LAB REPORT STRUCTURE

1. Title page (as in the words file provided)

- Title of experiment
- Course number and section
- Day and date experiment was performed and due date
- Authors name
- Names of group members
- Name of lecturer/teaching assistant/lab demonstrator
2. Objective
This should be a brief description of what the experiment is demonstrating. Be specific. It
should be consistent with the statement on the experiment instructions. Some experiments
have one or more parts and each part demonstrates a different aspect. Be sure to include
all objectives of the experiment in this section.
3. Data, Observation and Results
The data and observations obtained in the experiment should be presented in an orderly
form in a data table if possible. A spreadsheet would be ideal, especially if there are
many repetitive calculations in the analysis of the data. Each table, figure and graph
should be labelled and numbered.
The data obtained will be analyzed with a view toward fulfilling the purpose stated at the
beginning of the report. When possible, part of the analysis may be combined with the
data table in a spreadsheet. If there is an accepted or expected value for a quantity that is
to be obtained by the experiment, the percentage difference between the expected and
experimental value should be calculated. In many cases, another part of the analysis will
be the construction of a graph, which is often a very helpful way of showing the
relationship between two quantities.
The graph must have a title, each axis will show scale, units, and a label. All data points
must have a marking to show that it is an observed data point and all data points must be
connected showing the trend of the data. If the student is using a computer software
package to generate graphs, then this package must convey the same information as
would a hand generated graph.
4. Discussion
This section should tie the results of the experiment to the purpose. Sources of error,
deviations and uncertainty should be discussed and how they might affect the results.
Any points that are specifically asked for in experiment instructions should be discussed
in this section.
5. Conclusion
This section summarizes the lab report. Any conclusions drawn from the results should be
given in this section. Express the implication of the results. Examine the outcome in the
light of the stated objectives.