HOW TO WRITE A SCIENTIFIC LAB REPORT GENERAL IN APA
FORMAT:
Scientific laboratory reports or any other APA style paper written at a
collegiate level have a standard format. The following are standard for APA
papers:
1 inch margins on all sides
12-point font and the font style should be either Arial, or Times Roman
Some type of Header (Running Head:)
Numbered pages except the Title Page
Paragraphs indented 1-tab space
DOUBLE-SPACED throughout the paper including Title Page and
Reference Page.
Scientific laboratory reports have a separate Title Page and a separate
Reference page. scientific reports have HEADINGS on each section of the
report. These headings are:
Introduction
Materials & Methods
Results
Discussion
TITLE:
The first page of the lab report is the TITLE page. Do NOT number the Title
page unless instructed to do so.
The title of the lab report should NOT be too general but should reflect more
specifically about the experiment. For example: “Fingerprinting” is too general
for the title but instead, use something like: “Fingerprinting as an Effective
Forensic Tool in Solving Murders.” The title should be informative; it should
not be “cute.” A Running head is needed as a Header on all pages including
the title page. The Running Head should appear as Running Head: SHORT
TITLE OF PAPER IN ALL CAPS (but not in bold).
NOTE: The title is in Title case (first letter of each word is capitalized except
nonessential words.)! The Title page information should be absolute centered
on the page. The Title page should NOT be numbered! (unless instructed).
The Title page must be doubled-spaced, have a center indentation and
include the following information:
Title
Lab Number
Your Name (author)
Names of those in the experimental group (do not put “Group Members” next
to names)
Instructor
Class name
Name of Institution
Date of submission
Introduction
The paper must be written in THIRD person. Do NOT use I, me, we, them,
they, he, she or us.
The Introduction does just that: INTRODUCES the topic or concept on which
an experiment was performed. It is in the Introduction where you explain the
ideas or concepts and NOT the experiment. Explain why the topic is important
and if needed, a short background. How does the topic relate to your
experiment? You don’t have to make it too wordy if you can introduce your
topic correctly.
You will need to cite at least two references in your Introduction section. ALL
resources (references) MUST be properly CITED in the Introduction. Correct
in text citations for the APA format must be present. Helpful links are posted
on your course syllabus in Required Textbooks and Supplementary Materials.
It is considered PLAGIARISM if credit is not given. Always Paraphrase. Avoid
using direct quotes.
In the Introduction, NEVER:
Discuss results
Write in first person
Include information just to fill in space.
State how data were collected (data are plural!)
Use numerous quotes instead of paraphrasing. But, avoid paraphrasing
that isn’t written in your own words!
Plagiarize literature reviews or anything else in the paper (use quotations if
directly quoting otherwise paraphrase or use your own words)
Start the Introduction with “In this experiment…” or “We experimented
on….”
Include unnecessary information. “A Sharpie was used…”
Be wordy!
Triple space between paragraphs or next Heading
Start the Hypothesis with “I hypothesize… or “My group hypothesizes…” or
anything else that is first person.”
The last paragraph in the Introduction is for stating the Purpose and
Hypothesis. As it is a part of introduction, you don’t need a title for this. It’s just
the end sentence or section on Introduction. The Purpose is stating why the
experiment was performed. Do NOT make statements such as: “The purpose
of this experiment is to learn more about solutions.” Or, “The experiment will
help me learn more about fingerprinting.” Or better yet, “It’s part of my grade.”
The purpose should be logical and scientific. Basically, what was the lesson
learned?
Materials and Methodology
This section is used to describe HOW the experiment was performed. There
should be enough information so that another researcher or layperson can
repeat the experiment and get the same or similar results. This section is
written in sentence (narrative) format DESCRIBING the materials and/or
equipment used and EXPLAINING the steps taken to collect data. You should
NEVER just LIST materials used and steps taken. These should always be
explained in a narrative, sentence format. DO NOT LIST!!! Do not plagiarize
information from the lab manual or experiment handout!
This section should always be written in PAST TENSE since you have already
completed the experiment. Remember that you are describing what you did or
how you set up the equipment so that data was collected and what materials
were used. However, you must include enough detail that another person
could set up the experiment the same way you did!
Do NOT make any statements about the data collected. This will be in the
Results section. Do not include unnecessary information such as: “A blue
sharpie pen was used to label….” Or “Three marks were made on test tube
#1…” Use statements such as: “Three mls of water and 3mls of methylene
blue were added to each of three test tubes marked 1-3.”
Results
This section is for PRESENTING the data that were collected in the
experiment. Your presentation of the data should allow readers to draw some
type of conclusion about your experiment. You MUST include Tables and
Figures (graphs) in this section about the data you collected. All tables and
figures should be described in NARRATIVE format. You MUST describe the
data in a narrative form and not just insert a table or graph or some type of
listing. Follow the sentence descriptive form as with any section of the lab
report except you will also insert a table(s) and figure(s) displaying the
mathematical data. You should NEVER DISCUSS what the data MEAN in this
section. Other readers should be able to easily read and understand what was
measured from the table and figure. TABLES AND FIGURES MUST BE
NUMBERED and have an informative title. The number and title are placed
ABOVE the Table or Figure and double-spaced. The information inside the
table is not double-spaced.
Figures are also numbered and can include Graphs, Charts and Illustrations
Figures (Graphs, Charts and Illustrations) must have Legends, Specific Titles,
X & Y axes named, numbered and a short explanation of the figure.
Discussion
In this section, you will EXPLAIN or analyze the results. The hypothesis(es)
should be restated. Your conclusions should be well organized and thoughts
not scattered about in different paragraphs. You can also in-text cite
references again in the discussion to support your thoughts.
In this section, your results are INTERPRETED! Why are the results the way
they are? Are the data similar to previous experiments? INTERPRET! Were
your group results similar to other groups? Why or why not?
Include a short discussion as to whether the data SUPPORTED or did NOT
SUPPORT your hypothesis. A hypothesis cannot be Right or Wrong! It cannot
be correct or not correct or good or bad. A hypothesis can ONLY be
supported or not supported by the data collected. Do not make statements in
your discussion such as “The results showed that my hypothesis was right (or
wrong).” There is no right or wrong!
If your hypothesis is not supported by the data, it does not necessarily mean
that you did something wrong. You may have not done the experiment
correctly but more than likely, there were other factors that may have altered
the outcome. Discuss whatever you may think was a factor and it went wrong.
Assumptions about any possible ERRORS while collecting data should be
discussed. Refer to the data to support your speculations about the
experiment. Do not state that “something went wrong” or “I was not clear
about the instructions.” Compare your group data to those of other groups to
see if your data are similar to the other groups.
The last paragraph should state the major findings of the experiment/study.
References
References are the scientific/scholarly articles from VALID and RELIABLE
sources about similar studies.
NEVER use WIKIPEDIA as a reference. It is NOT valid or reliable!!
References for Scientific papers should be listed in APA (American
Psychological Association Writing Journal) format.
The best way to gather your references is to do a database search in the Troy
Library resources or Goggle Scholar first. A book is another great source that
can be cited. Other reliable web sites include WebMD.com, CDC.gov, nih.gov,
or nih.gov/PubMed.
The Reference Heading should be centered at the top of the page. The
heading should NOT be in bold, italicized or underlined. References are never
bulleted or numbered.
References should be listed on a separate page and in alphabetical order.
Basic Format for List of references at the End of the Lab Report : APA style
dictates that authors are listed last name first followed by first name initials;
publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of
the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns
in the title are capitalized. The periodical or journal title is italicized and in title
case (first letter of each word is capitalized except non-essential words such
as in, of, a, and, etc…), and is followed by the volume number which, with the
title, is also italicized. If there is an issue number, it is in parentheses next to
the volume number and is not italicized. Page numbers are in the format xxxxx. If the article was retrieved from the internet, include the URL. It should be
written as Retrieved from then the web address.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of
Periodical,
volume number (issue number not italicized), pages. Retrieved from
http://www.xxxx.xxxx
For more help, its best to refer the Supplementary Materials listed on the
Course Syllabus.
Running head: Mendelian Genetics
1
Mendelian Genetics Lab Report
BIO L320
xxx
University
xxx
1/31/2018
2
Mendelian Genetics
Introduction
Gregor Mendel was known as “Father of Genetics,” and he was born 1822. He initially
studied the inheritance of one pair of the traits by doing his experiment with garden pea plant,
and he recognized two principles that later called Principle of Mendelian after the study of
the garden pea plant. The Mendelian principles were made up of two parts, one is the
principle of segregation, and the other one is the law of independent assortment. This lab is to
use F2 progeny of a monohybrid crossed maize and a simulating experiment of the self-cross
of F1 heterozygous of pea plant to illustrate the principle of segregation. The Principle of
Segregation is defined as the when two alleles of a gene pair segregate from each other
during the formation of gametes in meiosis, and each gamete carries only one allele of each
gene, and the progeny is produced by the random combination of gametes from the two
parents (Russell, 2010). In the F1, Suppose a heterozygous male parent had a dominant
character (A) and recessive (a), and so did a heterozygous female parent, the characters of
their progeny were expressed as,
(A + a)(A + a) = A2+ 2Aa + a2
the parents showed by the characters on the left hand, and the right term showed the
characters of progeny individuals (Yoshio, 2013). Applying this formula to this experiment,
(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 12+ 2x1x1 + 12
the ratio of genotype should be 1:2:1 In the formula, if A was dominant over a, A2 (AA) and
Aa showed the phenotype of A, while a 2 (aa) showed that of a. The ratio of dominance to
3
Mendelian Genetics
recessive was thus 3 : 1. Therefore, in this lab, we expect to see the maize shows a ratio near
to 3:1 of phenotype, and the simulating experiment shows a ratio near to 1:3:1 of genotype.
Methods
An F2 progeny of monohybrid crossed maize is used to examine the principle of segregation.
There were two different colors of the kernel of corn which are purple and yellow. We
counted the numbers of each type of kernel on each row then total up the two different types
of kernel. After that, we recorded the data in the table.
In the simulating experiment, we used two different color cotton ball to represent gametes of
the pea plant, the black one is smooth allele which is dominated (S), and the green one is
wrinkled allele which is recessive(s). There two bags were provided, each one had 50 cotton
balls which included 25 green balls and 25 black balls. We supposed one bag is F1 male plant
and the other is an F1 female plant, then draw out one ball form each bag per time to pair
them to obtain F2 individual. We recorded the genotype and phenotype each time until we get
30 F2.
4
Mendelian Genetics
Results
Table1 Record of F2 Data for Maize Endosperm Trait
phenotypes
Number of kernels
Number of kernels
Number genotypes
observed
expected
of kernels
purple
317
358.5
2
yellow
161
119.5
1
Total
478
478
Table 2 For Individual Results
OFFSPRING #
GENOTYPE
PHENOTYPE
1
Ss
Smooth
2
ss
Wrinkled
3
Ss
Smooth
4
Ss
Smooth
5
ss
Wrinkled
6
SS
Smooth
7
Ss
Smooth
8
Ss
Smooth
9
SS
Smooth
5
Mendelian Genetics
10
SS
Smooth
11
Ss
Smooth
12
ss
Wrinkled
13
Ss
Smooth
14
Ss
Smooth
15
Ss
Smooth
16
Ss
Smooth
17
Ss
Smooth
18
Ss
Smooth
19
Ss
Smooth
20
Ss
Smooth
21
ss
Wrinkled
22
SS
Smooth
23
Ss
Smooth
24
Ss
Smooth
25
ss
Wrinkled
26
ss
Wrinkled
27
ss
Wrinkled
28
SS
Smooth
29
Ss
Smooth
30
Ss
Smooth
6
Mendelian Genetics
Total
SSSs
ss
Smooth Wrinkled
To obtain ratios, divide each value by the smallest number
RATIO OF GENOTYPE
RATIO OF PHENOTYPE
SS: 1
Smooth:
Ss:
3.2
3.6
ss: 1.4
Wrinkled: 1
Table 3 For Summary of Group Result
INDIVIDUAL
GENOTYPE TOTALS
7
SS
5
Ss
18
ss
7
Smooth 23
Wrinkled 7
8
SS
8
Ss
14
ss
8
Smooth 22
Wrinkled 8
9
SS
6
Ss
14
ss
10
Smooth 20
Wrinkled 10
10
SS
6
Ss
14
ss
10
Smooth 20
Wrinkled 10
11
SS
9
Ss
11
ss
10
Smooth 20
Wrinkled 10
12
SS
11
Ss
15
ss
4
Smooth 26
Wrinkled 4
TOTAL
SS
45
Ss
49
Smooth 131
Wrinkled 49
RATIO OF GENOTYPE
RATIO OF PHENOTYPE
SS
1
ss
86
Ss 1.91
Smooth 2.67
ss
PHENOTYPE TOTALS
1.09
Wrinkled 1
Discussion
According to the Mendelian principle of segregation, we made a hypothesis that the number
of two different colors of the kernel have a ratio of 3:1. Another hypothesis is the genotypes
of pea plant have a ratio of 1:2: 1(SS: Ss: ss)and the phenotypes of pea plant have a ratio
of 3:1(Smooth: Wrinkled). Our result showed that there were 317 purple and 161yellow
7
Mendelian Genetics
kernels. The ratio of the phenotype of the maize is 1.97:1. The purple is dominated, and the
yellow is recessive. Nevertheless, there was an error between our hypothesis and result, so
our result does not support our hypothesis. One of the reasons to cause this result is probably
we missed some kernels, and the other one is we lack sufficient amount of data to get take an
average ratio of the phenotype. In our simulating experiment, the phenotype of F1 plants are
Smooth. The ratio of genotype is 1:3.6:1.4(SS: Ss: ss), and the ratio of phenotype is
3.2:1(Smooth: Wrinkled). According to the result of our experiment, there still was a small
error between the hypothesis. To reduce the affection cause by the experimental error, we
gathered the data from other groups then made an average result. The result as followed: the
ratio of genotype is 1:1.91:1.09 (SS: Ss: ss) ratio of phenotype is 2.67:1(Smooth: Wrinkled).
The result is very close to the theoretical ratio which calculated by the formula that Mendel
used (Yoshio, 2013)
(A + a)(A + a) = A2+ 2Aa + a2
(i.e.) (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 12+ 2x1x1 + 12
1:2:1
Therefore, our hypothesis is supported.
8
Mendelian Genetics
Reference
Russell, P. J. 2010. iGenetics: a molecular approach, third edition. San Francisco,
CA: Pearson, Benjamin Cummings.
Yoshio, T. (2013). Gregor Mendel and the Seven Genes (2). Interdisciplinary Bio Central,
(5), 1-11. doi:10.4051/ibc.2013.5.4.0008
Synthetic Blood: Paternity Test
03101
Background
Knowledge of the genetics of human blood groups can be used to determine paternity. In this investigation,
you will determine the blood groups of the mother (June), her natural daughter (Andrea), and three
possible fathers. Use the data to decide who should not and who should pay June child support. Use the
following procedure to test the blood samples provided by June, Andrea, and the three possible fathers.
Procedure
1. Using the dropper vial, place a drop of the assigned synthetic blood sample in each well of the blood
typing slide. Replace the cap on the dropper vial. To prevent cross-contamination, always replace the cap
on one vial before opening another vial.
2. Add a drop of synthetic anti-A serum (blue) to the well labeled A. Replace the cap.
3. Add a drop of synthetic anti-B serum (yellow) to the well labeled B. Replace the cap.
4. Add a drop of synthetic anti-Rh serum (dear) to the well labeled Rh. Replace the cap.
5. Using a different color mixing stick for each well (blue for anti-A, yellow for anti-B, white for anti-Rh),
gently stir the synthetic blood and anti-serum drops for 30 seconds. Remember to discard each mixing stick
after a single use to avoid contamination of your samples.
6. Carefully examine the thin films of liquid mixture left behind. If a film remains uniform in appearance,
there is no agglutination. If the sample appears granular, agglutination has occurred. In the Data Table
below, answer "yes" or "no" as to whether agglutination occurred. Be sure to record the data in the
correct column.
7. Thoroughly rinse the blood typing slide, and then repeat the procedure for the other synthetic blood
samples. Record these results in the data table, also. Be sure to record each set of results in the correct
column for each sample.
Data Table
Possible Fathers
Mother
(June)
Child
(Andrea)
#1
#2
#3
Anti-A
N
Anti-B
N
Y
N.
1
Y
Y
> x-2R
Y
Y
Y
Y
Anti-Rh
N
8. Blood reacting to anti-Ais group A. Blood reacting to anti-B is group B. Blood reacting to both anti-A and
anti-B is group AB. Blood not reacting to either anti-A or anti-B is group O. Blood reacting to anti-Rh (D) is
Rh+; blood not reacting to anti-Rh (D) is Rh- Use this information to complete the Blood Group
Determination table.
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Synthetic Blood: Paternity Test
Student Guide
Blood Group Determination
}
Possible Fathers
Mother
(June)
Child
(Andrea)
ck
#1
#2
#3
ABO group
B В
Rh
AB
Rht
A A
Rh
B 2
Rh
AB
Rh
Rh (D) group
9. Duplication of lab tests is important; therefore, compare agglutination results with another student. When
you and your partner are satisfied that both tables are accurate and complete, answer the questions below
independently
Questions
Each person's ABO group is controlled by a pair of alleles--one ABO controlling allele from the mother and
one from the father. The ABO controlling alleles A, B, and O can pair up six different ways, but they only
produce four different ABO blood groups: A, B, AB, and O.
ABO Blood Group
Alleles
0
ОО
А
AIA or AIO
B
B/B or BIO
AB
A/B
1. As shown by your tests, baby Andrea is group AB, with alleles A/B. What allele did Andrea receive from her
mother June?
B
2. What allele must have come to Andrea from her father?
А
3. Which of the possible fathers, if any, is genetically excluded by your ABO data from being Andrea's father?
#2
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Synthetic Blood: Paternity Test
Student Guide
4. The dominant allele D must be present for a person to be Rh+. An Rh+ person is either Did or DID.
An Rh- person is did, homozygous recessive.
a. What are June's alleles for the Rh factor?
dd.
b. As shown by your tests, baby Andrea is Rh+. What alleles does Andrea have for the Rh factor?
Did
C. What Rh allele must have come to Andrea from her father?
D
5. Which of the possible father or fathers are genetically excluded by Rh factor data from being
Andrea's father?
#1 #2
6. Which possible father is a good candidate for paying child support for Andrea?
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