Title: Your title should be clear yet concise (short but descriptive). It should clearly relate to the main purpose/process of the lab.
Be sure you write in 1st person past tense plural (e.g., We did . . . , We performed . . . , etc.)
Introduction: This is where you give relevant background information in regards to your experiment. It should also include a statement of purpose or a statemen of your null hypothesis (eg., We tested the null hypothesis that . .. )
**Remember that an alternate hypothesis is what you think will happen. THIS MUST BE TESTABLE, OTHERWISE IT IS NOT SCIENCE. A null hypothesis is the negation of your alternate hypothesis (the logical opposite). These are stated such that you can disprove them. E.g., if you think boys will on averag4 eat more calories than girls, your alternate hypothesis would be: Boys will consume more calories than girls. The logical opposite or hypothesis that will negate the alternate hypothesis (null hypothesis) would be: There will be no difference in the calories consumed by boys and girls.
Materials and Methods: This is where you state how you performed your experiment. You need to be very detailed here. Be sure to include all of your treatments and controls, making ceertain you know which are which. Be certain to include any definitions of any procedures or experimental components that a reader may not know. DO NOT DO THIS IN LIST FORMAT. You should incorporate your materials into the methods in paragraph form.
Results: This section is what it says it is, RESULTS. You should report results and only resuls here. There is a tendency to incude analysis (conclusion) in this section. Avoid that and keep the analysis for the next section (conclusion). This is where you want to have your tables and figures.
You should have a short description under the figures, but above the tables, that briefly describes what the figure or table is displaying. DO NOT depend on the reader to interpret the results. In the body of the text be certain to further explain what your tables and figures mean and also any results not found in the tables and figures. Remember that in science we like quantitative data!
Conclusion: This is where you tie it all back together. This is where you state why you think you got the results you got, how they relate to your hypothesis, and what can be done in the future to further our knowledge of the study topic.
Your should have a statement that suppports or refutes your null hypothesis. DO NOT SAY "THIS PROVES . . . ": instead, make more scientific statements like "This supports . . ." or "The evidence is not consistent with. . . . " Here you should propose explanations) of why you got the results you got (remember this must be testable, otherwise it's not science) Make suggestions for further research (this also must be testable).
| Title (5 points) | |
| Clear and concise (5 points) | |
| Introduction (10 points) | |
| Background information (5 points) | |
| Statement of testable null hypothesis (5 points) | |
| Materials and Methods (25 points) | |
| Detailed and Descriptive (10 points) | |
| Clear identification of treatments and controls (10 points) | |
| Definitions of procedures/terms where needed (5 points) | |
| Results (30 points) | |
| Clearly stated results in paragraph form (15 points) | |
| Presentation of quantitative data (5 points) | |
| Tables and figures with short accurate descriptions (10 points) | |
| Conclusions (30 points) | |
| Statement of suport of refutation of null hypothesis (5 points) | |
| In depth logical explanation of results (15 points) | |
| Suggestions of further scienfitic research (10 points) | |
| Total |
The Writing Center, located in Neville 206, has tutors who will work with you at any point as you write your paper. Make an appointment online. Their Web site has a section on writing resources.
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