The Basic Laboratory Report

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The need for our students inevitably led us to write this post. So, you can use it as a basic prototype of formal structure to display and deliver, the experimental activity.

The previous clarifications, what you want to do (Report).
1. - The laboratory report is the formal document what was done, another person in academic conditions similar to yours, they should be able to take the document and replicate the activity.

2. - The writing must to be formal, must to be written in third person, you are exposing what was done with his team, for example:
- Was measured ...
- Was Found ...
- Was determined ..

3. - The report will not be evaluated by the thickness or weight of the end of it, but not be restricted to expose graphic or alternatively any data table without explaining what was measured, performed or observed.

4. - If two lab sections performed the same activity with the same guide at the same institution, you need consider the particular information of your teacher, he or she is who understands the particular group work, and who will review your report. If you are unsure of the content of the report, is he or she who will give official information, not their mates from the other sections.

5. - Never ever, leave the report to the last minute, you have been forgotten data, relevant information, and most likely will have lost the opportunity to generate significant knowledge.

The basic structure of the report:
a) Front
b) Introduction
c) Objectives
d) Instruments and Materials
e) Experimental Development
 f) Conclusions

How the report is estructured?
a) Title:

On the cover of the report must specify the number of the laboratory session, activity title, author names, date of the experience and delivery date, and the name of professor in charge.

b) Introduction (page 2):

The introduction can be differentiated according to the characteristics of the report to be delivered. In this paper we propose the simplest type of report, and it is focused around the scheme described. Basic introduction should be a synthesis of two fundamental aspects of the theoretical framework and a brief summary about that will be inside the document, you must answer the question: what was done in the session?, if you have a important equation that can to be expose here. The introduction should NOT exceed 1 page.

c) Goals (page 3):

The objectives should answer the question: What you want to do and you want to achieve?, Are punctual so they should be discussed with team members, particularly the verbs used (proposal), determine, find, design, build, evaluate, among others. 

d) Tools and materials (page 3):

Here you must specify each material used with some of its features which distinguishes it from other materials of similar conditions, remember that someone should be able to take your report and replicate the experiment with the same materials. If the object is
generic as a sphere or a cubo specified basic characteristics, for example:
- Wooden Sphere, diameter = 10cm.
or you don't know the characteristics the material
- Sphere solid, metallic gray color, diameter = 0.5mm.
Each instrument used must be mentioned with your make, model and type. Besides writing instrumental error then committing to that instrument, it depends if the instrument is analog or digital, remember.
Eg
- Digital Scale,

e) Experimental Development (from page 4 until before completion):

In experimental development is included as the name says, the development of the subject, you must declare it was made, which was measured, which variables were considered, do not include large data tables unless you specify what, graphics should be able by themselves to show that variables were measured, must have a title indicating it will be noted, must show which variables axes correspond to each, which are the units of the variables measured, all in scatter plots should not join the points. In experimental development contains all the partial results with the corresponding errors.

f) Conclusions (the last page):

The conclusion of the experience points SPECIFICALLY to the objectives, you must review to conclude. For example, if the objective was to "determine the functional relationship between x and y" the conclusion should read: "The functional relationship between x and y was determined ..... that compared with theoretical equation between x and y indicates that the slope represents .... and the intercept represents .... "

The conclusion is on the overall results, is the part of the topic, where you can make a discussion of results (if they make must be consistent with your group discussed maturely before printing the report), the conclusion is about aspects from their objectives pursued NOTHING more.

g) Bibliography (in the conclusions or the last page).

The bibliography is about which texts you studied the issue to contain a theoretical framework of experience, if you include a web page, you must specify the date of inquiry and a general page definition.