How to Format a Lab Report

In lab work implementation, students use the studied theoretical material. However, often in the process of preparing lab work, students have many questions, first of all, regarding a lab report format. If students do not know how to draw up laboratory reports, then they have two options. The first one is to buy lab reports online on special services. In this way, you can be sure that your lab report will be formatted correctly. The second one is to continue reading this article. 

A laboratory report includes: 

• title page 
• goals and objectives 
• brief theoretical material 
• equipment for work 
• experimental results
• analysis of results 
• conclusion.

Lab report writing

To cope with this task, you need to clearly understand what the report should consist of. The following elements are required here: introduction, main part, and conclusion.

1. Introduction 

This part of the lab report is no different from the introduction of other types of assignments. This is one of the most important parts of the lab report, and if students don’t know how to format it correctly, they usually buy lab reports online. 

2. Main part

This section of the lab report consists of two parts: theoretical and practical. In the theoretical one, you need to describe the methods that will help in the research, indicate the scientific works on which you relied during the work, and what impact the theory will have in practice. 

The theoretical part should be short, take no more than a page. It should contain the main provisions, laws underlying the studied phenomenon, and a working formula (without derivation) with the decoding of all letter designations.

In the practical part of the lab report, you need to conduct a laboratory study and describe in detail all its steps. Write down all the results and how you achieved them, what methods you used.

3. Conclusion

You should provide a brief summary of the study here. Its essence. Write the conclusions which you reached during the laboratory work. 

These three elements of the laboratory report are mandatory, and the abandonment of them can greatly affect the final grade and the study as a whole. If students want to be sure that all parts are written correctly, they should buy lab reports online on special services. 

How to format a lab report

The correct format of the laboratory report can increase the GPA. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to this point.

1. Title page

The full name of the educational institution is written at the top of the page. Closer to the center, write “Laboratory report,” discipline, and topic. After that, the name of the student and the course of study are indicated on the right margin. At the very bottom, write the city and the year of completion.

2. Formatting the text of the report

The report is carried out on a page of A4 size in Times New Roman, 14 point size. Page numbering starts from the title page, but there is no number on it. Each paragraph should have a heading with a numbering.

3. Goals and objectives

It is necessary to indicate the topic of the report, set its goals and objectives. 

4. Brief theoretical material

Here you need to include the laws, formulas, and calculations that were used to complete the tasks. The material should be concise and clear. The student must remember that the guidelines for writing laboratory reports are only the basis for their implementation. Theoretical preparation for each laboratory report must be carried out with the help of educational literature.

5. Equipment for work

The equipment used during the experiment and the actions taken are indicated. 

6. Experiment results

The results obtained are described here. Do not forget to mark the error in the calculations with a separate item.

7. Analysis of results

Analyze the results of the experiment and give your reasons.

8. Conclusion

It is summing up, showing that the goals of the work have been achieved and the tasks have been completed.

Rules for the performance of laboratory work

The main purpose of laboratory work is the acquisition by students of the necessary skills and abilities in conducting a particular experiment. At the same time, students must check the basic laws of the phenomena, get acquainted with the methods of measurements and the rules for processing measurement results, and learn how to use modern scientific equipment.

Students carry out laboratory work according to the schedule available in the classroom. Each lesson is preceded by the preliminary preparation of the student, which includes:

• familiarization with the content of laboratory work according to the methodological instructions to it
• working out the theoretical part according to the textbooks recommended in the guidelines
• drawing up a report on laboratory work in accordance with the requirements of the educational institution.

In the laboratory, a student must strictly adhere to safety regulations. During the lesson, it is forbidden to engage in extraneous matters and suppress other students to do lab work. Students work alone or in teams. Each student’s report must be individual. 

The first stage of the practical part of the work is students’ familiarization with the proposed tools, instruments, and equipment. At the same time, special attention is paid to the determination of the metrological characteristics of measuring instruments, which include: measurement range, accuracy class (for switching electrical measuring instruments), measurement error. These characteristics, expressed in the units in which readings are taken from the instruments, are entered into the special table.

The next stage of the work is installation, adjustment of the equipment (if necessary). The installation of equipment carried out by the student must be checked by a teacher or laboratory assistant. Only after this check, the student begins to independently perform the work. During the first observations, no readings and recordings should be made. Only after the student traces the phenomenon several times, learns to control the installation, and carries out the measurements, he or she can start recording the readings of the instruments.

The measurement results are entered in the table presented in the guidelines or compiled by the student. At the end of the practical part of the work, the student completes the execution of the report on the laboratory work.

These general guidelines for formatting laboratory reports should help you complete them. However, remember that each department may have its requirements for the format of a laboratory report. Good luck!