HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT LAB REPORT Sample

HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT LAB REPORT

Sample Lab Report The key points of how to write the perfect lab report Title of lab report: “Making A Seismograph”

Step 1: Question (aka. . Purpose) Ask yourself: “What is this lab all about? ? ” What are you trying to discover? Example: How does the magnitude of vibrations affect the amplitude of a seismograph?

Step 2: Hypothesis Making a statement about what you will think happen in your experiment “If…. then…. because” is often used to start your hypothesis Hypothesis MUST BE testable Example: An increase in the magnitude of vibrations will result in an increase in amplitude of the seismograph.

Step 3: Materials Every item that you used to complete your experiment must be included in your lab report Make sure to leave NOTHING out Just like writing down ingredients in a recipe; put in list form (bullet points) Example: � Clamp � Metal bar � Piece of string � Rubber bands (2)

Step 4: Procedure List every step that you did to complete your experiment Just like materials, leave NOTHING out Number your steps Example: � 1. I laced a piece of paper directly beneath the pen and the clamp stand. � 2. One person slowly moved the paper past the pen, as the other hit the end of the table. � 3. The first trial represented a medium magnitude movement.

Step 5: Results (Observation/Data) Write down each observation or piece of data that you collect Make sure to include the units of measurements (grams, inches, centimenters, liters, etc. ) Only tell what you observed; not what you think will happen Can be in table or chart form Magnitude Amplitude Observations Medium (#1) >1. 3 cm a little jagged Example: Softest (#2) >. 5 cm smoothest line Hardest (#3) 2 cm the most jagged

Step 6: Conclusion (Ending!) Ask yourself: “What did I discover? ? ” Tell if your hypothesis was correct or not; it’s ok to be wrong here Explain why your hypothesis worked or why it didn’t What did you learn by doing this lab? ? What were some mistakes that happened? ? Example: This lab investigated how the magnitude of vibrations affects the amplitude of a seismograph. This proves my hypothesis was correct.

Lab Format Tips: Final labs should always be written neatly or typed It is perfectly ok if your hypothesis is wrong; that’s how we learn!! Keep all you data collection in a safe place so you don’t lose it