A lab report explains what you tested, how you tested it, what you found and what the findings mean. It follows the IMRaD structure used in scientific journals.
This page covers each section in order, the tense and voice conventions that markers look for, how to report results without interpreting them too early, and how to structure a discussion. An example excerpt and a checklist follow.
The Sections of a Lab Report
A standard lab report has a title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and references, sometimes with a conclusion and appendices. The introduction sets up a hypothesis; the methods allow replication; the results report data; the discussion interprets them.
Your course or lab manual may vary this order or combine sections, so check it first.
Lab Report Structure
| Section | Purpose | Main tense |
|---|---|---|
| Title | States the variables and system studied | Not applicable |
| Abstract | Summarizes aim, method, key results and conclusion | Mostly past |
| Introduction | Background, rationale, aim and hypothesis | Present for established knowledge; past for prior studies |
| Methods | What was done, in enough detail to repeat | Past |
| Results | Data presented in text, tables and figures | Past |
| Discussion | Interpretation, comparison, limitations, future work | Present for interpretation; past for your results |
| References | Sources in the required style | Not applicable |
Tense and Voice
Scientific writing traditionally used the passive voice ("The solution was heated"). Many journals now accept or prefer the active voice with "we" ("We heated the solution"), and APA 7th encourages it. Follow your course or target journal.
Whichever voice you use, keep tenses consistent: past for what you did and found, present for general truths and for what your results suggest.
Writing the Introduction
- Establish the scientific background, citing key sources.
- Identify the question or gap the experiment addresses.
- State the aim and a testable hypothesis, with the predicted direction of effect where appropriate.
Keep background focused. Every paragraph should lead towards the hypothesis.
At graduate level, markers also expect the introduction to justify why the question matters now, citing recent primary literature rather than textbooks. A short final paragraph that states the aim, the hypothesis and the approach gives the reader a clear map of the report.
Writing the Methods
The methods section allows a competent reader to repeat your experiment. Describe materials, apparatus, procedures, conditions and analysis.
- Use subheadings such as Materials, Procedure and Data analysis for longer reports.
- Give quantities, concentrations, temperatures and times with units.
- Name statistical tests and software, with versions where relevant.
- Write in paragraphs, not as a numbered list copied from the lab manual, unless your course allows it.
Narrating Results
Results report what happened, not why. Follow a simple sequence for each finding: point the reader to the table or figure, state the main pattern and give the key values with statistics.
Reaction rate increased with temperature (Figure 2). Mean rate at 40 °C (0.84 mmol/min, SD = 0.05) was more than double the rate at 20 °C (0.39 mmol/min, SD = 0.04), and a one-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of temperature, F(3, 16) = 52.7, p < .001.
This paragraph reports the trend, the values and the test without explaining the mechanism. The explanation belongs in the discussion.
Figures and Tables
- Number figures and tables separately and refer to each in the text.
- Give each a clear, self-explanatory caption or title.
- Label axes with variable names and units.
- Show error bars and state what they represent, such as standard deviation or standard error.
- Do not repeat the same data in both a table and a figure.
Structuring the Discussion
- State whether the results supported the hypothesis.
- Interpret the main finding, explaining the likely mechanism.
- Compare with published results, explaining agreements and differences.
- Analyze limitations and sources of error, and their likely effect.
- Suggest specific improvements or further experiments.
- Conclude with the main take-home point.
Distinguish random error from systematic error, and estimate how each might have affected your values rather than listing "human error".
Step by Step
- Check the lab manual or marking criteria for required sections and format.
- Process your data and create tables and figures first.
- Write the methods while the procedure is fresh.
- Write the results around your figures.
- Draft the discussion, then the introduction.
- Write the abstract and title last.
- Check units, significant figures and references.
Common Mistakes
- Interpreting data in the results section.
- Copying the procedure from the manual word for word.
- Reporting values without units or appropriate precision.
- Citing "human error" without explaining a specific source.
- Claiming a hypothesis was "proved" rather than supported.
Checklist
- The title names the variables and system.
- The hypothesis is clearly stated and testable.
- Methods are detailed enough to repeat.
- Results are reported in the past tense, with figures referenced.
- The discussion addresses the hypothesis, literature and limitations.
- Units, significant figures and statistics are consistent.
- References follow the required style.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Usually title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and references, sometimes with a conclusion and appendices.
Mainly the past tense for methods and results, and the present tense for established knowledge and for interpreting what results suggest.
Traditionally yes, but many journals and APA 7th now accept the active voice with "we". Follow your course guidance.
Data and statistical findings, presented in text, tables and figures, without interpretation.
It depends on the experiment and course. Undergraduate reports are often a few pages; graduate reports can approach journal-article length.
It is usually easier to write it last, once results and discussion are complete.