Writing a Laboratory Report Flashcards
Part where you contextualize the experiment
Introduction
Defines the scope of your study, introduce key concepts and terms, present the current state of knowledge, identify gaps or inconsistencies that lead to your study, summarize what you did, and state your hypotheses and predictions
Introduction
Describes the history of the topic or the cause of the problem the topic addresses (Component)
Background Information
What you are supposed to accomplish in the experimental procedure itself (Component)
Objectives
Explains why your experiment was necessary, its contribution, and how will the audience benefit from it (Component)
Significance
Guide Questions for Introduction
- What is known about the topic?
- Why was the activity and/or experiment performed
Details how the experiment was conducted, the research methods used, and the reason for choosing those methods
Methodology
Series of steps and decisions involved in the way work is completed (Component)
Step-by-step procedure
Encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment (Component)
Data
The process of collecting and analyzing data in order to identify trends and develop valuable insights (Component)
Statistical Analysis
Guide Questions for Methodology
- What materials were used?
- How were the materials used?
- What data were gathered?
- How did you analyze the data gathered?
Provides a brief summary of your results, relate them to your hypotheses, and put them into context
Results and Discussion
Organization of data so that logical and statistical conclusions can be derived (Component)
Presentation of data or findings gathered
Process of reviewing data and arriving at general conclusions using various analytical methods (Component)
Evaluation and/or interpretation of results
Presents similarities and differences between the study and the experiment
Comparable studies for citations
What the findings mean to researchers or certain subgroups and to subsequent research
Implication/s of the finding/s in applied studies
How to construct flow of Results and Discussion
- Results, including the headings, should follow the flow of the objectives of the activity
- Discussion explains what is the meaning of results and its relevance to other studies/people, their importance, and their limit/s
- Starts by restating the key findings and lead on their broader implications
Guide Questions for Results and Discussion
- Got any unexpected results?
- Propose a specific hypothesis
- Address the things that has a specific effect on the results
- Used to organize data that is too detailed or complicated to be described adequately in text
- Allows the reader to quickly see the results
Table
Complements the text, visually demonstrate the author’s analysis, and engages the reader
Images
Helps the reader comprehend quickly and identify patterns and predictions
Graphs
Remarks for making graphs
- Spell out any abbreviation used
- Label axes and make sure the scales are clear and the points can be seen
- Figure and text legends should be intelligible without reference
- Summarizes the report as a whole
- Provides a brief overview of the strengths and limitations and its implications
Conclusion
Short statement that summarizes or informs readers the main ideas (Component)
Summary of important ideas (from Introduction to Discussions)
