FORMAL LAB WRITE UP/REPORT PROCEDURES
				***Always write in 3rd person

LAB TITLE- Indicate clearly the subject and scope of the report

INTRODUCTION 
Give background information about the experiment. It should also state the purpose of the investigation.

HYPOTHESIS
This should be a single statement (written as an  If… then… statement), telling the exact thing your are trying to prove in your experiment.  Remember... you came up with this on your PRELAB BEFORE we carried out our experimental procedure. 

MATERIALS
A list of ALL the materials and equipment used in the lab. Be sure to include specific amounts and concentrations of chemicals used.

PROCEDURE/METHODS
Include one or more paragraphs explaining the step-by-step procedures used.  Be specific but brief. The description should be thorough enough that someone could recreate your experiment by reading you procedure in order to check and challenge your data. It must be reproducible. You may include a diagram to show the lab setup of equipment and materials.  

State any hazards that may be encountered in the lab.

Identify the variables (independent and dependent) in the experiment. What is the control? (You did this already in your PRELAB write-up)

RESULTS
All data should be collected and organized in a logical order. Results should be illustrated as charts, tables, graphs, and/or diagrams. Data tables and graphs must have a descriptive title and be labeled with variables and units. (SEE RULES FOR MAKING GRAPHS GUIDELINE SHEET) Data may be qualitative (observational without numbers) or qualitative (with numbers) or both. Show work for any calculations as well as appropriate units.  Include the equation, if one was used.

Do not hide or eliminate faulty data but present it in your lab report.  Later, in your CONCLUSIONS, you will explain why you think your data is incorrect.  Often qualitative data may be used to support or explain discrepancies in qualitative data in your conclusion.  Good scientists present the data they obtain even when it is suspected to be faulty.  This is why a true experiment has many trials and much peer review occurs before the results are accepted by the scientific community at large.

ANALYSIS/CONCLUSION
Summarize the important procedures and results of the lab and discuss their significance.  The conclusion should clearly tie the results of the experiment to the hypothesis and a discussion why the hypothesis should be accepted or rejected must be explained in detail.  Evidence from the results must be presented to support your acceptance or rejection.

Identify and explain how sources of error influence the lab results.  Include any factors that you think may have actually affected your results. Some sources of error could be equipment/instrument error, procedural setup error, human error, etc.

If additional research and experimentation is needed, explain in this section. Discuss how lab could be modified to improve the results.

Include answers to additional questions posed by your teacher.  	
Incorporate the question into your answer.

Modified from: Jensi Kellogg-Andrus & Cheryl Massingale