BIOL102: Introductory Biology
Guidelines for Lab Report Preparation
Spring 2023
• On the first day of lab, groups of 4 (maximum) will be self-assembled and fixed for the
semester.
• Lab reports must be submitted by the group (one report per group).
o Every person in the group gets the same grade.
o DO NOT include the names of individuals who did not attend the lab or help
write the report.
If you include the name of an absent individual, everyone will receive a
zero.
• Make sure to spell check and to use appropriate language and terminology.
o Handwritten reports are not acceptable, unless otherwise stated.
• Lab reports must be submitted using Blackboard in the corresponding folder (found in
the Laboratory materials folder in the Course material section).
• The report is via Blackboard a week after the experiments were completed.
o Late reports will not be accepted.
• There are a total of nine lab reports; the lowest non-zero grade will be dropped.
The lab report must follow the following format:
• Cover page: (Failure to include a cover page will result in a point deduction).
o Title
o Date
o Name of each active, present participant and the name of their professor next to
it
• Introduction (20 points)
o What is the topic of the lab? What is the theoretical background for the topic
addressed in this lab? What are the lab goals?
You may use the information from the introduction. If you do, then
paraphrase the information. DO NOT simply copy and paste from the lab
sheet. Cite in the references.
• Materials and Methods (20 points)
o What are the materials/reagents/instruments used in this lab?
o What is the procedure followed?
Explain the methods that you used to complete the lab which may vary
from what is written. DO NOT simply copy and paste the information
from the lab sheet.
• Results (25 points)
o What observations did you make? Describe in words what you saw.
Be precise, draw a diagram or insert a picture if it helps illustrate the
point.
• If you include either, then provide a figure legend or label it
appropriately.
o What measurements did you take (if applicable)? You can display these in a
table.
A picture of a datasheet is NOT acceptable if it is handwritten.
Be sure to include ALL data and answers to all questions.
• Conclusions (25 points)
o What did the results show? Explain what happened and why.
o If the experiment did not work, explain what you think would have worked.
• Literature cited (10 points)
o Provide the reference of any source that you used in the preparation of this
report (for instance the Introduction). You can cite the pre-lab reading.
o Wikipedia.org is unacceptable.
General recommendations
• Font and Organization
o 12 pt. Times New Roman Font
o Double-spaced
o Headings in bold font
• Spelling and Grammar
o Perform a spelling and grammar check because points will be deducted for
excessive mistakes.
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Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
