Laboratory Write Up Expectations
This sheet of paper will outline the expectations I have concerning what your laboratory write up should look like. Please follow this guide in its entirety.
Title
The title should reflect the lab that was conducted. “Science Lab”, “Lab Write-up”, or “Experiment Summary” are not valid titles. The title should be centered at the top of the page.
Introductory Paragraph
This paragraph introduces the lab that was conducted. This should include the question that was asked and experimented on during the lab, the research done and the hypothesis of the experiment. The research should include the actual information learned, not just the topic of the research. The variables (independent, dependent and controlled) should be written into this paragraph as well.
Materials
●Write the materials using a bulleted list
●One list, straight down
●All materials used throughout the experiment are written here
Procedures
- Procedures should be done using a numbered list
- The actual steps used in the experiment should be written
- Do not write down “Get materials” or “ Put on safety equipment” as a step
Data
This is a paragraph describing the data that was collected. If the data was numerical, the exact data collected should be written here. The description should also cover all the observations made while the experiment was being conducted.
Conclusion
This is the paragraph in which you tell what the outcome of the experiment was. This should describe whether or not the experiment was successful as well as the answer to the question that was asked at the beginning of the lab. You should also include how the conclusion compares to your hypothesis here, as well.
Thoughts
The final paragraph should be your thoughts on the experiment. You may include your favorite part, least favorite part, and overall impression of the lab. Your thoughts need to be more than “I liked this lab.” or “This lab was really cool.” This needs to be a full paragraph (6-10 sentences). Do not repeat sentences or reword them to make them appear different. Ex: “This experiment really captured my imagination.” “I was able to use my imagination during this experiment.” “I liked that I could use my imagination to see how this project would end.” Each sentence should contain a different thought. Pronouns are acceptable within this paragraph.
Expectations for the entire write up (handwritten)
Your write up should be one full page, front and back. You should use loose-leaf paper, not paper out of a composition notebook or any small notebook. Do NOT use pronouns in your writing! You need to begin writing at the left margin and continue on that line until you reach the right margin. It is preferred that you go over the right margin line. Do NOT skip lines in between paragraphs. Do not write with extra large spaces between words or with abnormally large handwriting. Your title should go on the top line of the page and the first paragraph should be started on the very next line. You should label each paragraph. Indent to start your paragraphs. As always, make sure your name, date of the lab and the class section you are in are in the upper right hand corner of the write up.
Expectations for the entire write up (typed)
The write up needs to be single spaced in 12 point, standard font. It should exceed one full page (but doesn’t need to be two full pages). Do NOT use pronouns in your writing! It is ok for the title to be slightly bigger (no more than 18 font). You may skip a line between the title and the first paragraph. Each paragraph should be labeled. There should not be spaces between paragraphs, just the labels.
Rubric:
You will lose percentage points based on the following errors
Missing a part from the introduction = 10% per part missing
Missing any other section of the write up = 10%
Not reaching the length requirement, dependent on how short you are = 5-10%
Skipping lines = 1% per line skipped
Not starting from the left margin = up to 5%
Not using more than one paragraph = 5%
Use of excessively large spaces or handwriting (non-standard or font too big for typed papers) = 5-10%
Name/Date/Class section missing = 5%