Purpose: What central question is addressed in the experiment/lab? Why should the reader care about this problem? How does this address a problem/gap in this field?

Methods/Procedures/Approach: How did you get your results? Briefly outline the techniques and approaches used in your lab, including subjects, participants, variables, etc.

Results/Findings/Product: Describe your results (the findings of your experiment), the data collected, and the effects observed as informatively and concisely as possible.

Discussion/Conclusion/Implications: What are the more significant implications of your findings, especially for the problem/gap identified in your purpose? Why are the results of your study important to your field, and how do they relate to the purpose of your investigation? Conclusions are often associated with recommendations, suggestions, and rejected and accepted hypotheses.

Note: While the abstract appears at the beginning of your paper, it’s often easier to write this last by pulling together sentences/phrases you’ve written from these sections in your lab report.

1. Summarize the procedure that you performed in your own words using active past tense. This is especially important for deviations from the lab protocol.
   1. e.g., "The different solutions were separated into control and experimental groups."
2. Details like concentrations (in absolute units like mM, not 1x), temperatures, and sample size are essential.
   1. e.g., 0.5 mL of NaOH was added to the solution.
3. A table is often helpful here to describe the treatments.
4. Date, time, and location may be relevant for a field study but are not usually needed for a lab experiment.
5. Any statistical analyses and software used for data analysis should be mentioned.

1. Include relevant details such as the number of participants and other relevant descriptive variables such as age, sex, etc., if they are pertinent to the experiment.
   1. It is usual to report the mean and standard deviation and/or the range for the group or sub-groups.
      1. e.g., the participants’ mean age ( ± s) was 17.5 + 0.8 years.
   2. If there are a lot of descriptive details, use a table to summarize these details.
   3. Where appropriate, include background information about the participants to introduce their role in the study.
      1. e.g., “The participants were healthy children,” “coronary heart disease patients,” or “elite athletes.”

1. This subsection should provide sufficient detail for others to repeat the experiment.
2. Include equations used to determine test results.
3. Include details of equipment used by incorporating these into the text rather than providing a list of apparatus.
   1. e.g., Air samples were analyzed using Servomex 1400 gas analyzer. In some journals, details of the manufacturer are also required, but this is not necessary for the purposes of laboratory reports.
4. Only include diagrams of the experimental set-up if it is unusual or to clarify the description. Label any diagrams with an appropriate title (Figure 1: title).
5. It is unnecessary to describe the standard procedures, such as gas analysis, step-by-step. Instead, it is sufficient to say that the air samples were analyzed using a Servomex 1400 gas analyzer to determine O₂ and CO₂ fractions.
6. Analysis:
   1. Include a description of any data or statistical procedures that were used.
   2. Data analysis might include converting gas volumes from ambient to standard conditions, data smoothing techniques, etc.
   3. Provide details of any statistical procedures and name the statistics package used.
      1. e.g., To compare differences between the groups, an independent t-test was performed using SPSS.
   4. This sub-section should include an estimation of error where appropriate.

1. What do the results mean?
   1. Describe each general result briefly—no need to refer to Tables, Figures, or P-values.
   2. State whether your hypothesis was negated or supported, then provide evidence.
   3. When referencing a published journal article, state whether or not your results supported those findings.
   4. Describe those technical factors that might help the reader interpret your data.
2. What is the significance?
   1. Discuss any expected and unexpected findings in light of the hypotheses and predictions outlined in your introduction or the specific literature (cite references). Does it adequately address the hypotheses being tested? Were there faulty assumptions in the design that confounded your interpretation of the data?
3. Do the results prompt any new questions?
   1. If your experiment failed, what would you do next time to make it work?
4. Some professors will have specific questions listed in the laboratory handout. Include your responses to those questions within your discussion section.