Tips on Writing a Lab Write Up
A lab write up is a detailed and clear outline of your experiment. It should provide the analysis and description of procedures and data obtained. A lab write up contains different elements, such as a list of materials, hypotheses, and raw data. It should also follow the requirements of the necessary format. Learn how it works in this article el at College Writers website.
The Pre-Experiment Stage
1. First, choose the title of your experiment. It must be concise but descriptive. Some classes and teachers may require you to write a whole title page. This page should include the title of the experiment, the contributors’ names, the instructor’s name, and the date of the experiment.
2. Identifythe problem if you’re going to solve. This problem is the purpose of your experiment and you need to provide it in the introduction, along with the necessary background information. What you’re going to learn from the experiment? Why are you doing it? Explain what you’re looking for and what your experiment is about.
State the purpose in one sentence. It can be a regular sentence or a question. Sometimes, the purpose may be defined by the instructor. In this section, you should also include the necessary background information, important terms, and general methods that you’re going to use.
3. Formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a predicted outcome or theoretical solution to the problem. Your hypothesis must explain your expectations, which in turn, should be based on previous experiments or knowledge. You shouldn’t make up a solution if you don’t have anything to support it. State your hypothesis in one sentence using an “if this, then that” format.
4. Write down a list of your materials. Make sure to include all of the materials that you’ve used. the main purpose of this list is to help others repeat your experiment in the future and evaluate your claims.
5. Explain the whole procedure and specify the measurements. You have to provide a step-by-step description of the whole experiment to help others replicate it. Don’t forget to include any precautions. Describe the variables. Controlled variables don’t change when you conduct the experiment, while independent variables are what you change during the process. There are also dependent variables that change when the independent variable changes.
Some instructors ask students to write the procedure is a paragraph while others prefer a list of instructions. Ask your professor for guidelines before writing the section of your lab report.
The main thing about this section is that it should be clear. Make sure to include all the necessary details so that everyone can replicate your experiment. Make sure that your instructions are easy to follow and don’t include any unnecessary information.
Both the list of materials and the procedure should be written in the same paragraph.
The Post-Experiment Stage
1. Perform your experiment. Use your materials and follow your procedures. Complete all the steps that you’ve listed in the first part. Your hypothesis and the purpose of your experiment will help you analyze its results and adjust your hypothesis based on the real outcome. However, it’s important to write the procedure and materials section before doing the experiment because it will help you build the right expectations.
2. Record your results. Include the raw data that you’ve got during the experiment and describe your observations. Categorize your data so that it will be easier to read and comprehend.
In this section, you should also include graphs, tables, or any necessary comments. Make sure to label your data tables properly and record all the units of measurement. Label each axis of a graph with a variable.
You can collect two types of data: qualitative data and quantitative data. Qualitative data cannot be expressed as a number, while quantitative data express measurable values.
3. Analyze your experiment. Interpret the results, explaining them and comparing them with your expectations. If you’ve got some unexpected results, try to explain why this happened. Think of how the experiment would change if you changed a variable.
4. Based on the results of the experiment, reject or accept your hypothesis. Write a conclusion, explaining why your hypothesis is right or wrong. If you can make different conclusions based on your data, provide all of your conclusions.
5. Include any errors or data that doesn’t fit with the other results of your experiment. Describe the reasons why this data might be wrong and explain how this experiment can be improved, excluding human factors.