Template
The lab report format your marker is working through
You completed a practical and have to write it up in the standard scientific format, usually against a marking rubric.
- Typical length
- Usually 1,500–3,000 words for an undergraduate report, though many courses set a tighter cap. The rubric is more binding than any general rule.
- Usual tense
- Past tense for what you did and observed; present tense for theory, accepted values, and what the data show.
- First person
- Traditionally avoided in favor of the passive (“the solution was heated”), though a growing number of departments now permit “we.” Follow the course guidance.
- Citation style
- Numeric styles are common in the physical sciences and engineering — IEEE, Vancouver, or ACS depending on discipline. Check the module handbook.
- Units and figures
- SI units, uncertainties reported with results, and significant figures consistent with instrument precision. These are usually explicit rubric criteria.
- Check with your demonstrator
- Whether raw data must be appended, whether the abstract is required, and how error analysis is expected to be presented.
THE SKELETON
Section by section
Each block gives you the heading, what it has to accomplish, and the questions that fill it.
1 · about 5% of the report
Title and Abstract
A title naming what was measured and under what conditions, and a short abstract giving aim, method, main result, and conclusion in a few sentences.
- Does the title state the variable measured and the system studied?
- Does the abstract include the actual result, with units?
- Is the abstract within the word limit on the rubric?
2 · about 15% of the report
Introduction
The theory behind the experiment, the relevant equations, and the aim or hypothesis. Enough background that the method is not arbitrary.
- Which principle or law does this experiment test or apply?
- Which equations will you use later, and are they numbered here?
- What exactly is the aim or hypothesis, in one sentence?
- What value or relationship do you expect, and on what basis?
3 · about 20% of the report
Materials and Method
What you used and what you did, in past tense, in enough detail to repeat. Write it as a report of what happened, not as the instruction sheet you were given.
- Which apparatus, reagents, and instruments were used, with models and concentrations?
- What were the actual settings, quantities, and durations?
- Did you deviate from the protocol, and how?
- Have you rewritten the manual’s imperatives into past-tense statements?
4 · about 20% of the report
Results
Data presented in tables and figures with captions, units, and uncertainties, plus a short text walking the reader through what the display items show.
- Does every table and figure have a number, a caption, and labeled axes with units?
- Are raw data, processed data, and calculated values clearly distinguished?
- Have you propagated uncertainty and used a defensible number of significant figures?
- Is any interpretation creeping in here?
5 · about 25% of the report
Discussion
Compare what you got with what theory predicts, quantify the difference, and account for it through identified sources of error rather than a generic list.
- How close is your result to the accepted value, in percentage terms?
- Which specific error sources could produce a discrepancy of that size and direction?
- Is the difference within your estimated uncertainty?
- What would you change to improve precision, and by how much?
6 · about 5% of the report
Conclusion
Two or three sentences: the aim, the numerical result with its uncertainty, and whether the hypothesis was supported.
- What is the final value with its uncertainty and units?
- Was the aim achieved, plainly stated?
- Are you introducing anything here that is not already above?
7
References and Appendices
Sources for accepted values, theory, and protocols, plus appendices holding raw data tables, sample calculations, and instrument printouts.
- Where did the accepted or literature value come from?
- Have you shown one worked example of each calculation?
- Are raw data included where the rubric requires them?
Questions about the lab report
How is a lab report different from a research paper?
The structure is nearly identical, but the audience is not. A lab report demonstrates to an assessor that you understand the procedure and the analysis, so showing your calculations and error reasoning earns marks that a journal would consider unnecessary detail.
What if my results are wrong?
Report them as they came out. Marks come from the quality of the analysis, not from matching the accepted value — a carefully diagnosed 30% discrepancy scores better than a suspiciously perfect result with no error discussion.
How do I write about errors without listing “human error”?
Name a specific mechanism, its direction, and its rough size: a thermometer read a degree low, timing by hand added a consistent delay, an unstirred solution kept a gradient. An error source you cannot connect to your numbers is not worth listing.
Can I copy the method from the lab manual?
No — that is both plagiarism and the wrong genre. The manual tells you what to do in the imperative; your report describes what you actually did, in the past tense, including any deviation.
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An outline is a start
Plan mode is the rest
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