Sulaimani Polytechnic University

Halabja Technical College of Applied Science

Medical Laboratory Science
Stage – 1 / G-B

(How to write scientific report ?)

Prepared By :

Supervised by : Khanda Mohammed

Bahra Jabar
M. Chya Fatah Saya kareem
Ako Luqman
How to write a scientific report:
➢ What is a scientific report
➢ General rules to write Scientific reports
➢ Structure of the scientific report:
1. Title
2. Syllabus dot point
3. Introduction/Background information
4. Aim
5. Hypothesis
6. Risk assessment
7. Method
8. Diagram
9. Results
10. Discussion
11. Conclusion
What is a scientific report?
A scientific report documents all aspects of an experimental
investigation. This includes:

• A title
• The aim of the experiment
• The hypothesis
• An introduction to the relevant background theory
• The methods used
• The results
• A discussion of the results
• The conclusion

Scientific reports allow their readers to understand the

experiment without doing it themselves. In addition, scientific
reports give others the opportunity to check the methodology
of the experiment to ensure the validity of the results.
A scientific report is written in several stages. We write the
introduction, aim, and hypothesis before performing the
experiment, record the results during the experiment, and
complete the discussion and conclusions after the experiment.

But, before we delve deeper into how to write a scientific report,

we need to have a science experiment to write about! Read our
7 Simple Experiments You Can Do At Home article and see
which one you want to do.
General rules about writing scientific reports:
Learning how to write a scientific report is different from
writing English essays or speeches!

You have to use:

• Passive voice (which you should avoid when writing for other
subjects like English!)
• Past-tense language
• Headings and subheadings
• A pencil to draw scientific diagrams and graphs
• Simple and clear lines for scientific diagrams
• Tables and graphs where necessary

Structure of scientific reports:

Now that you know the general rules on how to write scientific
reports, let’s look at the conventions for their structure!

1. Title
The title should simply introduce what your experiment is
about.

Example:
The Role of Light in Photosynthesis
2. Introduction/Background information
Write a paragraph that gives your readers background
information to understand your experiment.

This includes explaining scientific theories, processes and

other related knowledge.

Example:
Photosynthesis is a vital process for life. It occurs when plants
intake carbon dioxide, water, and light, and results in the
production of glucose and water. The light required for
photosynthesis is absorbed by chlorophyll, the green pigment
of plants, which is contained in the chloroplasts.

The glucose produced through photosynthesis is stored as

starch, which is used as an energy source for the plant and its
consumers.

The presence of starch in the leaves of a plant indicates that

photosynthesis has occurred.
3. Aim
The aim identifies what is going to be tested in the experiment.
This should be short, concise and clear.

Example
The aim of the experiment is to test whether light is required for
photosynthesis to occur.

4. Hypothesis
The hypothesis is a prediction of the outcome of the
experiment. You have to use background information to make
an educated prediction.

Example
It is predicted that photosynthesis will occur only in leaves that
are exposed to light and not in leaves that are not exposed to
light. This will be indicated by the presence or absence of
starch in the leaves.

5. Risk assessment
Identify the hazards associated with the experiment and
provide a method to prevent or minimise the risks. A hazard is
something that can cause harm, and the risk is the likelihood
that harm will occur from the hazard.

A table is an excellent way to present your risk assessment.

Remember, you have to specify the type of harm that can occur
because of the hazard. It is not enough to simply identify the
hazard.

• Do not write: “Scissors are sharp”

• Instead, you have to write: “Scissors are sharp and can cause
injury”

Example:
6. Method
The method has 3 parts:

1. A list of every material used

2. Steps of what you did in the experiment
3. A scientific diagram of the experimental apparatus
Let’s break down what you need to do for each section.

6a. Materials
This must list every piece of equipment and material you used in the
experiment.

Remember, you need to also specify the amount of each material

you used.

Example
• 1 geranium plant
• Aluminium foil
• 2 test tubes
• 1 test tube rack
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 ruler
• 1 250 mL beaker
• 1 pair of forceps
• 1 10 mL measuring cylinder
• Iodine solution (5 mL)
• Methylated spirit (50ml)
• Boiling water
• 1 kettle
• 2 Petri dishes
• 2 labels
6b. Steps
The rule of thumb is that you should write the method in a clear
way so that readers are able to repeat the experiment and get
similar results.

Using a numbered list for the steps of your experimental

procedure is much clearer than writing a whole paragraph of
text. The steps should:

• Be written in a sequential order, based on when they were

performed.
• Specify any equipment that was used.
• Specify the quantity of any materials that were used.
You also need to use past tense and passive voice when you
are writing your method. Scientific reports are supposed to
show the readers what you did in the experiment, not what
you will do.

Example
1. Aluminium foil was used to fully cover a leaf of the geranium
plant. The plant was left in the sun for three days.
2. On the third day, the covered leaf and 1 non-covered leaf
were collected from the plant. The foil was removed from the
covered leaf, and a 1 cm square was cut from each leaf
using a pair of scissors.
3. 150 mL of water was boiled in a kettle and poured into a 250
mL beaker.
4. Using forceps, the 1 cm square of covered leaf was placed
into the beaker of boiling water for 2 minutes. It was then
placed in a test tube labelled “dark”.
5. The water in the beaker was discarded and replaced with
150 mL of freshly boiled water.
6. Using forceps, the 1 cm square non-covered leaf was placed
into the beaker of boiling water for 2 minutes. It was then
placed in a test tube labelled “light”
7. 5 mL of methylated spirit was measured with a measuring
cylinder and poured into each test tube so that the leaves
were fully covered.
8. The water in the beaker was replaced with 150 mL of freshly
boiled water and both the “light” and “dark” test tubes were
immersed in the beaker of boiling water for 5 minutes.
9. The leaves were collected from each test tube with forceps,
rinsed under cold running water, and placed onto separate
labelled Petri dishes.
10. 3 drops of iodine solution were added to each leaf.
11. Both Petri dishes were placed side by side and
observations were recorded.
12. The experiment was repeated 5 times, and results were
compared between different groups.

6c. Diagram
After you finish your steps, it is time to draw your scientific
diagrams! Here are some rules for drawing scientific diagrams:

• Always use a pencil to draw your scientific diagrams.

• Use simple, sharp, 2D lines and shapes to draw your
diagram. Don’t draw 3D shapes or use shading.
• Label everything in your diagram.
• Use thin, straight lines to label your diagram. Do not use
arrows.
• Ensure that the label lines touch the outline of the equipment
you are labelling and not cross over it or stop short of it
• The label lines should never cross over each other.
• Use a ruler for any straight lines in your diagram.
• Draw a sufficiently large diagram so all components can be
seen clearly.

Example

7. Results
This is where you document the results of your experiment. The
data that you record for your experiment will generally be
qualitative and/or quantitative.

Qualitative data is data that relates to qualities and is based on

observations (qualitative – quality). This type of data is
descriptive and is recorded in words. For example, the colour
changed from green to orange, or the liquid became hot.

Quantitative data refers to numerical data (quantitative –

quantity). This type of data is recorded using numbers and is
either measured or counted. For example, the plant grew 5.2
cm, or there were 5 frogs.

You also need to record your results in an appropriate way.

Most of the time, a table is the best way to do this.

Here are some rules to using tables

• Use a pencil and a ruler to draw your table
• Draw neat and straight lines
• Ensure that the table is closed (connect all your lines)
• Don’t cross your lines (erase any lines that stick out of the
table)
• Use appropriate columns and rows
• Properly name each column and row (including the units of
measurement in brackets)
• Do not write your units in the body of your table (units belong
in the header)
• Always include a title
Note: If your results require calculations, clearly write each
step.

Example:
Observations of the effects of light on the amount of starch in
plant leaves.
8. Discussion
The discussion is where you analyse and interpret your results,
and identify any experimental errors or possible areas of
improvements.

You should divide your discussion as follows.

1. Trend in the results

Describe the ‘trend’ in your results. That is, the relationship you
observed between your independent and dependent variables.

The independent variable is the variable that you are changing

in the experiment. In this experiment, it is the amount of light
that the leaves are exposed to.

The dependent variable is the variable that you are measuring

in the experiment, In this experiment, it is the presence of
starch in the leaves.

Explain how a particular result is achieved by referring to

scientific knowledge, theories and any other scientific
resources you find.2. Scientific explanation:

Example:

The presence of starch is indicated when the addition of iodine

causes the leaf to turn dark purple. The results show that
starch was present in the leaves that were exposed to light,
while the leaves that were not exposed to light did not contain
starch.

2. Scientific explanation:

Provide an explanation of the results using scientific

knowledge, theories and any other scientific resources you find.
Example:

As starch is produced during photosynthesis, these results

show that light plays a key role in photosynthesis.

3. Validity

Validity refers to whether or not your results are valid. This can
be done by examining your variables.

Identify the independent, dependent, controlled variables and

the control experiment (if you have one).

The controlled variables are the variables that you keep the
same across all tests e.g. the size of the leaf sample.

The control experiment is where you don’t apply an

independent variable. It is untouched for the whole experiment.

Ensure that you never change more than one variable at a time!

Example:

The independent variable of the experiment was amount of

light that the leaves were exposed to (the covered and
uncovered geranium leaf), while the dependent variable was the
presence of starch. The controlled variables were the size of
the leaf sample, the duration of the experiment, the amount of
time the solutions were heated, and the amount of iodine
solution used.

4. Reliability

Identify how you ensured the reliability of the results.

Show that you repeated your experiments, cross-checked your

results with other groups or collated your results with the class.

Example:
The reliability of the results was ensured by repeating the
experiment 5 times and comparing results with other groups.
Since other groups obtained comparable results, the results are
reliable.

5. Accuracy

Accuracy should be discussed if your results are in the form of

quantitative data, and there is an accepted value for the result.

Accuracy would not be discussed for our example

photosynthesis experiment as qualitative data was collected,
however it would if we were measuring gravity using a
pendulum:

The measured value of gravity was 9.8 m/s2, which is in

agreement with the accepted value of 9.8 m/s2.

6. Possible improvements

Identify any errors or risks found in the experiment and provide

a method to improve it.

If there are none, then suggest new ways to improve the

experimental design, and/or minimise error and risks.

Example:

Possible improvements could be made by including control

experiments. For example, testing whether the iodine solution
turns dark purple when added to water or methylated spirits.
This would help to ensure that the purple colour observed in the
experiments is due to the presence of starch in the leaves
rather than impurities.
9. Conclusion
State whether the aim was achieved, and if your hypothesis
was supported.

Example:

The aim of the investigation was achieved, and it was found

that light is required for photosynthesis to occur. This was
evidenced by the presence of starch in leaves that had been
exposed to light, and the absence of starch in leaves that had
been unexposed. These results support the proposed
hypothesis.

Reference :
www.matrix.edu.au