Formal Lab Reports in General Chemistry I have 5 basic sections
Scientific Title; Abstract; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion
This guide will focus on writing good Materials, methods, and results
Materials and Methods Guidelines:
Describe the methods and materials used to conduct the experiment in a paragraph format. Do not write in a bulleted or numbered list for a formal lab report.
- You are describing what you did in your own words in enough detail for another student to replicate the experiment.
- The focus should be on the experiment and results. Write using third person passive voice. Avoid "I", "we", and "my partner" statements.
- Since you are describing what you did the methods should be in past tense.
- The materials should be incorporated into your methods rather than listed alone.
- For example: Three isopropyl alcohol samples of arbitrary volumes were measured with a 10.0 mL graduated cylinder. A 5.6 mL sample was measured using a serological pipet.
- Evaluating your method:As you write there are several ways you can evaluate your work.First you can ask your self some questions:
- Could another General Chemistry student understand this method well enough to duplicate the experiment
- Are important materials details included?
- EXAMPLE : Materials and Methods
- A small piece of galvanized steel was obtained, wiped off with a paper towel, and massed using an analytical balance. Length and width of the sample were measured using vernier calipers. The steel was then placed into a 150 mL beaker. Approximately 15 mL of 3 M hydrochloric acid was added to the beaker. This amount of liquid completely covered the galvanized sheet to a depth of about 1 cm. The solution rapidly began to bubble indicating the reaction was taking place. During the process the steel was flipped several times to ensure the hydrochloric acid came in contact with both surface of the sheet. Once the solution has ceased to fizz, deionized water was added to the beaker to dilute the acid. The liquid contents of the beaker were discarded and the steel sheet was retrieved, dried, and massed again. The process above was repeated 3 times. his guide will focus on writing good results section for your reports.
Results Guidelines:- Data and results must be presented in table/graph form.
- Anything mentioned in the “Data” section of the lab manual should be in logical, orderly data tables.
- Results are analyzed and interpreted data. This will typically include any calculations and/or graphs mentioned in the “Calculations” section of the lab manual
- Show an Error Analysis, which may consist of Mean and Standard deviation, Percent Error, R2 correlation, a combination of these methods....or other analysis as best fits the experiment. Error should be discussed including magnitude, significance, and causes. For example, a mean of 2600J with a standard deviation of 1J would indicate high precision. But a mean of 1.5 g/mL with a standard deviation of 1 g/mL would indicate very poor precision.
- Show one sample calculation for each type, with data values inserted.
Evaluating your results section:As you write there are several ways you can evaluate your work.First you can ask your self some questions:- Is everything requested in the lab manual present? This would include data, all calculated results, any graphs if appropriate.
- Is the data/results table logical and orderly? Is everything clearly labeled? Does the table fit on one page?
- Is the data/results table complete? Are units included where appropriate?
- Are the correct units being used? For example mL is the correct abbreviation for milliliter. Do not use ml.
- Are correct significant figures consistently used? This applies to both measured values and calculated values.
- Are sample calculations included?
- Are the graphs (if any) correctly drawn? Are all the required data points included? Is the correct quantity on y-axis and x-axis? Are the units labeled? Do the axes have titles? If there are multiple sets of data, is there a legend distinguishing the data sets? Is a trendline (line of best fit) required? If so, are the equation of the line and correlation coefficient included?
- Is error analysis complete and appropriate?
- A small piece of galvanized steel was obtained, wiped off with a paper towel, and massed using an analytical balance. Length and width of the sample were measured using vernier calipers. The steel was then placed into a 150 mL beaker. Approximately 15 mL of 3 M hydrochloric acid was added to the beaker. This amount of liquid completely covered the galvanized sheet to a depth of about 1 cm. The solution rapidly began to bubble indicating the reaction was taking place. During the process the steel was flipped several times to ensure the hydrochloric acid came in contact with both surface of the sheet. Once the solution has ceased to fizz, deionized water was added to the beaker to dilute the acid. The liquid contents of the beaker were discarded and the steel sheet was retrieved, dried, and massed again. The process above was repeated 3 times. his guide will focus on writing good results section for your reports.
- how one sample calculation for each type, with data values inserted.
- Anything specifically requested in the “Calculations” section of the lab manual should have a sample calculation shown. The sample calculation would include the equation(s) as well as an example from one data trial including the values. For the Density lab this might look like:
- Prepare to take mass measurement.
- Our balances we will use this semester are top loader balances with lids from Fisher Scientific.
[Image unavailable: image of fisher scientific top loader balance] - Before taking a measurement, remember to lift the lid.
- Press the "On/Zero/Off" button in the lower left corner to ensure the balance is correctly set to "0.000 g"
- Collect one acrylic rod segment from your tray and place on balance. Record the mass.
- Note for digital instruments record all digits shown.
- Our balances we will use this semester are top loader balances with lids from Fisher Scientific.
- Prepare to take the volume measurements
- Collect the graduated cylinder from your experiment tray. Take note of the markings as indicated in the Significant Figures & Measurement page. What do the smallest division markings indicate for this cylinder?
- Add a small amount of water to the graduated cylinder. Record the initial volume of water.
- Drop the acrylic rod segment into the cylinder. The rod segment should now be completely submerged in the water.
- If not pour out water & rod segment. Repeat step 2B.
- If the rod segment is submerged, continue.
- Record the final total volume of contents (water + rod segment) in the graduated cylinder.
- Repeat steps 1-2 for the other two rod segments.
D=m/V
Trial 1: mass water = 2.8934 g, volume = 3.0 mL
D = m/V = 2.8934 g / 3.0 mL
= 0.96447 g/mL
= 0.96 g/mL (corrected for significant figures)
Only one type of each sample calculation needs to be shown. For example with the density lab, if you show a density calculation for a pure liquid (part A), you do not need to show a density calculation for the mixture. As long as the equation is not changing a new sample calculation is not needed.
Originality:
You must submit your own unique report in your own words. All report will be submitted to turnitin.com for plagiarism. NOTE: When submitting formal lab reports, copying from the lab manual and/or your lab partner is PLAGIARISM and is subject to the University’s academic dishonesty policy (and penalties)!
Lab partners should independently format graphs and tables; answer discussion questions; and write individual reports.
References
If you used any reference, including the lab manual, Canvas, or textbook, the report should include a listing of published works you cited in the text of your paper listed by author or however the citation style you are using requires the citation to be listed.
Citation in lab reports guide: http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=352816&p=2377940Links to an external site.
Target Audience (level of writing):
The audience for the lab report is other General Chemistry I lab students that have not completed this lab. What do they need to know to do the experiment?
When writing an academic paper, try to remember that your instructor is not the only member of your audience. Although the instructor is often the only person who will read the finished product, customizing a paper to his or her level of knowledge can run the risk of leaving out important information, since many instructors know far more about your topic than the average reader would. In addition, omitting information that your instructor already knows can result in a weak or unbalanced paper.
However, if you assume that your reader is less knowledgeable than you, you are likely to provide more details and better explanations, which usually results in a much stronger paper. Univ. Maryland Univeristy CollegeLinks to an external site.
Grammar:
Write in third person passive voice. Keep the focus on the experiment and the results not you. For several good examples of both correct and incorrect voice, check out Pudue's lab report guide: http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=352816&p=2377936Links to an external site.
Use correct verb tense. You are reporting on what has happened so generally this should be past tense.
Use complete sentences. Poor grammar will result in a grade reduction.
Formatting report:
Reports should be submitted as a single file in pdf, doc, or docx format. The report should be typed. Check with your instructor for a preference for single or double spacing.
Microsoft Office 365 Training and Tutorials are located at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/trainingLinks to an external site.
Use consistent font and formatting throughout report. Don't switch back and forth in font size or style or spacing. This is unprofessional and difficult to read.
Equations and calculations should be properly formatted. An equation formatting function (such as "MS Word Insert EquationLinks to an external site.") will be necessary to properly format many calculations. Units should be labeled, correct and used consistently. Chemical formulas and symbols should be properly formatted using subscripts and superscripts where appropriate. Guide for doing this in MS WordLinks to an external site. and for MS Word for MacLinks to an external site..
Data should be organized in tables. MS Word allows you to easily create and format tablesLinks to an external site. in your document. Any table in your report should fit on one page and should not overlap pages.
Any graphs required should be generated in a program such as MS Excel. You will be able to copy and paste your graph from Excel into your Word document. Hand drawn graphs are unacceptable in a formal lab report.
Creating Graphs in Excel: With Dr. Davies includes copying to other programshttps://youtu.be/QV8t98u5GzULinks to an external site.
Creating Graphs in Excel: With Mr. Campbell includes formatting axes and adding multiple data sets to one graphhttps://youtu.be/xXdAQlrOposLinks to an external site.
Check for errors:
Proofread or have someone else proofread your report. Some science words are not recognized by word processing programs. So words such as chemical names and symbols, as well as processes like "solvation" may be autocorrected to something else or otherwise trip a spellcheck. Other common mistakes are real words and will not be caught and corrected with a spell check (e.g. using "trails" instead of "trials" or "tear" instead of "tare").
EXPERIMENT TO USE Safety Tip (Hazards):
Glassware is fragile and can break. Be careful when handling glass. Always wear safety goggles while experiment is in progress.
Procedure:
Materials required:
| Top loader balance |
| three acrylic rod segments |
| one 10 or 25 mL graduated cylinder |
| water |
Taking Measurements
Suggested Data & Calculation Tables
| Quantity Measured or Calculated (with unit) | Rod Segment 1 | Rod Segment 2 | Rod Segment 3 |
| Mass (g) | 1.016g | 1.508g | 1.757g |
| Initial volume (mL) | 3.25mL | 5.09mL | 6.00mL |
| Final volume (mL) | 4.10mL | 6.40mL | 7.48mL |
| Volume of rod segment (mL) | 0.85mL | 1.31mL | 1.48mL |
| Density of rod segment (g/mL) | 1.2 g/mL | 1.15 g/mL | 1.19g/mL |
Error analysis
| mean density (g/mL) - | |
| standard deviation of the mean (g/mL) |