The Introduction should introduce the report. Background information about the general concepts are briefly described. Answer the questions that are asked for in Section V of your lab manuals. Be thorough but not too wordy when answering the questions. Show the reader that you understand what the lab is about. Explain concepts and procedures in your own words . When quoting or referencing materials, do it sparingly; whole paragraphs out of the book or from the lab manual are not acceptable. Big quotes and copied ideas don't demonstrate your understanding of the material. Be sure to cite within the text (author, year) any material taken from another source.
From the first line of the report to the last, your report reflects the effort you put into it. "The report should be of a professional standard, reflecting college-level thinking and style. Grammar, spelling, and structure should be high quality " (Butler et al., 1997). Word-processed reports are preferred. Spell-checking, editing, and clear printing are all done quite easily on computers--MAC and IBM alike. You waste your own time and ours when you turn in junk. Remember, you are making an impression on us with each report; make it a positive one!
We want the "bottom-line" first. Show the Final Results first. Then show the data followed by the sample calculations, not just the formulas. Don't hide your results in a table with data and formulas; display it proudly. Result are what you and your future employer are after.
Present the results and the evidence that supports those findings in the order they are asked for in the lab manual . This is very important. Just imagine that your lab instructors are your bosses and you won't get paid unless the "forms" are filled out correctly.
This section of the report should be rather short. Once again, provide everything that is requested but keep it short and simple. The discussion section is the place to get into greater detail, but the results are just that: THE RESULTS.
This section should be the longest. This is where you show us that you know what you did in the lab, how the results of the different experiments compare, and how it all relates to the introductory material. When comparing and contrasting be sure to give specific examples. A single sentence doesn't explain anything. Four or five sentences can show a lot more. Good structure means making use of a topic sentence then following it up with a few supporting sentences. Each sentence should express a complete idea, should begin with a capital letter, have a subject and verb, and end with the appropriate punctuation mark.
When explaining or comparing/contrasting findings, try to use the Rule of Three . Give three similarities, three differences, or three examples. People easily remember groups of three items. Speakers often break the main points of their speeches into three divisions. And, best of all, when you give three examples you usually provide one more than what was required when the lab manual says "give a couple of examples." Also, when noting three aspects of a subject, you can give one positive aspect, one negative aspect, and one reason why the positive may outweigh the negative (or vice versa).
If you keep these suggestions in mind as you prepare your reports, your grades should improve. There is no reason why you can't earn all the points on each report. You should not wait until the night before they are due to start on them. Instead, start them the day you do the lab exercise. The information will be fresh in your mind, you will have time for corrections, and you can come in and get help if you have problems or questions. Your lab instructors want you to do well. Good grades on the labs can do a lot for your class average, and understanding the laboratory material is essential to performing well in the exams. The choice is yours; you can do well or you can skate by.
References
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