1.3: Lab Report Evaluation

Specifications for Lab Reports

The specifications and required format of lab reports are listed here. Additional tips and advice are given at the end of this section.

1. Title page:
   Title of experiment, course number, author, and date work was carried out, name of supervising TA. The title should be in large, bold font; author names and other information should be in standard font on sperate lines.
2. Introduction: This section provides the information necessary for your reader to gain interest in reading your work and provides the reader with necessary information to understand the rest of the paper; this requires at least 2 or 3 paragraphs. In your own words, briefly describe why the topic is interesting or important, describe the underlying theory, and explain the principle upon which the experiment was based. Keep it concise; lengthy discussions or derivations of equations are unnecessary. This section should contain references to support the information. References to Libre Texts or this lab manual are not appropriate.
   • Background (importance/relevance): A brief description and justification of the importance of the topic, with references to source material. What is the topic and why is it interesting and important? This is meant to "hook" the reader so they want to read about the topic.
   • Theory: A concise paragraph or more describing the general theory for the analytical technique used; this section should contain a reference to the appropriate pages of the textbook, or other source material from the literature.
   • Goals/Purpose: Brief statement of purpose, which should indicate what is analyzed and the technique used. Limit to three to five sentences.

   In a study of the introduction sections of 48 scientific papers published in three research fields, linguist John Swales identified four common rhetorical "moves" that researchers use to communicate their work in the introduction section of a paper.¹ These "moves" can be used in a different order, can appear more than once in the introduction, or can be implied. Together they are a recipe for and effective introduction section for an original research article.

   Four common moves in introduction sections of scientific articles:

   1. Announce the topic (what is this about, why is it interesting or important?)
   2. Summarize previous knowledge and research (What's already known?)
   3. Prepare the reader by indicating a gap in previous research and/or by raising a question about previous research. (Indicate what's missing in current knowledge, that your work can address.)
   4. Introduce the present research by stating the purpose and/or by outlining the research.

   Effective introductions in all fields include similar rhetorical moves because they share the same rhetorical goal: the authors want to convince readers that the topic is important and that their work on the topic will advance the field’s knowledge.

3. Experimental Materials and Methods (including equipment):
   List the major equipment used, giving specific details about experimental conditions. Also list reagents and standard solutions used to calibrate the instrument, and the nature and origin of any unknown samples analyzed. DO NOT just refer the reader to the manual in terms of set up and procedure. But, you should cite the manual and any other reference sources. Visual aids (schematic or diagram) made by you are encouraged - do not put copywrited images or images from the lab manual into your report. It is NOT necessary to copy experimental instructions from the laboratory manual. Give a few specific details about the apparatus (e.g., "the Geiger counter was a Zeta Electronics model 66-G"), pertinent physical properties of the reagents used, the number of runs made to collect data and the relevant experimental conditions (temperatures, pressures, concentrations, etc.). This section should be brief.
4. Results/Data:
   Data organized and presented clearly using figures and tables, with error analysis, and a brief description of the data. The evaluation of data should appear in the discussion section (next), and not be mixed with statement of results in this section. Summarize your data in numbered tables and graphs. Data such as absorption or emission spectra, chromatograms, and mass spectra of each standard and each unknown mixture should be included. Data should be organized in a way that is easy for the reader to understand. Unnecessary data should not be included. When helpful, organize data in tables or figures so that it is easier for your reader to interpret their meaning (for the next section). Remember to label both axes on every graph/plot, and to give each a title. Graphs/plots should be referred to as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc., and tables as Table 1, Table 2, etc. Figures and plots should be clear and font should be large enough to read. If multiple plots/figures are related and need to be viewed side-by side, they should be combined into one figure with several panales labeled A, B, C..etc. (use powerpoint or another software to combine). Present the results of your experiment based on the presented data, showing all steps in calculations needed to reach a numerical result. Include an analysis of errors. The data should be analyzed to determine the amount of the unknown in the original sample.
5. Discussion:
   Describe and explain your observations based on the experimental results. Describe your evaluation and interpretation of the results. The discussion section should end with a brief concluding statement (a few sentences) that summarize the main features and conclusions of the report. The points below should be considered:
   • What is the meaning of the data? 
   • Are the results significant based on error analysis?
   • Do the results support the hypothesis?
   • If applicable, explain failure of (any lack of success) or limitations in the experiment.
   • If applicable, discuss possible improvements if you see any. 
   • What are the overall conclusions that can be drawn for the report/ the work?
6. References:
   List any references referred to in the report. This list should always include the textbook and the laboratory manual. In the text of the report, the reference is cited as a numbered footnote in parentheses: for example, "The drying procedure followed that outlined by Vogel (3)."
   
   Footnote:
   3. A.I. Vogel, Textbook of Quantitative Inorganic Analysis. Third Edition, Longmans, London (1961), p. 221.

Turning in and grading of lab reports

All reports must be turned in as one single pdf file on Gradescope/Sakai. You must select the appropriate pages for each section of your report during the submission process - if you do not, you may loose points for the misplaced section. Through the Gradescope software (linked on Sakai), 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. 

The specifications listed above will be the general criterion used for grading your lab report, although additional lab-module-specific criteria will be given in each lab module's "Treatment of data" section. Use lab-specific "treatment of data", as well as the criteria above, as a guide in crafting your report.

Each section of the lab report will be graded as follows: You will receive all points for a given section if it is B-quality (ie ~84%) or better. If it is less than B-quality, you will receive zero points for that section. This B-or-nothing grading system also comes with some grace: You will be allowed one report "re-do" after receiving feedback from your instructors, and you will also be allowed one late lab report (as late as is necessary to do it well, until the last day of classes).

Each laboratory report is due one week after the relevant module(s) is(are) complete. The standard late hand-in penalty is 10 points (10%) per day!

More pointers for lab reports

Consider all the time you've spent reading textbooks, websites, and articles about chemistry, engineering and/or science; you know what it is like to be the READER of scientific writing.

To WRITE science, you must keep the reader in mind.

• WHO are your readers?
• WHAT are you trying to communicate to your readers?
• WHY should the reader be interested in what you are trying to communicate?

Envision Your Readers 

It helps to envision a specific person who you care about and who you would want to understand what you are writing. Think of someone who is smart, and someone who you respect, but who is not an expert (or even knowledgeable!) in the stuff you’ve been learning about (the type of work, the instruments, etc).

Examples:

• a friend who has had organic chemistry, but not this class.
• any faculty member in the chemistry department regardless of sub-discipline.
• a smart and geeky friend who is a Math/Physics/English major.

These people are smart, but they don’t know the technical stuff that you do. Therefore, limit your use of jargon, and explain or define all key terms and concepts that are specific to what you are trying to communicate.

Use references to demonstrate importance

One of the best ways to address the importance/relevance in the introduction section is to find a current journal article that relates to the chemicals or methods used in your experiment and use it as an example to demonstrate importance (and, you may learn a thing or two about a field of science that is not well known to you!).  Don't forget to cite the reference using ACS formatting (superscripted number at the end of the sentence, and a full list of the citations at the end of the document)!

Write clearly

BE BRIEF AND CONCISE!

This is one of the most difficult aspects of good writing to master. Read over your first draft and be ruthless in chopping out superfluous words, phrases, or sentences. Learn to be economical in expressing yourself. The total length of the lab report should be less than 15 pages (but please don't aim for 15! That's really long!). Short is sweet!

GRAMMAR and SPELLING MATTER!

You will not be penalized for the occasional typographical error, but a report full of spelling errors will be penalized. If poor grammar and spelling are at the point that it is distracting to the reader, or in any way make the report difficult to read, that is a problem. Take the time to proofread the draft of your text at least once.

TABLES, FIGURES, and EQUATIONS should be refered to and formatted correctly!

• All tables should be numbered and titled above the table. The table headings should include the units.
• All figures should be numbered, titled, and have a brief caption that describes the figure. The figure number, title, and caption should appear direclty below the figure.
  •  If the figure is a graph, the axes should be clearly labeled, including the units.
  • If more than one set of data is included on the graph, use different symbols and a legend to identify them.
• Tables and figures should be readable (watch font size!). One option to make figures or tables more legible is to make them large and put them on a septate page.
• Be sure to refer to any table or figure in the text, e.g. "The current and potential values from which E and n were calculated are reported in Table 2, and plotted in Figure 3."
• All equations presented in the text should be numbered and all symbols defined, as shown in the example below:

"The diffusion-limited current, \(i_d\), is related to the bulk analyte concentration, \(c_a\), by the following expression:

\[ \; \; i_d = nFSD_a^{1/2}c_a/(\pi \Delta t)^{1/2} \]

where n is the number of electrons transferred, F is the Faraday constant, S is the electrode area, D_a is the diffusion coefficient of the analyte ion, and t is the time during which the current is sampled."Remember, the all-important criteria in determining the quality of the report are that it be clear, concise, and provide enough information so that anyone else with your level of experience could repeat your work without consulting you.

USE YOUR TIME WELL

The way we grade reports in this course is meant to incentivize you to write a "good" but not "perfect" report. You are writing to demonstrate thinking and understanding. The most important aspect is that you present the data and your analysis clearly and concisely. This can usually be done in 4 or 5 pages. Be sure to write clearly, include the major points, and present data well. You can save yourself a lot of time by creating good plots of data during lab time with the help of your TA's, discussing the data while in lab, and writing about it as soon as possible during or after the lab period.

Generic point rubric

Component	Received/Max	TA Comments
Title/ Author	/5
Introduction	/15
Experimental Methods	/10
Results	/20
Discussion	/20
Conclusion (as part of discussion)	/5
References	/10
Writing Quality	/15
Total	/100