HOW TO WRITE FORMAL LAB REPORTS

WHAT ARE THE STEPS?1. Name and Lab partners2. Period3. Title4. Purpose5. Procedures6. Data7. Data Analysis8. Conclusion

DOING A LAB TOGETHERALL LABS START WITH SOME SORT

OF QUESTION WE WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO.

Question: How long can the average person hold their breath?

Before we start, we make a prediction:How long do you think?

STEP1: NAMEAt the top of your lab report,

write your name.Underline or highlight your

nameIn the future, if you do a lab

report, you would also write the names of all of your lab partners

STEP2: PERIOD

Below your name, write what period this is

STEP3: TITLE OF LABWhat do you want to title this lab?

It should give a good idea about what the lab is investigating.

Most labs we do will provide a title

STEP4: PURPOSEThe purpose of the lab tells you why you are doing the lab.

It should never be longer than 1 or 2 sentences.

Example: The purpose of this lab is to determine how long the average person can hold their breath.

STEP5: PROCEDURES The procedure is the part of the lab where

you explain how you did the lab. It should be in steps. Example:1. Have a time keeping device ready.2. Start to hold breath while you start the timer.3. Stop the timer when you breathe.

STEP 6: DATA The data part of the lab tells you what

you observed or measured. You will NEVER do any calculations or

math in data. Example:

Time breath was heldPerson 1 53 secondsPerson 2 46 seconds

COLLECT DATAFor your lab report we are going to

collect classroom data.Everyone is going to time how

long they hold their breath. (this is for science, so be honest)

We will create a data table to show the different times

STEP 7: DATA ANALYSIS This is the part of the lab where you

summarize the data. It is often necessary to do math, create

a graph or make a chart. Example:

To find the average we add the times and divide by the number of people

ALWAYS SHOW YOUR WORK ON LABS

STEP 8: CONCLUSIONThe conclusion is where you

summarize the results of your lab by ANSWERING THE PROBLEM IN THE PURPOSE:

What was the purpose?What is the answer?

CONCLUSION From my calculations, an average person can

hold their breath for _________seconds.

In most labs for class, we know the expected answer.

If your answer is different, then you will have to explain possible reasons why (ERROR ANALYSIS)

Example: Some people breathed during the

experiment.

ASSIGNMENT (10 points)You will design your own experiment.

You will: Come up with some problem you can explore in

class . . . (you may work alone or with your lab partners).

Write the first part of the lab (Name, Period, Title, Purpose and Procedures

Next class you will perform and write up your lab.