Associate
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Dr. V. M. Medical College
SOLAPUR, INDIA
One of the most important aspects of any science course is the laboratory report. This set of notes aims to help you overcome any initial worries you may have about writing up practical. If you follow the instructions and guidance given here you should get better grades than you might otherwise achieve.
The first thing to realize about scientific writing is that it is quite different to every day writing, there are new skills which you need to learn and certain formats which you must follow if you are to be successful in your efforts. Whilst much of the information and guidance given in these notes can be applied to all report writing you may find that different tutors have individual ideas and rules about a particular format or style, you should ask each individual tutor for guidance. Writing a science report is not difficult. It doesn’t matter whether your experiment went smoothly or not (although, obviously it’s better if it does go smoothly), you can, by following the advice given in these notes, still write a good report. Your mark depends not only upon your results but also on your level of understanding and the quality of your report. The format of the report:
|
Aims: bibliography |
As concise (but informative)
as possible. One or two sentences should be sufficient.
Example: To determine the Blood glucose level in given sample.
Depends on the
practical. Could be a few lines or a few paragraphs, you will be told at each
practical what is expected.
Remember to quote your sources (you should include a bibliography of your references after the conclusions section).
As concise as
possible but giving sufficient information so that someone else could repeat
your work.
Example: A 5% solution of sodium nitroprusside (5.0g in 100ml) was prepared in water.
Tabulate numerical
data when possible.
In a good table the
columns read down.
Make sure you divide the measurement by the units so that the table contains numbers only, else make separate column for units.
Any calculations or
interpretation of results go into this section.
Remember to layout
your calculations clearly, showing each step.
Marks are awarded for each stage of the calculation so it is possible to pick up some marks even if you make a mistake along the way.
How relevant are
your results? What errors are there? Did something go wrong? This is where you
can talk fairly freely about the experiment.
Try to be positive, try to show you have understood the experiment. If you can think of ways of improving the experiment this is where the scientist within you rests. Do not hesitate let your tutor know.
You should also
include a conclusion.
Did you meet the aims
of the experiment?
If so say so;
Example: The blood
sugar level of given sample was determined to be 123mg/dl.
The conclusion
should echo the aims and be as short as possible.
Remember to quote your sources (you should include a bibliography of your references after the conclusions section).
Finally: Sign and date your work.