A laboratory report describes the entire experiment, from start to finish, reports the procedures, results and analyzes the data. This paper serves to demonstrate what has been learned from practical experience. The conclusion is an integral part of the report; this is the section in which the main results of the experiment are reiterated and the reader is provided with an overview of all the work. Show that you have really learned the subject of your homework by writing a solid conclusion for the laboratory report.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Outline the Conclusions
Step 1. It's about the task
Make sure you've finished all the parts so you can summarize them in the conclusion. Take a moment to draw up a list of everything you should have demonstrated or learned with the experiment.
Step 2. Reread the introduction
To be sure that the conclusion is consistent with the rest of the report, review the introduction. This is a good technique to help you think about what to write in the conclusions.
Step 3. Use the RERUN method
Start retracing the various elements of your conclusion using this technique. This is a useful method for structuring a short laboratory report, but it is almost indispensable for drawing up a conclusion that summarizes all the important phases of the experiment. The word RERUN is an English acronym which means:
- Stay - Reiterate: describe the task by reaffirming the laboratory experiment.
- Explain - Explain: explains the purpose of the experience. What did you want to find or discover? Talk briefly about the procedure you followed to complete the practical part.
- Results - Results: explain the results you found. Confirm whether or not these support the initial hypothesis.
- Uncertainties - Uncertainties: take into account the margins of error and uncertainties. Explain, for example, what are the circumstances beyond your control and which influence the experiment.
- New - Novelty: discuss what new questions or discoveries emerged from the experiment.
Step 4. Plan to add more sections
The RERUN method is an excellent starting point, but there are other elements that you should include in your paper. It is a good idea to describe what you have learned from the laboratory experience. You might also point out how your research fits into a broader field of investigation or how you can relate your lab results to concepts studied in the classroom.
Your assigned assignment may also have some specific questions to answer. Make sure you are comprehensive and consistent with them in your conclusion
Part 2 of 5: Discuss the Experiment and the Hypotheses
Step 1. Mention the experiment in your conclusions
It begins with a brief overview of the practical experience, describing it in one or two sentences and discussing its objectives.
Step 2. Reiterate the procedures
Summarize the process you followed to complete the practical experience. This way the reader can see what you have done.
- If you have made more than one attempt during the experiment, explain the reasons. Also discuss the changes you have made in the procedures.
- Think about ways to explain the results in detail. Review your lab notes and pay particular attention to the results you observed.
Step 3. Briefly describe your findings
With a few sentences, summarize what you found with the experiment. In this part, summarize the data but don't list them all.
- Start this section with a sentence like: “The results showed that…”.
- It is not necessary to rattle off all the “hard and hard” data in this part. Reiterate the main points, the average data or indicate the extremes of a range of values that can give an overview.
Step 4. Also certify whether or not the data support the initial thesis
The hypothesis is the initial statement that describes what you expect to obtain from the scientific experiment. It is also the basis of your experiment and determines part of the process. It reaffirms the hypothesis and then states in no uncertain terms (and concisely) whether or not this is confirmed by the empirical data. Was the experiment successful?
Use direct language such as: "The results support the hypothesis" or "The results refute the hypothesis"
Step 5. Connect the results to the hypothesis
These determine whether the initial theory has value or not. After highlighting this passage in your report, delve into the matter by describing the meaning of the data found. Remember to describe why the empirical results confirm or refute the hypothesis.
Part 3 of 5: Demonstrate What You Learned
Step 1. Describe what you have learned from the lab work
Perhaps you may need to prove a particular scientific principle or theory. If so, your conclusion should address this.
- If it is not clear from your paper what you understood from experience, start the sentence by writing: "During this laboratory experiment I learned …". This allows the reader to understand the teaching of the entire practical test.
- Add details about what you learned and how you learned it. If you give more substance to this part of the report, you will convince the reader that you have truly understood the purpose of the whole laboratory experience. For example, give details on how you learned that molecules react in a certain way in a given environment.
- Describe how the concepts learned can be applied in future tests.
Step 2. Answer the specific questions in your assignment
The teacher may have listed a series of questions that you need to answer.
On a new line, write the question in italics. On the next line write the answer in a normal character
Step 3. Explain if your experiment achieved the desired goals
In the introduction of the report you should have stated the intent and objectives that you hoped to achieve with the laboratory test. Summarize them in the conclusion and be sure to address the topic sufficiently exhaustively.
If the experiment did not achieve the objectives, explain or make assumptions about the reasons
Part 4 of 5: Summarizing the Conclusions
Step 1. Describe the possible mistakes that may have been made
To provide an accurate description of the laboratory experiment, you must also consider the errors. In this way the whole procedure and the resulting data will be more credible.
Step 2. Address uncertainties as well
There may also be uncontrollable circumstances that affect the experiment, such as climate change or the unavailability of some products and tools. Discuss these variables and their potential impact on all scientific experience.
If the procedure has raised questions that the empirical data cannot answer, discuss them in this part of the report
Step 3. Propose other experiments
In light of what you have learned, make recommendations on how to plan and run future tests. What changes should be made to get more reliable or realistic results?
Step 4. Ask other questions
Sometimes scientific tests raise more questions than answers. If this is the case with your experiment, then discuss these in the conclusions and contextualize them for future research.
Step 5. Link your research to others
Especially in more advanced laboratory reports, you need to discuss how your work intertwines and fits into the broader field of scientific research. Imagine all the research that is done on a certain topic like a brick wall and your research is one of those bricks. How does your work fit into all things?
- Describe what is new or innovative about your work.
- This is often the part that can make the difference between you and your classmates, many of whom will be limited to a meager discussion of conclusions.
Step 6. Add a final statement
Summarize the conclusion and relationship with a sentence stating the scope of your research and what it led to. Alternatively, make assumptions about the future uses of the search. This is your chance to add a clever comment that will set you apart from the crowd.
Part 5 of 5: Concluding the Lab Report
Step 1. Write in the third person
Avoid using pronouns like "I" or "we" in your relationship. Instead, he uses language similar to: "The hypothesis has been confirmed …".
Step 2. Review the entire report
Once you're done writing it, reread it to see if it makes sense. Check if there are any points where you contradict yourself and correct them. The conclusion should reiterate what you learned from the experiment and how you came to understand the results.
Step 3. Correct the draft
Check for grammar or spelling errors. A report that contains such errors loses credibility. Take the time to make sure there are no blunders.
