An Introduction to the Formal Lab Report...
While many written assignments are simply intended as an
opportunity for you to demonstrate to your teacher your grasp of a topic,
a Formal Lab Report does more. Certainly, you will need to use the
report to show your teacher how well you understand the experiment; it
is important not to forget that as you work to improve your Formal Lab
Report writing techniques. At the same time, though, you must also
demonstrate to your teacher that you understand the stylistic standards
that are applied to scientific and technical writing.
These standards range from simple rules related to formatting
tables and labeling graphs, to issues as subtle as the difference between
an opinion and an observation and how to recognize when the specific details
of an experimental procedure are germane to the theory being tested.
As with any sort of writing, proficiency at scientific
writing comes with thoughtful practice. This web site will not tell
you everything you need to know, but it will give you some important guidelines
and help you to avoid some common pitfalls.
Back
to FLR Home Page
Back
to Rodgers' Home Page