Preparing Lab Reports in Bio 306 Genetics

Brief Descriptions of the Sections of a Laboratory Report (Adapted from Pechenik, 1993, pp. 46 - 122, by W.R. Morgan)

For your convenience, below I summarize the major features expected in each section of your laboratory report. Complete guidelines for the preparation of the lab report are detailed in Chapter 3, "Writing Lab Reports," of Pechenik's A Short Guide to Writing about Biology. This brief summary is not meant to substitute for a thorough reading of this valuable guide, but rather remind you of the most pertinent features expected in your lab report.

Title

"A good title summarizes, as specifically [my italics] as possible, what lies within the Introduction and Results sections of the report" (Pechenik, 1993, p.102; also see pp. 102 - 103.)

Abstract

"The abstract... must completely summarize the essence of your report: why the experiment was undertaken; what problem was addressed; how the problem was approached; what major results were found; what major conclusions were drawn.... in a single paragraph" (Pechenik, 1993, p. 104; also see pp. 104 - 105.)

Introduction

In the Introduction, you should explain why you did the study and provide any necessary background information to understand why this is significant (see Pechenik, pp. 94 - 102).

Materials and Methods

In this section, you should "describe your methodology in detail sufficient to permit your experiment to be repeated exactly as originally performed" (Pechenik, 1993, 54). Consult Pechenik (pp. 54 - 59) for determining the correct level of detail required for this section.

Results

As noted in Pechenik (1993, p. 60):

In this section, you summarize your findings, using tables, graphs, and words. Try to give the reader a sense of the data and point out any particularly interesting trends or data points. However, the Results section is

  1. not the place to discuss why the experiment was performed (covered in Introduction).
  2. not the place to discuss how the experiment was performed (covered in Discussion).

Consult Pechenik for directions on properly preparing tables and graphs (pp. 60 - 76), verbalizing your results (very important; pp. 76 - 81), and "incorporating statistics into your laboratory report" (pp. 119 - 121).

Discussion

As noted in Pechenik (1993, p. 85):

In this section..., you must interpret your results in the context of the specific questions you set out to address... and any relevant broader issues [...while...] considering the following issues:

  1. What did you expect to find, and why?
  2. How did your results compare with those expected?
  3. How might you explain any unexpected results?
  4. How might you test these potential explanations?

Consult Pechenik for how to "state your expectations explicitly" (pp. 86 - 87) and, very importantly, how to explain unexpected results (pp. 87 - 89), as well as specific examples of Discussion sections (pp. 89 - 94).

Acknowledgments

Give specific thanks to those individuals who assisted you in your investigation. (See Pechenik, p. 105.)

Literature Cited

As noted in Pechenik (1993, p. 105), "present the complete citations for all the factual material you refer to in the text of your report." Cite sources in the Introduction and Discussion sections and prepare your list of references exactly as described in Pechenik (see pp. 83 - 85 and 105 - 109.)
Pechenik, J. (1993). A Short Guide to Writing about Biology (2nd ed.). New York: Harper Collins.

Bio 306 Genetics HyperText Lab Manual

Appendices

Last Updated: Friday, March 21 1997 at 4:30 pm
Dean Fraga dfraga@acs.wooster.edu