Forensic Science Lab Report Format
WRITING FORMAL LAB REPORTS
You have to understand the material in order to write a good lab report. For this course, I would like you to seriously regard the lab reports as a means of learning about the subject. If you do not understand the lab, or how the report should be written, you will be unable to write a good report! Your lab report should be divided into sections with headings. This makes it easier for the reader to find information quickly. The five sections are: Introduction (including experimental aim), Procedures (sometimes called "Methods"), Results, Discussion and Conclusion. If you have used information from a source other than yourself, you must cite the reference. Add a section of References to the end of your report! To do otherwise is PLAGIARISM, which is a very serious offense. In the professional world it can cost you your career or reputation. In college it
can cause you to fail a course or even be dismissed from school.
5% TITLE & DATE: The title of the lab report should be simple and obvious, telling the reader what was studied or investigated in the lab. Write the lab name at the top of the page on the right side and the date on the left side.
5% PURPOSE: Write the purpose of the lab in complete sentences. Make sure to make mention of any lab techniques that are the focus.
10% INTRODUCTION:
The introduction should include background information consisting of a brief overview of the concepts behind the lab, a statement of what general technique(s) were used, and any case information.
This statement is a possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question. It is bases on observations and previous knowledge or experience. Do not use any personal pronouns (I, We, etc.); rather, keep this in third-person format.
Do not rely exclusively on the lab handouts for the background; use, at least, your textbook as another source. But be careful in using your sources. Read your source material well enough to clearly understand it. Then put this down in your own words. Think what you did during the lab exercise and decide what the major purpose of the exercise was. Then put this down in your own words.
10% MATERIALS: This is a list of all materials used in the lab. It is written in a vertical column without commas. To save space, you may use more than one column (space appropriately).
10% PROCEDURE: This is a detailed step-by-step account of the tasks performed to run the experiment, with specific directions on how each of the above listed materials were used. Each step should begin with an action word (verb). For example, Pour 15 mL of water in to the 100 mL beaker. Reading the procedures should allow anyone to duplicate the experiment. Write in numbered list form, like directions for a recipe.
20% DATA/OBSERVATIONS (RESULTS): This section must include all of the raw quantitative (numerical) data collected (temp, mass, volume, etc.) and any qualitative (descriptive) observations made (changes in color, etc.). All data recorded should be in neat and well-organized tables
20% DATA ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION: This section contains any calculations and graphs.
20% CONCLUSIONS: This section is written in paragraph form. It is a summary of the investigation and its significant findings. The following questions should be addressed:
*What can be determined from your data analysis?
*Did the data support the hypothesis?
*Do you accept or reject your hypothesis based on the data?
*What are some possible explanations for data that did not support the hypothesis?
*What part of the lab is most likely responsible for the most experimental error & why?
* What further study could be done on this topic?
In this section you should relate the results to the "big picture" and the points you raised in your introduction. You must explain to the reader your data or results in your own words explaining the relationship between the variables you measured and the patterns and trends (or lack or trends) in your findings. Explain how major findings support or refute your hypothesis. You should always indicate which table or figure you are referring to when discussing each section of your results (as mentioned above). Review your results part by part, making comments as to whether you expected that result or not. You might want to make comments about what you might have changed or done differently and any applicable methods you know that could have been done in follow-up experiments to support your findings. Finally, you may want to make comments about what you might have changed or done differently. What are the possible sources of error in your experiment?
Some Writing Tips:
Be sure to clearly indicate the heading.
Draw all lines for charts/graphs/etc with a ruler.
Use third person format (no I, We or You).
Check spelling and grammar carefully.
When you are finished writing re-read it, asking yourself if each sentence makes sense. Does one sentence make a logical connection to the previous one? For most of us writing takes work; changing, deleting, adding, rearranging. In fact writing may be the most important skill you develop while in college. After all it is through writing that so much information is communicated, especially in the Forensics lab where unclear writing, misinterpretation or mistakes could be the difference between conviction or exoneration of a suspect!
WRITING FORMAL LAB REPORTS
You have to understand the material in order to write a good lab report. For this course, I would like you to seriously regard the lab reports as a means of learning about the subject. If you do not understand the lab, or how the report should be written, you will be unable to write a good report! Your lab report should be divided into sections with headings. This makes it easier for the reader to find information quickly. The five sections are: Introduction (including experimental aim), Procedures (sometimes called "Methods"), Results, Discussion and Conclusion. If you have used information from a source other than yourself, you must cite the reference. Add a section of References to the end of your report! To do otherwise is PLAGIARISM, which is a very serious offense. In the professional world it can cost you your career or reputation. In college it
can cause you to fail a course or even be dismissed from school.
5% TITLE & DATE: The title of the lab report should be simple and obvious, telling the reader what was studied or investigated in the lab. Write the lab name at the top of the page on the right side and the date on the left side.
5% PURPOSE: Write the purpose of the lab in complete sentences. Make sure to make mention of any lab techniques that are the focus.
10% INTRODUCTION:
The introduction should include background information consisting of a brief overview of the concepts behind the lab, a statement of what general technique(s) were used, and any case information.
This statement is a possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question. It is bases on observations and previous knowledge or experience. Do not use any personal pronouns (I, We, etc.); rather, keep this in third-person format.
Do not rely exclusively on the lab handouts for the background; use, at least, your textbook as another source. But be careful in using your sources. Read your source material well enough to clearly understand it. Then put this down in your own words. Think what you did during the lab exercise and decide what the major purpose of the exercise was. Then put this down in your own words.
10% MATERIALS: This is a list of all materials used in the lab. It is written in a vertical column without commas. To save space, you may use more than one column (space appropriately).
10% PROCEDURE: This is a detailed step-by-step account of the tasks performed to run the experiment, with specific directions on how each of the above listed materials were used. Each step should begin with an action word (verb). For example, Pour 15 mL of water in to the 100 mL beaker. Reading the procedures should allow anyone to duplicate the experiment. Write in numbered list form, like directions for a recipe.
20% DATA/OBSERVATIONS (RESULTS): This section must include all of the raw quantitative (numerical) data collected (temp, mass, volume, etc.) and any qualitative (descriptive) observations made (changes in color, etc.). All data recorded should be in neat and well-organized tables
20% DATA ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION: This section contains any calculations and graphs.
20% CONCLUSIONS: This section is written in paragraph form. It is a summary of the investigation and its significant findings. The following questions should be addressed:
*What can be determined from your data analysis?
*Did the data support the hypothesis?
*Do you accept or reject your hypothesis based on the data?
*What are some possible explanations for data that did not support the hypothesis?
*What part of the lab is most likely responsible for the most experimental error & why?
* What further study could be done on this topic?
In this section you should relate the results to the "big picture" and the points you raised in your introduction. You must explain to the reader your data or results in your own words explaining the relationship between the variables you measured and the patterns and trends (or lack or trends) in your findings. Explain how major findings support or refute your hypothesis. You should always indicate which table or figure you are referring to when discussing each section of your results (as mentioned above). Review your results part by part, making comments as to whether you expected that result or not. You might want to make comments about what you might have changed or done differently and any applicable methods you know that could have been done in follow-up experiments to support your findings. Finally, you may want to make comments about what you might have changed or done differently. What are the possible sources of error in your experiment?
Some Writing Tips:
Be sure to clearly indicate the heading.
Draw all lines for charts/graphs/etc with a ruler.
Use third person format (no I, We or You).
Check spelling and grammar carefully.
When you are finished writing re-read it, asking yourself if each sentence makes sense. Does one sentence make a logical connection to the previous one? For most of us writing takes work; changing, deleting, adding, rearranging. In fact writing may be the most important skill you develop while in college. After all it is through writing that so much information is communicated, especially in the Forensics lab where unclear writing, misinterpretation or mistakes could be the difference between conviction or exoneration of a suspect!