help on writing a formal lab report for general chemistry 1 lab. separating a mixture of solids

A Guide to Writing Formal Lab Reports

This guide provides an overview of the purpose of each sec4on of a lab report.

Scientific writing has the centralized goal of conveying informa4on as clearly as possible to the reader. Chemists have developed a set of conven4ons to make the results of their work easily accessible to their peers. By wri4ng lab reports and following these conven4ons you allow other chemists to analyze your work and understanding.

Prior to star4ng your first formal lab report, you completed a Wri4ng Workshop in the lab which allowed you to analyze the different sec4ons of three lab reports from different students. Those reports are always available for you to review on eLearning.

Know your Audience

What you include in a lab report, specifically the chemical background and importance, is what your TA cares most about because you are early on in your chemistry wri4ng careers. Dont assume that just because your TA was present in the lab, you shouldnt be specific about what you are wri4ng and how you are analyzing and interpre4ng your data. The lab report is your place to prove you learned and understand the chemical background and significance of this lab, not just that you can record data and rewrite that informa4on. Therefore, its good to think of your audience as someone who is learning chemistry for the first 4me and is using your lab report to help them. Think of someone like your roommate, best friend, or sibling. Would they be able to understand what you did and what you results mean?

Dont be Lazy

There is no room for laziness in a lab report. The point of a lab report is for someone to be able to recreate your experiment, and to show your TA that you understand all aspects of the lab itself. All the data must be presented accurately and all the variables must be explained. Support everything in your report with data, notes, and observa4ons from the experiment. If there is a graph, there must be a data table with proper labels, units, and 4tles.

Style and Wri8ng

A lab report is wriLen as fact and as directly as possible. Always write in the 3rd person: no Is, wes, my lab partner, or names. No flowery language, no ellipses, no metaphors, no slang, no rhetorical ques4ons, and no exclama4on points! Always proofread your work and make sure you use correct spelling and correct grammar and make sure the en4re report is organize and clear for your reader to understand. If a report lacks flow or organiza4on, the interpreta4on is very unclear to the reader.

Always Cite your Sources

Do not plagiarize. Cite all your sources, whether youve quoted them, paraphrased them, or used a figure or theore4cal data point. Each report should have 3 or more outside sources cited as well as a cita4on for the lab handout.

Sec%on Organiza%on and Grading in CHEM 1110/1130 Formal Lab Reports

You will be wri4ng and submiVng your formal lab reports in Labflow and will have these sec4ons to complete in this order. The grading rubrics for each sec4on are provided as well.

Title (2 points): The 4tle should be original, not from the lab handout. It clearly describes the experiment in approximately four to ten words.

Byline (1 point): This is where you include your name and affilia4on. Your affilia4on is your university, course and sec4on.

Introduc%on (15 points): What is this lab all about? Why do this experiment?

This sec4on introduces the lab to the reader. It tells the reader why you did the experiment and prepares them for what they are about to read. It includes all of the following: big picture rela4onship of the lab (how does this lab relate to our life and the world?), chemical background informa4on (what are the key chemical concepts behind this lab?), an overview of what was done in the lab, and a clear explana4on of the objec4ve or hypothesis you set out to test. This sec4on should not include any of your data or any conclusions of the lab overall. Save the juicy informa4on for the discussion sec4on (described below).

The introduc4on will be graded using the following rubric:

Experimental Methods (10 points): How exactly did you do it?

This sec4on describes what you did in the lab with enough detail that someone else with your level of experience could repeat the experiment. Your descrip4on must be quan4ta4ve and include exact values for volumes of chemical reagents used, exact masses of solids, exact temperatures measured, and exact 4mes reac4ons were leZ or took to complete. This sec4on must be wriLen in paragraph form. Copying the procedure straight out of the lab procedure is considered chea4ng. You should summarize the experimental procedure while incorpora4ng your exact, quan4ta4ve data into the descrip4on. Since the experiment was completed with a lab procedure, and you are summarizing that lab procedure in this sec4on, you must always include a cita4on for the lab handout. Please see References sec4on on how to properly cite in your lab report.

The methods sec4on will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing or is irrelevant to the lab completed (0 pts)

Fails to describe key concepts, does not contain relevant background or key equa=ons. No objec=ve or hypothesis stated (1- 4)

Lacks descrip=on of several key concepts and background informa=on. Objec=ve or hypothesis is vague or unclear (5-8)

Describes most major concepts and background informa=on. Objec=ve or hypothesis is stated by has some errors or misconcep=ons (9-12)

Describes key concepts and contains informed and clear background informa=on. Objec=ve or hypothesis is strong and clearly stated (13-15)

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing or is copied directly from the lab handout (0)

Not wriNen in paragraph form, and are wriNen in a numbered or bulleted list

(1-2)

Briefly described, contains liNle explana=on of methods or techniques. Missing a few key details (3-5)

Describes most experimental methods and techniques, missing only minor details (6-8)

Accurately describes all experimental methods and lab techniques and all materials and instrumenta=on used (9-10)

Results (25 points): What happened?

In this sec4on you present your data from your experiment. This sec4on should have a narra4ve that walks the reader through your results and how you derived them from the data. Therefore, this sec4on should include data tables and/or figures to present your results, but you should describe your data and relevant features of figures within the text of this sec4on. Al data tables and figures must be labeled in numerical order in which they are presented for easy referencing in the discussion sec4on. You must also include any sample calcula4ons that were used. Note: a sample calcula4on shows the full calcula4on of a piece of data, but for only one trial or sample. Please do not show the same calcula4on for mul4ple trials in this sec4on, just one will suffice. In the text of this sec4on, describe why the equa4on is important to the lab, and what each variable is and always make sure to include units, conversions, and significant figures.

The results sec4on will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing or only data is provided, no paragraph wriNen (0)

Descrip=on of results is incomplete or difficult to follow, missing or incorrect analysis of key results. Incorrect presenta=on of data tables, sample calcula=ons, and figures (1-6)

Describes key results but demonstrates limited understanding of analysis methods and/or incomplete analysis. Incorrect or incomplete presenta=on of data tables, sample calcula=ons, and figures (7- 12)

Accurate and logical descrip=on of results. Explains methods of analysis broadly with minor mistakes. Presenta=on of data tables, sample calcula=ons, and figures is correct or only has minor errors (13-20)

Describes all important results, accurate, organized, jus=fied and explains methods of analysis well. Clearly and accurately presents data tables, sample calcula=ons, and figures (21-25)

Discussion (25 points): What did you do? Why? What happened? Why?

This is the most important sec4on of your report. This is where you give a detailed account of what happened in the experiment. This is the sec4on where you will explain to your reader the significance of the results you presented above.

The most important ques4on here is why? Your TA wants to see that you understand the chemistry behind the experiment. How you interpret your results and relate them back to the big picture real-world applica4on and, most importantly, key chemistry concepts is more important than the results themselves.

The discussion sec4on is also where you interpret your results and draw conclusions. Always refer to your data tables and figures from the results sec4on. Restate key results, yields, formulas, and errors. The discussion sec4on should always include numbers! If a specific data point is relevant from a table above, put that number directly into your discussion as well. If its important, always restate it.

This is also where you compare your results to theore4cal values that were either provided to you or you had to do research to find. In the case of the laLer, always include a cita4on!

Experiments done in any lab seVng do not always work on the first try. So if you obtained poor results or large errors, the discussion sec4on is you opportunity to hypothesize as to why (Your lab partner being a goo^all wont fly). TAs like to see the ability to think cri4cally and crea4vely. You can suggest places in the procedure where an error may have occurred and suggest how you might do the lab differently in the future. Again, how you interpret your results is more important than the results themselves.

Rubric on following page...

The discussion sec4on will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing or incomplete (0)

Fails to address and relate key concepts and results. Only briefly addresses discussion points provided. Serious misconcep=ons (1-6)

Describes major outcomes and results, does not relate back to key concepts or purpose. Contains significant error or misconcep=ons (7-12)

Describes major results and rela=onship to purpose accurately, demonstrates good understanding of majors concepts, lacks rela=onship between some major concepts and key results (13- 20)

Describes all major concepts and shows a clear understanding od experiment, compares results appropriately and cri=cally, puts experiment into context (21-25)

Conclusion (10 points): How and what happened and why?

The conclusion sec4on is a quick overview of what was done and how. It is where you briefly give an overview of the why we did the lab, re-present key results (not all results) and form a conclusion about the lab. In this sec4on, you must relate the results and conclusion back to the objec4ve or hypothesis presented in the introduc4on. Did you prove or disprove your hypothesis? What could be improved in future works?

The conclusion will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing or is irrelevant to the lab completed (0)

Simply lists results of experiment without elabora=ng (1-2)

Summarizes key results, conclusions not clear or inaccurate (3-5)

Provides concise summary of results and come conclusions from work, minor errors (6-8)

Draws appropriate, new conclusions from results, concise and clear (9-10)

Acknowledgements (2 points): This sec4on is where you acknowledge the people who helped you with the lab, like your lab partner, your TA and any other group who may have helped you.

References (5 points):

At least three relevant sources should be cited in your formal lab report. You will find them most used in the introduc4on and methods sec4ons, but may need to refer to them again in the discussion sec4on. You are encouraged to use your text book, other text books, amongst other online sources. Avoid using unreliable sources, such as Wikipedia, blogs, or Q&A sites. You may use either MLA citaBon format or ACS citaBon format. Links to examples of each style can be found on eLearning. Referencing soZwares, such as Endnote or Zotero, are welcomed to be used as they can easily create your cita4ons for you in either cita4on style. PuVng only a website URL, or book 4tle is not proper cita4on.

The references will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Unsa2sfactory

Needs Improvement

Meets Expecta2ons

Aspira2onal

Missing cita=ons, or only cites lab handout (0-1)

Style (5 points):

Incorrect cita=on, cites only one sources besides handout (2)

Correct cita=ons, cites only one sources besides handout (3)

Correct cita=ons, cites only two sources besides handout (4)

Correct cita=ons, cites 3 or more sources in addi=on to handout (3)

The style and wri4ng of your report will be graded using the following rubric:

Missing or Incomplete

Needs Improvement

Aspira2onal

Lacks organiza=on and clarity. Grammar and spelling mistakes make report difficult to read (0)

Has numerous spelling and/or grammar mistakes (2.5)

Good organiza=on and clarity, easy to read, no spelling or grammar mistakes