How to write reports

1. Scientific Reporting
Crash Course
Formatting, Data, and Methodology

2. What Makes a Good Lab Report?
• Write in third person (no “I” or ”we”)
• Write in past tense (the experiment should already be complete)
• Back up your statements with data
N O F L U F F

3. Formatting
1. Title Page
2. Introduction
3. Procedures
4. Results
5. Discussion/Conclusions
6. Sources Cited
7. Appendices (Charts & Data)

4. TitlePage
•Title (Be Original, but
not too fluffy)
•Name(s)
•Class + Teacher
•Running Head

5. Introduction
•Like an abstract
•State the purpose
•Give background information
•State hypothesis
•DO NOT DISCUSS RESULTS

6. Procedures
•Describe process and materials
•Do not present in bulleted list –must be
paragraph style
•Be detailed enough that someone could
replicate the experiment

7. Results
•Present the data without discussing meaning
•Do not interpret –only report!

8. Discussion and Conclusions
•Explain the meaning of your results
•Was your hypothesis right or wrong? Why?
•Analyze possible points of error
•Suggest improvements

9. Sources Cited
• APA Formatted Sources
• Look it up on google, or plug it into the Citation Machine
• Ask an English teacher

10. Appendices
• Here’s where you stick your charts and data
• Label and title tables (Ex. Table 1. The Best Cat Foods, Ranked)

11. Let’s Practice!
• Question: Will the
average height of
people in our class
match the average
height of people (age
16-20) in the United
States?
• Let’s revisit our friend,
The Scientific Method