This document provides guidance on writing an effective lab report, including its typical structure and components. A lab report is a complete record of an experiment that includes enough detail for someone else to replicate the study. It generally consists of a cover page, introduction, statement of objective, materials and methods, results, discussion, references, and sometimes appendices. Each section has a specific purpose and content to include. The document emphasizes writing in past tense, avoiding interpretation in the results section, and providing thorough methodology to allow reproducibility.

1. LAB REPORTS
PREPARED BY THE STUDENT SUCCESS AND TUTORING CENTER

2. WHAT IS A LAB REPORT?
 What is a lab report?
 a complete and detailed record of
an experiment.
 The information provided in a lab
report should be specific enough
that the reader would be able to
replicate the experiment.
https://academichelp.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/lab-repo

3. STRUCTURE: PARTS OF THE LAB REPORT
 Cover Page: Title and Author(s)
 Introduction
 Statement of Objective
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 Appendices (not always needed)

4. COVER PAGE: TITLE AND AUTHOR(S)
 Center the title on the page about
2 inches from the top of the page.
 Center the student’s name, class,
and date completed below the
title.
 Type the student’s last name and
page number in header, flush with
right margin.

5. INTRODUCTION
What it contains:
 Context of study
 Pertinent background
information
 Written in Past Passive tense
 Should be one to two
paragraphs long depending
upon the experiment
conducted
What it does not contain:
 Results
 Conclusions about the study
 Non-relevant information

6. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE
 Objective of the experiment
 Answers two questions:
 Why is this experiment being performed?
 What information can I learn?
 Hypothesis
 The student’s educated prediction
about the outcome of the
experiment
 Must be clearly stated and specific
 It’s okay for your hypothesis to be
wrong!

7. MATERIALS AND METHODS
 Contains materials and equipment used along with any explanation(s) of
equipment, if necessary.
 Contains the step-by-step process followed to conduct the experiment.
 Written in paragraph form, NOT a bulleted list.
 Always written in third person (do not use “I”).
 Be as detailed as possible.
 The purpose of this section is to allow another person to follow the instructions
and replicate the experiment.

8. RESULTS
 Summarize the results in paragraph
form.
 Create tables or charts of the data
collected, if applicable.
 If using tables or charts be sure to
label them clearly.
 DO NOT interpret the data. This
section should only contain the raw
facts. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4
Chart Title
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3
Sales
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

9. DISCUSSION
 Interpretation of data collected
 Did the experiment prove or disprove the hypothesis?
 If hypothesis was wrong, why and how was it wrong?
 Did any errors occur during the procedure?
 How might these errors be avoided in the future?
 Discussion of the implication of results

10. REFERENCES
 See your professor to determine if outside sources are necessary and what
format to cite them in.
 Your lab manual counts as a source.
 All sources used should be recorded on a separate page at the end of the
report.
 This page is titled either References (APA) or Works Cited (MLA).
 References should be organized alphabetically by authors’ last names.
Need citation help? See a Writing Center Coach or check out the SSTC’s Online Resource Cente

11. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND!
 Remember to keep your writing in Past Passive tense.
 Everything is presented as if by a passive-third party observer.
 Ex. You would not say “Timmy ate the bagel.” Rather, you would say “The bagel was
eaten.”
 There is an example of a lab report in your lab manual. You can always
refer to that if necessary.
 Have a question? Remember you can always check with your
professor!
 Do you need to have an Abstract?
 Do you need to have Appendices?

12. PLEASE CONTACT US!
Conway 349-7872
Grand Strand 477-2113
Georgetown 520-1455
Email: sstc@hgtc.edu
Website: http://www.hgtc.edu/sstc

13. RESOURCES
 Successful Lab Reports
 Purdue OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/726/06/
 Hamilton College http://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/lab-reports-for-biology
 Duke University http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/lab_reports.pdf