Formal Laboratory Report Writing and Laboratory Notebook Up-Keep Keeping a Laboratory Notebook The practicing scientist keeps accurate accounts of everything that happens during his or her work. Even in today s modern means of computer technology, the bound laboratory notebook is still used because it provides hard, unchangeable data. Although your notebook is intended to be a very personal record, some guidelines must be followed. Notebook Selection and Set-up Your notebook should be a permanently bound notebook, however due to cost. A spiral notebook is acceptable. Your note book needs to contain about 70 pages. If you have larger handwriting, a slightly larger spiral may be used. When you first get your notebook, you need to do the following things in ink. 1. On the front page (in the center) write: a. Your name b. Class name and period c. Teacher name 2. On the second page, in the top margin write Table of Contents a. In the table of contents, you will record the name of the lab and the pages that lab encompasses. 3. On the third page, start numbering consecutively with the number 1 until the end of the spiral the fronts of each page in the upper right-hand corner. You will never remove pages from this spiral. Basic Up-keep of the Notebook 1. You will always use ink (black or blue), pencil is never permitted. 2. The notebook should both successful and unsuccessful experiments. If you make a mistake, write down what happened and what to do to avoid making the same mistake again. 3. No data must be obliterated from your notebook. If you make a simple error in datum, simply draw a single horizontal line through the incorrect data making sure it is still legible. Example: wrong answer. Never scribble or used white out in your notebook. 4. If a large area, such as a data table or paragraph, is in error. Place a large, neat X over the entire area that is to be deleted. 5. You will only write on the fronts of each page. The backs are reserved for quick arithmetic calculations and brief notes to yourself. The backs will not be graded nor checked for any data or example calculations.
6. Your notebook must be neat and organized, random jottings make your notebook difficult to understand and grade. a. Put all numerical data in tables. b. Numerical data should always have units present. c. Observations should be written well enough and detailed enough so that someone can understand exactly what happened even though they weren t there. d. Graphs should be neat, have a title, and be clearly labeled. 7. All written information presented in your laboratory will not contain any first person pronouns nor proper names. (Examples: I, Me, he, she, we, our, you. etc.). Even though your English teachers tell you not to, use passive voice to help you eliminate the pronouns and proper names. Proper English language should be used. Avoid slang and personal language. Examples: (Incorrect) Joe Bob messed up our lab when he dumped the beaker over. (Correct) The percent yield was less due to product loss during transfer. Writing the Formal Lab Report More than likely, you will be writing your formal laboratory in your laboratory notebook itself. You can combine several parts on a single page. The steps are as follows: of the Laboratory Exercise The title will be placed in the top margin on the first line of the first page. In your own words, state the purpose(s) of the lab. Many times, a printed laboratory exercise will have objectives/purposes written on the handout. 3. Chemical Reaction If the lab has a chemical reaction(s), write them in this section. Reactions may be listed on the lab handout. As soon as you learn how, you will be responsible for writing your own chemical reactions. Copy down the procedure from the written handout you were given. Maintain the numbers of the steps. You may abbreviate common terms or remove any unnecessary steps. When you are new at this it is best to copy down everything. If there is no procedure (you make the lab up by yourself), then create a numbered step procedure that any one could follow to yield the same results. In the forms of tables, diagrams and graphs. These can be copied from the written laboratory handout. Most tables from the lab handout should be made larger to accommodate any error you may have. You may add additional tables of your design to help you better organize your data. If you have an unknown number, you should make a place in your data table for it. A paragraph that describes all observations obtained from the lab. For a reaction this includes what the chemicals look like before, during and after. This includes visual observations (colors and color changes), odors (when directed to smell) and sounds. Be sure to use appropriate adjectives to describe things so that it is understood by all.
All calculations, no matter how simple, will be set up and steps labeled clearly. If there are several repeat determinations, the method of calculation only has to be shown once. The calculations set-up includes: Steps Example a. Name of calculation Density b. Formula (if not dimensional D= m/v analysis) c. Your numbers in the formula or D= 5.00 g / 5.0 ml dimensional analysis set-up d. Answer rounded to appropriate D= 1.0 g/ml number of significant figures and with appropriate unit. e. Explanation of the formula if not evident by items above. (Discussion) Every experiment has error either in your part or the design of the experiment itself. The error section only describes experimental errors, not personal errors (unless you have permission you re your teacher.) These errors can be summarized by answering the following questions. a. What were the errors in this experiment? b. What effect do these errors have on the results of your experiment? In answering this question, tell if your answers would have increased or decreased. Do not tell me the results would have varied unless there is no direct relationship between the error and the result. Also do not use the terms, throw off the results, it will be grade wrong every time! c. What can be done to fix them or minimize them in the future? Keep in mind that error analysis is not a confessional. The following are not examples of error. a. I weighed it wrong. b. I don t understand how to do the lab. c. The balance was messed up. d. I calculated it wrong or didn t know how to do the calculations e. My partner messed something up. This is where the final answer of the lab goes! The conclusion needs to be about a paragraph in length (4-6 sentences in general minimum). I should be able to read your conclusion and understand the basics of what you did during the laboratory exercise. However, you should not re-write the procedure here. You may write a few critical steps of the procedure if they are relevant to your conclusion. Here is a general outline of the things you should write about. a. What is the purpose of this lab? b. What new vocab did you learn? (define it and pull examples from the lab) c. What is the answer to the lab? d. How do your answers compare with know values?
How to set up a graph CONSTRUCTED GRAPH Use GRAPH PAPER. No hand-drawn grids. Include a title for the graph that includes a description of the purpose of the graph/experiment. You can use X vs. Y as a general title. Use as much of the graph paper as possible (at least ¾ of the space) for your single quadrant X axis = independent variable Y axis = dependent variable X & Y axis labeled, including units Show the scale with marked interval divisions along the X & Y axis do not break the axis with a squiggle. The origin does not have to be 0,0 unless that is important to your experiment. Plot each individual point as tiny as possible - if plotting more than one set of data on the same graph, use a different color or symbol to distinguish each set of data Draw either a trend line (using a ruler) or trend curve that lies as close to the data as possible do not connect the dots. You may be asked to extrapolate a graph this means that you will extend your trend line (using a ruler) with a dashed line beyond your data points until it crosses an axis If a data point is notable either because it s important to the results, or it s extremely outside the general trend be sure to notate it Relationship between Volume and Temperature using Charles Law What to do when you get a laboratory exercise handout. 1. Read it! You will have a quiz over it at the beginning of the next class. 2. Jot down any questions you have regarding the experiment to ask before the quiz or before we start the lab. 3. Write up in your laboratory notebook the title, purpose, reactions, and procedure and set up any tables you need. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BRING THE ORIGINAL LAB WITH YOU TO THE LAB TABLES.