Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated on March 02, 2018If you are preparing a lab report, it may help to have a template to work from. This science fair project lab report template allows you to fill in the blanks, making the write-up process easier. Use the template with the instructions for writing a science lab report to ensure success. The PDF version of this form may be downloaded to save or to print.
Generally, these are the headings you'll use in a lab report, in this order:
Here's a quick look at the types of information you should put in the parts of the lab report and a gauge of how long each section should be. It's a good idea to consult other lab reports, submitted by a different group that received a good grade or is well-respected. Read a sample report to know what a reviewer or grader is looking for. In a classroom setting, lab reports take a long time to grade. You don't want to keep repeating a mistake if you can avoid it from the start!
Lab reports are time-consuming for both students and graders, so why are they so important? There are two key reasons. First, a lab report is an orderly method of reporting the purpose, procedure, data, and outcome of an experiment. Essentially, it follows the scientific method. Second, lab reports are easily adapted to become papers for peer-reviewed publication. For students serious about pursuing a career in science, a lab report is a stepping-stone for submitting work for review. Even if results aren't published, the report is a record of how an experiment was conducted, which can be valuable for follow-up research.