Steps of Experimental Report Writing

Introduction:

The purpose of the introduction is to define and explain the key concepts of an experiment.

• Aim/Purpose:

Write a statement explaining what you plan to investigate.

Do understand that the aims are not the same as hypothesis.

• Hypothesis:

Hypothesis is a testable statement of a potential relationship between two or more variables.

Following are the types of Hypotheses:

➢ Directional Hypothesis:
Specify the expected direction of the relationship between variables.
➢ Non-Directional Hypothesis:
Do not predict the direction of relationship.
• Variables:

The term variable means any thing which can be changed or varied. If the stimulus is
changed then response also changes. Variable is any condition in a scientific investigation
that may change in quantity or quality. Followings are the types of variables:

➢ Independent Variable
Any variable manipulated by an experimenter either directly or through selection in
order to determine its effects on a dependent variable.
➢ Dependent Variable
A dependent variable is a variable which is being measured in an experimental study.

Method:

• Participants:

Experimenter: A.B.C
Subject: X.Y.Z.
Age:
 Gender:
Education:
• Apparatus:

Describe the materials used such as stop watch, pencil, paper and etc.

• Instructions:

Write down the instructions in bulleted form which you have given your participant about
an experiment.

• Procedure:

Describe the precise procedure followed when carrying out the experiment i.e., exactly
what the experimenter did. Be concise in description and omit extraneous details.

Results:

Write clearly the findings of the experiment in a tabular format. You may also write
percentages and frequencies (if required) in this section.

Discussion:

Relate your results to your hypothesis e.g., is it supported or rejected?

Conclusion:

Concluding paragraph- Finish with a statement of your findings