6 Final Notes on Formal Lab Reports
6.1 Editing is Critical to Well Written Formal Lab Reports
Always edit and proofread your work! We cannot stress enough how important it is to edit (e.g. revise the content, organization, and presentation) and proofread (e.g., check accuracy, spelling, grammar, and punctuation) all your work BEFORE submitting it to your lab instructor for grading. Editing and proofreading often improve the clarity, conciseness and flow of information in your lab report, making it easier to read. We recommend you put your lab report aside for a day or two then proofread and edit it (check grammar, spelling, paragraph organization, etc.). If it does not make sense to you, how will others understand it?
Your future employers will expect you to produce work that is presented in accordance with the expectations of the scientific community. Learning how to write formal science lab reports as a university undergraduate will prepare you to successfully communicate scientific information professionally; a skill that will help you as you enter graduate school or the workforce after graduation.
6.2 Reminder About References
You need to list ALL the references cited in your lab report, to give credit for ideas belonging to other authors for their ideas you are “borrowing”. References are generally cited in the Introduction, Materials and Methods, and Discussion sections of a formal lab report. Remember to follow APA format when creating your Reference list at the end of the lab report. It belongs on a separate page from the Discussion section BEFORE the Appendix section. See the APA Style Guidelines in this link for more specific guidance:
APA Style for Books:
Example of Reference
Faculty of Science and Horticulture. (2020). Biology 1210 Lab Manual: Introductory Biology II. MacMillan Learning Curriculum Solutions.
Example of In-text Citation
The first time: The pulse rate of Mus musculus is affected by other variables aside from temperature (Faculty of Science and Horticulture [FSH], 2020).
Subsequent times: Just “(FSH, 2020)” is sufficient because you defined the abbreviation the first time.
APA Style for Journal Articles:
Example of Reference
Christensen, K., Rogers, E., Green, G. A., Hamilton, D. A., Mermelstein, F., Liao, E. and Carr, D. B. 2007. Safety and efficacy of intranasal ketamine for acute postoperative pain. Acute Pain, 9(4), 183-192. doi:10.1016/j. acpain.2007.09.001
Examples of Journal In-text Citation
Postoperative pain is most apparent in the first 24 hours after the surgery (Christensen et al., 2007).
OR
Christensen et al. (2007) found that postoperative pain was most apparent in the first 24 hours after the surgery.
For other types of APA Style Citations such as for personal communication, websites, etc. Please refer to the link provided above to the APA Style Guide provided by the KPU Library.