Writing Lab Reports CHEM 117 Spring 2012

Plagiarism Note: If you plagiarize the lab manual, you will be given a zero for the report and reported to the FYP Office. You may use the ideas from the manual but DO NOT plagiarize!! Put the idea in your own words. Title and Author information: At the top of the page, state the title of the experiment, the experiment number, your name, section number and the names of all lab partners. Summary: (10 points) The summary has four main parts to it. You need to briefly state the purpose of the experiment and also explain what is significant about it, like its experimental origin. You also need to describe the general procedure of what you did in lab; this should be clear and concise. Lastly, you must state the major results of the experiment. This section is not the place to give great detail of each movement in the lab, but for clear statements about the experiment performed and the results. Think of writing for a future boss or project director (also an engineer) who just wants the facts and the major results of the experiments up front and clearly stated. Results: (15 points) Here, you include tables and plots of your data and any values obtained from calculations. Dont forget your units and significant figures! Please refer back to your textbook if you need help with significant figures in your results. You should separate tables and graphs into proper subheadings, such as Part A, Part Betc. Remember, good labels/headings and organization makes it easier for your TA to understand and read which makes it easier to gradethis makes a much happier TA!! Calculations: (10 points) Include one sample of each kind of calculation that you did; this will include the general equation you used. You do not need to include every single calculation for each trial as long as you give an example of each type of calculation. Make sure you label values with the proper units and use the correct number of significant figures. Be sure that ALL of your results are clearly stated or tabulated in the Results section. Discussion/Conclusions: (15 points) This section also has four parts to it. You need to analyze and summarize the results obtained in your experiment. You also need to answer all questions asked in the lab manual. Do not just write the numbers to the questions and answer them; this is a formal report. Be sure to explain your answers at a molecular level (what are the atoms doing?) and support your answers with actual data from the experiment. You also need to discuss any possible sources of error or any ways to improve upon the experiment. DO NOT just state that inconsistencies in data are due to human error; this is obvious - be more specific. You must turn in a copy of your data sheets from your lab notebook with your report. Lab reports must be typed with graphs, tables and calculations generated using the appropriate computer software. In the results section, it is acceptable to use material printed directly from the LoggerPro software.