The format of your chemistry lab report should follow the standardized set-up. You should begin your report with an introduction, which gives the purpose of your study. This section also includes your hypothesis and any background information, including previous research related to your experiment. The methods section provides information about how you completed your study, including what materials were used. The results section presents your data and can include tables and graphs as well as statistics and other figures. The discussion section gives you a chance to explore your findings, interpret your data and explain any limitations of your study.
The methods section specifically deals with exactly how you completed your experiment. You should include a list of materials or describe in paragraph form what materials were used in which parts of the experiment. This section is useful for other researchers who can replicate your experiment; from this section, they should know how, when and where the study was completed. A clearly written methods section allows for the reader to know that your experiment is reproducible. Do not include any results in the methods section.
One important strategy for the chemistry lab report is the use of tables and graphs as a means of representing your data. These diagrams are used mostly in the results section of your report, which is usually the shortest section. The results section should include little text, and most of the information should be presented in a table or graph. These drawings are easy on the eyes and allow the reader to interpret the data. It is much easier to read numerical data in a table or graph than through text.
You should focus on a scientific writing style when completing a chemistry lab report. Use economy of expression, meaning you should use as few words as possible while still getting your point across to the audience. Do not write in first person and avoid any colloquial speech. Write in past tense and keep the tense consistent. Use appropriate scientific regulations and italicize scientific names and proper measurement abbreviations. Consider having a peer proofread or edit your paper.