The entire laboratory report should be written in third person past tense, because your report is recounting the work that you have already completed in the laboratory. Also, the subject of the report is the work done and not the person or persons actually carried out the experiment.
Your report should be double spaced in 11 pt Times New Roman. Other fonts and font sizes will not be accepted. The spacing requirements allows for reviewers to more easily read your document and provides space for comments and suggestions to be written along side the text of your report.
Some scientific journals are written in a multiple column format, which is common in newspapers and magazines. This report should not be written in multiple columns. Be sure that you have selected the single column format option in the word processing software that you are using.
Arrange the content of your report to fill the pages you write. Do not have sections of a table or other portions of the report cross over from one page to another. Edit items, such as a table, chart, or graph to fit onto a single page. If the item is over half a page in size, set the item on a page of its own.
Formatting Checklist
The report should be in third person past tense.
Font selected is Times New Roman and the proper size of 11 pt.
The report should be written in a single column.
Figures, tables, and graphs are arranged to fit completely on a single page.
Figures, tables, and graphs larger than half a page in size should be set on a page alone.
All figures must be numbered and given a short descriptive title. The figure numbers should be consistent throughout your report, and two separate figures cannot have the same number. If a figure is included in your final draft, it must be referenced somewhere in your report. Do not include figures (charts, pictures, graphs, etc.) if they do not add relevant insight to the experiment.
All figures that are taken from an outside source must have this indicated in the figures title. The outside source must be cited in the bibliography section as well. Students are not allowed to copy figures/graphs in the Absorption Spectrum spreadsheet created by the instructor. Direct copies of the graphs will not be accepted and no points will be awarded for them.
Figures Checklist
All figures have a unique number and descriptive title.
Figures must be referenced in the text of your report.
Figures larger than half a page in size should be set on a page alone.
Figures that do not add to the understanding of the content of your report should be removed.
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Tables
All tables must be numbered and given a short descriptive title. The table numbers should be consistent throughout your report, and two separate tables cannot have the same number. If a table is included in your final draft, it must be referenced somewhere in your report. Do not include tables if they do not add relevant insight to the experiment.
Tables must be created by you when writing your report. Students are not allowed to copy tables in the Absorption Spectrum spreadsheet created by the instructor. Direct copies of the tables will not be accepted and no points will be awarded for them.
Tables Checklist
All tables have a unique number and descriptive title.
Tables must be referenced in the text of your report.
Tables larger than half a page in size should be set on a page alone.
Tables that do not add to the understanding of the content of your report should be removed.
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Equations
Chemical as well as mathematical equations are an integral part of chemistry. When you show either a chemical or mathematical equation in your laboratory report, it should set off on its own line and numbered. Also, every variable in the equation must be identified. Equations should be created using the equation editor found inside Microsoft Word.
Equations Checklist
Each chemical or mathematical equation should be set off on its own line an centered.
Equations must be numbered in sequential order on the same line as the equation with the number in parentheses and right alignment.
Grading Rubric for Laboratory Report
Report Section Section Description and Requirements Points Possible
Abstract
An abstract is an extremely terse summary of the entire paper, about three to six sentences long, which in a journal appears in small print just below the article’s title and list of authors. The purpose of an abstract is to provide readers with a brief glimpse into the subject of the article, to help them decide whether to read the whole thing. All of the required items must be included within a maximum of six (6) sentences. Additional sentences will not be evaluated or considered.
Section Requirements:
The purpose statement of the experiment
The average equilibrium constant that was calculated from the experimental data
Standard deviation that was calculated for the five (5) unknown samples
The percent error of the equilibrium constant when compared to the accepted literature value
10
Introduction
The introduction section will serve two important purposes: (1) state the questions the experiment you are conducting is trying to answer and why it is important and (2) provide the reader with enough mathematical and theoretical background information to explain how the experiment works.
This experiment has a specific purpose of determining a numerical value and interpreting what it means. The extent and depth of the background in this section will be determined on who the intended audience is for the report. For the purposes of this laboratory, your intended audience will be a fellow student, such as your lab partner. Include enough information to make it clear how the experiment works, both in terms of the equipment used as well as the chemistry involved.
Section Requirements:
Discuss chemical equilibrium
Discuss spectroscopy
Discuss the Beer-Lambert Law
Discuss how the three (3) concepts listed above work together to achieve the overall purpose of the experiment
10
Procedure
The procedure section is for you to convince the reader that you carried out the experiment knowledgeably and carefully. Think of the reader as someone who is unfamiliar with the procedures carried out in the experiment. Do not copy the experimental procedure from your lab manual or give the reader instructions. If you copy the laboratory manual instructions, the person reading your report will feel as though they are being ordered to do something.
You must report what you and your lab partner did during the laboratory period. Often times, students will do additional tasks that aren’t expressly stated in the manual. When you have completed your procedure summary, an individual should be able to take it and complete the experiment with the summary alone. If you don’t include the finer details, the person completing the experiment will not get the same data as you did.
Section Requirements:
Discuss the setup and operation of the Vernier LabQuest 2 and spectrophotometer
Describe the preparation of the calibration samples
Describe the preparation of the validation/test samples
10
Experimental Data
The experimental data section will be where all data recorded during the experiment is shown. If a laboratory group completes multiple trials of a given part of the experiment, the results of all trials must be included in this section. Do not provide only the final (best) trial data.
Section Requirements:
Standard solution absorbance data for all trials
Calibration curve(s) from standard solutions absorbance data
Validation/test solution absorbance data for all trials
15
Calculations
The calculations section allows the reader of your report to understand and follow the mathematical steps you took in order to derive and calculated value in your paper. Calculations also help you to identify any errors made during the workup of your experimental data. These errors can then be corrected before you submit your final draft.
If you are required to repeat the same calculation multiple times in your report, you only have to provide one example of the calculation. For instance, when you calculate the Kc value for your first test solution, you will then have to repeat that calculation for the remaining four samples. You only need to show the first calculation in your report and indicate that this specific calculation was then repeated for the remaining samples.
All equations and calculations using them should be typed using Microsoft Word. Word has two equation editors built into it that can be used to insert equations and calculations into your report.
Section Requirements:
Dilution calculations for reagents in your prepared solutions (calibration and validation)
Determination of FeSCN2+ concentration from calibration curve
Determination of equilibrium constant (Kc) for the reaction
Standard deviation of equilibrium constant values
Percent error values for calculated equilibrium constant values and the average Kc
Percent relative standard deviation for the calculated equilibrium constant values
15
Results and Discussion
The results and discussion section is meant to have you talk about the results from your experiment and discuss their significance. You should review the results from each step that you took and discuss whether or they were “good” or “bad”. Do not use the words “good” and “bad”, but characterize what the data you collected means. You need to comment on if the data was in keeping with the expected result or not.
You should also be sure to discuss if these results led you in a new direction or changed your methodology. Then, you will discuss if the changes made improved your data. This section of the report essentially tells the story of your experiment. And like many stories, they aren’t all perfect. You will undoubtedly have problems as well as inconsistent or incorrect data. You need to discuss everything. Do not throw away data just because it didn’t turn out like you thought. The problems often help you figure out what is happening in your experiment, and it helps to format and write this section of the report.
Section Requirements:
Discuss your efforts to produce an acceptable calibration curve
Discuss what strategies you employed to improve your calibration curve
Discuss your efforts to determine the equilibrium constant (Kc) for this experiment
Discuss what strategies you employed to improve your equilibrium constant results
30
Conclusion
A conclusion section should, in one or two paragraphs, review the purpose of the lab and summarize the implications of your experimental results. You should remind the reader of the basic question that the experiment was to address and then briefly explain how your results bear on that question or problem. The conclusion differs from the abstract in that it emphasis is placed on your deductions from your data analysis, describing them in more detail than is given in the abstract.
Section Requirements:
Restate the purpose of the experiment
Restate the average equilibrium constant (Kc)
Restate the standard deviation
Restate the relative standard deviation
Restate the percent error
5
Bibliography
The bibliography, also called a reference list or works cited section, is a collection of the sources you used in preparing your laboratory report. You cannot use someone else’s ideas, theories, or thoughts without giving them credit in your manuscript. You must use a minimum of five (5) references in your laboratory report, not including your lecture textbook or laboratory manual.
If you have questions concerning how to format your bibliography/reference list, you can consult the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Style Guide (Links to an external site.). There are also online reference formatting websites and tools that can assist you such as EasyBib. To cite your references in text, use italic numbers in parentheses on the line of text and inside the punctuation.
Example:
The mineralization of TCE by a pure culture of a methane-oxidizing organism has been reported (6).
Section Requirements:
Students must use a minimum of five (5) reference in the laboratory report
The course textbook and laboratory manual do not count towards the five (5) reference needed
