Team Foxy Freshmen

Physics/Math 1

Professional Lab Reports

A scientific lab report is a report that should always answer the following basic questions:

• What were you trying to do? (Purpose/Theory/Hypothesis)
• How do you do it? (Procedure/Materials)
• What results did you get during the experiment or in the lab? (Data)
• How did you analyze, process or use the results? (Analysis)
• What is your interpretation of those results? (Conclusions)

General Guidelines

Each student turns in their own lab report. Copying of data is permissible and teamwork is encouraged. Copying of actual work is not permitted. Each team member should verify calculations (do not rely on just one person to do all of the calculations!). Ask questions of the team and Ted.

I am interested in the specific form of the report and the quality of thought and presentation. Typing is preferred and posting to your Digital Portfolio in the “09ms” folder as an html document is best.

Section Guidelines

This guide is for formal reports. Informal lab reports may take a different and shorter form but may include elements from this guide. Each section should contain clear statements in grammatically correct, properly punctuated English with correct spelling.

1) Authorship: Include MLA Format in upper left corner of the cover. Include partner names when applicable.

2) Title: Title from lab handout, or class discussion.

3) Purpose: A description of why you are doing this experiment. What are you attempting to verify, demonstrate, examine, measure, etc.? Never begin an experiment unless you are prepared to write this section. The purpose may be a sentence of a paragraph, depending on what is needed for clarity.

4) Theory/Introduction/Hypothesis: A general discussion of the ideas and methods behind the experiment. Where are you going with this activity? Why are you doing it this way? What are the principles behind the equipment you are using and the mathematics you will use for analysis?

5) Procedure: An explanation of what you actually did or will do in the laboratory. This section should allow a person experienced in physics, but not familiar with your experiment, to repeat your measurements with similar results. A diagram or sketch of the apparatus with appropriate labels is extremely helpful here.

6) Data: A datum is a specific actual measurement on the spot observation recorded during the lab. You are encouraged to re-copy or reorganize data in tables or charts for clarity of presentation. Reports, however, must include the raw data taken in the lab. This is best presented as an appendix at the end of the lab report.

7) Analysis/Interpretation: Mathematical manipulations of data (with sample calculations showing actual values, not just formulas), graphs, diagrams and error calculations are shown here along with commentary on the reasons for the calculations, graphs, etc. Interpretations of observations, trends, or partial results are appropriate.

8) Conclusions: A summary of what you accomplished (Did you achieve the stated purpose?), why you believe these results and how good your results really are (your error). Be very careful in your conclusion. This is where you tell what you really learned!

General Suggestions

· Be thorough, but to the point. Scientists are impressed by quality, not volume…

· Be honest. Made up science is not science at all, but fraud. Reports are not graded on getting the correct results. They are graded on form, content, and the quality of your understanding as presented in your report.

· Be neat and organized. Show a professional interest in the final product.

· Make an attempt to interpret what happened, good or bad. If you are uncertain about some aspect of the results, make that clear. Many valuable scientific papers have expressed confusion about the results, leading others to investigate further.

· Make at least one draft or rough copy. Read it through, making corrections.

OOPS! Or things NOT to do…

• Don’t use pencil on your final report if you write lightly. Your final report should be typed…
• Don’t use handwriting unless your penmanship is exceptional. Don’t use fancy fonts that may be difficult to read. Don’t use too small or too large a font.
• Don’t forget your partners!
• Don’t assume ideas behind the experiment are obvious. Make them clear.
• Don’t write an equipment list. Use diagrams and written explanations.
• Don’t assume the reader knows what you did. I will take the point of view of a physicist who has never done the lab.
• Don’t try to explain the operation of something without pictures or a diagram.
• Don’t assume the reader knows how something works. Explain how it works.
• Don’t list calculated results as data. You can combine raw data and calculations in one table, but label them clearly.
• Don’t forget to include your original data at the end of the report.
• Don’t forget to show at least one sample of each calculation you perform, no matter how easy. Not every calculation needs to be show in long form, just one sample of each with sample values.
• Don’t say the work “prove” in your conclusion. Science never proves anything.
• Don’t say the experiment “worked”. Experiments always work, sometimes incorrectly.
• Don’t say the experiment was a success without saying what it succeeded in doing.

You are probably saying, “this is a lot of work!” You are correct! A high quality scientific paper is indeed a great deal of work. You are capable and always ask for help if you need it.

Albert Einstein said of science: “Everything should be made as simple as possible…but not simpler.” Do it right. Do it well.