The Abstract

The abstract of the lab, as its name implies, is a very short explanation of the entire lab process.  In general it will have one sentence explaining the theory or theoretical foundations of the lab, one sentence outlining the general procedure of the lab, and one sentence describing the outcome of the lab.  A lab report is not a mystery novel, you are expected to give away the ending right up front.

This section should be able to stand alone; it is often placed at the beginning of a science journal or on microfiche for a reader to review to determine if they want to read the entire report.  You will include it on the cover page of your report.
 
 

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