Read and study the attached Exercise 1: Introduction and Lab Format. Answer the questions end of the assignment.

 

The Laboratory Report

One of the most important things you will do in this class (and possibly your career) is write laboratory reports. Your report is your tool for expressing what you did, why you did it, and what you learned in the process. Even if your understanding of the procedure, techniques, and results is perfect, and your results error-free, a poorly-written report will not indicate that you really understand what you have done. Writing reports is not difficult if you remember a few guidelines. Normally, scientific reports are divided into the following sections:

 

 1. Abstract

      The abstract should contain a brief summary of purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of the whole

      experiment. It is generally no longer than three or four sentences. It may be easier after you have written the

      rest of the report to write the abstract.

 

2. Introduction

     Write your introduction in such a way that the reader will be interested in reading the rest of your report. The

      introduction consists of  two parts:

     a. An introduction to the topic and its importance to the environment and society. Cite at least one reference

         [e.g., (Marcum 1991, p. 32)].

     b.    A connection between the introduction and why you performed the exercises (this is your hypothesis).

            End the introduction with specific questions you intend to answer while testing your hypothesis.

     The first item that should be addressed in the introduction is the importance or relevance of what you've

     undertaken.

     Examples:

           What is ecological competition?

           What is the difference between intraspecific and interspecific competition?

           Why is information about competition useful?

           Why is it important to look at intraspecific and interspecific competition?

     The second item that should be addressed are the hypotheses being investigated in the report. For example,

     you might state:

     "I (or "We") hypothesize that intraspecific competition is more intense than interspecific competition in

      species X."  The part of the introduction preceding your hypothesis should let the reader know why you

      think your hypothesis is true. After your hypothesis, you may want to state any predictions you have. For

      example:

     "I/We predict that if intraspecific competition is more intense in species X than interspecific competition,

      then the distance between individuals of species X should be greater between each other than the distance

      between individuals of species X and species Y."

 

3. Materials and Methods                                                      '

     This section should include a description of the characteristics of the study area (when applicable) and a

     summary of what was done and what equipment was used. The procedure should be presented in

     chronological order and in past tense. You should use the scientific names the first time you mention a

     species (e.g., "The study area was dominated by sycamore trees, Platanus occidentalis.').

     Thereafter, you only need to use the common name.

     Your methods section should be complete enough so that anyone reading it would be able to reproduce your

     experiment with nothing but your report to follow.

 

4. Results

     Tear out your data sheets and include them with this section. The results section consists of two parts:

     a. Original data obtained from using the procedure.

     b. Data derived or calculated from the information obtained during the lab exercise ....

 

 The results section contains nothing more than results. It is not a discussion of what you found (this comes next), it is not a conclusion about what you found (this comes after the discussion), but is only the bare-bones reporting of the facts. State the results of the experiment without opinion, interpretation, or explanation. This is the first time, other than in the abstract, that results have been mentioned. All tables and graphs should follow immediately behind this section. Every table and figure should be numbered and referenced in the text. If you include tables or figures that you do not reference, then they are unnecessary. Ail tables and figures must be labeled with a one-sentence description or title that tells what is being shown. The reader should not have to refer back to the text to understand the information they are looking at. Descriptions of tables go above the table, whereas descriptions of figures are placed at the bottom of the figure.

 

5. Discussion

This is the most important portion of the report. In this section, you will discuss your data and any trends or relationships that appeared in the data. The first item that should be addressed here is the interpretation of the results. For example, which type of competition is most intense, and which species compete most intensely? Provide insight as to why such trends may have occurred.

Secondly, in this section you should discuss why your results support or disprove your hypothesis (was the field technique appropriate; were the counts accurate; what do these results mean for the future of the species in the area; how does this relate to succession, etc.?). Are your results consistent with what you expect? Why or why not? Are your results above or below accepted environmental quality standards? Why or why not? Answer the questions you asked in the introduction section. Any problems encountered during the procedure that may have caused errors should be discussed. Pay close attention to both human error and equipment error.

Whenever necessary, suggest other experiments that should be done, or additional data that should be collected to answer your initial questions (in your introduction) more thoroughly.

 

6. Conclusion

Conclusions are to be based on data, and they should follow from your discussion. All conclusions drawn should relate to the statement of the problem (your hypothesis). Did your results confirm or deny your hypothesis? Were your results above or below accepted standards? This section can be a brief, three- to four-sentence paragraph, in which you summarize very clearly your conclusions.

 

7. References, Literature Cited

Use the format employed in your lab manual. Your lab manual should be cited, of course, as well as any other source you have used.  In the text of your report, if you cite specific information, or quote data or persons, cite references using the author's surname, year of publication, and page number [e.g., (Enger and Smith 1997, p. 32)]. If referencing other work in general, no page number is required.

In the bibliography, use the following citation format:

  Enger, E. D. and B. F. Smith. 2000. Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships, 7th ed. McGraw-

  Hill, Dubuque, IA. 456

  pages.

Helpful Hints:

  When writing your report, the following hints may be helpful:

  · Do not put off writing your lab report until the night before it is due. Write it as soon as possible after

    completing the exercise.

  · Write in active voice. For example: "I shook the solution until it was thoroughly mixed," rather than "The

     solution was shaken until it was thoroughly mixed." The pronouns we, he, and she may also be used where

     applicable; for instance, "As a group, we compiled data from two sources."; "We laid out a 100-meter

     transect, using a tape measure and string, then... "; or "Our results indicate that... ". In some cases, it may be

     necessary to use the passive voice, but it is not a preferred usage.

  · Write in past tense unless it is ridiculous to do so, or unless past tense makes the meaning unclear. The use of

     past tense is a convention of technical writing.

  · Put section headings in your report. These make the report easier to grade and will give it a professional

    appearance.

  · Put your data into graphs or tables whenever possible. Be sure to carefully title all graphs and tables. Refer to

    these by number in the text of your report.

  · Strive for a professional appearance in your work. Write as though you are being paid to do so. Neatness,

    clarity, style, and appearance of lab reports are important.

  · Even though you may have worked in groups, write your own lab report.

  · Be sure that you have a separate cover sheet, or title page, showing the rifle, name and number of the lab,

    your name, and the date.

  · Each section of the report (abstract, introduction, etc.) should begin on a new page.

  · The report must be typewritten, double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman font, and margins of approximately

    one inch.

  · Charts, tables, figures, and/or graphs should be referred to in the text, not just included, have a legend, and be

     on a separate sheet of paper. They should be placed as close to their reference as possible.

  · Length should be sufficient to fully address all issues and requirements, but no longer than necessary.

 

 

 

Question:

 In your own words, summarize the seven parts of a good lab report.