FORMAL LAB REPORT RUBRIC

Mr. Novak’s FORMAL Chemistry Lab Report Grading Criteria (2013-2014)

Section / What I’m looking for / Scoring
  1. Title Page
General Format / •SEPARATE PAGE
•Centered at top – your name, partner’s name, date of experiment.
•Title centered in middle of page with proper/appropriate
capitalization.
•Centered at bottom – Mr. Novak, Chemistry, Period 3, date due.
• No personal pronouns!
• Must use and label Sections with Roman Numerals (II. Abstract,
  1. Background Information, …).
• Sections are well thought out and organized. / 1
II. Abstract / • Must be on a separate page.
• Must be double-spaced.
• 50 words or less. One paragraph.
• Contains COMPLETE OVERVIEW of entire Lab Report
INCLUDING the CONCLUSION! / 2
III. Introduction or Background Information /
  • Included knowledge already known about subject from other sources (include a Work Cited after conclusion).
  • Demonstrated understanding of lab & significance to chemistry
  • Explained use/function of special instrumentation, techniques or reagents used
  • Importance of lab procedure.
/ 2
IV. Objective
Purpose
Hypothesis / • What is the objective of the experiment?
  • Explained purpose of experiment.
  • Stated hypothesis being tested.
/ 2
V. Materials List / • A true and complete list of materials used (include any instructor made adjustments to the required materials). / 1
VI. Procedures / •Bullet or number the required steps of the procedure (include any
instructor made adjustments to the desired procedure).
•Flow diagram style preferred.
•Accurate and complete synopsis of steps.
•Well thought out and organized. / 1
VII. Observations and Results /
  • All raw data is reported
  • Data is analyzed (calculations, averages, etc.)
  • All tables and figures (graphs) are clearly labeled & organized
  • All tables and figures are titled
  • Independent and dependent variables are correctly identified - graph paper or computer generated
  • Proper graphs & legends for ease of comparison
  • Trends and observations are reported without drawing conclusions
/ 3
VII. Discussion /
  • Data interpreted in terms of hypothesis & control
  • References to specific trends in figures or values in tables are used to draw conclusions
  • Deviations from theoretical expectations are explained, confounding variables are noted.
  • Reasons or sources of error are listed (bulleted) and discussed for relevance.
  • Improvements suggested if relevant - to technique, to experimental design, to limit error when experiment is repeated.
/ 3
IX. Conclusion /
  • Answer any conclusion questions posed in lab hand-outs.
  • Conclusions are accurate and supported by evidence.
  • There MUST be one overall conclusion paragraph to present the experimental conclusion (s).
/ 4
References /
  • At least one outside source was cited in report.
•Proper format (sources in italic or underlined).
• DO NOT just paste a URL but a true Work Cited format (AutoBib
it!). / 1
Total Score / 20

FORMAL LAB REPORT RUBRIC