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Creating a 10-15 Minute Scientific Presentation

In the course of your career as a scientist, you will be asked to give brief presentations -- to colleagues, lab groups, and in other venues. We have put together a series of short videos to help you organize and deliver a crisp 10-15 minute scientific presentation.

First is a two part set of videos that walks you through organizing a presentation.

Part 1 - Creating an Introduction for a 10-15 Minute Scientfic Presentation

Part 2 - Creating the Body of a 10-15 Minute Presentation: Design/Methods; Data Results, Conclusions

Two additional videos should prove useful:

Designing PowerPoint Slides for a Scientific Presentation walks you through the key principles in designing powerful, easy to read slides.

Delivering a Presentation provides tips and approaches to help you put your best foot forward when you stand up in front of a group.

Other resources include:

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How To Write a Laboratory Report: Guide 2024

Why are lab reports important? Lab reports are essential for communicating the findings of medical diagnosis or scientific research & experiments. L ab Report Writing by researchers, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals helps them to make informed decisions about patient care, drug development, and other essential matters.

To write a laboratory report in the correct format is essential, ensuring your findings are clearly and accurately communicated. A lab report writing guide provides a comprehensive framework to help you navigate the process of creating a well-structured and informative lab report. So, this guide will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write a laboratory report, including tips on structure, content, and style.

I. Understanding Lab Reports

The key to decoding lab reports lies in grasping the specific terminology, understanding the significance of data, and appreciating the overall narrative that the report conveys. Further, learn how to understand lab reports under these headings:

A. What is a Lab Report?

A lab report is a written document that describes the findings of a medical diagnosis, research, or scientific experiment. Lab report writing includes information on the purpose of the investigation, the methods used, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn.

B. Lab Reports Types

There are many types of different lab reports. And, they can generally be classified into two categories:

• Qualitative lab reports:  These reports describe the results of diagnosis that produce non-numerical data, such as observations, descriptions, and images.
• Quantitative lab reports: These reports describe the results of studies/findings that produce numerical data, such as counts, measurements, and calculations.

C. Purpose of Lab Reports

The purpose of a lab report is to communicate the findings of a diagnosis, experimental study, or research to others. This may be done for a variety of reasons, such as:

• To share findings with other healthcare providers or scientists
• To report on the results of a clinical diagnosis or trial
• To fulfill the requirements of a course or degree
• To document the results of a quality control test

II. Preparing for Laboratory Reporting

Before you begin with the steps to writing a lab report, it is essential to:

Familiarize yourself with the diagnosis: Make sure you understand the purpose of the investigation, the approach used, and the expected results.

Gather necessary references: This includes data, charts, graphs, and other relevant information.

Consider safety considerations: Make sure to follow all safety protocols when conducting the experiment and writing the report.

III. Structure of a Lab Report

A typical structure of a lab report is as follows:

• Title: The title should be clear and concise, and it should accurately reflect the content of the report.
• Abstract: The abstract is a brief summary of the report, including the diagnostic’s purpose of the diagnosis, methodologies, results, and conclusions.
• Introduction: The introduction provides background information on the experiment, including the purpose of the experiment, the hypothesis, and any relevant literature review.
• Materials and Methods: This section describes the materials used and the procedures followed in conducting the diagnosis.
• Results: This section presents the results of the clinical studies in a clear and concise manner. Data may be offered in tables, charts, and graphs.
• Discussion: The discussion section interprets the medical diagnosis results and discusses their implications. It is important to compare your results to those of other studies and to discuss any limitations of the study.
• Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the main findings of the experiment and states the conclusions that can be drawn.
• References: This section lists all of the sources cited in the report.

Lab Reporting Made Simple with CrelioHealth

Iv. lab report templates.

Let’s explore and enhance your understanding of the most critical aspect of Lab Report Layout.

A. Importance of Using Templates

• Enhanced Consistency: Templates provide a structured laboratory report format that ensures consistency across all reports. This is crucial in the healthcare and medical field, where precision and standardization are essential. Consistent reports are easier to review, understand, and compare.
• Time and Effort Savings:   Ready-to-use templates significantly reduce the time and effort required to create lab reports. Instead of starting from scratch with each report, you can fill in the necessary information and focus on the content. According to a study by the University of Toronto, professionals using templates save an average of 25% of their report creation time.
• Error Reduction: Templates include predefined sections and lab reporting formatting guidelines, reducing the likelihood of errors in your lab reports. This minimizes the risk of oversight or omission, improving the overall quality of the report.

B. Sample Lab Report Template

Toxicology laboratory report template.

A toxicology template in a structured laboratory report writing format is specifically designed for reporting findings related to toxic substances and their effects on living organisms. Moreover, this template typically includes sections detailing the toxic agents, exposure levels, symptoms, and recommendations.

View an example of a simplified toxicology laboratory report template here.

Molecular Diagnostics Report Template

Molecular diagnostics reports provide information about examining tissues at the molecular level. Also, a molecular testing report template contains sections detailing patient information, gene & variant information, observations, and diagnostic conclusions.

Here’s an example of a Next Generation Sequencing report template:

Difference Between Report Templates

The key difference between report templates lies in their focus and content. While both templates share common elements like title, abstract, methods, and references, a toxicology report template is tailored to the specific needs of toxicological analysis. In contrast, a molecular test report template is designed for reporting on tissue examination. The choice of a template depends on the type of study or experiment.

C. Examples and Sample Lab Reports

Analyzing well-written lab reports :.

To understand the importance of templates, let’s analyze a well-written lab report. In a study conducted by the University of Nottingham, it was found that the structure of a lab report using templates had a 15% higher clarity score than those without templates. Furthermore, this demonstrates the immediate impact on report quality.

Extracting Key Elements :

Well-written lab reports often share common elements, such as a clear introduction, hypothesis, detailed methods, comprehensive results, and insightful discussions. Therefore, by analyzing numerous sample reports, you can learn to identify and extract these key elements to incorporate into your reports effectively.

Learning from Successful Reports :

Successful lab reports set a benchmark for quality. For instance, a published clinical trial report that adheres to industry standards can serve as a valuable reference. Also, learning from such reports can help you understand the level of detail required, ethical considerations, and the integration of statistical data.

D. Customizing Templates for Your Needs

Branding & whitelabeling:.

In healthcare institutions or research organizations, it’s essential to maintain a professional brand identity. Moreover, templates can be customized to include the organization’s logo, color scheme, and fonts. This branding not only reinforces the organization’s image but also distinguishes reports as official documents.

Personalization & Localization:

Lab report templates can be personalized for individual researchers, specific study requirements, or for engaging customers. For instance, a researcher may need to add credentials, contact information, or a personalized header. Templates can also be localized for different regions, taking into account language preferences, lab reporting formatting standards, and specific regulatory requirements.

Customizing templates for branding, personalization, and localization adds a layer of professionalism to your reports, making them more reader-friendly and aligned with the organization’s identity and the specific needs of your target audience.

V. Tips for Effective Lab Reporting

Comprehensive detailing of medical test reports helps in effective lab reporting skills. As a result, it becomes practical to produce high-quality reports that meet industry standards and ethical lab report guidelines.

A. Clarity and Precision in Writing

• Use Clear and Concise Language : When writing a lab report, it’s vital to use clear, straightforward language. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms that might confuse readers who are not experts in your field. Your goal is to ensure that anyone, regardless of their background, can understand the report. To keep it clear and simple to patients, smart reports and trend reports  have become popular today. Get an example of smart reports here .
• Define Technical Terms : While clarity is crucial, there will be instances where specialized terminology is necessary. In such cases, provide definitions or explanations for these terms, either in the text or through a glossary. This aids comprehension and ensures your patients, stakeholders, and other readers are on the same page.
• Avoid Ambiguity : Ambiguity can lead to misinterpretation. Be explicit in your descriptions and explanations. Use precise language to leave no room for doubt or multiple interpretations of your findings.

B. Data Presentation

• Choose the Right Visual Aids : When presenting data, select appropriate visual aids like tables, charts, graphs, and figures. The choice should depend on the data type and what will best illustrate your findings.
• Label and Caption Clearly : Ensure that every visual aid is properly labeled and captioned. These labels and captions should be informative, providing context for the reader. Readers should be able to understand the significance of the visual without having to reference the main text extensively.
• Consistency in Data Presentation:  Maintain a consistent style for presenting data throughout the report. Consistency in fonts, colors, and medical lab report formatting makes the information visually appealing and easier to follow.
• Avoid Data Overload : While it’s essential to present relevant data, avoid overwhelming the reader with an excessive amount of information. Select the most crucial data points and present them clearly.

By adhering to such lab report layout and these tips for effective lab reporting, you’ll create reports that are not only accurate and comprehensive but also highly readable and professional. Hence, clear writing, precise data presentation, ethical considerations, and thorough validation & approval are vital in producing reports that make a significant impact in the field of healthcare and medical research.

VI. Common Mistakes to Avoid

While lab report writing, it is crucial to avoid the following common mistakes:

• Factual errors: Carefully check your results and conclusions for factual errors.
• Inconsistent formatting:  Use a consistent lab reporting format throughout your report. This includes using the same font, font size, and margins throughout.
• Neglecting data analysis: Do not simply present your data without analyzing it. Interpret the results of your diagnosis and discuss their implications.
• Ignoring ethical considerations: Discuss any ethical considerations that apply to your methods.

VII. Lab Report Submission

Submitting a lab report is the culmination of meticulous work and precision. Additionally, ensuring that the laboratory report writing format is correct, adheres to submission protocols, and is submitted on time is essential.

A. Formatting Guidelines

Follow the Prescribed Laboratory Report Format :   Each type of lab report, whether a clinical report, research report, or analytical report, often has specific formatting guidelines. It is crucial to adhere to these lab report guidelines to maintain consistency and readability. Moreover, inconsistencies in medical lab report format can distract readers and lead to misinterpretations.

Font and Spacing: Pay attention to the prescribed font type and size. Common choices are Times New Roman or Arial, with font size typically set at 12 points. Ensure that your report has proper line spacing, often set at double spacing, to enhance readability.

Margin Requirements: Be aware of margin requirements. Standard margins are usually set at 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides. Also, following these margin guidelines ensures that your document looks clean and professional.

Page Numbering: Lab reports may require specific page numbering, such as placing page numbers in the upper right or lower right corner. Ensure that page numbers are consistent throughout the document.

Tables and Figures:   If your report includes tables and figures, make sure they are labeled and formatted per the lab report guidelines. Further, this includes consistent table and figure titles, numbering, and sources. Tables and figures in the structure of laboratory reports enhance the report’s visual appeal.

B. Submission Protocols

Submission Method: Different institutions and organizations may have distinct methods for submitting lab reports. Standard methods include email submissions, online portals, or physical submissions. Verify the method specified by your institution.

Cover Page: In some cases, lab reports require a cover page with essential information like your name, course or title, submission date, and any other relevant details. Ensure this cover page is included if required.

Lab Report Title: When submitting the report, ensure that the title accurately represents the content of your report. A well-chosen title helps readers and reviewers quickly understand the report’s focus.

Acknowledgment of Collaborators: If you collaborated with other researchers or medical professionals on the lab report, acknowledge their contributions. This is not only an ethical practice but also enhances the credibility of your work.

Submission Deadlines: Meeting deadlines is non-negotiable in lab report submission. Your lab’s TAT depends on it. Be aware of this submission deadline, and make sure your report is submitted well in advance to account for any unforeseen issues.

C. Deadlines and Extensions

Timely Submission: Timely submission is a hallmark of professionalism. Failing to meet deadlines can have serious repercussions. For example, the punishment for late submissions of the COVID-19 reports to the state government or the federal government was severely strict and non-negotiable.

Requesting Extensions: If you foresee that you might not be able to meet the submission deadline, it’s advisable to request an extension well in advance. Most institutions have formal procedures for extension requests. Explain your reasons for needing an extension clearly and provide a realistic new submission date.

Consequences of Missed Deadlines: Be aware that missed deadlines can lead to academic penalties, reduced credibility, and the loss of opportunities. The impact can be severe in clinical settings, where timely reporting is critical for patient care.

Remember that lab report submission is the last critical step in the lab reporting process. Proper laboratory report writing format, adherence to submission protocols, and timely submissions are essential to ensure that your hard work and research are effectively communicated and contribute to the advancement of healthcare and medical knowledge. Always verify specific requirements with your institution or organization, and make it a practice to submit your lab reports with precision and professionalism.

Lab reports are essential for communicating the findings of scientific experiments to other scientists, clinicians, and healthcare professionals. It is vital to encourage all staff and researchers to be familiar with the best practices for writing lab reports. Lab report templates can be a helpful tool for writing a well-structured and informative report. These structure of laboratory reports can also be used to personalize and brand your reports.

Additional Resources

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:

• Writing the Laboratory Report by Pamela J. Saltman
• A Guide to Scientific Writing by Robert A. Day
• The ACS Style Guide by the American Chemical Society
• CrelioHealth
• LabArchives
• How to Write a Lab Report by the University of Nottingham
• Lab Report Guidelines by the University of Toronto
• Writing a Lab Report by Phoenix College

Here are some Answers to Common Questions for Understanding Lab Reports better:

• What is the purpose of a lab report? The purpose of a lab report is to communicate the findings of an experiment to others. This may be done for a variety of reasons, such as to share findings with other scientists, to report on the results of a clinical trial, or to fulfill the requirements of a course or degree.
• What are the parts of a lab report? A typical lab report includes the following sections: title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references.
• What is the format of a lab report? Lab reports should be written in a clear and concise style. The lab reporting format will vary depending on the specific requirements of your instructor or supervisor. However, most lab reports follow a standard format, as described in this lab report writing guide.
• https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/writing/writingtasks/labreports.aspx
• https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/lab-report/
• https://phoenixcollege.libguides.com/LabReportWriting/labreportformat
• https://phoenixcollege.libguides.com/LabReportWriting/introduction

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How to Write a Lab Report – with Example/Template

April 11, 2024

Perhaps you’re in the midst of your challenging AP chemistry class in high school, or perhaps college you’re enrolled in biology , chemistry , or physics at university. At some point, you will likely be asked to write a lab report. Sometimes, your teacher or professor will give you specific instructions for how to format and write your lab report, and if so, use that. In case you’re left to your own devices, here are some guidelines you might find useful. Continue reading for the main elements of a lab report, followed by a detailed description of the more writing-heavy parts (with a lab report example/lab report template). Lastly, we’ve included an outline that can help get you started.

What is a lab report?

A lab report is an overview of your experiment. Essentially, it explains what you did in the experiment and how it went. Most lab reports end up being 5-10 pages long (graphs or other images included), though the length depends on the experiment. Here are some brief explanations of the essential parts of a lab report:

Title : The title says, in the most straightforward way possible, what you did in the experiment. Often, the title looks something like, “Effects of ____ on _____.” Sometimes, a lab report also requires a title page, which includes your name (and the names of any lab partners), your instructor’s name, and the date of the experiment.

Abstract : This is a short description of key findings of the experiment so that a potential reader could get an idea of the experiment before even beginning.

Introduction : This is comprised of one or several paragraphs summarizing the purpose of the lab. The introduction usually includes the hypothesis, as well as some background information.

Lab Report Example (Continued)

Materials : Perhaps the simplest part of your lab report, this is where you list everything needed for the completion of your experiment.

Methods : This is where you describe your experimental procedure. The section provides necessary information for someone who would want to replicate your study. In paragraph form, write out your methods in chronological order, though avoid excessive detail.

Data : Here, you should document what happened in the experiment, step-by-step. This section often includes graphs and tables with data, as well as descriptions of patterns and trends. You do not need to interpret all of the data in this section, but you can describe trends or patterns, and state which findings are interesting and/or significant.

Discussion of results : This is the overview of your findings from the experiment, with an explanation of how they pertain to your hypothesis, as well as any anomalies or errors.

Conclusion : Your conclusion will sum up the results of your experiment, as well as their significance. Sometimes, conclusions also suggest future studies.

Sources : Often in APA style , you should list all texts that helped you with your experiment. Make sure to include course readings, outside sources, and other experiments that you may have used to design your own.

How to write the abstract

The abstract is the experiment stated “in a nutshell”: the procedure, results, and a few key words. The purpose of the academic abstract is to help a potential reader get an idea of the experiment so they can decide whether to read the full paper. So, make sure your abstract is as clear and direct as possible, and under 200 words (though word count varies).

When writing an abstract for a scientific lab report, we recommend covering the following points:

• Background : Why was this experiment conducted?
• Objectives : What problem is being addressed by this experiment?
• Methods : How was the study designed and conducted?
• Results : What results were found and what do they mean?
• Conclusion : Were the results expected? Is this problem better understood now than before? If so, how?

How to write the introduction

The introduction is another summary, of sorts, so it could be easy to confuse the introduction with the abstract. While the abstract tends to be around 200 words summarizing the entire study, the introduction can be longer if necessary, covering background information on the study, what you aim to accomplish, and your hypothesis. Unlike the abstract (or the conclusion), the introduction does not need to state the results of the experiment.

Here is a possible order with which you can organize your lab report introduction:

• Intro of the intro : Plainly state what your study is doing.
• Background : Provide a brief overview of the topic being studied. This could include key terms and definitions. This should not be an extensive literature review, but rather, a window into the most relevant topics a reader would need to understand in order to understand your research.
• Importance : Now, what are the gaps in existing research? Given the background you just provided, what questions do you still have that led you to conduct this experiment? Are you clarifying conflicting results? Are you undertaking a new area of research altogether?
• Prediction: The plants placed by the window will grow faster than plants placed in the dark corner.
• Hypothesis: Basil plants placed in direct sunlight for 2 hours per day grow at a higher rate than basil plants placed in direct sunlight for 30 minutes per day.
• How you test your hypothesis : This is an opportunity to briefly state how you go about your experiment, but this is not the time to get into specific details about your methods (save this for your results section). Keep this part down to one sentence, and voila! You have your introduction.

How to write a discussion section

Here, we’re skipping ahead to the next writing-heavy section, which will directly follow the numeric data of your experiment. The discussion includes any calculations and interpretations based on this data. In other words, it says, “Now that we have the data, why should we care?”  This section asks, how does this data sit in relation to the hypothesis? Does it prove your hypothesis or disprove it? The discussion is also a good place to mention any mistakes that were made during the experiment, and ways you would improve the experiment if you were to repeat it. Like the other written sections, it should be as concise as possible.

Here is a list of points to cover in your lab report discussion:

• Weaker statement: These findings prove that basil plants grow more quickly in the sunlight.
• Stronger statement: These findings support the hypothesis that basil plants placed in direct sunlight grow at a higher rate than basil plants given less direct sunlight.
• Factors influencing results : This is also an opportunity to mention any anomalies, errors, or inconsistencies in your data. Perhaps when you tested the first round of basil plants, the days were sunnier than the others. Perhaps one of the basil pots broke mid-experiment so it needed to be replanted, which affected your results. If you were to repeat the study, how would you change it so that the results were more consistent?
• Implications : How do your results contribute to existing research? Here, refer back to the gaps in research that you mentioned in your introduction. Do these results fill these gaps as you hoped?
• Questions for future research : Based on this, how might your results contribute to future research? What are the next steps, or the next experiments on this topic? Make sure this does not become too broad—keep it to the scope of this project.

How to write a lab report conclusion

This is your opportunity to briefly remind the reader of your findings and finish strong. Your conclusion should be especially concise (avoid going into detail on findings or introducing new information).

Here are elements to include as you write your conclusion, in about 1-2 sentences each:

• Restate your goals : What was the main question of your experiment? Refer back to your introduction—similar language is okay.
• Restate your methods : In a sentence or so, how did you go about your experiment?
• Key findings : Briefly summarize your main results, but avoid going into detail.
• Limitations : What about your experiment was less-than-ideal, and how could you improve upon the experiment in future studies?
• Significance and future research : Why is your research important? What are the logical next-steps for studying this topic?

Template for beginning your lab report

Here is a compiled outline from the bullet points in these sections above, with some examples based on the (overly-simplistic) basil growth experiment. Hopefully this will be useful as you begin your lab report.

1) Title (ex: Effects of Sunlight on Basil Plant Growth )

2) Abstract (approx. 200 words)

• Background ( This experiment looks at… )
• Objectives ( It aims to contribute to research on…)
• Methods ( It does so through a process of…. )
• Results (Findings supported the hypothesis that… )
• Conclusion (These results contribute to a wider understanding about…)

3) Introduction (approx. 1-2 paragraphs)

• Intro ( This experiment looks at… )
• Background ( Past studies on basil plant growth and sunlight have found…)
• Importance ( This experiment will contribute to these past studies by…)
• Hypothesis ( Basil plants placed in direct sunlight for 2 hours per day grow at a higher rate than basil plants placed in direct sunlight for 30 minutes per day.)
• How you will test your hypothesis ( This hypothesis will be tested by a process of…)

4) Materials (list form) (ex: pots, soil, seeds, tables/stands, water, light source )

5) Methods (approx. 1-2 paragraphs) (ex: 10 basil plants were measured throughout a span of…)

6) Data (brief description and figures) (ex: These charts demonstrate a pattern that the basil plants placed in direct sunlight…)

7) Discussion (approx. 2-3 paragraphs)

• Support or reject hypothesis ( These findings support the hypothesis that basil plants placed in direct sunlight grow at a higher rate than basil plants given less direct sunlight.)
• Factors that influenced your results ( Outside factors that could have altered the results include…)
• Implications ( These results contribute to current research on basil plant growth and sunlight because…)
• Questions for further research ( Next steps for this research could include…)
• Restate your goals ( In summary, the goal of this experiment was to measure…)
• Restate your methods ( This hypothesis was tested by…)
• Key findings ( The findings supported the hypothesis because…)
• Limitations ( Although, certain elements were overlooked, including…)
• Significance and future research ( This experiment presents possibilities of future research contributions, such as…)
• Sources (approx. 1 page, usually in APA style)

Final thoughts – Lab Report Example

Hopefully, these descriptions have helped as you write your next lab report. Remember that different instructors may have different preferences for structure and format, so make sure to double-check when you receive your assignment. All in all, make sure to keep your scientific lab report concise, focused, honest, and organized. Good luck!

For more reading on coursework success, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay (With Example)
• How to Write the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay (With Example)
• 49 Most Interesting Biology Research Topics
• 50 Best Environmental Science Research Topics
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How to Write a Lab Report

Lab Reports Describe Your Experiment

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Lab reports are an essential part of all laboratory courses and usually a significant part of your grade. If your instructor gives you an outline for how to write a lab report, use that. Some instructors require a lab report to be included in a lab notebook , while others will request a separate report. Here's a format for a lab report you can use if you aren't sure what to write or need an explanation of what to include in the different parts of the report.

A lab report is how you explain what you did in ​your experiment, what you learned, and what the results meant.

Lab Report Essentials

Not all lab reports have title pages, but if your instructor wants one, it would be a single page that states:​

• The title of the experiment.
• Your name and the names of any lab partners.
• Your instructor's name.
• The date the lab was performed or the date the report was submitted.

The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less) and describe the main point of the experiment or investigation. An example of a title would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal Growth Rate". If you can, begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like "The" or "A".

Introduction or Purpose

Usually, the introduction is one paragraph that explains the objectives or purpose of the lab. In one sentence, state the hypothesis. Sometimes an introduction may contain background information, briefly summarize how the experiment was performed, state the findings of the experiment, and list the conclusions of the investigation. Even if you don't write a whole introduction, you need to state the purpose of the experiment, or why you did it. This would be where you state your hypothesis .

List everything needed to complete your experiment.

Describe the steps you completed during your investigation. This is your procedure. Be sufficiently detailed that anyone could read this section and duplicate your experiment. Write it as if you were giving direction for someone else to do the lab. It may be helpful to provide a figure to diagram your experimental setup.

Numerical data obtained from your procedure usually presented as a table. Data encompasses what you recorded when you conducted the experiment. It's just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.

Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results section is combined with the Discussion.

Discussion or Analysis

The Data section contains numbers; the Analysis section contains any calculations you made based on those numbers. This is where you interpret the data and determine whether or not a hypothesis was accepted. This is also where you would discuss any mistakes you might have made while conducting the investigation. You may wish to describe ways the study might have been improved.

Conclusions

Most of the time the conclusion is a single paragraph that sums up what happened in the experiment, whether your hypothesis was accepted or rejected, and what this means.

Figures and Graphs

Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Label the axes on a graph, being sure to include units of measurement. The independent variable is on the X-axis, the dependent variable (the one you are measuring) is on the Y-axis. Be sure to refer to figures and graphs in the text of your report: the first figure is Figure 1, the second figure is Figure 2, etc.

If your research was based on someone else's work or if you cited facts that require documentation, then you should list these references.

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How to Write a Science Lab Report

Last Updated: February 29, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Meredith Juncker, PhD . Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Her studies are focused on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 358,889 times.

Depending on the expectations of your program, the preferences of your teacher or adviser, and the level of education you are currently at, there are many variations of science lab reports you might use. Generally speaking, your science lab report should have a title, abstract, introduction, a list of materials used in your experiment, a description of methods used, your results, discussion about your results, and a list of literature cited. [1] X Research source [2] X Research source This may seem like an overwhelming amount of work, but by adhering to a few guidelines and putting in the necessary effort, you'll soon have a report your instructor will love.

Sample Lab Report and Writing Help

Formulating a Plan for Your Report

• You may have performed supplemental experiments/simulations or repeated your initial experience after receiving your first round of feedback.
• (a) Self-review and revision
• (b) Peer review and constructive feedback
• (c) Advisor/instructor review and feedback

• It can help remind yourself of this goal at the beginning of every section before starting writing.
• When you finish a section of your report, read it through carefully, and at the end of it, ask yourself: was that easy to read and understand? Did I succeed in my goal?

• If you believe your paper might be of use to researchers in another discipline, like social science, you may want to include definitions or explanations for the more technical jargon used in your paper.

• Since different instructors have different preferences, you should check your lab report handout or course syllabus to verify expectations for the order and content of your report. [4] X Research source
• Most lab reports are organized, first to last: background information, problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, data, and your interpretation of what happened as a conclusion.

• The organization of the body of your lab report will be specific to your problem/experiment.
• You may also have a separate section for the statement of your design methodology, experimental methodology, or proving subsidiary/intermediary theorems in your report.

Writing a Top-down Outline

• The section-level outline
• The subsection-level outline
• The paragraph-level outline

• Bullet points are invaluable when you reach the paragraph level of your report. These will allow you to note important terms, phrases, and data that will need to be integrated with the text of your report.
• Take special note, at the paragraph level, of important symbols, protocols, algorithms, and jargon.

• You might also consider using simple figures as a way of cutting down unnecessary wordiness.

Writing Your Introduction and Abstract

• The title of your report should reflect what you have done and bring out any eye-catching factor of your work.
• The abstract should be concise, generally about 2 paragraphs or about 200 words in length. [9] X Research source

• (a) Main motivation
• (b) Main design point
• (c) Essential differences from previous work
• (d) Methodology
• (e) Noteworthy results, if any

• What is the setting of the problem? This is, in other words, the background. In some cases, this may be implicit, and in some cases, this question may be merged with your paper's motivation.
• What is the problem you are trying to solve? This is also known as the problem statement of your report.
• Why is your problem important? This is the motivation behind your report. In some cases, it may be implicit in the background, or even the problem statement.
• Is the problem still unsolved? The constitutes the statement of past/related work, and should be conveyed succinctly. [10] X Research source

• Each section of the body of your report can be thought of as an in-depth look at the points mentioned in the introduction.

• Why is your problem difficult to solve?
• How have you solved the problem?
• What are the conditions under which your solution is applicable?
• What are the main results?
• What is the summary of your contributions? This, in some cases, maybe implicit in the body of your introduction. Sometimes it helps to state contributions explicitly.
• How is the rest of your report organized?

Writing the Body of Your Lab Report

• Describe the equipment or theory in a short paragraph.
• Consider including a diagram of the apparatus for equipment.
• Theoretical elements should be included in both natural and derived forms. [15] X Research source
• Include what strategies and methodologies you are using for the experiment.

• A large quantity of work closely related to your work would likely be best closer to the beginning of your report. This will allow you to point out differences best.
• Relevant work that is substantially different from your own is probably best toward the end of your report. However, this placement risks leaving your readers wondering about differences until the end of your report.

• Functionality
• Performance
• 1. Functionality
• 3. Implementation
• 4. Anticipated results or successes

• Make sure to cite the work of others so you can avoid plagiarism and give yourself more credibility.
• If you decide to use a chart, it is a general convention that you include your own work in either the first or last column.

• All figures and tables should be titled descriptively, numbered sequentially, and include a descriptive legend for symbols, abbreviations, etc.
• The columns and rows of all tables and the axes of graphs should be labeled. [16] X Research source

• What aspects of your system or algorithm are you trying to evaluate? Why?
• What are the cases of comparison? If you have proposed an algorithm or a design, what do you compare it with?
• What are the performance metrics? Why?
• What are the parameters understudy?
• What is the experimental setup?

Concluding Your Lab Report

• Predictions are expected in this section, though these should be clearly identified as such.
• Future experiments that might clarify your results should be suggested. [17] X Research source

• Precisely and in as few words as possible state the main findings of your lab.
• Answer the question: How has the reader become smarter, or how does your research and work fit into the bigger picture?

Getting the Most Out of Peer Review

• Many academic papers are reviewed 3 times by 3 sets of reviewers before they are published. Take constructive criticism for your lab report if you plan to pursue a career in academics.

• You might also make use of your campus writing center, if available. Here you can have a fresh set of eyes assess the quality of your report.

• Title/abstract logical, understandable, and eye-catching?
• All relevant questions answered in the introduction?
• Overall structure of sections and subsections meaningful?
• Is there a logical flow of information?
• Differences between related/past work apparent?
• Technical sections intelligible?
• Figures/tables explained properly?
• Use of terminology clear?
• Symbols defined appropriately?
• Results explained properly?
• Technical holes/flaws?
• Potential problems or alternatives?

• Try to keep your comments as impersonal as possible. Locate specific elements that can be isolated, targeted, and improved.
• While taking feedback from a peer, take the comments on their technical merit and avoid being defensive.

Expert Q&A

• If you're looking for how to write a lab report for elementary, junior, or high school, try Write a Good Lab Conclusion in Science . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Under no circumstances should you plagiarize the work of another. Doing so can result in immediate expulsion from most universities, and could tarnish your reputation as an academic. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/c.php?g=992698&p=7182653
• ↑ https://libguides.lmu.edu/c.php?g=324079&p=2174135
• ↑ https://www.apu.edu/live_data/files/288/lab_reports.pdf
• ↑ https://services.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/471276/Writing_Science_Laboratory_Reports_Update_051112.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/
• ↑ https://biology.kenyon.edu/Bio_InfoLit/how/page2.html
• ↑ https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/how-guides/how-succeed-math-and-science/writing-lab-reports/writing-lab-reports-figures-and-tables
• ↑ https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/different-genres/writing-an-abstract
• ↑ https://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing/resources/handouts/introducing-a-lab-report/
• ↑ https://writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/laboratory.html
• ↑ https://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/maderinquiry/writing.html
• ↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-present-findings-from-my-experiment-in-a-report-.html
• ↑ https://www.chem.ucla.edu/~gchemlab/labnotebook_web.htm
• ↑ https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=352816&p=2377942

About This Article

To write a lab report, start by coming up with a title that points to what you’ve done and an abstract that summarizes your work in 2 paragraphs. Follow this up with an introduction, which should introduce the problem you’re trying to solve, and explain why it’s important. Next, write a section on your materials and methods that informs the reader how you did your work. Additionally, present your results in a separate section, and highlight key points so they’re not overlooked. Finally, conclude with a section discussing the significance of your results and any problems with the study. For tips on how to write a top-down outline for your report and make the most of peer reviews, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Writing a lab report: introduction and discussion section guide.

In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages. Download this page as a PDF:   Writing a Lab Report Return to Writing Studio Handouts

Part 1 (of 2): Introducing a Lab Report

The introduction of a lab report states the objective of the experiment and provides the reader with background information. State the topic of your report clearly and concisely (in one or two sentences). Provide background theory, previous research, or formulas the reader should know. Usually, an instructor does not want you to repeat whatever the lab manual says, but to show your understanding of the problem.

Questions an Effective Lab Report Introduction Should Answer

What is the problem.

Describe the problem investigated. Summarize relevant research to provide context, key terms, and concepts so that your reader can understand the experiment.

Why is it important?

Review relevant research to provide a rationale for the investigation. What conflict, unanswered question, untested population, or untried method in existing research does your experiment address? How will you challenge or extend the findings of other researchers?

What solution (or step toward a solution) do you propose?

Briefly describe your experiment : hypothesis , research question , general experimental design or method , and a justification of your method (if alternatives exist).

Tips on Composing Your Lab Report’s Introduction

• Move from the general to the specific – from a problem in research literature to the specifics of your experiment.
• Engage your reader – answer the questions: “What did I do?” “Why should my reader care?”
• Clarify the links between problem and solution, between question asked and research design, and between prior research and the specifics of your experiment.
• Be selective, not exhaustive, in choosing studies to cite and the amount of detail to include. In general, the more relevant an article is to your study, the more space it deserves and the later in the introduction it appears.
• Ask your instructor whether or not you should summarize results and/or conclusions in the Introduction.
• “The objective of the experiment was …”
• “The purpose of this report is …”
• “Bragg’s Law for diffraction is …”
• “The scanning electron microscope produces micrographs …”

Part 2 (of 2): Writing the “Discussion” Section of a Lab Report

The discussion is the most important part of your lab report, because here you show that you have not merely completed the experiment, but that you also understand its wider implications. The discussion section is reserved for putting experimental results in the context of the larger theory. Ask yourself: “What is the significance or meaning of the results?”

Elements of an Effective Discussion Section

What do the results indicate clearly? Based on your results, explain what you know with certainty and draw conclusions.

Interpretation

What is the significance of your results? What ambiguities exist? What are logical explanations for problems in the data? What questions might you raise about the methods used or the validity of the experiment? What can be logically deduced from your analysis?

Tips on the Discussion Section

1. explain your results in terms of theoretical issues..

How well has the theory been illustrated? What are the theoretical implications and practical applications of your results?

For each major result:

• Describe the patterns, principles, and relationships that your results show.
• Explain how your results relate to expectations and to literature cited in your Introduction. Explain any agreements, contradictions, or exceptions.
• Describe what additional research might resolve contradictions or explain exceptions.

2. Relate results to your experimental objective(s).

If you set out to identify an unknown metal by finding its lattice parameter and its atomic structure, be sure that you have identified the metal and its attributes.

3. Compare expected results with those obtained.

If there were differences, how can you account for them? Were the instruments able to measure precisely? Was the sample contaminated? Did calculated values take account of friction?

4. Analyze experimental error along with the strengths and limitations of the experiment’s design.

Were any errors avoidable? Were they the result of equipment?  If the flaws resulted from the experiment design, explain how the design might be improved. Consider, as well, the precision of the instruments that were used.

5. Compare your results to similar investigations.

In some cases, it is legitimate to compare outcomes with classmates, not in order to change your answer, but in order to look for and to account for or analyze any anomalies between the groups. Also, consider comparing your results to published scientific literature on the topic.

The “Introducing a Lab Report” guide was adapted from the University of Toronto Engineering Communications Centre and University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center.

The “Writing the Discussion Section of a Lab Report” resource was adapted from the University of Toronto Engineering Communications Centre and University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center.

Last revised: 07/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 02/2021

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Writing Lab Reports

Writing lab reports follows a straightforward and structured procedure. It is important to recognize that each part of a lab report is important, so take the time to complete each carefully. A lab report is broken down into eight sections: title, abstract, introduction, methods and materials, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. 

• Ex: "Determining the Free Chlorine Content of Pool Water"
• Abstracts are a summary of the experiment as a whole and should familiarize the reader with the purpose of the research. 
• Abstracts will always be written last, even though they are the first paragraph of a lab report. 
• Not all lab reports will require an abstract. However, they are often included in upper-level lab reports and should be studied carefully. 
• Why was the research done or experiment conducted?
• What problem is being addressed?
• What results were found?
• What are the meaning of the results?
• How is the problem better understood now than before, if at all?

Introduction

• The introduction of a lab report discusses the problem being studied and other theory that is relevant to understanding the findings. 
• The hypothesis of the experiment and the motivation for the research are stated in this section. 
• Write the introduction in your own words. Try not to copy from a lab manual or other guidelines. Instead, show comprehension of the experiment by briefly explaining the problem.

Methods and Materials

• Ex: pipette, graduated cylinder, 1.13mg of Na, 0.67mg Ag
• List the steps taken as they actually happened during the experiment, not as they were supposed to happen. 
• If written correctly, another researcher should be able to duplicate the experiment and get the same or very similar results. 
• The results show the data that was collected or found during the experiment. 
• Explain in words the data that was collected.
• Tables should be labeled numerically, as "Table 1", "Table 2", etc. Other figures should be labeled numerically as "Figure 1", "Figure 2", etc. 
• Calculations to understand the data can also be presented in the results. 
• The discussion section is one of the most important parts of the lab report. It analyzes the results of the experiment and is a discussion of the data. 
• If any results are unexpected, explain why they are unexpected and how they did or did not effect the data obtained. 
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the design of the experiment and compare your results to other similar experiments.
• If there are any experimental errors, analyze them.
• Explain your results and discuss them using relevant terms and theories.
• What do the results indicate?
• What is the significance of the results?
• Are there any gaps in knowledge?
• Are there any new questions that have been raised?
• The conclusion is a summation of the experiment. It should clearly and concisely state what was learned and its importance.
• If there is future work that needs to be done, it can be explained in the conclusion.
• If using any outside sources to support a claim or explain background information, those sources must be cited in the references section of the lab report. 
• In the event that no outside sources are used, the references section may be left out. 

Other Useful Sources

• The Lab Report
• Sample Laboratory Report #2
• Some Tips on Writing Lab Reports
• Writing a Science Lab Report
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Lab Report Format – How to Write a Laboratory Report

A science laboratory experiment isn’t truly complete until you’ve written the lab report. You may have taken excellent notes in your laboratory notebook, but it isn’t the same as a lab report. The lab report format is designed to present experimental results so they can be shared with others. A well-written report explains what you did, why you did it, and what you learned. It should also generate reader interest, potentially leading to peer-reviewed publication and funding.

Sections of a Lab Report

There is no one lab report format. The format and sections might be specified by your instructor or employer. What really matters is covering all of the important information.

Label the sections (except the title). Use bold face type for the title and headings. The order is:

You may or may not be expected to provide a title page. If it is required, the title page includes the title of the experiment, the names of the researchers, the name of the institution, and the date.

The title describes the experiment. Don’t start it with an article (e.g., the, an, a) because it messes up databases and isn’t necessary. For example, a good title might be, “Effect of Increasing Glucose Concentration on Danio rerio Egg Hatching Rates.” Use title case and italicize the scientific names of any species.

Introduction

Sometimes the introduction is broken into separate sections. Otherwise, it’s written as a narrative that includes the following information:

• State the purpose of the experiment.
• State the hypothesis.
• Review earlier work on the subject. Refer to previous studies. Cover the background so a reader understands what is known about a subject and what you hope to learn that is new.
• Describe your approach to answering a question or solving a problem. Include a theory or equation, if appropriate.

This section describes experimental design. Identify the parameter you changed ( independent variable ) and the one you measured ( dependent variable ). Describe the equipment and set-up you used, materials, and methods. If a reader can’t picture the apparatus from your description, include a photograph or diagram. Sometimes this section is broken into “Materials” and “Methods.”

Your lab notebook contains all of the data you collected in the experiment. You aren’t expected to reproduce all of this in a lab report. Instead, provide labelled tables and graphs. The first figure is Figure 1, the second is Figure 2, etc. The first graph is Graph 1. Refer to figures and graphs by their figure number. For some experiments, you may need to include labelled photographs. Cite the results of any calculations you performed, such as slope and standard deviation. Discuss sources of error here, including instrument, standard, and random errors.

Discussion or Conclusions

While the “Results” section includes graphs and tables, the “Discussion” or “Conclusions” section focuses on what the results mean. This is where you state whether or not the objective of the experiment was met and what the outcome means.  Propose reasons for discrepancies between expected and actual outcomes. Finally, describe the next logical step in your research and ways you might improve on the experiment.

References or Bibliography

Did you build upon work conducted by someone else? Cite the work. Did you consult a paper relating to the experiment? Credit the author. If you’re unsure whether to cite a reference or not, a good rule of thumb is to include a reference for any fact not known to your audience. For some reports, it’s only necessary to list publications directly relating to your procedure and conclusions.

The Tone of a Lab Report

Lab reports should be informative, not entertaining. This isn’t the place for humor, sarcasm, or flowery prose. A lab report should be:

• Concise : Cover all the key points without getting crazy with the details.
• Objective : In the “Conclusions” section, you can propose possible explanations for your results. Otherwise, keep your opinions out of the report. Instead, present facts and an analysis based on logic and math.
• Critical : After presenting what you did, the report focuses on what the data means. Be on the lookout for sources of error and identify them. Use your understanding of error to determine how reliable your results are and gauge confidence in your conclusions.

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Experiment Results PowerPoint Template

The Experiment Results PowerPoint Template is a complete slide deck for evaluation and reporting purposes. The 13 slides of the PowerPoint template provide visual elements for detailed experimentation. Especially in science experiments, this template can help discuss a formal laboratory report. This presentation is useful for evaluating scientific experiments and findings in an effective and coherent way. It includes slides of team introduction, definition, objectives, methods, results, and analysis. Professionals can take advantage of a pre-design PowerPoint template to showcase the results of research in an engaging manner. You can also present school experiment results for science and research presentations .

The Experiment Results PowerPoint Template has graphic contents including background images, and clipart icons to support analysis reports. Team members slide helps introduce the research team and their contribution to conduct an experiment. It is a three columns slide with round image placeholders. You can replace the pictures to show people involved in conducting an experiment. The introduction slides of team experiment results in PowerPoint template are useful for giving an overview of a research topic. In an example of a social experiment, you can add the history, purpose, and problem statement in the introduction slide.

The PowerPoint presentation deck for experiment results contains a simple bullet list format for the objectives of an experiment. Here, users can add the key points of an experiment such as demographics, expectations, solutions. You can briefly explain the methods and techniques of the experiment using slides of qualitative and quantitative methods. Conclude the results of an experiment by summarizing the report in image and text placeholder slides. The additional slides of results offer data-driven charts to discuss experiment data, statistics, and comparisons.

Experiment Results PowerPoint Template is divided into sections of introduction, methods, and implementation, and analysis of results. The slide for analysis of results is a 3 steps process for analysis at various stages. This template also contains slides of the conclusion and references to conclude the experiment results report.

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Eg1004 lab presentation format.

You will only have about five minutes to present your lab results, so it's important to only have a few slides and make them count. Each of the following subsections will describe what each slide should contain.

• 1 Title Slide
• 3 Experimental Objective
• 4 Introduction
• 5 Background Information
• 7 Procedure
• 8 Data/Observations
• 10 Conclusion
• 11 Critique
• 12 Presentation Tips

Title Slide

The title slide serves a number of purposes. For EG1004, it will identify your presentation for grading purposes. However, it also serves a number of other purposes. First, when you're setting up your presentation, the title slide is used to make sure the projector is properly focused and "zoomed" properly to fill the screen and make the slide readable to everybody in the room. Second, it ensures that the audience knows that they're in the right place, and what they're going to hear.

Therefore, the title slide should have the following information:

• The number and title of the lab
• The course identification (EG1004) and your section
• The date the lab was performed
• The date of the presentation itself
• The names of the members of your group, usually in alphabetical order

All this information should be on individual lines and centered. One item of protocol: In industry, when multiple people are listed on a presentation, the leader's name is usually given first; if everybody is more or less the same rank, the names are given alphabetically, the practice we follow in EG1004. Repeat the title slide at the end of the presentation as well(after conclusion). It allows the audience to know that you have finished presenting.

When giving the presentation, the presenters should stand in the same order that their names appear on the title slide to help the audience to know who is who. In EG1004, the entire team (typically you and a partner) should be presenting. If somebody is missing, you should note that fact when they're place in the order of how the names comes up.

In a large room where a PA system is being used, everybody will stand on the same side, near the lectern where the microphone is.

The second slide in almost any presentation will be the agenda the presentation will follow, called the overview in EG1004. This helps form the audience's expectations of what's going to be presented, and prepares them for the level of detail you'll be presenting. It usually consists of a list of bulleted items of the topics to be covered. Since EG1004 has a standard format, your overview slide should consist of the following list:

Experimental Objective

Introduction, background information, data/observations.

You'll find that in EG1004 you can just "cut and paste" this slide from one presentation to the next.

When giving the presentation, you don't have to read over every item in the preceding list; presumably the audience knows how to read, and you'll just bore them. It's usually sufficient to just say "These are the items we'll be covering today" wait a few seconds to allow the audience to read over the list, and then move on.

The remaining slides in the presentation will be the items in the list.

This slide describes what you tried to accomplish in this lab. The easiest way to understand what this slide does is to picture yourself as a working professional and think of the lab as an assignment that you've been given. What is it that you're trying to accomplish? How would you define success?

In some labs you'll be designing something, so your objective would be to come up with a working design. In other labs you'll be asked to analyze something and describe what it does, so in this case your objective would be to be successful in finding out what the object is, or how it works.

In most cases, the objective is stated early in the lab, so it's easy to find once you know how to look.

Some of the labs are competitions, so an obvious additional objective for these labs would be to win the competition. Everybody wants to win a contest, making this a goal. Nobody wants to lose a contest.

One issue to be careful about is that the objectives are experimental objectives, not educational objectives. Since you're putting yourself in the role of a working professional, presumably you're competent to perform the task, or can learn how to be successful. Therefore, we measure success by whether or not we were successful in our design, not in what we learned. Phrases you should avoid for an objective would be "to learn about", "to become familiar with", or similar phrases.

Generally the objective can be stated in one or two bullets, and should answer the question of "how do we define success?"

The labs cover a wide range of topics, so it's important to explain why this particular lab is important. There are two themes you can use here:

• Why the technology we're investigating is important to engineering practice or important to people.
• How this technology can be used to make our life easier.

This information can also usually be found in the lab description if you know how to look. Read the lab carefully, think about why it was chosen, and you'll probably have more than enough material for this slide.

At this point you've given the audience enough material to get their attention. Now it's time to start explaining what you did and what you accomplished. The best model to use here is to consider a lawyer building their case in court.  When presenters make a claim, they have to back it up with evidence, not just say to the audience "trust me". This is where you start to present your evidence.

The idea here is to start building your case by making a foundation of the relevant facts and principles that you used in the lab to achieve success. This information can take several forms:

• The background technology on which the lab is based
• The relevant theories involved, as presented in the lab
• The relevant equations used to calculate results and define success
• Competition rules (if it was a competition lab)
• Any pictures that help explain the principles involved, or how your design works
• Real life applications that help demonstrate how your design is effective

Once again, you can find all this material in the lab description if you read it carefully. All you need to do is extract it intelligently.

There are several issues to watch carefully here:

• Usually the lab description gives you much more background information than you need for the lab presentation. We try to make the lab interesting, so we explain things much more than you need to. The key word here is RELEVANCE . Make sure the material you include is relevant to your presentation, and not just everything that's in the lab description. Keep in mind that you only have about five minutes to present, and an exhaustive discussion of all the background information in the lab description will almost certainly cause you to run over on time, either leading to deductions in lack of presentation skills by staying within the allotted time, or boring the audience with a bunch of irrelevant material.
• The difference between the Introduction and Background Information can be subtle at times. You might have trouble figuring out where to put certain material. Your faculty member and/or Recitation TA will point this out to you in your earlier presentations, until you get used to this format. Also, an easy "rule of thumb" to use is to consider the material itself. If it's information you needed to successfully complete the lab, it's probably Background Information. If it's merely interesting material that adds interest to your presentation, it should probably go into the Introduction.

This is the first section that may consist of more than one slide. In fact, in the later labs, this section will probably consist of several slides.

For competition labs, the rules of the competition must be stated in this section.

This slide is easy. All you need to do is enumerate the materials you used as a bullet list.

There are a few things to consider here. First, make sure you include only the materials you actually used. Many of the labs, especially the competitions, include a great deal of material to choose from in completing your design. Our intent was to give you considerable flexibility in your design, and to insure that every team should come up with something unique. Therefore, you should only include the actual materials you used, not the complete list of the materials provided. Sometimes you'll use some material and then discover you didn't need it in your final design. In this case the material should be included in the list, but note that it was later discarded.

Next, make sure your list is complete. Sometimes a material is so obvious that you forget to include it. For example, many of the labs make use of the lab PC and some software called LabVIEW®. In this case, these items should appear in the materials.

Overall, the intent here is that if somebody wanted to duplicate what you did in the lab, this would be the list of what they'd need.

One thing to be aware of: For your lab report, you should show your materials in a sentence. However, in the presentation it should be a bullet list. Do not include competition cost tables. It's not required to read every material aloud but give the audience a few minutes to read the slide.

This is where you describe what you did. You should describe the steps you followed. Use bullet points or flowcharts to explain the steps you followed.

The main issue here is BREVITY! Keep in mind that you only have five minutes to do the entire presentation. An exhaustive description of every little step you did will easily cause you to run over on time, costing you points on your grade and boring the audience. The lab descriptions are very detailed to help insure that you'll be successful in completing the lab, but you should have MUCH LESS detail in your presentation.

A good "rule of thumb" to use is to have the procedures be one slide, or two at most. More than that is too much detail. For some of the labs, it can be difficult to summarize a lot of work into so few items, but you'll be able to do it if you think about it. If you go over one slide, you should ask yourself if there really isn't a way to summarize at a higher level.

In addition to this list, you can also include pictures of the equipment you used if it helps the audience understand what you did.

At this point let's review what we've covered so far. We've defined what we're trying to accomplish (Objective). We've explained why it's important to do this (Introduction). We've given the "foundation" on which we will base our findings (Background Information). We've shown what we used to accomplish the goal (Materials). We've shown what we did to achieve the goal (Procedure).

Our next task is to explain what we saw and present what we recorded, which is what this section does. The important thing to understand here is that we are only reporting what we observed . Later on we'll use the formulas we gave in the Background Information to derive results

The primary issue here is to show what we saw in a way the audience can grasp quickly. Many of the labs will have you take a number of readings. Therefore, the first way we can report our observations is by using a table (must have a title) of the inputs we provided and the outputs observed. If there are a large number of values, it will be hard to read the table just due to font size, and even if we could it will be hard for the audience to try to deduce a trend from the data you're showing. Therefore, it may be useful to have a chart of the data as well, especially if a large number of readings have been taken.

If you’ve designed something in CAD, it would be a good idea to present an image of the design in this section. Use captions and arrows to point out the special features on the image. If you’ve built a device, it would be a good idea to present an image of the design in this section.

The main idea here is to present the raw data you recorded, without judgment or analysis. You are presenting additional facts which, when added to the preceding sections, continue to build your case.

This section is usually several slides. The main problem here is to present your data in a way that allows the audience to get the message quickly. Remember that your time budget is only about 5 minutes.

This is the section where you take the data presented in the preceding section and analyze it. In any cases you'll be applying the formulas you showed in the Background Information to the data given in the Observations to derive the results.

Refer to the data collected to support your results. This way you can easily defend the accuracy and honesty of your results.

Some of the labs are competitions. The competition judging is based on formulas given in the lab description that you should have also included in your Background Information. Show sample calculations. Therefore, you can now show the results of all the teams in your lab session and where you placed. This is usually a spreadsheet that your Lab TA will post to you. You can then include it in your presentation.

You can now present some overall results. First, where did your team place in the competition? Did you achieve the objective you described at the beginning of the presentation? If so, why? If not, why not?

In general, your results will only be one or two slides. If you want more slides than this for this section, remember your time budget.

In this section of the presentation you should discuss if the objective of the lab was achieved and suggest for improvements for your design or how you performed the lab. If it was a competition lab then state your teams place in the competition.

In many presentations, the conclusion is the most important slide of all. It is the last impression that you're going to give your audience, and it will probably be the way they will remember you. As an example, many viewers would agree that "Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith" was a good movie, primarily because of its special effects (a trademark of the entire Star Wars series). However, many of them hasten to add that they were disappointed by the last five minutes of the movie. It's interesting that they give equal weight to the first two hours and fifteen minutes and the last five minutes of the movie.

You want to have an impact on the audience with your conclusion. Above all, you want to make it look like you were successful, even if you weren't. After the Challenger disaster in 1986, NASA held a press conference to discuss one of the darkest days in the US space effort. Many people felt it could be a disaster from which NASA would never recover, and that the US space program was essentially dead. At the press conference, a reporter asked a NASA representative what they planned to do about this colossal failure. The representative, without hesitation, said that NASA never had a failure – an answer that certainly surprised everybody in the room. The representative then explained that NASA's mission was essentially gathering knowledge for the benefit of humanity. They viewed the Challenger incident, although extremely painful, as a learning experience. They would fully investigate what went wrong, fix it, and insure that it would not happen again on future designs. Although it was a bitter way to gain knowledge, this would result in better, safer Space Shuttles. Everyone present felt this was a powerful answer to a very difficult question.

First, if you achieved the objective, say so. Note that the objectives given in the lab description are usually fairly general by intent, so you can usually "spin" the objective to one which is favorable to whatever you achieved. This should be reflected in your "Objective" slide at the beginning of the presentation. Sometimes, however, even this is not enough. In that case, you can restate the objective at the conclusion in a way that at least minimizes the damage.

If the lab was a competition and your team won, be sure to say so! Brag! You deserve it! If you almost won, you can point that out and still claim success. If you came in "in the pack" or at the bottom, you can still claim that you were partially successful by submitting a design.

One word that you should never use: Failure. Remember the NASA story several paragraphs ago, and learn from it. Failures are created by losers, and you don't want the audience to see you as a loser. Therefore, you can just note a lack of total success. In industry, even if you won a competition, there will probably be a review of how to improve the design. Your competition, who did not win, will improve their designs for next time, and if you don't, you'll become noncompetitive.

After your team has given its presentation, your Professor, Writing Professor and Recitation TA will probably go over it with you to show where it can be improved. The first several reviews will probably be extensive since you are not used to giving presentations. However, as the term progresses you'll find that you've made significant progress and the reviews will be much shorter.

During the comments, you will remain up front at the screen. After the comments are completed, you can return to your seat. It is a tradition that as the team returns to their seat, the class gives them a round of applause to show that they appreciate their efforts.

The most important issue there is that every team learns from every other team. If your team is presenting, the comments will give you valuable guidance. If you're not presenting, you can see good ideas that other teams used, and that you can take advantage of in future presentations. You can also hear the faculty comments and avoid making these mistakes yourself in the future.

Presentation Tips

Use bullet points and avoid using complete sentences. Think about how you’ll transition from topic to topic in advance. Use a storytelling technique to provide the best presentation. Be sure to include the motivation behind the experiment/project and important foundational concepts. All media used in the presentation must have captions!

Include images from lab but do not include images of any hand-drawn lab notes . Make sure that the font used and text sizes are consistent. Always think about how the font and text size would look on a bigger screen. Avoid using serif fonts and add a slide number to every slide. To avoid overcrowding the slide, only add main points on the slide and focus on elaborating them verbally. If you make a mistake stay calm and continue presenting. Remember that only you know what you actually had to say so the best thing to do is to continue presenting! Eye contact with the audience is very important to keep them engaged.

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Laboratory Tests

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Free Lab Report PowerPoint Template

A free pharmaceutical market research ppt presentation.

The Free Lab Report PowerPoint template is a presentation template designed for researchers, scientists, and students who need to present their findings and data in a clear and concise manner. The lab research template features a cover slide showing a laboratory, which makes it ideal for science projects, experiments, and research.

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