Formal Lab Write up

Due Friday Oct. 16, email to

robinson@cod.edu
NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED, all parts of the paper must be typed, send in .doc, .docx
or .pdf format
50 POINTS
Format

Name & lab day top left (don't waste paper with a separate title page)
Title, descriptive not cutesy, a complete sentence is totally acceptable.
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Data
Conclusion
References (papers without references will receive no points)

For each section put the section title such as "Data" in bold then start a new line.
Title: Descriptive, a full sentence if better than "Lab 8"
Introduction:
MUST HAVE PARAGRAPHS (not bullet points)
a. brief synopsis of the experiment (this should NOT be a step-by-step methods section)
b. hypothesis (or purpose if the lab was more of a demonstration), make it a prediction, also
make the hypothesis in the form of the data. So if the data is in the form of percent fed,
the hypothesis should say percent fed.
c. Use information from lab book, lecture or text to back up your hypothesis. (Needs a
reference). For example when testing enzymes at different temperatures one might say "It
is predicted that as the temperature increases the rate of the reaction as measured in
milliliters oxygen produced, will also increase" - this is the hypothesis statement and it
must be backed up with science. To find that science I do not expect a full research paper
or review of literature or internet sources, I expect only that you open your text book or
listen to my lecture or ask me questions to find out why enzymatic reactions increase with
temperature and if there are any instances when this might not be true.
d. explanation of how the experiment will be able to test the hypothesis. For some
experiments this is straight forward, "The experiment will be conducted at three different
temperatures, 10, 27 & 45 degrees Celsius to assess whether increasing the temperature
increases the reaction rate." For other experiments more science is needed to explain for
example how changing the level of activity is related to carbon dioxide output which can
then be correlated to cellular respiration.
Don't label each item above with "a, b ...." but do make paragraphs for each topic. I would
rather have 4, two sentence paragraphs if each paragraph is about a different topic than one
large 8 sentence paragraph.
In text citations should take the (author, year) format. If there are more than 2 authors list the
1st authors last name and put et al and the date for example (Reece, et al, 2011). If you do not
have an in text citation for this section you have not cited your background information properly.
Methods: points will be subtracted for lengthy methods sections

This class will take the position that less is better. The method for each lab is outlined in the text
therefore a very brief summary of the method and the appropriate citation is all that is needed.
For example "The experiment was conducted using the method found in Chapter 6: Factors
Effecting Enzyme Activity in the text "Investigations in the Biology Laboratory" (Petersen,
Anderson & Adams 2014)
When to say more in a methods section:
If the method used was different than the method outlined in the text.
If the text allows for variation, for example the number of repetitions or the exact
temperature
You make a mistake and do something other than the method in the text.
The instructor specifically says: Write a complete methods section.
Data:
This section should include a neat presentation of the data. All the raw data may not be
necessary if one can include all pertinent information in a graph and/or table.
a.
b.

c.

d.

e.

If any calculations were necessary one would write out one sample calculation. If multiple
calculations of the same type were done then include only the answers in table format.
If pictures or diagrams are required it is acceptable to use your lab book pages or to copy
them and include them only when turning in an in class assignment. For the formal paper all
paper should be uniform size and diagrams, graphs, etc. done as neatly as possible,
preferably computer generated.
All graphs and figures should be able to stand alone. The reader should not have to hunt all
over your paper for an explanation of what a graph or diagram is. This may require a legend
beneath the graph or diagram. The legend should be a brief description of what experiment
was performed, a conclusion or explanation of the data presented.
Data always comes after the Methods. If you have not mastered formatting documents and
you can't get your graph in that exact spot put words where the graph should be that says
"See graph 1 on page 4" so the reader can find it. In Word I find that inserting a text box with
a figure or graph works easiest. Ask for help if you need it.
Graphs: all graphs must include the following:
i. have at descriptive title
ii. a label on each axis
iii. units if applicable on each axis
iv. clearly marked points
v. key if there is more than one line or bar on the graph, the legend must be descriptive
vi. the lines of the graph must fill the space, therefore it is acceptable to start numbering
on the axes at something other than 0
vii. a caption beneath the graph
It matters which axis you put the data on. The independent variable goes on the x-axis
and the dependent variable goes on the y-axis. The independent variable is most often the
data that was given to you in the lab book. The dependent variable is most often the data
that you measured. If you are ever in doubt how to graph something ask the instructor.
Graphing with the computer is expected, get help if you don't know how to do it.

Conclusion:
This section may seem a bit redundant as you may have already included much of the
requested information in the introduction. The big difference between the introduction in the
conclusion is that you should work in specific information about the data and of course you
should include whether or not the data supports your initial hypothesis.
a. Begin by re-stating the hypothesis. Don't simply say the hypothesis was supported you must
tell the reader what the hypothesis is.

b. Summarize the data using specific, key data points. So for example in the catabolism lab
don't be afraid to say the specific number of drops that were required to return the solution
back to baseline color after it had been blown into by the exercising subject. Do not verbally
explain each data point, that is overkill.
c. State whether the hypothesis is supported or refuted by the data. Remember it is incorrect
to say that the data proves the hypothesis.
d. Give scientific information that supports your hypothesis and your data. There should be
enough background information in your lab book or your lecture text, it should not be
necessary to do an extensive search of the literature. Also remember Wikipedia is not
considered an appropriate source for scientific papers but if you happen to wind up there look
for references in Wikipedia and visit those sources.
e. If your data does not support your hypothesis give possible scientific explanations for this or
possible sources of error. Remember I care much, much, much, much, much more about the
science and than I do about errors like your lack of technical skill or that your partner didn't
add a critical chemical to the reaction.
f. Summarize the entire paper in the last paragraph in 1 or 2 sentences. Yes, this IS repetitive. If
this was original research this would also be the place an investigator would discuss the
future direction of this research.
REFERENCES IF THERE ARE NO REFERENCES YOU WILL GET A ZERO FOR THE PAPER
The citations should be in alphabetical order by the first authors last name.
Use the APA format, see www.apastyle.org for help, some info may be different as style guides are updated occasionally,
use the most up to date style even if it differs from this slightly.

References
For your paper do not include the words I have in red, these are simply to help you.
{this is a journal article accessed online}
Anderson, A. K. (2005). Affective influences on the attentional dynamics supporting awareness.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 154, 258281. doi:10.1037/00963445.134.2.258
{ This is a journal article accessed in print}
Anderson, A. K., Christoff, K., Panitz, D., De Rosa, E., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2003). Neural correlates of the
automatic processing of threat facial signals. Journal of Neuroscience,
23, 56275633.
{This is a book}
Wilson, B. A., Alderman, N., Burgess, P. W., Emslie, H. C., & Evans, J. J. (1996). The
Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome. Flempton, England: Thames
Valley Test Company.

When there is no author for a web page, the title moves to the first position of the reference entry:
Example:
New child vaccine gets funding boost. (2001). Retrieved March 21, 2001, from
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/story_13178.asp
Cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation
marks around the title or abbreviated title.: ("New Child Vaccine," 2001).
Grading Rubric on next Page

Student name
Criteria
title
introductory
summary
scientific
explanation in
intro

0 Points
no summary of experiment

Levels of Achievement
Competent
1 Points
title present but lacking
descriptiveness
1 Points
summary present but far too long

0.5 Points
lacks accuracy and detail

1 Points
present and accurate

Novice
0 Points
no title

0 Points
missing or in such a format that
hypothesis
it does not present as a
hypothesis
0 Points
in text citations
not present
1 Points
materials and
present but missing citation of
methods
the lab book
1 Points
graphs
only the line graphed without
formatting of the axes or a title

1 Points
present as a prediction but not in
the form of the data gathered

proficient
2 Points
descriptive title
2 Points
brief but thorough summary
2 Points
includes all scientific aspects of
the experiment
2 Points
a prediction in the form of the
data gathered

1 Points
present but the wrong format
2 Points
too long, with proper citation of
the lab book

2 Points
present with proper format
3 Points
brief with proper citation of the
lab book
5 Points
3 Points
has all appropriate titles and
missing critical parts of the format.
labels, data graphed properly
1 Points
3 Points
0 points
data table
if needed, present with headings no if needed, present with
needed but not present
label
appropriately labeled headings
0 Points
1 Points
2 Points
Ho for conclusion conclusion drawn about
hypothesis supported or refuted but hypothesis Re-stated and
hypothesis incorrect
not restated
supported or refuted
2 Points
3 Points
1 Points
science in
compared to known science but
use actual data from the
science facts incomplete or
conclusion
don't use actual numbers from
experiment and compare it to
inaccurate
experiment
known science
1 Points
conclusion
0 Points
0 Points
summary statement
present
conclusion in text 0 Points
1 Points
2 Points
citations
not present
present wrong format
present with proper format
0 Points
1 Points
2 Points
reference section If Not Present Entire Paper present but wrong format or
proper format with all of the in
Receives A zero
missing citations found in paper
text citations
0 Points
3 Points
1 Points
poor sentence structure, lack of
proper use of grammar and
grammar
adequate grammar but multiple
paragraphs, and many
sentence structure with few
spelling or punctuation errors
grammatical errors
spelling errors
1 Points
overall format 0 Points
0 Points
all of the proper sections in the
proper order
Total points
Total percentage

/35