Lab report Writing Guidelines

AP Chemistry
ASK
 General Notes
• Be concise. repetition should be avoided
• Write in the third person Avoid using the words
“I” or “we”
• Use correct verb tenses: past tense passive voice
• Be prepared for the lab.
• Take good lab notes.
• Write about what really happened in the
experiment, not what “should” have happened.
 Layout

• Title page
• Abstract
• Results
• Discussion
• Calculation
• Graphs
 Title page
• Experiment number
• “Title of Experiment” – in quotations and
capitalize 1st letter of major words
• Student’s name
• Partner’s name
• Course name and section
• Date
• Teacher’s name
Title page sample
Experiment 1:
 Abstract
• Heading
• To be written at the end of the report but
placed after the title page
• State the objective or purpose of the
experiment
• Summary of the procedure and main results.
• Real world significance (cite your work MLA
format)
 Results
• Heading
• State any assumptions about the experiment
• Describe the procedures and discuss any
observations, deviations, errors, or ideas about
the experiment
• (a detailed procedure is required for guided
inquiry labs and is to be written in the lab
notebook)
• Use tables or graphs to organize your results and
reference each table in the text
• Highlight main results by stating them in
sentences
 Results
Tables:
– Title each table
– Units need to be included in the row or column
headings
– Reference the table in the text before the table
itself
– The word “Table” should be capitalized when
referencing a specific table in the text (ex: The
results of Part A are summarized in Table 1.)
 Results
• Sample table

Table 1: Electrical Conductivity Test

Substance Electrical Conductivity μS/cm

Compound A 17

Compound B 4012

Compound C 4033
 Discussion
• Heading
• Error analysis
• Restate the major finding(s) of the experiment
– Results support or do not support the
objective/purpose because …
• State and support your ideas for the direction
of future experiments
– How can the experiment be made more reliable or
accurate?
 Discussion
An analysis of your results:

• Explain how the methods could be improved.

• Compare expected results with actual results.
• Analyze experimental error.
• Explain the results in terms of the purpose
• Restate the real world significance
 Calculations and graphs
• One example of each calculation made: state
the formula then give only one example

• Graphs: should be processed on excel (axes

labeled, units), numbered and should have
titles.
 Submission
• Printed hard copy

• Soft copy submitted on ‘turn it in’ through

Moodle