Before a scientist begins scientific research, she must plan a course of action. The following is a suggestion of how to organize your thinking before you begin your laboratory research.
- What are we going to do in this lab? (That is, what's the procedure?)
- Why are we going to do it that way?
- What are we hoping to learn from this experiment?
- Design a table to account for the data – not on scrap paper!
- You won't be able to trust your conclusions if you have the wrong data, and your readers will know you messed up if the other three people in your group have "97 degrees" and you have "87."
- Talk with your partners, even when the experiment is "over."
- What trends did you observe?
- Did you all get the same results?
- What kind of figures should you use to represent your findings?
Once you've completed these steps as you perform the experiment, you'll be in a good position to write an effective lab report.
