1.5: Scientific Writing and Report Grading

Why Scientific Writing... in a Chemistry Lab Course?

Writing is equivalent to thinking. By writing about your experiments, you deepen your understanding of what you did and why it matters. Scientific writing is not just a course requirement — it’s a central part of doing science. In this course, you will complete three "scientific-manuscript-style" reports using the skills and formats you learned in CHEM301L or 311L. Refer to the Writing Support Materials from CHEM301L for support.

Support for Writing

This course is designated as a Writing (W) course at Duke, which means that developing your scientific writing skills is a central learning goal. Dr. Haas has been teaching writing-intensive courses since 2014 and has worked closely with the Thompson Writing Program and the graduate TAs to ensure the entire instructional team can provide strong, consistent writing support.

In addition to feedback from your instructor and TAs, you will have access to the Thompson Writing Studio and an Embedded Writing Consultant (EWC) assigned to this course. EWCs are trained undergraduate peer tutors who will work with you to strengthen your writing process and help you communicate your science effectively.

You will meet with your EWC during the third Wet Lab session of each module, giving you the opportunity to get targeted feedback on your work in progress. The Thompson Writing Studiois also available for one-on-one appointments at any stage of your writing process.

Report Expectations

All reports (except for Module 2) must follow the structure of a scientific manuscript: Title, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and References. Use the formatting conventions you learned in prior lab courses (Refer to the Writing Support Materials from CHEM301L for support). Your goal is to present your analysis clearly, concisely, and accurately — not to write a perfect or lengthy document.

Submission Guidelines

Submit your report as one single pdf file on Canvas. Your report will be graded by a group of TA's. When TA's grade your report, they will not see your name (except on the title page) - this is to reduce any possible biases during point allotment. 

Grading Criteria

Reports are scored using detailed rubrics developed by the instructional team. These are available in each Canvas assignment. A Generic version of the Rubric for a Report in the format of a scientific manuscript is given below. This generic rubric was developed with support from Dr. Shonberg of the Thompson Writing Program at Duke.

\(
\begin{array}{|l|c|}
\hline
\textbf{Component} & \textbf{Points} \\
\hline
\text{Title / Author} & 5 \\
\text{Introduction} & 15 \\
\text{Experimental Methods} & 10 \\
\text{Results} & 20 \\
\text{Discussion} & 20 \\
\text{Conclusion (as part of Discussion)} & 5 \\
\text{References} & 10 \\
\text{Writing Quality} & 15 \\
\hline
\textbf{Total} & \textbf{100} \\
\hline
\end{array}
\)

Writing Quality Policy ("B or Nothing")

Each section of your report must be B-quality (≥80%) or better to earn points. If a section does not meet that standard, it receives zero points.
To support learning:

• Each Pre-lab assignment is designed to make progress, and for you to receive early feedback, on parts of your report.
• Embedded Writing Consultants will meet with you to give you individual advice on your writing.
• You may revise and resubmit the first report after receiving feedback from peers and from your instructors.
• Each report will have an early deadline, one round of peer review, followed by time for revisions, and a final submission at least one week later.
• You may submit one report late without penalty using your Extension Token.

💡 Tips for Success in Report Writing

• Every assignment in this course — pre-labs, notebook entries, data analysis tasks — is designed to help you build your report piece by piece. Treat them as stepping stones toward your final manuscript.
• Use your time strategically:
  • Start drafting sections of your report during or right after lab, while your methods, observations, and insights are still fresh.
  • Create figures and plots as soon as you have your data, and review them with your TA to check for clarity and accuracy.
  • Use lab time for discussion—ask questions, clarify your interpretation, and get feedback before you start formal writing.
  • The sooner you start, the easier it will be to produce a clear, well-organized report without last-minute stress.