Science 8 Laboratory Reports

Pre-Lab: There are four sections of the lab report to write prior to conducting the actual lab.

The four sections are as follows:

1. Title – At the top of the first page of each lab report.

2. Purpose - Use one or two sentences to explain the reason for doing the lab and what you are trying to discover. For an experiment, list your hypothesis in a separate section.

3. Procedure – Explain how to set up the materials and perform the lab. Make a numbered list of the steps in order to keep yourself organized. Do not rewrite the lab handout in paragraph form. Start each step on a new line.

4. Materials – List in one or two columns all the materials you will use in the lab.

Data Collection: This part of the lab you will do at school.

1. Data – Enter all the measurements and observations you make during the lab. Make sure you have made all the observations required by the lab directions. Use Microsoft Excel to generate charts or tables to record information if it makes it more organized. Include class data when appropriate.

Write-Up: Done in class or at home after you have finished collecting data.

1. Discussion – Write a discussion of the findings of your lab and what they mean. For some labs, a handout will contain a set of questions for you to answer. Answer them in this section. For experiments you will discuss what the data showed you and whether your hypothesis was supported or not. Possible sources of error should be identified in this section. Remember, you are trying to communicate what you learned during the lab or experiment.

2. Conclusion – Write one or two sentences that give the main idea of what scientific finding you have made in this lab.

The grade of each laboratory report is based upon the following five components:

1. General form and organization – Are all the parts present and in proper order?

2. Purpose, procedure, and materials – How well are they described? Are they complete?

3. Laboratory Participation – Did you know what you were doing? Did you work productively and safely?

4. Data – Is it complete, accurate, and well organized?

5. Discussion and conclusion – Are they complete? Do they show thought and insight? Are they clearly written? Are they supported by your data?