Lab Report Format

The ability to write a well-organized laboratory report is an important skill for the student to master
during the middle and high school years. Study this handout carefully before beginning to write. Keep
sections in the order given below. Write each header Purpose, Experimental Design, Safety Hazards,
etcto organize the lab report into clearly defined sections. The lab report is written in third person
narrative style. This means that a student is not allowed to use a personal pronoun ( I, you, we, he,
she, etc.) anywhere in the report

Students Name
Class Period
Title

Lab Team (Names and roles of each member-technician/gopher/recorder/lab manager)

Purpose

Experimental Design
Include a list of material used
Include a sketch of the equipment and setup
Use bullet points or write paragraphs to summarize procedure ( 1,2,3 and A, B, C is not
allowed in any section of a lab report that is written correctly)

Safety Hazards
Use bullet points to identify safety hazards
Beside each hazard put what a student should do to avoid injury ( EX: fire- (wear apron, roll
up sleeves, long hair in ponytail)

Data
Include hand-drawn data table. Make sure to include title, headers, and units
Include observations written down during the lab (the recorders notes can be hand-copied
or a photocopy of the recorders notes can be cut and taped into place)

Evaluation
Include the graph
Show all mathematical calculations
Include an analysis of the graph that includes the following:
o Y-intercept indicate whether the y-intercept is significant or not. If the y-intercept
is significant, explain the physical meaning of the y-intercept.
o 5% rule calculation-used along with logic to help determine if the y-intercept is
significant or not
o Slope and the physical meaning of the slope
o Correlation and what it reveals about the data
o Mathematical or algebraic equation that is derived by substituting into the equation
shown on the graph (EX: y=mx+b becomes F=ma after substitution with variables
that are more specific to the lab exercise and the non-significant y-intercept is
dropped.)
Include a detailed discussion of the lab data and class data and explain what it reveals. Point
out any trends or generalizations that appear in the data
Include and explain particle diagrams if applicable
Conclusions
Go back and read the purpose again before writing this section. Make sure that conclusions
relate back to the purpose for the lab.
Be brief. Write only one or two paragraphs. Focus on the big picture and summarize major
points.