. It is recommended to write the abstract last. The main point is that this section provides a brief review of what your lab report is about and what you’ve managed to achieve.

Main Sections

The introductory part tells your readers what to expect from the project. Write a couple o paragraphs and explain the purpose of your experiment. Including references here is also highly encouraged. The last sentence of your introduction is called a hypothesis or a thesis statement. It shows what you hope to achieve at the end of your research.

The main body consists of several parts and of course, each has its purpose. You should introduce the materials and methods you need to conduct the research. Explain your choice and how your choice helps to conduct a safe and accurate study.

Take instant records of everything that happens during the experiment in your lab notebook . Never rely on your memory!

Afterwards, you’ll interpret the data and explain it using plain words. Don’t draw any conclusions when you record data and don’t explain it in the section called Results. This function should be fulfilled in the sections Discussions or Analysis sections, which should come right afterwards.

Your conclusion makes a brief summary. It should consist of 3-4 sentences, not many more. Restate your hypothesis in other words. Mention whether you’ve achieved your initial goal and explain its value.

Importantly, do realize that if a hypothesis cannot be proven, or an experiment doesn’t give you the results you expected, it doesn’t mean that your experiment and lab session was a failure. It is extremely common in chemistry to find yourself on this kind of situations! You only need to be able to explain why you got the results that you got, and how would you go around to fix them!

Further Sections on Your Report

Don’t forget about the contributors (labmates, supervisiors…) to your research.

You should also obligatorily use some secondary sources to support your theory. Therefore, you have to cite and make references according to the assigned writing format. You can reference other articles all over your manuscript (especially in the introduction and discussion sections), but don’t forget to put them together (or at the bottom of each page), and cite them properly.

The final step is to proofread your lab report. You’re free to use reading aloud and in your head, reading everything again, and using special grammar and spelling checking applications.

To sum up, keep in mind all these guidelines when you’re assigned to write a lab report. Thus, you’ll never miss something important, which can cost you essential grades. Write each section properly to receive the highest grades for your experiment. Always be clear, cite the appropriate references, and be objective with your analysis and conclusions!

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How To Write A Lab Report | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on May 20, 2021 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A lab report conveys the aim, methods, results, and conclusions of a scientific experiment. The main purpose of a lab report is to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method by performing and evaluating a hands-on lab experiment. This type of assignment is usually shorter than a research paper .

Lab reports are commonly used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This article focuses on how to structure and write a lab report.

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Table of contents

Structuring a lab report, introduction, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about lab reports.

The sections of a lab report can vary between scientific fields and course requirements, but they usually contain the purpose, methods, and findings of a lab experiment .

Each section of a lab report has its own purpose.

• Title: expresses the topic of your study
• Abstract : summarizes your research aims, methods, results, and conclusions
• Introduction: establishes the context needed to understand the topic
• Method: describes the materials and procedures used in the experiment
• Results: reports all descriptive and inferential statistical analyses
• Discussion: interprets and evaluates results and identifies limitations
• Conclusion: sums up the main findings of your experiment
• References: list of all sources cited using a specific style (e.g. APA )
• Appendices : contains lengthy materials, procedures, tables or figures

Although most lab reports contain these sections, some sections can be omitted or combined with others. For example, some lab reports contain a brief section on research aims instead of an introduction, and a separate conclusion is not always required.

If you’re not sure, it’s best to check your lab report requirements with your instructor.

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Your title provides the first impression of your lab report – effective titles communicate the topic and/or the findings of your study in specific terms.

Create a title that directly conveys the main focus or purpose of your study. It doesn’t need to be creative or thought-provoking, but it should be informative.

• The effects of varying nitrogen levels on tomato plant height.
• Testing the universality of the McGurk effect.
• Comparing the viscosity of common liquids found in kitchens.

An abstract condenses a lab report into a brief overview of about 150–300 words. It should provide readers with a compact version of the research aims, the methods and materials used, the main results, and the final conclusion.

Think of it as a way of giving readers a preview of your full lab report. Write the abstract last, in the past tense, after you’ve drafted all the other sections of your report, so you’ll be able to succinctly summarize each section.

To write a lab report abstract, use these guiding questions:

• What is the wider context of your study?
• What research question were you trying to answer?
• How did you perform the experiment?
• What did your results show?
• How did you interpret your results?
• What is the importance of your findings?

Nitrogen is a necessary nutrient for high quality plants. Tomatoes, one of the most consumed fruits worldwide, rely on nitrogen for healthy leaves and stems to grow fruit. This experiment tested whether nitrogen levels affected tomato plant height in a controlled setting. It was expected that higher levels of nitrogen fertilizer would yield taller tomato plants.

Levels of nitrogen fertilizer were varied between three groups of tomato plants. The control group did not receive any nitrogen fertilizer, while one experimental group received low levels of nitrogen fertilizer, and a second experimental group received high levels of nitrogen fertilizer. All plants were grown from seeds, and heights were measured 50 days into the experiment.

The effects of nitrogen levels on plant height were tested between groups using an ANOVA. The plants with the highest level of nitrogen fertilizer were the tallest, while the plants with low levels of nitrogen exceeded the control group plants in height. In line with expectations and previous findings, the effects of nitrogen levels on plant height were statistically significant. This study strengthens the importance of nitrogen for tomato plants.

Your lab report introduction should set the scene for your experiment. One way to write your introduction is with a funnel (an inverted triangle) structure:

• Start with the broad, general research topic
• Narrow your topic down your specific study focus
• End with a clear research question

Begin by providing background information on your research topic and explaining why it’s important in a broad real-world or theoretical context. Describe relevant previous research on your topic and note how your study may confirm it or expand it, or fill a gap in the research field.

This lab experiment builds on previous research from Haque, Paul, and Sarker (2011), who demonstrated that tomato plant yield increased at higher levels of nitrogen. However, the present research focuses on plant height as a growth indicator and uses a lab-controlled setting instead.

Next, go into detail on the theoretical basis for your study and describe any directly relevant laws or equations that you’ll be using. State your main research aims and expectations by outlining your hypotheses .

Based on the importance of nitrogen for tomato plants, the primary hypothesis was that the plants with the high levels of nitrogen would grow the tallest. The secondary hypothesis was that plants with low levels of nitrogen would grow taller than plants with no nitrogen.

Your introduction doesn’t need to be long, but you may need to organize it into a few paragraphs or with subheadings such as “Research Context” or “Research Aims.”

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A lab report Method section details the steps you took to gather and analyze data. Give enough detail so that others can follow or evaluate your procedures. Write this section in the past tense. If you need to include any long lists of procedural steps or materials, place them in the Appendices section but refer to them in the text here.

You should describe your experimental design, your subjects, materials, and specific procedures used for data collection and analysis.

Experimental design

Briefly note whether your experiment is a within-subjects  or between-subjects design, and describe how your sample units were assigned to conditions if relevant.

A between-subjects design with three groups of tomato plants was used. The control group did not receive any nitrogen fertilizer. The first experimental group received a low level of nitrogen fertilizer, while the second experimental group received a high level of nitrogen fertilizer.

Describe human subjects in terms of demographic characteristics, and animal or plant subjects in terms of genetic background. Note the total number of subjects as well as the number of subjects per condition or per group. You should also state how you recruited subjects for your study.

List the equipment or materials you used to gather data and state the model names for any specialized equipment.

List of materials

35 Tomato seeds

15 plant pots (15 cm tall)

Light lamps (50,000 lux)

Nitrogen fertilizer

Measuring tape

Describe your experimental settings and conditions in detail. You can provide labelled diagrams or images of the exact set-up necessary for experimental equipment. State how extraneous variables were controlled through restriction or by fixing them at a certain level (e.g., keeping the lab at room temperature).

Light levels were fixed throughout the experiment, and the plants were exposed to 12 hours of light a day. Temperature was restricted to between 23 and 25℃. The pH and carbon levels of the soil were also held constant throughout the experiment as these variables could influence plant height. The plants were grown in rooms free of insects or other pests, and they were spaced out adequately.

Your experimental procedure should describe the exact steps you took to gather data in chronological order. You’ll need to provide enough information so that someone else can replicate your procedure, but you should also be concise. Place detailed information in the appendices where appropriate.

In a lab experiment, you’ll often closely follow a lab manual to gather data. Some instructors will allow you to simply reference the manual and state whether you changed any steps based on practical considerations. Other instructors may want you to rewrite the lab manual procedures as complete sentences in coherent paragraphs, while noting any changes to the steps that you applied in practice.

If you’re performing extensive data analysis, be sure to state your planned analysis methods as well. This includes the types of tests you’ll perform and any programs or software you’ll use for calculations (if relevant).

First, tomato seeds were sown in wooden flats containing soil about 2 cm below the surface. Each seed was kept 3-5 cm apart. The flats were covered to keep the soil moist until germination. The seedlings were removed and transplanted to pots 8 days later, with a maximum of 2 plants to a pot. Each pot was watered once a day to keep the soil moist.

The nitrogen fertilizer treatment was applied to the plant pots 12 days after transplantation. The control group received no treatment, while the first experimental group received a low concentration, and the second experimental group received a high concentration. There were 5 pots in each group, and each plant pot was labelled to indicate the group the plants belonged to.

50 days after the start of the experiment, plant height was measured for all plants. A measuring tape was used to record the length of the plant from ground level to the top of the tallest leaf.

In your results section, you should report the results of any statistical analysis procedures that you undertook. You should clearly state how the results of statistical tests support or refute your initial hypotheses.

The main results to report include:

• any descriptive statistics
• statistical test results
• the significance of the test results
• estimates of standard error or confidence intervals

The mean heights of the plants in the control group, low nitrogen group, and high nitrogen groups were 20.3, 25.1, and 29.6 cm respectively. A one-way ANOVA was applied to calculate the effect of nitrogen fertilizer level on plant height. The results demonstrated statistically significant ( p = .03) height differences between groups.

Next, post-hoc tests were performed to assess the primary and secondary hypotheses. In support of the primary hypothesis, the high nitrogen group plants were significantly taller than the low nitrogen group and the control group plants. Similarly, the results supported the secondary hypothesis: the low nitrogen plants were taller than the control group plants.

These results can be reported in the text or in tables and figures. Use text for highlighting a few key results, but present large sets of numbers in tables, or show relationships between variables with graphs.

You should also include sample calculations in the Results section for complex experiments. For each sample calculation, provide a brief description of what it does and use clear symbols. Present your raw data in the Appendices section and refer to it to highlight any outliers or trends.

The Discussion section will help demonstrate your understanding of the experimental process and your critical thinking skills.

In this section, you can:

• Interpret your results
• Compare your findings with your expectations
• Identify any sources of experimental error
• Explain any unexpected results
• Suggest possible improvements for further studies

Interpreting your results involves clarifying how your results help you answer your main research question. Report whether your results support your hypotheses.

• Did you measure what you sought out to measure?
• Were your analysis procedures appropriate for this type of data?

Compare your findings with other research and explain any key differences in findings.

• Are your results in line with those from previous studies or your classmates’ results? Why or why not?

An effective Discussion section will also highlight the strengths and limitations of a study.

• Did you have high internal validity or reliability?
• How did you establish these aspects of your study?

When describing limitations, use specific examples. For example, if random error contributed substantially to the measurements in your study, state the particular sources of error (e.g., imprecise apparatus) and explain ways to improve them.

The results support the hypothesis that nitrogen levels affect plant height, with increasing levels producing taller plants. These statistically significant results are taken together with previous research to support the importance of nitrogen as a nutrient for tomato plant growth.

However, unlike previous studies, this study focused on plant height as an indicator of plant growth in the present experiment. Importantly, plant height may not always reflect plant health or fruit yield, so measuring other indicators would have strengthened the study findings.

Another limitation of the study is the plant height measurement technique, as the measuring tape was not suitable for plants with extreme curvature. Future studies may focus on measuring plant height in different ways.

The main strengths of this study were the controls for extraneous variables, such as pH and carbon levels of the soil. All other factors that could affect plant height were tightly controlled to isolate the effects of nitrogen levels, resulting in high internal validity for this study.

Your conclusion should be the final section of your lab report. Here, you’ll summarize the findings of your experiment, with a brief overview of the strengths and limitations, and implications of your study for further research.

Some lab reports may omit a Conclusion section because it overlaps with the Discussion section, but you should check with your instructor before doing so.

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A lab report conveys the aim, methods, results, and conclusions of a scientific experiment . Lab reports are commonly assigned in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The purpose of a lab report is to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method with a hands-on lab experiment. Course instructors will often provide you with an experimental design and procedure. Your task is to write up how you actually performed the experiment and evaluate the outcome.

In contrast, a research paper requires you to independently develop an original argument. It involves more in-depth research and interpretation of sources and data.

A lab report is usually shorter than a research paper.

The sections of a lab report can vary between scientific fields and course requirements, but it usually contains the following:

• Abstract: summarizes your research aims, methods, results, and conclusions
• References: list of all sources cited using a specific style (e.g. APA)
• Appendices: contains lengthy materials, procedures, tables or figures

The results chapter or section simply and objectively reports what you found, without speculating on why you found these results. The discussion interprets the meaning of the results, puts them in context, and explains why they matter.

In qualitative research , results and discussion are sometimes combined. But in quantitative research , it’s considered important to separate the objective results from your interpretation of them.

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Lab Report Templates

40 lab report templates & format examples.

Lab report templates are documents which are written to explain, describe and analyze a laboratory experiment which investigates a scientific concept. Usually, they are assigned to students to be able to:

• Carry out a scientific research
• Formulate a hypothesis which is about a specific problem or stimulus
• Review related literature and written works to justify the formulated hypothesis
• Apply relevant statistics to be able to test your hypothesis
• Explore different theoretical explanations
• Evaluate research methodically and objectively
• Communicate clearly and specifically

Table of Contents

• 1 Lab Report Format
• 2.1 Lab Report Templates
• 2.2 Project Report Templates
• 3 Lab Report Examples
• 4.1 The Title of the Report
• 4.2 The Abstract
• 4.3 The Purpose or Introduction
• 4.4 Materials and Methodology
• 4.5 Findings and Results
• 4.6 Discussion
• 4.7 Conclusion
• 4.8 Tables and Other Figures
• 4.9 References
• 5 Lab Report Templates
• 6 Things to Do Before Writing Your Lab Report Template
• 7.1 The Pre-Lab Report
• 7.2 The In-Lab Responsibility
• 7.3 The Post-Lab Report
• 8 Sample Lab Report

When making such a report, it would be virtually impossible to rely on just one explanation for your findings. That is why it’s essential to come up with as many probable and related interpretations as you can. The importance of doing this is that even if your finding doesn’t end up supporting your hypothesis, they would still be worth something. You’d have different explanations which would demonstrate the validity of your findings in different contexts.

This article is all about these kinds of reports from the common types, to the parts and even some helpful tips to guide you in making your own report.

Lab Report Format

Types of Formal Lab Report Templates

Not all kinds of laboratory work would require a report. As a matter of fact, you would usually conduct an experiment and only record the numerical findings. However, if you do need to come up with a formal lab report template, it would be very useful for you to know the different types you can write.

These reports usually have a narrow scope, focused mainly on one problem or stimulus. There are different formats for these types of reports. You can make a report simply by filling in the information on blank lines in a worksheet or you can make a more comprehensive, full report which would contain all the parts (which will be discussed further on). Typically these types of reports would not contain references but students do usually refer to information from lectures or textbooks when making one. You can make different reports on different subjects such as:

• a chemistry lab report template
• a physics lab report template
• a science lab report template
• a biology lab report template

Project Report Templates

This type of report usually has a broader scope than the first one. It deals with a wider understanding of a particular topic or subject. When making this type of report, you don’t have to necessarily record the results of an experiment. Instead, you could provide a description of a design or a concept. Finally, this type of report includes the references used while making it.

Lab Report Examples

Parts of a Lab Report Template

In making a report, whether it’s a chemistry lab report template, a physics lab report template or any report for the subject which has been assigned to you, you’d have to know the different parts of the report. Knowing these would guide you as you are writing your report and all you’d have to do is come up with the content of each of the parts.

The Title of the Report

The title of the report should specify what the whole document is about and what you are studying or experimenting on. The title should explain the environmental factors which are to be manipulated, the parameter/s which are measured and the specific stimuli. It would be better to use concise terms and avoid adding any unnecessary terms just to add to the length of the title.

The Abstract

This is basically a reduced or summarized version of the entire report. It would typically be around 250 words only, not too lengthy. The abstract would be used to quickly understand the purpose, the methods, the results and the importance of your research without having to read the whole report.

Abstracts which are published in academic journals are very useful especially when you are conducting research in the library. You can go through them quickly to find out if the said report is related to your topic. You would have to order the content of your abstract the same way as you would the rest of the report:

• Start with a background sentence which would introduce your report.
• Write the main objective of your report and the hypothesis.
• Make a description of the key points in your methodology.
• Summarize your results quantitatively and qualitatively.

The Purpose or Introduction

The next would be the purpose or objective of your report. Start with the problem or the issue you are trying to solve then provide some background information about it. It should be direct, concise and easy to understand.

It should include a short review of previous literature which is relevant to your problem and an explanation on how your experiment will help to make clear or add to the existing knowledge. The final sentence of the introduction should be a purpose statement, which would specifically define the question which your experiment is meant to answer. To build the foundation of your introduction or purpose, you may have to use different resource materials.  

Materials and Methodology

This part would be all about how and when you had done your work. It should include the experimental design, materials, equipment and apparatus used in the experiment, the methodology you had used to gather and analyze the data and all other types of control.

All the information you write here must be clear and in full detail so anyone who would like to replicate your experiment will be able to. Since you have already done all these procedures, you have to write this part using the past tense. Here are some tips for you:

• Use either a passive voice or an active first person voice when making your descriptions.
• Reference any and all methodology which you have adapted from other sources.
• Make use of illustrations, photographs, maps and such, if needed to describe the experimental setup.
• Make a description of the procedures you had altered as compared to the procedures which you had used as a reference.

Findings and Results

When presenting the results or findings, just write down your observations and all the relevant data without adding any interpretations or conclusions about their meaning. When organized and written well, this section would provide the structure for the next part of your report.

Document all of your findings in the order you’ve made your observations. Make sure to use complete sentences so they would be easier to understand. You can also use diagrams, tables and such which would support the results and possibly make them even easier to understand.

• It would be better to use both worded and numerical data in describing your results. Also, make sure to use appropriate terminologies.
• Use the past tense when describing your findings.
• Detailed calculations or results can be added to your report as an appendix.  

In this section, you would be discussing your results and findings. You would be explaining how your research or experiment related to the previous work which had been done in the same field. You’d also make explanations about what you think your results mean.

• Make a description of the relations and patterns which had emerged.
• Discuss why you had observed what you did, how the results happened and how it is related to the whole purpose of your experiment.
• Make a comparison of your results to the trends which are described in the published literature as well as to theoretical behavior.
• Supplement your interpretations with different references.
• Make sure you are always descriptive so that your discussion part will be easy to understand by the readers.
• Here you would have to either accept or reject the hypothesis you had written. Provide an explanation why using the findings of your experiment.

The very last part of your formal lab report template would be the conclusion. Here you’d have to include a short sentence which would restate the purpose, the main results and how these results are important to the field of study.  

Tables and Other Figures

These are often added into a report to present data which is more complicated. Here are some guidelines for you:  

• Tables are just tables while all other relevant items like diagrams , maps, graphs and such are referred to as figures.
• Number all your tables and figures in order so they can easily be located when they are referred to in the rest of the text.
• All the tables and figures must also have their own titles which are self-explanatory so that they can be understood on their own.

You may include the references you had used throughout your whole research and experimentation or not. However, if you do, you must write them down appropriately and well.

• It’s usually a list which is written on a separate page at the end of the report.
• All information which is not originally your must be included in the reference section.
• Reference all the literature which you had used as well.

If you’re making a formal report, whether it’s a science lab report template, a biology lab report template or such, you have to include all these sections. For further reference, there are plenty of report samples available online. But before you start writing your report, you have to do a few things, which we will be discussing next.

Things to Do Before Writing Your Lab Report Template

Writing a formal lab report template can be quite a tedious process, especially if you’re not prepared. Probably the very best way to prepare yourself is to make sure that you completely understand everything you need to about the whole experiment. Here are a few steps to guide you:

• Do as much research as you can about your experiment. Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
• What am I to learn from the experiment?
• What experiments are to be done in the lab?
• What procedures am I to do and why will I do them that way?
• Why would I benefit from the knowledge I gain from the experiment?
• Consult with a lab supervisor or anyone who you know has ample knowledge about the experiment or the research.
• Plan all the steps of the experiment with much thought. Don’t rush into things. Think of each step thoroughly so you can be sure that you will perform the experiment accurately.
• Take some time to think about an ideal way to collect and organize the results and findings before you even start. If you need to, create tables and forms to jot down the data more effectively.
• If you are working with a group, make sure to communicate well with everyone. Consult before making decisions and ask questions to make sure that everything is clear.
• Your audience must also be a consideration. Just because the report is yours or your group’s, it doesn’t mean that no one else will be reading it. Therefore it is important to keep in mind that you would need to record everything. Documenting everything will be helpful to you and to the other people who will be reading your report.

No matter what you do, preparing must always be part of the entire process so that everything else will flow a lot more smoothly. Now let’s move on to some tips to help you out as you are writing your lab report template.

Tips for Writing Your Lab Report Template  

Making a great formal lab report template would involve a lot of steps. From the moment you decide to make do the experiment all the way to the end. Here we’ve compiled for you a few tips to guide you from start to finish. Read on and be guided by these steps:  

The Pre-Lab Report

• The introduction would discuss the problem which is being studied or experimented on as well as the relevant theories. Typically it would be 4-5 sentences long.
• The idea here would be to summarize your report in a short paragraph. Use your own words rather than copying words from other literature.
• Include a background sentence which would explain why you are doing the experiment, what is its importance as well as other experiments which have been made in the past.
• Write down the goal of your experiment – what you are planning to do and what you are hoping to achieve . This is probably one of the most important parts so make sure to think about this carefully.
• You would also have to elaborate on some of the techniques and methodologies which you are planning to use to achieve your goal . If you think it is relevant, write it down, especially when you are making your draft.
• Remember to keep your introduction direct and brief. No one wants to read a report when just the introduction would be too long.
• The procedural flowchart of your report can be longer than the introduction but it should not exceed one page. An effective flowchart would give the reader a good idea and understanding of what is to be done in the experiment even without much detail.
• This would serve as a “roadmap” of the experiment. A flowchart is more visual and typically a lot easier to understand than a list of detailed steps. It should cover all the steps briefly, in a manner which is easy to follow.
• Sentences must be short and simple. Making this would allow you to really think about the procedures of your experiment as you try to summarize them. You don’t just rewrite the procedure in a flowchart format; instead, you’d have to reword them.  

The In-Lab Responsibility

• When gathering and taking down data, always write with a pen. This is to ensure that relevant information doesn’t get erased.
• Immediately record data in a place where you won’t lose it – such as in a notebook or on a piece of paper which is filed in a folder. Never record data on scrap paper which you might end up throwing away.
• Until you’ve made your report and finalized it, try not to throw anything out. You never know, the things you’ve thrown out may contain information vital to your report.
• As much as you can, back-up the all your results and findings. This is so that you don’t lose any important information.
• Aside from gathering data, results, and findings, it’s also very important to make note of observations. As you are going through with the experiment, note down all the different observations which you may interpret while making your report.
• Write everything down in a notebook or something similar then while you are making your report, you can use your notes to build the content. Observations are key to making a great report. As you write them down, you will be able to remember crucial details while you are creating your report at the end of the experiment. So always remember: write what you are doing and do what you are writing.  

The Post-Lab Report

• From the raw data which you had collected, start recopying everything in a more organized way. Place the data in tables, graphs or any kind of presentation which you would think make the data readable and easy to understand.
• When calculations are involved, it would be ideal to include all the formulas you are using in your calculations. It would help you make your calculations and it would also help the readers understand how you’ve made your calculations.
• Include all the work you have done to reach the final numbers which you would be adding to your conclusion. In doing this, you will be able to come to accurate results. It’s a good practice to calculate and recalculate using the formulas so that you are sure of your answers.
• When working in a group, more than one members of the group should try making the calculations so you can check whether you arrive at the same answers.
• Calculations are an important part of the report (when they are needed) so you should be sure that they are all correct. Making mistakes in this area might lower your credibility and compromise the results and findings of your experiment.
• The conclusion of your report is a lot similar to the introduction. The main difference is it would summarize everything you did instead of everything you are planning to do.
• The conclusion is very important because your report might be quite long and the reader may not remember all the key points when they reach the end of the document. It would also give you a chance to give an explanation if anything had gone wrong or if you have any suggestions for improvement.
• Much like the introduction, your conclusion should be short and direct. To help you out further, make sure to include the following:
• Briefly restate the methodology you had gone through.
• Reiterate all the results you had calculated as well as all of your findings. You don’t have to include the raw data, just the key results which are most relevant to the experiment.
• Write down what you think the findings mean. Whether the results are good or bad, you would have to make comments about the results. Include some of your interpretations as well, as long as you remember not to make the conclusion too lengthy.
• Finally, write a concluding statement which would provide closure to your whole report.
• When you are done with the report, proofread it. Check for any errors and check if all your spellings and grammar are correct. If working in a group, make sure more than one of the members of the group would be in charge of proofreading.

Sample Lab Report

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Lab Report for Chemistry Example: Format, Sample & Template Science Report

Learn the easy way to make a lab report from a chemistry example. Master the lab report format, use our sample lab report as a guide, and produce a lab report template for your science report. Easy.

First, let’s discuss why a science report is an important thing to learn. Second, Dr Scott will debunk the myth that your science report is a difficult thing. Third, we show the step-by-step process to write up a good science report, using a chemistry lab report example.

Why Write a Science Report?

• Reports are part of life, and report writing will help you understand them. Examples of everyday reports include bills, invoices, taxes, food labels, blood tests, and report cards. Please stop acting like reports are something that teachers made up to make school less fun.
• Writing a science report will get easier with practice. As with anything, the first time is always the hardest. That’s why it’s important to write up your first science report… otherwise reports will confuse you for a lifetime. The world is full of reports, so why not get good at them?

5 Most Common Reasons for Not Writing a Science Report

Based on a study of 7,000 students,* Dr. Scott scientifically analyzed the following 5 most common “reasons” (excuses) for not writing reports. His analysis irrefutably  proved that all 5 excuses are totally false and without any merit whatsoever.

“This looks strange. I don’t get the format.”

More than anything, science report writing is a style of writing. There are many styles of writing, and they all have their particularities. For example, a college admissions essay had better use the word “the” properly, whereas newspaper headlines cut out the word “the” to save space.

Style is about being consistent and being organized, not about following rules. Style, by its very definition, is something that you gain with practice. You will learn how to save time and effort by organizing things into paragraphs, sections, lists, bullets, tables, etc as you feel appropriate. You cannot possibly develop a science report style without writing that report. Just do it!

“I got a bad result. Or had a bad experiment. “

The purpose of a science report is to explain what went wrong. You are “not allowed” to brag about your successes in a science report. Therefore, there is a lot to say about bad results, which makes writing the lab report easier. Not harder. Easier.

If you are expecting a perfect result from a perfect laboratory experiment from a perfect human, you should probably do science on some other planet. Because perfect laboratory experiments don’t happen here on Earth. Never. Not even once.

“I don’t understand everything.”

Not understanding everything is called life here on planet Earth. Anybody who claims to understand everything is a liar. This is a scientific fact.

The purpose of science is to produce something… like a report… based on imperfect knowledge of an imperfect world.

“I am stuck on step #4 (or whatever step) therefore all progress must immediately and forever stop.”

There are 23 steps to writing a lab report. Sometimes some of the steps don’t go so well. So be it. You can still do all the other steps.

The most important aspect of a science report is that it looks like a science report. If it has most of the right steps in mostly the right order, it’s going to turn out okay even if it’s not perfect. Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect science report. Focus on what you can do. Don’t focus on what you cannot do, unless you enjoy being unhappy.

“I can’t start with blank paper and create something original.”

First, yes you can. Stop saying you cannot.

It’s true that your very first science report may be one fo the hardest tasks of your life. Seriously. That’s why we made this guide. Once you follow the 23 steps to make your first good report, however, you can use it as a lab report template in the future. So you will never, ever have to truly start from scratch again after this. Writing your first science report is a once-per-lifetime experience that will benefit you for your entire lifetime. Guaranteed. That’s a lot of value for a few short hours.

*About This Study

Dr Scott has professionally evaluated the opinions of over 7,000 students writing lab reports. Note that he never asked for these opinions, certainly didn’t want them, and definitely didn’t appreciate the sarcasm, cynicism, anxiety, fear, disgust, sadness, annoyance, anger, rage, and temper tantrums associated with the delivery of such “data.” 

Dr Scott was for some time stuck in his teaching due to these ununderstandable, bad, and strangley formatted opinions. You might say that Dr Scott was overwhelmed by sarcasm, cynicism, anxiety, fear, disgust, sadness, annoyance, anger, rage, and temper tantrums regarding teaching about lab reports.  Yet, he started with a blank piece of paper and produced the following 23 step guide found below. It’s not perfect, yet it has helped thousands of learners just like you.

Might this be the lesson within the lesson?

Writing Science Lab Reports Video Course

Lab Report for Chemistry Example: Format of a Science Report​

Follow these 23 steps to success.

The most important thing is to have all 23 parts of a lab report in the correct order.

1. Start with paper and pen:  

Use pen (blue or black ink) and blank computer paper or graph paper. Don’t use pencil, don’t use lined paper. If it needs to be typed up, do it by hand first then type it as a second draft. The computer is going to complicate things if you don’t have a draft on paper. Trust me on this.

2. Name , Date , Purpose and Procedur e

Make a simple header including your Name , a Date , and a Title . 

Just pick a Date — it could be the date the experiment started, when the experiment ended (sometimes it takes more than a day), or when the report was written. Don’t allow yourself to get hung up on little details like this… just pick a Date that seems reasonable and keep going. There are 21+ more steps, after all.

Pick a Title . The experiment might already have a name, because, for example, you read about it in a lab manual or saw a video on the internet. If not, make something up that relates to the Purpose (comes after title). Decide a formatting style– do you capitalize, underline, center, etc? Again, don’t allow yourself to get hung up on the details. Just pick a style for the Title and keep going.

Create a section called Purpose or Goal . Decide the formatting style, like a colon (:), underlined, centered vs left justified, etc. Just pick something, and remember to format all the below sections with the same style. Write the purpose or goal in probably 1 sentence. Keep it short.

Create a section called Procedure . Use the same formatting style. Keep it short , definitely don’t write a book. The writing comes later… List, bullet, or number the basic steps. You may include an equipment list, or the equipment can be explained in the steps. In addition to what you did, the Procedure should say what you measured. You could include a diagram or not.

If you have some sort of teacher that gave you some sort of prelab assignment , do the prelab now. The prelab isn’t really part of a formal lab report, yet this might not be a formal lab report. The  prelab  generally would go after the Procedure , unless your teacher told you to put it somewhere else, such as at the end.

3. The Super Important Data Table

The Data Table is the heart of the report. Make it at least twice as big as necessary. It should probably take up a whole, entire piece of paper. Make it big. Bigger… Yes a whole page big. I am not kidding. Count exactly how many data (measurements or observations) you have. Decide how they can fit into a grid, and draw the grid with a ruler. Make it nice and straight, and, again, it should be really, really big. Bigger! Even bigger!!

4. Checking Your Work

Stop for a moment to reflect. Your Procedure talks about collecting data. Is there exactly one grid square for each measurement? Do all the measurements fit in the Data Table grid? If not, you have a problem. Fix it before moving on.

5. Determine Precision and Bias of Measurement Instruments

Be sure to always use a Metric instrument. Note how many decimal places it reads to. Be sure to always write the correct number of decimal places everywhere in the report, no matter what.

6. Recording Your First Measurement

As you perform the experiment, record your data in the Data Table . Make sure to use the correct number of decimal places, and always put a unit (like cm for centimeters) after every single number. Always have a unit and the correct number of decimal places. Honestly, this is the main thing most teachers look for when grading lab reports. It’s not about having good data, it’s about having the correct number of decimal points and units.

7. Planning and Patience

Again, take a moment to reflect. Does it seem like all your collected data will fit cleanly into the Data Table ? If not, stop and make a better Data Table .

8. Recording Your Other Measurements

Keep going and get all the data into the Data Table .

9. Side Calculation of Your Result

Got data? Probably you need to calculate something. Do it on scratch paper, not on the report. Get the math all worked out on the scratch paper.

10. Side Calculation of Percent Error

Got a result? On the same scratch paper, work out the calculation for percent error (if you know the “correct answer”). Or skip this step.

11. Selecting Sample Calculations for the Report

Don’t write all your calculations in the report, just one example, or sample, of each type of calculation. For example, if you calculated the volume and surface area of 4 objects (8 calculations total), just write 2 calculations (1 surface area, 1 volume) in your report. Decide which calculations to write… just pick and keep moving.

12. Writing Sample Calculation in the Report

Create a section called Sample Calculations . Write down one example of each type of calculation.  Be really, really neat and show all the steps, so that somebody could figure out what you did. It’s about showing the steps, not getting a good answer. The answer can be bad and that’s totally fine. On the other hand, it’s super uncool to just show an answer, even a good answer, without showing the steps in the calculation.

13. Results in a Table

Create a section called Results . Make a table for your results, just like you made a table for your data. Make it big. Bigger! Do all your results, including percent error and averages, if you calculated such things, fit? If not, do it again.

14. The 4 Main Elements of a Discussion

Create a section called Discussion . Now put the report aside and stop writing on it. You need to work out 4 paragraphs as rough and perhaps second drafts before copying it over to your report. Don’t get anxious and expect to miraculously inject a perfect Discussion directly into your report instead of first making a rough draft on scratch paper. You are almost there, so don’t ruin the report by writing on it before you have a solid rough draft.

15. It’s Not Rough Draft

The science lab report should have a reasonably polished Discussion , to the best of your imperfect writing ability. Proofread that rough draft, then proofread it again… and once more again… before transcribing it into your report. Your report should not look like a rough draft. Polish it first.

16. Discussion: Paragraph 1

 What did you intend to measure (the Purpose ) vs actually measure? What did you assume?

17. Discussion: Paragraph 2

Where your results high or low? By how much?

18. Discussion: Paragraph 3

Why were your results high or low? Give a science reason. The most important aspect of the whole report is that this specific paragraph says something scientific. Not my dog ate my experiment, but an actual science explanation. If you really cannot come up with anything, at least pick a few vocabulary words related to the experiment and use them in sentences that show you understand their definitions. Again, this specific paragraph has to, at bare minimum, sound scientific. You can probably fool your teacher into grading your report well so long as this paragraph sounds reasonably scientific. Be sure to put some honest thought into this one… it’s highly unlikely that you find something to plagiarize off the internet that would match the rest of the report.

If you really need to cheat, don’t do it here because it would be SOOOOO obvious to anybody who knows how science works. Cheating is hard work, and you are just going to waste lots of time trying. Be the type of person who finishes reports, not a time waster that never finishes things. Your life will be easier this way.

19. Discussion: Paragraph 4

Suggest recommendations to improve the experiment. Don’t redo the experiment. Your result is your result, for better or worse, and it’s on your “permanent record” at this point. Just write down something that somebody else at some other time and place could possibly do to make the experiment better. Don’t actually do it. Just recommend. 

20. Use a Science Analogy

Think you got a good Discussion ? It would be greatly enhanced if you could come up with an everyday analogy to explain something scientific in layman’s terms. Your report will never be perfect, yet the next report could be better by including an analogy in the Discussion . This is the type of higher level writing that teachers like for A+ grades. If it’s your first report, don’t get hung up on this. Just keep moving.

21. Proofread the Discussion

You transcribed the Discussion into your report. Proofread it. Again.

22. How to Write a Conclusion for a Lab

Here’s how to write a  Conclusion  of a lab report: Create a section called  Conclusion . Then just restate the (main) result(s) in a sentence or three.

Keep it short, keep it simple, don’t be creative, and definitely don’t introduce any new ideas in the Conclusion of a lab report. Just conclude by restating the result(s). If you forgot to say something important, go back and discuss it in the Discussion . Never discuss anything in the  Conclusion . This is probably the worst mistake commonly made. Don’t ruin it at the end. Just conclude.

Discussion  vs  Conclusion : Do you see the not-so-subtle difference between the Discussion vs Conclusion ? The Discussion always discusses things at length, the Conclusion never does.

23. Assemble Your Report & Keep a Digital Copy

Be organized. Number your pages. Staple it. Scan it into a pdf. (Try Camscanner app for a phone, it’s free and easy).  Give it a good file name. Email yourself a copy of your beautiful report so you never lose it.

Lab Report for Chemistry Example: Sample of a Science Report​

Click image to download the pdf of a sample science report. This lab report for chemistry example was written for an experiment to explore by how much and why does water expand when it freezes.

You can find more details, including over 4 hours of highly detailed videos explaining the above 23 steps, in the short course Writing Science Lab Reports . If you are interested to learn more about the science of why does water expand when it freezes, you can learn about this in Immersive Chemistry First Semester . For now, you might note it’s totally possible to write a good report about the expansion of freezing water, without having perfect knowledge of exactly why does water expand when it freezes in the first place.

Lab Report for Chemistry Example: Template of a Science Report​

By following the 23 steps above, you have successfully completed a good lab report. Did you do it? Or just think about doing it? Thinking about report writing makes it harder, while doing it makes it easier. Just do it!

Now, you can use your science report as a lab report template. Never start from scratch again. In the future, use your lab report template as a guide. If you have all the parts of a lab report in the right order, it’s going to look good. You can continue to hone your style and science writing skills, now that you have the basics down.

40 Useful Lab Report Examples (& Free Templates)

Those who have conducted laboratory tests as students or professionals are usually required to submit a lab report after the process. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate how well you understand the scientific method by conducting, then evaluating an experiment. A lab report format sample is significantly shorter compared to a research paper. Fields that use laboratory reports include technology, science, mathematics, and engineering.

• 1 Lab Report Examples
• 2 What is a lab report?
• 3 Lab Report Formats
• 4 Why do you need a lab report?
• 5 Lab Report Samples
• 6.2 Abstract
• 6.3 Introduction
• 6.4 Methods and Materials
• 6.5 Results
• 6.6 Discussion
• 6.7 Conclusion
• 6.8 Reference
• 7 Lab Report Templates
• 8 How to write a lab report?

Lab Report Examples

What is a lab report.

A lab report is a written document that describes and analyzes an experiment performed in a laboratory that involves a scientific concept. These are usually assigned for the following purposes:

• To conduct scientific research.
• To formulate a hypothesis or hypotheses about a specific event, behavior, or stimulus.
• To review relevant or related literature to justify the hypothesis.
• To allow another person to replicate your experiment by providing enough details and information.
• To apply statistics for the purpose of testing your hypothesis.
• To explore various theoretical explanations.
• To evaluate research methodically and objectively.
• To communicate precisely and concisely.

When it comes to lab reports, it’s impossible to depend on just one explanation for your results or findings. This means that you should provide as many relevant and potential interpretations as possible. Even when you discover that your findings don’t support your hypothesis, you should still consider those findings valuable.

You can use them to explain that within your study’s contextual constraints, your argument wasn’t reliable. As such, you can move on to other areas of research without making the same mistakes. Also, any findings you have can potentially open other avenues for other people to investigate your hypothesis even under varying conditions.

There are also possibilities that during your experiment, you experience unforeseen conditions or circumstances that weren’t possible to control and isolate. You can use these to justify your final results. Another important aspect that you should consider when writing your report is the grammatical style or voice you use.

In recent years, it’s become acceptable to use the active voice while making references to yourself whenever relevant. When making your report, you should check the instructions of your assignment to make sure you use the right voice. You also have to use a consistent voice throughout your report. If you will use a style guide, follow the guide from start to finish.

Lab Report Formats

Why do you need a lab report.

Laboratory reports are an essential aspect of the scientific process. Here are some reasons why you need this report:

• You can use it to communicate your findings in the lab to anyone who wasn’t present during the experiments. That way, they can understand and even replicate your experiment.
• You can use it for future experiments and studies or make suggestions for alterations to methods you have already used.

Make sure to write your laboratory report for those who are already familiar with the scientific study or field but haven’t performed the experiment yet.

Lab Report Samples

What to include in your lab report.

A lab report template usually follows a structured and straightforward procedure. Since each part of the report has its significance, you should spend enough time to write each part carefully. Laboratory reports have specific elements, which you must include:

The title should describe the experiment and show what you analyzed in your experiment.

This is the summary of your experiment and it should familiarize the readers with the research topic. As a rule, you would write the abstract last even though it’s at the beginning of your report. When writing the abstract, try answering these questions:

• Why did you conduct the experiment or research?
• What problem will you address?
• What results did you find?
• What do the results mean?
• Do you have a better understanding of the problem now?

Introduction

You will use this part of the report to discuss the problem you’re studying and other theories relevant to understanding your findings. Also, you will state here the hypothesis of your experiment and your motivation for conducting the research.

Methods and Materials

In this section, you will provide your readers with an overview of the apparatus, equipment, or substances you used. You will also list the steps you took throughout the experiment. If you used any specific number of materials, make sure to list these details too. For the steps, you need to list these as you performed them during the experiment.

The results are the data you have found or collected from your experiment. Provide an explanation of how you collected this data. You can use charts , graphs, and other visual aids when presenting the data in this section.

This section is where you will analyze the results of your experiment along with providing a discussion of your data. You need to provide an analysis of the weaknesses and strengths of your experiment’s design, then compare your results with the results of similar experiments. Try to answer these questions while writing this section:

• What do your findings indicate?
• What is the significance of the results?
• Have you found any knowledge gaps?
• Have you raised any new questions?

This section will serve as the summation of your experiment. You need to clearly state what you learned from the experiment and its significance.

Don’t forget to cite all of the sources that helped support your claims or explain any background information. You should list these references in this section.

Lab Report Templates

How to write a lab report.

People involved in scientific experimentation or investigations should know how to write scientific reports. The main part of scientific investigations takes place in the lab and this may include connecting equipment, obtaining samples and supplies, repairing, checking the consistency of each apparatus, calibration, and data collection. You can do all of these things through experimentation. After conducting the experiment, you would then spend a lot of time presenting the results in an objective, concise, conclusive, and critical format.

This is the laboratory report . An organized report is more influential and effective compared to one without a structure. There aren’t any standard rules for writing a good report. But you should know that you may only get one chance to influence your readers.

A badly-written report will turn your reader off while a well-written one will have an impact on your credibility. It can give you better chances of promotion or employment. Your report can also catch the attention of the scientific community. Here are the steps to follow when writing this report:

• Think of the Title

Remember that the title of your report will draw the first impression from your readers. As such, you need to have an effective title that will communicate your topic or findings in specific terms. The title doesn’t have to be very thought-provoking or creative. The important thing is to make it informative.

• Write the introduction

The introduction will provide your readers with significant background information, explain the experiment, and what it will accomplish, and highlight its importance. This section should include a hypothesis and a purpose because you will go back to these in your conclusion when you evaluate your entire experiment.

A well-written introduction must cite all relevant sources like journal articles and more to provide accurate background information. When writing the introduction, you may consider using the funnel method. This involves starting with your topic’s broadest point of interest. From there, gradually narrow down the information to more specific details.

• List the methods and materials

When it comes to the methods, you should include the details of the steps you used to gather your data, then analyze it. You should provide enough details so that others can evaluate or follow your procedures. When writing this section, use the past tense. If there are situations where you must include a long list of materials or steps, it’s recommended to place them in a separate Appendices section. Just remember to refer to them in the text too.

You should also provide a description of your experimental design, materials, subjects, and procedures you used for collecting and analyzing the data. Then include a list of materials and equipment you used to collect data. Specify the names of the models of any specialized equipment you used. Include a detailed description of your experimental conditions and settings. If needed, add labeled images or diagrams of the exact set-up of the experimental equipment.

Then also add an explanation of how you controlled extraneous variables either through fixing or restricting them at a certain level. When describing your procedures, make sure to write the exact steps you took to collect data – and list these chronologically. You should also provide sufficient information so that anyone who wants to replicate your experiment can do so successfully. Be as concise as possible and add detailed information wherever appropriate.

When conducting an experiment in a lab, there is a high chance that you will follow a laboratory manual while gathering data. If you’re a student, your instructor might allow you to reference the manual, then state whether you modified any steps for practical considerations.

But there are instructors who might ask you to rewrite the procedures in the laboratory manual as complete sentences and coherent paragraphs while taking note of any changes you have made to the steps during your experiment. If you will perform extensive data analysis, make sure to state the analysis you have planned too. This may include the types of tests you will perform and any relevant software or programs you will use for calculations.

• Indicate the results and the discussion

In this section, you will include all of your results along with any relevant tables and figures with their proper labels. Your results should use the narrative found in the materials and methods section.

You should explain your results through your figures and tables without using too much text. Or if you will explain your results and discussions through words, you don’t have to add too many tables and figures. For example, in chemistry, you would write the results and discussions as a single section. But in biology, you would write them separately

It is in the discussion section where you will use theories to explain how you have achieved your results. Also, explain what those results might imply. Don’t forget to include any mistakes you have committed and how those mistakes may have influenced your data. Remember that discussion isn’t only about reporting results.

You also have to analyze them. This means the inclusion of shapes of graphs, discussion trends, implications of the data, comparisons to known theories or values, and any outliers. Also, a discussion about the accuracy of your results is essential. You should know exactly what your instructor will require for this section.

• Come up with the conclusion

The final section of your report is the conclusion. This section will contain a summary of your experiment’s findings along with a short overview of the weaknesses and strengths. Also, include any implications your study has for future research. There are some reports that don’t require a conclusion because it will overlap with the discussion. Before you add or omit this section, confirm with your instructor first.

• Write the abstract

The abstract will provide a comprehensive yet concise summary of your research project. The style you use in writing this should be short, but you don’t have to use note form. You can look through samples if you need guidance. The aim of the abstract is to briefly explain the following:

• Begin with a 1 to 2 sentence summary that provides the rationale and aim of your study.
• Describe the setting and participants.
• Describe the method, design, experimental treatment, questionnaires, surveys, tests, and more.
• Describe the main findings including any relevant statistics along with significance levels.
• The final sentences should outline your study’s contribution to the knowledge within the literature.

While you will place the abstract at the start of your report, you would write this part at the end since you will summarize the information from the other sections of your lab report.

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WTO / Business / Reports / How to Write a Lab Report (20 Free Templates)

How to Write a Lab Report (20 Free Templates)

A lab report is a crucial document in any scientific inquiry. They provide the description and analysis of a laboratory experiment performed to explore a scientific concept. Whether you are taking a biology, physics, or chemistry course, the report is a prerequisite to finishing the course. These reports are formal documents and should be written accordingly.

Types of Lab Reports

There are two formal types of lab reports: internal and external.

Internal lab reports

These reports are primarily written for use within a company as well as within educational institutions and research centers , thus, the writer is addressing fellow employees who are probably familiar with the methodology and equipment used in the experiment. Since the target audience of an internal report is within the same organization, the language is less formal, and the report itself focuses more on the results.

External lab reports

Reports can also be prepared for external use. These kinds of reports are written for clients who are not familiar with the methodology or equipment used in the process. Therefore, an external report is more formal than an internal one. 

When writing this report, the client might have requirements about the specificity of the format used, methodology, and equipment. It is worth noting that these reports are often confidential as the clients have paid for them and are thus the owners of all the information they contain.

Free Templates

Elements of a Lab Report

Since it is a formal document, you must pay attention to the format and layout of the report when writing one.

The following elements are at the core of any properly written report:

The title page is an important section of a report. The title of the report must be brief and be able to indicate its contents. The idea behind the title is to present the crux of the investigation.

Point to Remember

Since it is supposed to be brief, you should aim for a maximum of ten words. Also, ensure that it is not written in the form of a question. 

Other items that could be included on the title page include the names of the participants in the investigation, the instructor’s or supervisor’s name, and the date of the investigation and submission. However, these items are only included if requested.

An abstract is basically the summary of the report , written in a concise and comprehensive manner. Abstracts are written in continuous form, not as a note.  The abstract should be about 150 words .

An ideal abstract should be able to answer the following questions:

• What is the rationale for research?
• Who are the participants in the research?
• What methodologies have been used in the research?
• What are the major findings?
• What is the implication of the findings?

Even though an abstract is placed at the beginning of a report, you should write it after writing the other sections of the document, as it is a summary of what has been investigated and thus cannot be prepared before all steps of the experiments are completed.

Introduction

The introduction section of the report is also called the “purpose” of the report, as it explains the objectives of the investigation. Ideally, the introduction section should explain why the research was conducted. Here, you need to start with a broad statement of the topic and explain the hypothesis. Remember, the introduction must also be as brief and concise as possible.

The following five steps can help you write an outstanding introduction section:

• Introduce the topic briefly and define key terms
• Explain the theoretical framework used in the research
• Explain the relationships between previous studies and your theoretical framework and how they influenced your research
• Explain how your current study seeks to address the literature gaps. You may show how your research aims to provide solutions to the problems of previous studies
• Mention the hypotheses, clearly stating what you are going to investigate and the expected results.

Materials used

This section of the report requires you to list all the materials used in your research. You should accurately list any equipment used in the research. However, you are not required to provide extensive details of the materials used; just a simple list is enough.

Methodology

Explain the techniques used to analyze the information . In this section, provide details about the methods adopted to conduct the research so that the reader can evaluate the validity and reliability of the research. You must vividly describe the details of the investigation process too.

It is critical to include enough details in the methodology to allow anyone to replicate the experiment and achieve the same results. The best approach to writing the methodology is to write it as a guide for someone else to use it in the lab to perform the same experiment. In addition to providing sufficient details, you should also include diagrams to illustrate the steps of the experiment.

In this section, you must be able to show the steps taken to complete your experiment. It is important to be precise and to explain the procedure vividly and in detail so that someone could use it to perform the same experiment and achieve the same results. This section may need to have a diagram explaining the setup of your experiment.

Here are the useful things to note about this section:

• Accurately describe the process you followed during the experiment. 
• Be as detailed as possible to allow replication of findings.
• Avoid adding extraneous details such as record sheets and debriefs.

Useful tips to guide you when writing the procedures section:

• Always assume the reader has no prior knowledge and relies on your explanation to replicate the experiment.
• Use the past tense in this section as it has already happened.
• Do not provide extra details or  justification for choosing your method and simply state the steps of the procedure.
• While giving the details, be concise, but only to allow replication of the experiment; do not overburden the reader with unnecessary details.

The results section of the report presents both descriptive and inferential statistics. In other words, the results section uses figures to present the observed data. You should not interpret the data, as that is done in the next section. In this section, do not present raw data. Use APA style while presenting the results.

Here are the writing conventions of APA style that you should follow:

• All the numbers are reported to 2 decimal places e.g. “0.61”. There are some exceptions to this rule i.e., numbers that can never exceed 1.0 ( e.g. r- values, p-values): reporting to 3 decimal places without including 0 before the decimal place, e.g. .002
• Percentages and degrees of freedom are reported as whole numbers.
• You should italicize all statistical symbols, which are not Greek letters e.g. t, F, SD, d, p .
• Either side of the equal sign should have spaces.
• You should put  all the reports of 95% confidence intervals (CIs), lower and upper limits in brackets, e.g. “95% CI [7337, 102.23]”

This section allows you to summarize all the findings from your experiment and relate them to your initial hypothesis. It is important to use plain English that does not have statistical jargon. It is this section that allows you to discuss the results of your experiment, comparing them to background studies related to the field. 

The discussion section should also:

• Acknowledge the limitations of the study. However, you should ensure that the limitations can explain the result obtained. If the experiment achieved reliable results, be very careful when you mention the limitations as it will jeopardize the validity of your results. It is advisable to omit this section out if you cannot think of a unique variable explaining the results instead of the Instrumental Variables.  
• Suggest ways of improving the study.
• Discuss the implication of the experiment’s findings.
• Suggest constructive ideas for future research based on your results. You could identify an area of limitation to be the basis of future research.

Finally, you should have a concluding paragraph that explains the key points of the discussion in 3 or 4 sentences.

Figures and graphs

The report should have figures and graphs presented in a separate section. All the graphs should have a descriptive title. Ensure that all graphs include the units of measurement. Always ensure that the X-axis has the independent variable while the Y-axis has the dependent variable. Always refer to the figures and graphs in the text of the report. Figures are labeled in chronological order, so the first figure is Figure 1.

This section contains all the sources cited in the report. Remember, you must use the APA formatting style for referencing. Take note of the referencing techniques used for the following:

If you have cited a book in your report, it should be written using this format:

Author’s name. (year of publication). Title of work. Location: Publisher.

2. Journal articles

You should use the following format for referencing a  journal article:

Names of all the authors, separated by a comma, (year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the journal, volume number (issue number), page numbers.

Quick Tips for Writing Good Lab Report

Here are some quick tips that you can use to write a proper report:

• Be brief : You should write concisely. Attempt to cover all the points in a few words and be straightforward.
• Write in the third person : When you are describing the procedure in your report, you should not use the first-person pronouns “I,” “we,” and “my.” Use the third-person perspective, as that is considered the appropriate style for scientific documents.
• Use correct verb tenses: The past tense is the correct tense to be used for scientific documents, as the experiment has already been conducted. However, when referring to equipment, you will use the present tense. Be mindful of how you use the verb tenses.
• Mention real results: Always write about the actual results of your experiment. Avoid the temptation to lie about the results to validate your hypothesis. If you did not achieve the desired results, you can suggest ways to improve them rather than lying about them.
• Do not copy a lab manual : Whilst a lab manual can be extremely helpful in guiding the purpose of the experiment, you should not copy it to describe your results. Your  report should be written in your own words.

Frequently Asked Questions

It might take a college student at least 8 hours to write a good report. Take note that this is the time for writing reports, not performing the experiment.

Since these reports are formal, they should follow the formal writing guidelines. A lab report should use Times New Roman font size 12 and be double-spaced.

Yes, lab reports must have page numbers mentioned on each page of the document.

Final Thoughts

A lab report is a scientific document, and its formality and importance cannot be undermined. Whether you are writing one for a college assignment or a corporate purpose, you must ensure that it contains  all the elements that make a comprehensive lab document. If you are unsure how to write one, you should download the templates to guide you.

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20 FREE Lab Report Templates and Examples

Most people love laboratory experiments because they are fun. They also guarantee you an opportunity to get out of the box and experience something new. You must understand laboratory experiments usually accompany that lab reports.

Lab reports are written to analyze, describe, and explain laboratory experiments that investigate a scientific concept. If you are not well informed about lab reports, worry less because this article will update you more about the lab report template.

What Is a Lab Report?

A lab report is a comprehensive documentation of a conducted experiment in the laboratory in conjunction with the findings. Therefore, a lab report needs to capture the full details. Furthermore, it should be presented in a predefined format. This enables anyone who needs to go through it and refer to it in the future to do so quickly. Remember, a lab report has a structure that includes the title, abstract, introduction, method, results in analysis and discussion, conclusion, and references. A powerful introduction is likely to make you win your lab report easily.

What is a Lab Report Template?

A lab report template is documentation (format) written to analyze, describe and explain the laboratory experiment that investigates a scientific concept. On multiple occasions, they are usually assigned to students to:

• Communicate specifically and clearly
• Evaluate research objectively and methodically
• Explore varying theoretical explanation
• Apply essential statistics, which enables them to test their hypothesis
• Review written works and related literature for formulated hypothesis justification
• Develop a hypothesis addressing a particular stimulus or problem
• Conduct a scientific research

Lab Report Templates & Examples

Essential Elements of a Lab Report Template

Whenever you need to develop a report, whether a physics or chemistry lab report template or any assigned report, you must familiarize yourself with varying parts of a report; these elements will guide you when writing your report. You only need to have the content for each part. Below are some elements of a lab report template:

The report’s title

The report’s title must specify what your entire documentation is about and what you are experimenting on or studying. In addition, your title should explain all the environmental factors, especially those manipulated, specific stimuli, and the measured parameters. Ideally, it would be appropriate to use concise terms and avoid unnecessary terms to make your title length.

You must know that the abstract summarizes your entire report and it is not lengthy. It can be approximately 250 words. On the other hand, you can use the abstract to understand the purpose of the research, the method used, results, and the value of your research without going through the whole report. Published academic journals are helpful, more so when conducting library research. You can evaluate them quickly to see if they match you’re your topic. The content of your abstract needs to match the content of your whole report. Below is how you should write your abstract:

• Commence with the background sentence to introduce your report
• State the main objective of the report as well as the hypothesis
• The key points must have a description of your methodology
• Summarize the entire results qualitatively and quantitatively

Introduction

This also serves as the purpose of your report. First, you must commence with the issue you are addressing. After that, generate your background information about your report. It must be easy to understand, concise, and direct.

Similarly, it must entail a short review of the previous literature. However, this must be relevant to the explanation and problem you are addressing. The last sentence of your introduction is the purpose statement, which defines the question your experiment answers. You must know that the introduction is the foundation of your report, and you need to use varying resource materials.

Methodology and material

This element includes the apparatus, equipment, materials, and experimental design you used to succeed in your experiment. It proves the methodology you used to analyze and gather your data, including the entire control type.

Besides, it ensures that the information you write is detailed to enable anyone to replicate your experiment comfortably. Since you have conducted all the procedures, you must note these parts in the past tense. Here are several tips you need to implement:

• Use a first active person voice or passive voice in the description
• State your reference as well as the entire methodology that you have adapted from your other sources
• Indicate all the maps, photographs, and illustrations, more so if you are needed to describe your experiment setup
• Describe the procedures you altered in comparison to the procedures you used in your reference

Finding and results

Under this section, you need to write down your relevant data without any interpretation or even conclusions. Additionally, this section can provide a structure when written well and organized, especially for the next part of the report.

Ensure that you document your entire findings in the order of your observation from the first step of your experiment. Use complete sentences for easy understanding. Similarly, you can also opt to use tables, diagrams that support your results, making them easier to understand.

• Use numerical and worded data in your result description. Ensure that you use appropriate terminologies.
• Use past tense to describe your findings
• Comprehensive results or calculations can be added to your report to act as an appendix

Here you must discuss all your findings and results. You can explain how your research varies from the one conducted previously in the same field. Explain more about your results and what it means.

• Describe the emerged relations and patterns
• Discuss your observation, results, and how is related to the objective of your experiment
• Compare your results to the other published literature and the theoretical behavior
• Supplement your interpretation with varying references
• Ensure you are descriptive to enable your discussion to be easy to understand by your readers
• You can reject or accept your written hypothesis, followed by an explanation using the experiment findings

This is the last part of your lab report template. The conclusion needs to feature short sentences to restate the primary results and indicate the importance of your field of study.

Tables and other figures

They are usually added to the report to stand in for complicated data. Here are several guidelines for you:

• Tables are tables, while relevant items such as graphs, maps, and diagrams are figures
• Number your entire figures and tables for easy location when referred in your rest text
• The figure and tables must have their titles that are self-explanatory for easy understanding

Here you need to include the references you used throughout the entire research as well as experimentation. You also need to indicate them down appropriately.

• It is a list written on a separate page, and this is at the end of the report
• You must also include the information which is not original in this section
• Refer to all the literature you have used

Before You Begin Preparing Your Lab Report Template

Writing a lab report template can be tricky sometimes, more so if someone is not prepared. Therefore, ensure that you know everything you need before you commence your experiment. The steps below will guide you.

Conduct sufficient research concerning your experiment and ask yourself some questions, such as:

• What should you learn from your experiment?
• What experiments should be carried out in the lab?
• What procedures should you do, and why should you follow them?
• What will you benefit from the investigation?

Consult with your lab supervisor or anyone else who knows about your experiment.

Plan the entire steps of your analysis and avoid rushing. Handle each step thoroughly to experiment accurately.

Think of the ideal way to present your results and finding before commencing your project.

If you are handling the experiment as a group, ensure that you communicate well with your group members.

Consider your audience by recording everything that makes your investigation relevant.

Types of Formal Lab Report Templates

You must know that not all types of laboratory work need a report. Thus, it would be great to know the formal lab report templates that require a report. Here are the types of formal lab report templates:

Project report templates

This type of project is broader since it requires a broader understanding of a particular subject or topic. This report does not need you to record the experiment results, but you can generate a concept or design description. These reports require you to include the reference.

Lab report templates

The lab reports feature a narrow scope, which aims at one problem. There are varying formats of such reports. You can opt to fill in your findings in your blank worksheet lines. Likewise, you can make a full report. It does not contain references, but students refer to the textbooks or lectures when experimenting. Lab report templates can be of different topics, such as a biology, science, physics, or chemistry lab report template.

Tips for Writing Your Lab Report

Developing a lab report can entail many steps from the beginning to the end of your experiment. Here are some tips you must consider from the start to the end of your lab report:

Pre-lab report

It would help if you started with the introduction to enlighten your audience and group members on the experiment. This should be around 4 to 5 sentences long. Likewise, you can opt to summarize your entire report in just a short paragraph. Formulate your own words instead of copying from other people’s literature. Make sure that you include the background report to explain the purpose of the experiment.

State the goals of the experiment. You must also explain some of the methodologies and techniques you are likely to use and achieve your objectives. Remember, your introduction needs to be brief and direct. The procedural flowchart should be longer compared to the introduction part. However, it should not exceed a page. It acts as the roadmap of your experiment. Use simple and short sentences.

In-lab responsibility

Here, you must use a pen to write down your data. This is a guarantee that you will not miss out on the relevant information. Save the data where you cannot lose it either in your notebook or a piece of paper, which is filled. Avoid throwing things until you finalize your entire report. This will help you not to lose essential information. Ensure that you note down your observation and interpret when making your report. Write everything in your notebook and use it to build the content of your report.

Post-lab report

From the raw data you had collected in your notebook, recopy everything in an organized manner. You can use graphs and tables to make your data easy to understand and readable. Include the formulas you used in your calculations. The calculations should be accurate and confirmed by at least one or two members of the group. Ensure that you include the entire work you have done in your experiment. Your conclusion should be similar to your introduction. The difference only comes in when you summarize everything in the conclusion section. Bear in mind that the conclusion should be direct and short.

Similarly, you can briefly indicate the methodology you have used. Then, restate your finding, which should be relevant to your experiment. Next, indicate the meaning of your finding. After that, write the conclusion of your report and proofread to eliminate errors and mistakes in your grammar.

What is the lab report format?

A lab report format includes several sections: the title, abstract, introduction, method, results, and discussion. However, the appendices, references, abstract, and title pages are usually on separate pages.

How do you start a lab report?

You commence with a broad introduction to your topic, then narrow down more about the topic you want to investigate and the importance of the study. Ensure that your introduction includes the literature review to discuss what you already know about the topic. You also need to write down the objective of your study.

How do you name a lab report?

The title should have what you are covering in your entire report. It should be brief and direct. Make sure you use the keyword in your topic.

How long does it take to write a lab report?

Approximately 8 to 10 hours, but some can take a minimal duration because they are faster to write.

How many pages should a lab report be?

Your report does not need to exceed 4 to 5 texts pages. Furthermore, the writing style needs to be grammatical, concise, and clear.

This comprehensive post has made you more informed about the lab report template. You now understand its elements, the common types, and the tips you must consider to develop a clear and appropriate lab report template. This type of report analyzes describes and explains the laboratory experiments that investigate the scientific concept.

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Chemistry Lab Resources (for CHM 1XX and 2XX Labs)

• Organizing Your Lab Notebook
• Parts of a Lab Report
• Writing Your Lab Report/Worksheet
• Graphs/Tables
• Common Calculations
• Citing Sources
• Finding Chemical Properties
• Lab techniques, instrumentation, and protocols
• Chemical Safety

General tips

Whether you are filling out lab worksheets or writing up entire lab reports, there are a few tips that will help you to create more detailed and professional documents and to assist in grading:

• Always label your units
• Show all of your calculations (don’t leave out steps)
• Use complete sentences
• Write neatly
• Strike out mistakes with a single line
• Be aware of significant figures, noting the sensitivity of the device you are using for your measurements

Why do we write lab reports in passive voice?

It’s part of the scientific point of view.  We observe and record as objectively as possible, avoiding personal bias by removing ourselves.  Using the passive voice also clarifies procedures and descriptions so they can be easily reproduced and compared.

NOTE: DO NOT write reports as directions, such as those given in your lab manual. For example, do not write, "Heat the solution until it boils." Instead, write "The solution was heated to boiling."

Write in the third person - Scientific experiments demonstrate facts that do not depend on the observer, therefore, reports should avoid using the first and second person (I,me,my,we,our, OR us.)

Using the correct verb tense - Lab reports and research papers should be mainly written in the present tense. You should limit the use of the past tense to (1) describe specific experimental methods and observations, and (2) citing results published in the past.

Tables and Figures - Should be used when they are a more efficient ways to convey information than verbal description. They must be independent units, accompanied by explanatory captions that allow them to be understood by someone who has not read the text.

Writing in the passive voice

Examples of passive voice in lab reports

200mL of distilled water was poured into a 500 mL beaker.

I poured 200mL of distilled water in a beaker. (active voice)

Pour 200mL water in a beaker. (direction/command)

The covered crucible was mounted on a ring stand.

We put the crucible on a ring stand. (active voice)

Set the crucible on a ring stand. (direction/command)

The temperature was initially measured at 75°C.

I measured the temperature at 75°C. (active voice)

Measure and write down the temperature. (direction/command)

It's understood that all actions were done by the experimenter.

Avoiding Plagiarism

• Avoiding Plagiarism From Purdue's OWL

Passive voice information derived from original work at Delta College Teaching/Learning Center

http://www.delta.edu/files/TLC/Writing%20Lab%20Reports%2009.doc

Writing a Lab Report

Purdue students explain strategies for dividing the workload for writing a lab report.

Sample Lab Reports

• Determination of the Alcohol Content of Whiskey [Courtesy of Univ. of Oregon]
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• URL: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/chemlabs

How to Write a Lab Report

Lab Reports Describe Your Experiment

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Lab reports are an essential part of all laboratory courses and usually a significant part of your grade. If your instructor gives you an outline for how to write a lab report, use that. Some instructors require a lab report to be included in a lab notebook , while others will request a separate report. Here's how to write a lab report you can use if you aren't sure what to write or need an explanation of what to include in the different parts of the report.

A lab report is how you explain what you did in ​your experiment, what you learned, and what the results meant.

Lab Report Essentials

Not all lab reports have title pages, but if your instructor wants one, it would be a single page that states:​

• The title of the experiment.
• Your name and the names of any lab partners.
• Your instructor's name.
• The date the experiment was performed or the date the report was submitted.

The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less) and describe the main point of the experiment or investigation. An example of a title would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal Growth Rate". If you can, begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like "The" or "A".

Introduction or Purpose

Usually, the introduction is one paragraph that explains the objectives or purpose of the lab. In one sentence, state the hypothesis. Sometimes an introduction may contain background information, briefly summarize how the experiment was performed, state the findings of the experiment, and list the conclusions of the investigation. Even if you don't write a whole introduction, you need to state the purpose of the experiment, or why you did it. This would be where you state your hypothesis .

List everything needed to complete your experiment.

Describe the steps you completed during your investigation. This is your procedure. Be sufficiently detailed so that anyone can read this section and duplicate your experiment. Write it as if you were giving directions for someone else to do the lab. It may be helpful to provide a figure to diagram your experimental setup.

Numerical data obtained from your procedure usually presented as a table. Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment. It's just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.

Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results section is combined with the Discussion.

Discussion or Analysis

The Data section contains numbers; the Analysis section contains any calculations you made based on those numbers. This is where you interpret the data and determine whether or not a hypothesis was accepted. This is also where you would discuss any mistakes you might have made while conducting the investigation. You may wish to describe ways the study might have been improved.

Conclusions

Most of the time the conclusion is a single paragraph that sums up what happened in the experiment, whether your hypothesis was accepted or rejected, and what this means.

Figures and Graphs

Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Label the axes on a graph, being sure to include units of measurement. The independent variable is on the X-axis, and the dependent variable (the one you are measuring) is on the Y-axis. Be sure to refer to figures and graphs in the text of your report: the first figure is Figure 1, the second figure is Figure 2, etc.

If your research was based on someone else's work or if you cited facts that require documentation, then you should list these references.

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The Laboratory Report

The Laboratory Report 1,2

Authors: M. C. Nagan and J. M. McCormick

Quick Links

Introduction

The research paper is the primary means of communication in science. The research paper presents the results of the experiment and interpretation of the data, describes the rationale and design of the experiment, provides a context for the results in terms of previous findings and assesses the overall success of the experiment(s). Scientists working in industrial laboratories do not write as many journal articles as their colleagues in academia, but they routinely write progress reports, which take the same form as a journal article. So no matter what your career goals are, it is important that you become familiar with this style of writing.

There are set rules for preparing a journal article (or a laboratory report). The style requirements vary only slightly from journal to journal, but there are far more similarities than differences in the scientific writing style.  If you are writing an article for publication in a particular journal (or preparing a laboratory report in the style of a particular journal) you should consult the Instructions to Authors section of the journal’s website (this information is also included in the journal’s first issue of each year).

There are several style guides 3, 4   and articles 5 to help scientists and students prepare their manuscripts.  The most useful of these to chemists is the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) ACS Style Guide, which may be found in the Truman library or may be purchased from the ACS web site . Because of the variation in journal styles, and the requirements for a specific course, your instructor will inform you of specific style requirements for his or her class. This guide is based on the Journal of the American Chemical Society style, 6 and is meant to provide a good starting point for writing a laboratory report.  It is not meant to be the definitive style guide; you must adjust your style to your audience and the journal in which your results will be published.

General Editorial Issues

Although we shouldn’t, all of us are swayed by first impressions.  How your paper appears to the journal editor or reviewer is their first impression of your science, and it will color their impression of your results, if you let it.  Nothing is worse than a sloppily prepared paper with no page numbers, a font that can’t be read or which is full of grammatical errors.  Remember that everyone will assume that if you did not take the time to write your paper carefully, you did not take the time to do your science carefully.

The following are some general editorial guidelines to follow that will leave a good first impression with your readers.

General Stylistic Issues

Uniformity of style is the key to scientific communication. The journal editors, the referees who review a manuscript, and the journal readers who are interested in the results presented in a paper all expect certain things to be present in a manuscript and that they are in a certain order.  Just like the sloppy-looking paper, a paper that does not adhere to the expected style reflects poorly on the author, no matter how good the science is.

Organization/Components

Sections should appear in your paper in the order described below. All sections but the title have the section explicitly labeled, usually in bold letters to differentiate it from the rest of the text, and left aligned on the page. A blank line should appear after the last word of the section to separate the various sections, but a line should not be placed after the section title.

Please note that you should not physically assemble your paper in this order. Instead, it is suggested that you compose: a) Materials and Methods, b) Figures, Figure Legends and Tables, c) Results, d) Discussion, e) Conclusions, f) Introduction and Schemes, g) Abstract, and h) Title. Then put all the sections together in the final paper in the order outlined above.

A template is available to help you organize your report.  Click here to learn more about it.

Subsections

It may be helpful to organize sections further into subsections. These subsections should have their own titles that are italicized and followed by a period.

Description of Paper Components

Title/Title Page

A title reflects the emphasis and contents of the paper. It tells the reader the paper’s topic and it also entices the reader to continue reading further. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the title to reveal the results or major conclusions of the experiment. Examples are given below. The title should be on its own page (the title page), left-aligned at the top of the page, in bold letters.  Note that in some journals the title’s font size is 2 points larger than the text (i. e., 14-point, if the rest of the paper is in a standard 12-point font).  However, this is not standardized and you should check with your instructor for which format he/she wants you to follow.

The title must be brief (2 lines maximum) and grammatically correct. Under the title, write your name and your professional address in italics ( Department of Chemistry, Truman State University, 100 East Normal, Kirksville, MO 63501 ).

The abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the paper that is written in the present tense. As the abstract is the only part of the paper that is entered into article databases, it should be able to stand alone, separate from the paper. The first one to three sentences of the abstract should briefly introduce the reader to the problem studied. Next, the scientific approach, major results and primary significance of the findings should be presented. The abstract is generally 150-200 words (less for shorter papers). This section is normally written after the body of the paper. Because the abstract is separate from the paper, all abbreviations should be written out, or defined, and any references should be written out in full.  An example of how a reference might appear in an abstract is

Note that in some journals that inclusion of the title in a reference is not required ( vide infra ).

The introduction should present the scientific problem at hand to the reader. Explain to the reader why the experiment was conducted, how it was designed and perhaps, if appropriate, what was found. Literature that is relevant should be incorporated and will help the reader understand the context of your study. A good rule of thumb is to start at the most general topic and progressively move towards the specific. Here is a general outline for an introduction:

In this section, consider including figures, schemes and equations that complement the text.

While this is similar to the information that you should have written your notebook, the introduction to a paper is different than the background that you included for an experiment (or experiments) in your notebook.  Remember that you are trying to reach a larger, more general audience with your paper, and the introduction must be structured to draw the reader in and help them focus on your important results.

Experimental

The experimental section of your paper should be a logical, coherent recount of the experiment(s) conducted. This section should be complete enough for a trained scientist to pick up your report and replicate your experiment. The experimental section in a laboratory report is more concise than the corresponding section in the laboratory notebook. It should not be a step-by-step procedure of the activities carried out during the laboratory period.

The first paragraph of the experimental section contains information on key chemicals used in the procedure.  When the chemicals are used as received, there will usually be a statement to that effect and further details are not usually necessary.   You will list the chemical supplier’s name and the substance’s purity will be noted in cases where the chemical is hard to find, it is of a special purity or if there is only one supplier.  Do not list lot numbers. If a starting material was synthesized according to a literature procedure, then state this in the opening paragraph and reference the procedure. If purification or drying of the compounds is required, it is described here, also.

The first paragraph often will also list the instruments used to characterize the newly synthesized substances. All instruments and equipment should be specified including the model number of the instrument and the name of the manufacturer (serial numbers are not included). When a spectroscopic or physical method is the focus of the report, it will be described in its own subsection. You are not required to write the experimental in this fashion. 

For common techniques, laboratory textbooks should be referenced. However, if a previously published procedure was modified, then this is stated and only the modifications performed are included. If the procedure is your own, then outline the procedure with the main points, including details that are critical to replicating the experiment. These might include the type and size of your HPLC column, the buffer or the concentrations of chemicals.

When the syntheses of substances are reported, the synthetic procedure used to make each substance is described in its own separate paragraph. The paragraph begins with the name of substance, or its abbreviation (if the abbreviation was defined earlier in the paper), in bold face. If numbers are assigned to the compounds, these are also included (in parentheses). Often the synthesis will be written out, even when a literature procedure was followed. The mass and percent yields must be reported. Some of the new compound’s characteristics are included at the end of the paragraph describing its synthesis. These include: melting point range (and literature value, if known), elemental analysis (both calculated and found), selected peaks from the mass spectrum (with assignments), selected IR peaks (also with assignments), and any NMR peaks with their chemical shift, multiplicity and integration (you will often find the observed coupling quoted and the assignment of the peaks).  The following is an example of how to report a compound’s synthesis.

The experimental section has two quirky wrinkles on the general scientific style.  These are:

In the Results section, the results are presented and summarized in a reader-friendly form. Raw data are not presented here. For instance, it is appropriate to include the average calculated concentration of a solution but not the original absorbance values that were collected from the spectrophotometer; that information is best left in your laboratory notebook.

Graphs and tables often make the data easier to interpret and more understandable (click here to review graph preparation). A graph is presented in the paper as a figure . In general, a graph or table is an appropriate representation of the data when more than 2 or 3 numbers are presented. Data that are presented in the form of a graph or table should be referred to but should not be repeated verbatim in the text as this defeats the purpose of a graph. More information on figures and  tables is presented later.

The Results section also reports comparable literature values for the properties obtained and/or calculated in the paper. Observation of trends in the numerical data is acceptable. However, interpretation of the trend should be saved for the Discussion section.

Remember, do not simply report your numerical results.  The Results section must have a narrative that describes your results.  This narrative can include a description of the data (such as spectra or data in graphs), what problems were encountered during data acquisition (and how they were resolved, or not) and a general description of how the raw data were processed to give the final results ( not a step-by-step description of everything you did).  The reader wants to know what you did, how you did it, what problems you encountered and finally what your results were.  Each of these topics must be addressed in the Results section in a way that is clear, yet concise.

This is the section where the results are interpreted. This section of the paper is analogous to a debate. You need to present your data, convince the reader of your data’s reliability and present evidence for your convictions. First, evaluate your data. Do you have good, mediocre, terrible, or un-interpretable data? Evaluate your results by comparing to literature values or other precedents. Explain what results should have been obtained and whether you obtained these expected values. Note that even if expected results were not obtained, you did not fail. Unexpected results are often the most interesting. Perhaps your hypothesis was not correct. Why is this? What new hypothesis do your data suggest? If you feel that your results are not reliable, you need to explain why. Use statistical analysis or chemical principles to support your claims. Was there a systematic error? Is the error due to the limitations of your apparatus? Does your data look the same to within a standard deviation? Evaluate the statistical significance of your data (click here to review the statistical treatment of data). After validating your data, you should interpret your results; state what you believe your results mean. How do your results help us understand the scientific problem? What do your results mean in the context of the bigger picture of chemistry, or of science? How do your results relate to the concepts outlined in the introduction? Do not assume that your experiment failed or was successful. You need to prove to the reader, with logical arguments and supporting evidence, the value of your study.

The conclusions that you wrote in your laboratory notebook are a good starting point from which to organize your thoughts.  Your paper’s discussion section is structured very similarly to the conclusions section in your notebook, and it might be good idea to review that now (click here to review the structure of the conclusions in the laboratory notebook).

Conclusions

The Conclusions section is typically a one-paragraph summary of your laboratory report. Here you summarize the goal(s) of your experiment, state whether you reached that goal, and describe briefly the implications of your study. Note that in some chemistry sub-disciplines it is acceptable to combine the Discussion and Conclusions sections. Consult your course syllabus or check with your instructor on the specific format to be used in your class.

Acknowledgements

The Acknowledgements section is where you thank anyone who helped you significantly with the project or with the manuscript. For instance, you would thank your laboratory partners if they’re not authors on the paper, anyone who helped with the design of the experiment or the preparation of the paper. You might also include funding sources such as a Truman State University summer scholarship or a National Institutes of Health grant.

Most of the ideas presented in your paper are probably not exclusively yours. Therefore, you should cite other people’s work wherever appropriate. However, you do not need to cite information that is common knowledge or is exclusively your idea. The References section is a compilation of all citations made within the paper. It is not a bibliography and therefore should not list sources that are not directly referred to in the text.

References Format

The format of references varies amongst journals. For your chemistry laboratory reports, you should follow, by default, the ACS guidelines as outlined in The ACS Style Guide and Journal of the American Chemical Society , JACS (all examples given in this handout conform to JACS format). If your professor requires you to conform to a specific journal’s format, look at articles from that journal or refer to the journal’s “Instructions to Authors.” The specifications for most ACS journals are:

Types of References

Articles . Journal articles are the primary source found in laboratory reports. An example is given below. Notice that the authors’ initials are given instead of the first and middle names. Also, there is no “and” before the last author’s name. Some journals require that the article’s title be included in the reference (check with your instructor to see if he/she wants you to use this style).  When included, the article’s title should start with a capital letter but the other words in the title, unless they are proper nouns, should not be capitalized (see below). The journal title is abbreviated (click here for a list of the ACS abbreviations for common journals). Also, the year and the comma after the year are in bold. Lastly, the reference has inclusive pagination (first and last pages are given)

The following are examples of the same journal article with the first given in style where the article’s title is included in the reference, while the second is in the style where the article’s title is omitted.

Books. Books should be cited in the following manner:

Computer Programs. Citations for computer programs vary. If a person in academia wrote the program, there is often a journal-article source. In other cases, the program is simply distributed by a company.

Websites. Journal articles are much preferred over websites. Websites are dynamic and are usually not peer reviewed. One of the only instances when a website is an acceptable reference is when it is referring to a database (however, an article is usually associated with the creation of the database). If you must use a website, the reference should include a title for the site, the author(s), year of last update and URL. It is unacceptable to use a website as a reference for scientific data or explanations of chemical processes.

Tables, Schemes and Figures

Tables, schemes and figures are all concise ways to convey your message.  As you prepare these items for your report, remember to think of your reader.  You want them to derive the maximum amount of information with the minimum amount of work. Pretend to be the reader and ask yourself, “Does this enhance my understanding?”, “Can I find everything?”, “Can I read it without being distracted?” Poorly prepared tables, schemes and figures will reflect badly on your science, and you as a scientist, so think carefully about these items as you prepare your report.

A table is a way to summarize data or ideas in a coherent, grid-like fashion. This is not simply output from a spreadsheet! You should prepare the table in a word-processor so that its formatting matches the rest of your report.  In general, tables have no more than ten rows and columns to avoid overwhelming the reader.  One common exception is in review articles (such as in Chemical Reviews ) where an author is attempting to summarize results from an entire field.  Another common exception is in the reporting of X-ray crystallography data.  These tables have their own special formatting rules, and will not be discussed here.

Tables are referred to in the text as “Table #”. Tables, schemes and figures are labeled separately, with Arabic numbers, in the order they are referred to in the paper. Tables have a table caption, which in some journals appears above the table, while in others it appears below.  In either case, the table caption is always on the same page as the table.

Don’t use lines or boxes in your table except where absolutely necessary. Use spaces between your columns instead (helpful hint: it is better to use your word processor’s table formatting tools than trying to get the columns to line up using tabs or spaces). All column or row headings should have clear subtitles and units if needed (usually in parentheses). Any numbers that are presented should have proper significant figures, and an indication of the error should be shown (click here to review how to report uncertainty in one’s data). An example table is given below.

A scheme is usually a sequence of two or more chemical reactions that together summarize a synthesis. A scheme may also show the steps in a purification with each step or reaction giving the reactants, products, catalysts, and yields.  A scheme that shows a chemical reaction may also show possible intermediates. Note that mechanisms are not usually conveyed using a scheme because they are more complicated and illustrate where electrons are proposed to move.  Mechanisms are most often placed in a figure.

It is a common convention in a scheme to write a bold number underneath chemical species referred to in the text.  Note that for the first occurrence of the bold number in the text, the chemical’s name is given, but after that only the bold number is used to identify it. This method of defining abbreviations for compounds can also be done in the experimental section, if there is no scheme.  This is very useful when a compound’s name is long or complicated.

The one-step yield is usually written to the right of the equation, although it is also proper to write the yield under the arrow.  Note also how the reaction conditions can be summarized (i. e., the first step below), which saves the reader from flipping to the experimental section for these details.

Each scheme also has a caption, which is included under the scheme.  The caption should briefly  summarize what is in the scheme.  If the scheme is from another source, the reference to this source should appear at the end of the caption.

The following is an example of a scheme that might appear in a synthetic paper.  The text below it shows how the scheme could be referred to in the body of the paper.  

Benzamide (1) was refluxed under aqueous acidic conditions for 1 hour to yield benzoic acid (2) . Acid (2) was then refluxed with SOCl 2 to yield benzoyl chloride (3) .

Sometimes a scheme may be used to illustrate a non-chemical process or how an instrument’s components are connected.  These could also be presented as figures, and there is no definitive rule that will tell you when to use a scheme and when to use a figure.  When in doubt, think of the reader and use the method that conveys the most information in the most easily understood format

Figures fall into two broad categories; those that are pictorial representations of concepts that are presented in the text, and those which summarize data. Again, it is critical to your report that your figures are clear, concise and readable, and that they support the arguments that you are making.  Remember that you must refer to and discuss every figure in the text!  If a figure is not mentioned, you don’t need it!

Figures that are pictorial representations of concepts usually appear in the Introduction , but it is also appropriate to include them in the Discussion . Use this type of figure to make your writing more concise (remember the conversion factor: 1 picture = 1 kword).  Remember, humans are very visually oriented and we can grasp complex concepts presented as picture more easily then when they are presented in words or as mathematical formulae.  Some examples of concept figures include:

Graphs are figures that present data.  You use a graph when you have more data than will fit in a table.  The general rules for preparing good figures for your notebook also apply in a laboratory report (click here to review graph preparation).  Formatting tips: do not use colored backgrounds or gridlines, and do not draw a box around the graph.

You may find it more concise to combine all your data into one graph. For example, it may be appropriate to put six lines with absorbance as a function of time, with varying concentrations of a reactant on the same graph rather than constructing six different graphs. However, when doing this, be careful not to over-clutter the graph.

Standard curves should not be included in this section unless that was the primary goal of the experiment. They should be put in the Supporting Information .

Figures have figure captions compiled in the Figure Legend section, located on a separate page at the end of the paper. Journals chose this format because of typographical issues, and it has been retained despite its inconvenience to the reader.  Each figure should appear on its own page in the order is it is discussed in the text. Figure captions appear in the Figure Legends section and do not appear on the same page as the figure. However, in the bottom, right-hand corner of the page the following identifying text appears:

Figure Legends

All figure legends (captions) should be found in the section entitled “Figure Legends”. The format for a figure legend is usually: “Figure number” (italics and bold), a short title (followed by a period) and then a description of what is in the figure. All figure legends are compiled on the same page separated by a blank line. Be sure to define in the caption any symbols used in the figure, and note whether lines that pass through data points are fits, or “guides to the eye”.

Supporting Information

This section (also known as Supplemental Material ) is where you can include information that may be helpful, but not essential, for evaluation of your data. Items in this section may include calibration curves, and spectra (from which you extracted only one absorbance value for your analysis).  Figures or tables of data whose contents were summarized in the text, or which were not critical to the conclusions, are also to be placed in the supporting information.  An example of this type of material is the table of atom positions generated in an X-ray crystal structure.

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Science Lab Worksheet Templates

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If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

What are Lab Worksheets?

Lab worksheets are essential tools used during science experiments and activities, as they guide students through all the necessary steps, from creating hypotheses and developing plans to recording observations and data. A science experiment handout is a type of lab worksheet that focuses specifically on science experiments, providing a structured framework for the class to follow. They are a great tool for students as they simplify the process of organizing their thoughts and findings into a clear, concise report or science report. Additionally, laboratory sheets can help kids to stay on track and ensure they do not miss any important steps or observations during their experiments. Overall, science experiment worksheets are an indispensable resource for those who are engaged in science experiments, providing a comprehensive and effective way to document their work and ensure accurate reporting of their findings.

Why are They Important and How are They Best Used?

Although open-ended investigation planning and recording can be an important skill to develop, many learners, particularly those in the early grades, benefit from having structured notes to guide them. A science experiment template provides a framework to document observations, data, and conclusions in a clear and organized manner. By using a report worksheet or lab report template, students can easily follow the experimental design steps necessary to complete a successful science experiment.

Making customized handouts tailored to your students' needs can be an effective way to engage them in the scientific process. By adjusting the level of difficulty and content to match their abilities, you can help the class stay focused and motivated throughout the experiment. Moreover, using free worksheets or a pre-made lab sheet template can save valuable time, especially when preparing multiple experiments.

One of the key benefits of these sheets is that they provide a clear answer key for students to check their work against. This ensures that everyone understands the expectations and requirements of the experiment and can easily identify any errors or mistakes. Additionally, they facilitate the end of the experiment, allowing kids to draw meaningful conclusions based on their findings and observations.

How to Make A Lab Report

• Gather your data and observations: Before beginning your report, make sure you have all the necessary information and observations you collected during your experiment. This may include measurements, notes, and observations of any changes or reactions.
• Organize your information: Use a laboratory worksheet or report template to organize your information and observations in a structured and clear manner. You may need to adjust the template to match the specific requirements of your science class or experiment.
• Include relevant details: Be sure to include details about the equipment used, the materials used, and the experimental procedures followed. This will help readers understand how you arrived at your conclusions.
• Use clear language and appropriate formatting: Use clear, concise language to describe your experiment and results. Use appropriate formatting, such as headings and bullet points, to make your report easy to read and understand.
• Include a conclusion: Based on your findings and observations, draw a conclusion that summarizes your findings. Explain how your results support or contradict your hypothesis.
• Use report templates or other resources: If you are unsure how to format your report, consider using pre-made lab report templates or other resources available online or through your science class. These can provide a useful guide and ensure your report meets all the necessary requirements.
• Edit and revise: Once you have completed your report, take the time to edit and revise it. Check for spelling and grammar errors, and make sure all your information is accurate and complete.

By following all the steps, you can make a clear and well-organized lab report that accurately reflects the results of your experiment.

Worksheet Templates to Explore

Science experiment worksheet.

A science experiment worksheet is a template that future scientists can use to document their observations, data, and conclusions during science experiments. These worksheets help organize thoughts and identify patterns in data. They also encourage students to draw conclusions based on evidence, which is a critical skill for success in science and other subjects. Using a science experiment handout ensures that children have a structured framework to follow and can better understand the scientific method. Teachers can customize these worksheets to fit their specific classroom needs, ensuring that the worksheets are aligned with the experiment's objectives.

Lab Report Worksheet

A lab report worksheet is a type of science experiment worksheet that is specifically designed for documenting reports. These worksheets often include prompts or questions that guide students through the scientific method, such as identifying the problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, and final thoughts. They can be customized to fit specific classroom needs and can be used to assess student learning outcomes. Using a report sheet ensures that students meet the experiment's objectives and have a clear understanding of the scientific method.

Science Lab Worksheet Template

This is a customizable form that teachers can use to make their own science experiment worksheets. They often include sections for recording data, observations, and conclusions. They can modify these templates to fit their specific classroom needs and ensure that they align with the scientific method. Science worksheet templates are a great tool for helping kids organize their thoughts and identify patterns in their data. They also encourage critical thinking and analytical skills, which are essential for success in science and other subjects.

Lab Report Template

This is a customizable form that students use to document their lab reports. These templates often include prompts or questions that guide children through the scientific method, such as identifying the problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, and conclusion. These can be customized to fit specific classroom needs and can be used to assess student learning outcomes.

Lab Report Maker

A lab report maker is a tool that allows teachers to make customized lab report templates. These makers often include a variety of prompts or questions that guide students through the scientific method, making it easier for them to organize their thoughts and information. Lab report makers are a great resource for those who want to create customized handouts but do not have the time or resources to make them from scratch. They are also useful for ensuring that report templates are aligned with the experiment's objectives.

Lab Worksheet Templates

If you are looking to create an experiment worksheet template for your science class, there are several free printable science experiment templates available online. One option is to use a science lab worksheet template, which provides a structured framework for recording observations, findings, and other important details of your experiment.

To begin, select a suitable lab report maker or template that fits your needs. Once you have found the appropriate template, access the Storyboard Creator tool and start customizing it to your liking. You can modify the lab equipment worksheet and other elements of the template to suit your experiment's requirements.

Additionally, you can provide background information about the experiment to help understand the purpose and procedures involved. Be sure to use free resources and tools available to enhance your worksheet's quality and effectiveness.

How to Make a Science Lab Worksheet

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on "Copy Template"

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific questions and images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished with your worksheet, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Even More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

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Frequently Asked Questions About Science Lab Worksheets

How can lab report templates be used to improve student learning outcomes.

Lab report templates can be used to improve learning outcomes in several ways. By providing a structured framework for the class to follow, educators can ensure that all kids meet the experiment's objectives and understand the scientific method. Additionally, using lab report handouts can help develop critical thinking and analytical skills, which are essential for success in science and other subjects.

What are some tips for using lab sheets effectively in the classroom?

To use lab sheets effectively in the classroom, teachers should provide clear instructions on how to use them and what information to record for various experiments. Whether it's a science experiment worksheet, lab report worksheet, or any other experiment-specific worksheet, kids need guidance on how to utilize the lab sheets appropriately. Additionally, it is essential to monitor and verify that the class is accurately recording data and observations according to the specific experiment's requirements. This ensures the reliability and integrity of the collected information. Furthermore, teachers should foster an environment where students feel encouraged to ask questions, critically analyze the evidence, and draw meaningful conclusions not only for the experiment at hand but also for other experiments they may encounter. This approach promotes a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and enables learners to actively participate in class discussions and share their findings with their peers.

Are there any drawbacks to using lab sheets in the classroom?

While there are many benefits to using lab sheets in the classroom, there are also some potential drawbacks. For example, some kids may find the structure of lab sheets too restrictive and prefer a more open-ended approach to experimentation. Additionally, some experiments may not lend themselves well to a structured paper. However, teachers can mitigate these potential drawbacks by providing a variety of experimentation options and offering opportunities for open-ended exploration and inquiry.

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Sample Chemistry Lab Reports

A student can never be considered one without trying to wrestle with a lot of schoolwork. I know that you have more than one subject or course, what makes it worse is that you have exams, project work , and assignment in one and imagine multiplying that by five more. Things can get crazy!

Chemistry Lab Report

5+ lab report templates, sample lab report - 9+ documents in pdf, word, report examples.

But before you either start whining or yawning, let me appease you by saying that this article will surely help you in one activity and subject—writing a chemistry report. If, by any chance, that is really the subject that you’re struggling in, feel free to check out our Sample Reports below.

Chemistry Lab Report Template

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Sample Organic Chemistry Lab Report Template

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Standard Chemistry Titration Lab Report Template

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How to Write a Chemistry Lab Report?

• Title: Provide a clear, concise title that reflects the experiment’s purpose.
• Introduction: Include background information, the objective of the experiment, and the hypothesis. Briefly explain the scientific principles and concepts relevant to the experiment. You can also see more on Lab Reports .
• Materials: List all the chemicals, equipment, and instruments used.
• Methods: Describe the step-by-step procedure followed during the experiment in a detailed and sequential manner. Ensure it’s clear enough for someone else to replicate the experiment.
• Data Presentation: Present the data collected during the experiment in an organized manner using tables, graphs, and charts as appropriate. You can also see more on Laboratory Audit Report .
• Observations: Include any notable observations made during the experiment. Ensure all measurements and results are clearly recorded.
• Analysis: Interpret the results, explaining whether the hypothesis was supported or refuted. Discuss any patterns, trends, or anomalies observed.
• Error Analysis: Identify potential sources of error and their impact on the results. Discuss the reliability and validity of the findings.
• Conclusion: Summarize the key findings of the experiment and their implications. Relate back to the original objective and hypothesis. You can also see more on Analytical Report .
• References: Cite all sources used for background information, data, and any other referenced material. Use a consistent citation style as required by your instructor or publication.

Basic Analytical Chemistry Lab Report Template

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Chemistry Formal Lab Report Format in PDF

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Uses of Chemistry Lab Report

• Chemistry lab reports are used to evaluate students’ understanding of scientific concepts, their ability to conduct experiments, and their skills in data analysis and interpretation. You can also see more on Science Project Reports .
• They provide a detailed record of the experiment, including the procedures followed, data collected, and outcomes. This documentation is crucial for future reference and replication of the study.
• Lab reports communicate experimental findings to peers, instructors, and the broader scientific community. They allow others to understand the methods and results of the experiment. You can also see more on Physics Lab Report .
• Writing lab reports helps develop critical thinking and analytical skills as students must interpret data, draw conclusions, and discuss the implications of their findings.
• They encourage problem-solving by requiring students to identify errors, suggest improvements, and consider alternative explanations for their results.
• Lab reports ensure scientific rigor by requiring thorough documentation of the experiment, which helps maintain the integrity and reproducibility of scientific research.
• For aspiring scientists and researchers, writing lab reports hones skills essential for professional scientific writing, which is crucial for publishing research in scientific journals. You can also see more on Laboratory Incident Report .
• Lab reports can be used in industry and research settings to share experimental results, support patent applications, develop new products, and improve existing processes through documented research and findings.

Chemistry Lab Report in Word

Chemistry is a branch of science that discusses matter and its structure and composition. They also explain how these matter undergo changes. One of the most common activities in chemistry is doing experiments in the laboratory. And of course, what comes with experiments are lab reports.

A lab report is a record of the activities, processes, and observation during and after an experiment. You may check out our Sample Lab Reports for more details. It includes some of the following parts:

• Introduction – like any other write-up, it is necessary to write an introduction. This is where you express the purpose and objectives of your experiment. You also introduce the issue or the thing that you are to investigate.
• Materials and Methods – this is the part where you enumerate all the materials necessary for conducting the experiment and the processes that come with them.
• Results and Discussion – the former is for the data and observation obtained in the study schedule . The latter, on the other hand, is the explanation and expounding of the relevance of the results.
• Conclusion – this is where the summary of everything that you did and the results are written. This is usually sample brief .

Aside from getting to know some of its parts, you also have to know its importance, so that you get motivated in writing one.

• You can keep track of the changes of the specimen you are conducting your experiment on.
• You can improve your scientific skills, such as inquiry, observation, making hypothesis, and the like.
• You can appreciate the value of your experiment more.
• You can make a contribution to science.

Reports can come in many forms, they are not just for laboratories after all. If you are working in a company and you are also required to make annual reports, you may check out our Annual Report

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Tips For Preparing a Chemistry Lab Reports

• Before you start writing, ensure you fully understand the experiment, its objectives, and the scientific principles behind it. Review your notes and any relevant literature. You can also see more on Student Reports .
• Adhere to the specific format and guidelines provided by your instructor or institution. This typically includes sections like the title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references.
• Use clear and concise language. Avoid unnecessary jargon and complex sentences. Ensure that your explanations are straightforward and easy to follow. You can also see more on Quantitative Chemical Analysis .
• Record all data and observations accurately during the experiment. Double-check measurements and calculations to ensure they are correct and complete.
• Include tables, graphs, and charts to present your data effectively. Visual aids can help clarify complex information and make your report more engaging.
• Provide a detailed description of the procedures followed. This should be clear enough for someone else to replicate the experiment without additional guidance.
• In the discussion section, interpret your results in the context of the experiment’s objectives and hypothesis. Discuss any anomalies or unexpected findings and their possible explanations.
• Carefully proofread your report to correct any grammatical errors, typos, or inconsistencies. Revising ensures clarity and coherence, making your report more professional and credible. You can also see more on Scientific Research .

Printable Physical Chemistry Lab Report Template

Formal Chemistry Lab Report Template

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Conducting an experiment is paramount to progress tracker . It is necessary to test the validity of an idea. All of the products that we use are born from experiments—the food that we eat, the creams that we put on our faces, the makeup, even businesses take experiments before they open for the market. You should remember all of these things every time you conduct an experiment in class. You are making the world better.

We are in school in the hopes of becoming professionals and make our dreams come true. Our school work are there not to give us a hard time but to make us learn a valuable lesson. There is a Filipino proverb that goes, “There’s no glory without sacrifice.” And it is true. So do your lab book reports with a smile.

What is lab test report?

A lab test report documents the results of laboratory tests, including analysis and interpretation, to provide information about the tested samples’ characteristics, aiding diagnosis, research, or quality control.

Is a lab report a study?

A lab report documents an experiment’s procedure, results, and analysis, but it is not a full study; it is a detailed record of a specific experiment within a broader research project .

How to write a method in a lab report?

Detail each step of the experimental procedure clearly and sequentially, specifying materials, equipment, and techniques used, ensuring it is precise enough for replication by others.

In conclusion, the lab report demonstrates successful experimentation and analysis of chemical reactions. Results align with theoretical predictions, confirming hypotheses and validating methods. The findings contribute valuable insights to understanding chemical processes and properties.

Speaking of which, we have free Weekly Activity Reports if you’re interested.

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Chemistry Lab Report Template

Unlock your inner scientist - craft the perfect chemistry lab report with our template!

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Introducing the Chemistry Lab Report Template - the perfect solution for showcasing your laboratory findings in a visually engaging and easy-to-understand format! This template is the ideal design to promote and get the word out about your research. Customize to your heart's content - add colors, change sizes, and choose the best photos or icons from our free stock libraries in Venngage. Create your ideal design for presenting your scientific revelations with precision and style.

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