College students are required to write and submit several assignments like lab reports, research papers, and journals during the course of their student life. Since each scientific document is different from the other, it’s necessary to follow writing conventions.
What is Scientific Writing?
Scientific writing is a type of formal writing that conveys important information to the intended audience. A scientific document should be properly structured and stick to specific formatting standards. It is important to ensure that the papers follow the guidelines outlined in a college or university’s writing style guide before submitting them.
What is a Lab Report?
A lab report is one of the most important pieces of scientific writing that students are expected to write and submit while in college. A specific format should be followed while putting a lab report together. Below is a standard format with different sections.
- Title: The title of the experiment is introduced in the title page of a lab report.
- Abstract: The lab report abstract provides a succinct overview of the experiment conducted.
- Introduction: The introduction states the purpose and objective of the experiment.
- Materials and methods: This section provides details related to the materials and methods used in the experiment.
- Data: Collecting and presenting data in a lab report is an important aspect of any experiment. Any data collected by means of experimentation or gathered from other external sources should be presented in a logical and chronological manner.
- Results: The results section summarizes the key findings of the study and also presents all types of textual and non-textual information, which in turn is analyzed in the next section.
- Discussion and analysis: As the name suggests, the discussion section of a lab report analyzes the experimental outcome and interprets the results.
- Conclusion: The conclusion section provides a quick recap of the entire experiment in the form of a comprehensive summary.
- References: When other experiments or research studies are referenced, then it is crucial that proper references and citations are provided in this section.
There are several lab report examples online that give a peek into what a standard lab report should look like. The format suggested above is a basic one recommended by most universities and research institutes. Depending on the type of the study, the format may slightly vary.
Lab Reports and Scientific Writing Guidelines
While guidelines related to assignments are specific to each college or university, there are some general rules for document formatting that are usually followed when it comes to scientific papers. For instance:
- Steer clear of unnecessary jargon: Any scientific piece of writing should be clear and comprehensible. Complex language will confuse the readers and should therefore be avoided.
- Never use informal language: All academic writing assignments should use formal language unless there is any specific instruction regarding the usage of informal language by the instructor or the college.
- Stick to formatting instructions: Be it lab reports or other scientific papers, it’s important to cross check formatting instructions before submission. For example, if there is any specific instruction on when to spell out the numbers while writing, then special attention should be paid to formatting numbers. It’s also important to follow the referencing style prescribed by the college.
- Pay attention to the structure: All scientific papers should be logically and chronologically organized. There has to be proper flow of information, and there should be no abrupt conclusions. All sections should conclude logically.
- Avoid plagiarism: Intentional or unintentional plagiarism, irrespective of the type, comes with serious consequences. It’s therefore important, especially for students, to avoid plagiarism at all costs. If any external scientific literature or source is used as evidence, then it should be properly referenced.
- Review before submitting: It isn’t enough to simply proofread a paper. While self-review helps catch and fix errors, getting a paper peer-reviewed is important because it helps gain a different perspective. An online writing tool can also be used to write and review assignments.
Before attempting to write a lab report or any other type of scientific paper, it is important to read existing scientific literature. It’s also essential to talk to instructors and pose questions to get necessary clarifications before submitting a paper.
