Biology 113 Sample Assignment
Long Lab Report
The Biology 113 lab report is written in the form of a scientific paper like those seen in a scientific journal. The format of a scientific paper is different than other papers you have written in English class or other writing courses. A scientific paper follows the general form of the scientific method of forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis by an experiment, then interpreting the results to see if they do or do not support the hypothesis. The purpose of a scientific paper is to communicate to others the results of an experiment and what the data mean according to the author's interpretation. (Note that "data" is plural and requires a plural verb in a sentence. A single bit of information is a "datum," which is rarely used.)
Correct spelling and proper English are required in a scientific paper (lab report). Wording must be clear and concise in order for a reader to easily understand all aspects of an experiment. A scientific paper usually consists of a title and five standard sections presented in a specific order without a table of contents. This same format is required for the lab report. Requirements of the title and all sections are described below. Section headings are centered on the page. The heading of a following section always immediately appears at the end of the previous section; do not start a new page. An example of a lab report is posted on Carmen under the lab info icon to give you an idea of overall structure and content.
The major items you should include in each section of your report are listed below along with their point value out of a total of 20 points. Your TA will grade the lab report by looking for these specific items within each section. Therefore, you are likely to receive a good score if you closely follow the guidelines. Typing the report is required; five points are deducted from any hand-written report received. Points are also deducted for grammar and spelling with the deduction depending on how poorly the lab report is presented (five point maximum penalty).
Title (1.5 points)
- Factor(s) manipulated in experiment (0.5)
- Specific aspect of subject that was focus of experiment (0.5)
- Specific name of subject involved in experiment (0.5)
The title of your report must be very clear and descriptive. The title alone should reveal what the experiment involved without having to read any part of the lab report. A general title such as "Biology 113 Lab Report" is pointless; it tells nothing about the content of the paper. An example of a good self-explanatory title would be: "The Effects of Variable Food Supply on the Reproductive Success of Captive Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)." The title states three important points:
- Factor(s) manipulated in the experiment – food supply.
- Specific aspect of subject that was the focus of the experiment – reproductive success.
- Specific name of subject involved in the experiment – Orconectes rusticus
The title would be insufficient if any one of these points were omitted or incomplete requiring reading of the paper in order to fully understand what the experiment involved.
Introduction (2 points)
- Introduction of subject involved in experiment (0.5)
- Introduction of experiment (0.5)
- Statement of hypothesis(es) (1)
The purpose of the introduction is to familiarize the reader with the experiment. This section should include some background information that directly relates to the project to "set the stage" for the experiment. Using the crayfish experiment mentioned above as an example, a brief description of the crayfish and its life cycle presented with statements of how environmental factors are known to affect crayfish reproduction would be appropriate. Such background information gives the reader a better sense of how the experiment relates to what is already known about crayfish reproduction. The library, Internet and course texts are sources of such information. Material from such sources used in your lab report must be referenced (cited) to indicate that those statements are from other authors and not your own words. A section on how to correctly cite information sources appears below. Please know that failure to cite information sources is academic misconduct, which must be forwarded to the Committee on Academic Misconduct as required by OSU regulations.
The introduction should present a brief overview of the experiment to give the reader a general idea of what the project involved and what the investigator (you) was trying to accomplish. However, do not reveal too much detail about the mechanics of the experiment. The "nuts and bolts" of the project are presented in the "Materials and Methods" section described below.
One of the most important points of the introduction is the presentation of the hypothesis tested by the experiment. The hypothesis must be stated because it is the entire purpose of the experiment. Present the hypothesis in a clearly worded sentence or short paragraph that tells exactly what was suggested as a tentative outcome of the experiment.
Materials and Methods (4.5 points)
- Detailed and complete description of experimental setup and all materials (2)
- Thorough description of procedures (2)
- Presentation of the above in narrative form (no lists) (0.5)
In this section you explain specifically how you did all work of the experiment. This includes description of the experimental design, all equipment and reagents (chemicals) used, methods of gathering data, any mathematical or statistical treatment of the data and the type of control used in the experiment. The lab manual or other document that presents the experiment is the best source for this section. Drawings and diagrams can be used in describing the experimental set up. All figures must be labeled according to "Use of Tables and Figures" presented below. The "Materials and Methods" section should be detailed and clear enough that a reader would be able to duplicate the experiment solely from information presented in your paper.
This section, and all other sections of the lab report, should be written in the past tense because the experiment has been completed at the time of writing. The lab report is essentially a story that describes all hardware aspects of the experiment and tells all activities done during the project. However, the "Materials and Methods" section should not be written as though it were directions in a lab manual. For example:
First pour nutrient agar into six petri plates, let cool, then inoculate the plates with fungus. Then put the plates into an incubator, incubate for 12 hours at 37°C and check for growth.
Do not make a list of items required for the experiment. For example:
For this experiment you will need the following equipment: 6 petri plates, 1 liter nutrient agar, inoculating loops, etc.
This, too, reads like a page from a lab manual. In a correct "Materials and Methods" section, all items used in the experiment are simply presented in the text of the lab report as the procedures are explained in detail.
Results (3.5 points)
- Data table positioned within text of lab report (1.5)
- Reference to data table in text of lab report (0.5)
- Correct labeling of table (0.5)
- Description of significant results in table/figures within text (0.5)
- Absence of conclusions (0.5)
The sole purpose of this section is presentation of data from the experiment in a straightforward manner. Presentation of the data in table form is required, and the table must appear within the text of the lab report. Do not simply staple a table page onto the back of your report! Since each lab group is to use only their own data as the basis for the lab report, it is important that this specific information be presented in the data table.
In addition to a table, you may wish to present the data in the form of a line or bar graph that helps the reader to quickly interpret the data. All tables and figures must be labeled according to "Use of Tables and Figures" presented below.
Whenever you use a table and/or a graph, it must be referred to and described within the text of the lab report. A "Results" section containing only a table or graph with no descriptive text to accompany it is not acceptable. The text should describe the results in the table or graph and call attention to what you consider to be the significant data you will write about in the discussion section. For example, descriptive text might read as follows:
The results of the temperature experiment are shown in Table 1. The amount of fungal growth increased up to 40°C, then decreased sharply at higher temperatures.
Here the author is calling attention to what she considers as significant results.
The greatest amount of fungal growth occurred between 37°C and 40°C.
Although the author points out significant data in the table, note that she resists explaining how or why the results turned out as they did. The author also refrains from stating if the data do or do not support the hypothesis. Such conclusions belong in the discussion section.
Discussion (6 points)
- Presentation of a definite, clear conclusion (3)
- Explanation of why the experiment supports or does not support the hypothesis (3)
This section more than any other is the "meat" of your lab report. Be sure to clearly present a definite conclusion of the experiment based upon the meaning of the data presented in the "Results" section. In addition, explain why you reached your conclusion by presenting what you think the results mean. Describe any patterns you may have noticed in the data, or any relationships you think were meaningful in the experimental results. Be sure to explain how you think the results support, or do not support, your original hypothesis. Include any explanations as to why you think the experiment turned out differently from the way you expected, if it did so. For example, equipment failed during the project, a certain reagent was forgotten in the procedure, etc. In effect, you defend your point of view about the experiment in the "Discussion" section.
Literature Cited (2.5 points)
- Appearance of citation sources in both text of lab report and this section (1.5)
- Correct alphabetical listing of sources (0.5)
- Correct format (0.5)
This section lists in alphabetical order, by author, all published or online material referred to (cited) anywhere in the text of your lab report. It provides readers with the information they would need to locate the published materials if they wanted to do a literature search about the topic of your experiment. Note that the "Literature Cited" section includes only those references that were actually cited in the text of your lab report. Any other information that you may have read concerning the topic, but did not cite in the paper, is not included in this section. This is why the section is called "Literature Cited" instead of "References" or "Bibliography." Students commonly list their information sources in this section, but fail to cite them within the text of the lab report. Be sure to cite information from a source where it appears in your paper. Below are examples of the format used in this section.
- A citation from a book:
- Barnes, R.D. Invertebrate Zoology. CBS College Publishing Co., Philadelphia, 1999.
- A citation from a scientific journal:
- Chambers, D.C. The life history of the crayfish Orconectes rusticus in a small stream in central Kentucky. American Midland Naturalist 52:157, 2002.
- A citation from an online source:
- Hernandez, J.Q. The effects of seasonal change on freshwater food webs in shoreline
invertebrate communities of Lake Erie. Ecology 76:121, 2001.
http://www.ecology.ucsb.edu/projects/fresh-water/invert/chronola.htm.
