Research Project Report Guidelines
WRITING A LABORATORY REPORT (.doc/docx or .pdf format only)
PARTS OF THE LAB REPORT
Follow the lab project report guidelines but remember this guideline is not comprehensive- be attentive of the guidelines explained by TAs (for modifications/alterations)
To write a lab report, referencing the laboratory manual/ Biology textbook is only a beginning. Seek out original sources, primary literature (peer‐reviewed journal articles). Limit textbook citations, as the information is less reliable than primary literature. Use the library/e-library resources to find more detailed information on the topic.
The completed laboratory report is to include the following sections as described:
TITLE PAGE
- Informative report title (it should describe lab content concisely, adequately & appropriately)
- Your full name: Cyriniti Craig
- Your email address (UNT email): CyrinitiCraig@my.unt.edu
- Course and section numbers (BIOL1760/61.xxx): BIOL1760.504
- Date report submitted: October 27,2022
- Laboratory instructor name (TA name): John Evers
ABSTRACT
- Concise summary in one paragraph (200-400 words) that summarizes your report as follows:
- The scientific context of your experiment (what are you testing & why?)
- What you did
- How you did it (generally – NO specifics; do not write the method here)
- What you found (state your results qualitatively, not quantitatively)
- What it means- 1-2 sentence discussion and conclusion
INTRODUCTION
- Background information so that a reader will understand the purpose of your experiment
- Explain the purpose of the research project.
- State the formulated hypotheses /rationale and predictions being tested when appropriate for the research project.
- Generally, 2 paragraphs long, 1st paragraph going over major concepts and key terms. While the second paragraph addresses the experiment, questions it is trying to answer, and predicted outcomes.
- Talk about the experiment; what are the procedures, what were the controls, independent and dependent variables, what analysis or comparison do you plan on doing to your results etc.
- Give a brief description of treatments used and what was measur
- Generally, this part of the lab report will have the most references/citations- cite experiments from journals & relate to your experiment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
- Describe the procedure in your own words (so that the procedure could be replicated)
- Make sure to report any changes from the lab protocol!!!
- Methods and materials should be written separately and concisely.
- Details like concentrations (mM, g/L, etc.), temperatures, and sample size should be mentioned.
- Tables can be used to show your different treatment groups (i.e. how you set them up)
- No references/citations usually noted in this section
RESULTS
- Open with a statement of the overall findings from the experiment
- Describe your results (point out trends or important features) and explicitly reference figures/images
- Insert tables/figures/graphs/images to describe your results (see below for details)
- Mention in the results, what were the numbers, the calculated data, tables, graphs, charts, any other visuals such as pictures of specimens, gels where applicable, etc.
FIGURES/TABLES/DIAGRAMS– Summarize your data into graphs and tables (in the results section) with headings, labels and legends.
In Cell respiration Project-
- Graph: Figure 1 to Figure X
- Include Figure legends (text below the Figure) so that it is not necessary to refer back to the report to understand the F Include information about methods (temperature, concentration), how the data are expressed, sample size, and any abbreviations
- Label the axes and define all treatments (including units if appropriate)
- Make sure to include a title!
- Make sure the graphs are easy to read and sized appropriately
- Pay attention to formatting. For example, the title of a graph should not be on a separate page from the graph itself.
- Table: Table 1 to Table X
- Use columns for categories of information (i. size, shape, etc.)
- Use rows for the different entries (e. species of bacteria)
- Include Table captions (text above the Table) so that it is not necessary to refer back to the report to understand the A caption presents a succinct statement of the contents of the table.
- In Molecular Biology Project- Images with proper labels
- In Taxonomy/Dissection Project- Images with proper labels
- No references/citations usually noted in this section.
- DISCUSSION
- Open with a statement that either supports/rejects hypothesis or rationale
- Back up that statement by referring to findings from the experiment (briefly, do not re-state the same data from the results section & do not refer to figures/tables)
- Generally, the number of paragraphs reflects the amount of data.
- Interpret your results (data/image) and relate to your initial rationale or hypothesis at the beginning of the experiment
- Discuss any expected/unexpected findings regarding the hypothesis/rationale you made in the INTRODUCTION section
- Address any issues that you encountered during the experiment (like problems/errors)
- Explain why they might have occurred
- Explain what you could do to fix the problem/error
- Critique the experimental design used
- Does it adequately address the hypotheses/rationale being tested?
- Were there faulty assumptions in the design that make interpretation of the data difficult?
- What new questions are prompted by the results?
- Describe technical factors that you believe might help the reader interpret your data
- If there are no data (tables/graphs) interpret/discuss problems related to the hypothesis.
- In Molecular Biology Project- discuss the relevance of the data/result of the DNA extraction and Gel electrophoresis
- In Taxonomy/Dissection Project compare and contrast the systems between the dissection specimens.
- What do your results mean? Make a claim if you can “this evidence supports the idea that….” But do not say “proves”.
- Can have references/citations to help back your claim
- CONCLUSION
