Students should read the instructions for writing lab reports before writing their report or using this checklist.
A checklist similar to the one below will be used to grade the reports. This checklist may be used to double-check your assignment before turning it in for grading. Point values for each item are given. The instructor reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the list before grading the report.
| _____ | Lab reports without two acceptable literature citations will be returned without a grade. See the instructions for more details. |
| _____ | On-campus students must submit their lab reports to Turnitin.com. Lab reports that have not been submitted to Turnitin.com will not be graded. A hard copy must also be submitted in class. Online students do not need to submit their reports to Turnitin.com because the instructor will do this step for them. |
| _____ | Direct quotations cannot used. All citations must be reworded in the student's own words. Papers with direct quotations will not be graded. |
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Introduction |
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This section is labeled Introduction. There is not a colon after the word Introduction. There is only one introduction section in the report. There are no other subtitles in this section. (1) |
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The introduction provides the reader with enough information to know what the experiment is about and why it is being conducted. Sufficient information is provided that the reader can understand the rest of the lab report. The writer also explains why the hypotheses are being proposed. (5) |
| _____ | If a case study is involved, the writer tells how the hypothesis explains the observation in the case study. The person in the case study should be mentioned by name. This item applies only to laboratory exercises based on a case study. (5) |
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The hypothesis is stated and is clearly identified as the hypothesis that will be tested in the experiment. For example, "the hypothesis tested is..." clearly identifies the hypothesis. The hypothesis is appropriate for the observation being studied. The hypothesis is stated as a sentence that is either true or false. If the laboratory exercise has more than one hypothesis, they should all be stated. (5) |
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Methods |
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This section is labeled Methods. There is not a colon after the word Methods. There are no other subtitles in this section.(1) |
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This section contains only methods. There are no results or discussion in this section. (2) |
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This section provides the reader with enough information that the reader could repeat the experiment. The writer used his/her own words to write this section. (5) |
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The methods are appropriate for testing the hypothesis.This item applies only if the student was involved in designing the methods. It applies to all of the laboratory exercises based on case studies. (5) |
| _____ | This section is written using whole sentences and paragraphs. (2) |
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Avoid using the words I, he, she, or we. This section should be written in third person and there should not be references to other people. This section should be written in past tense. Example: "After the milk was added, three drops of rennin were added to tube #1." (1) |
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Results |
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This section is labeled Results. There is not a colon after the word Results. There are no other subtitles in this section. (1) |
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Only results are found in this section, nothing else. (2) |
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This section is written using sentences and paragraphs. Any tables and graphs in this section should be summarized using sentences and paragraphs. (2) |
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All of the results are included in this section. The results are written clearly and are easy to understand. (2) |
| _____ | Summary statistics (either the mean, median, mode, or standard deviation) are provided where appropriate. (2) |
| _____ | At least one table is included. The should be prepared by a computer and printer. (1) |
| _____ | The tables have a caption (title) that briefly describes the table. Example - Table 1. Reaction time 30 minutes after swimming 1000 meters at 8:00 AM. Be sure to provide enough information in the caption so that the reader can understand the table without reading the paper. Tables are labeled Table 1, Table 2, etc. At least one sentence in the Results section refers to the table(s). For example "Table 1 shows that the reaction time decreased after swimming 1000 meters." (1) |
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At least one graph is included. The graphs should be prepared by a computer and printer. (1) |
| _____ | Graphs and other figures have a caption that briefly describes the figure. Be sure to provide enough information in the caption so that the reader can understand the figure without reading the paper. Graphs and other figures are labeled Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. At least one sentence in the Results section refers to the figure(s). For example "Figure 1 shows that the mean reaction times of the two groups." (1) |
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The axes of graphs are labeled correctly. The independent variable should be on the X-axis and the dependent variable is on the Y-axis. Please see the notes on variables if you have any questions. (2) |
| _____ | The graph is appropriate for displaying the data. (2) |
| _____ | Tables and figures are placed in the results section near where they are discussed, not at the end of the report. The items pertaining to graphs and tables above will receive scores of 0 if the graphs or tables are not included in the Results section. |
| _____ | Appropriate statistical test is used. This item does not apply to the Cellular Respiration lab (BIO 101) or the Experiment on Diffusion and Osmosis (BIO 100). (3) |
| _____ | The probability level (p) for the statistical test is stated. If a t-test is used, the value of t and degrees of freedom (d.f.) are also stated. All of these statistics should be stated in sentence form. This item does not apply to the Cellular Respiration lab (BIO 101) or the Experiment on Diffusion and Osmosis (BIO 100). (3) |
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The results of the statistical test (t-test or other test) are printed and attached to the
back of the report. One point will be lost if the printout of the
t-test is included within the report instead of attached at the end of
the report. Reports without a t-test will be returned. This item does not apply to the Cellular Respiration lab (BIO 101) or the Experiment on Diffusion and Osmosis (BIO 100). |
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Discussion |
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This section is labeled Discussion. There is not a colon after the word Discussion. There are no other subtitles in this section. (1) |
| _____ | This section states whether you accept or reject the hypothesis or hypotheses. (5) |
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If a hypothesis is rejected, an alternative hypothesis is given. (1) |
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Acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis is supported by the data and statistical analysis. (5) This item is worth 2 points for the Cellular Respiration lab (BIO 101) or the Experiment on Diffusion and Osmosis (BIO 100). |
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Adequate interpretation of the data is provided (see instructions). Unexpected results are discussed adequately. (5) |
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A general understanding of the principles learned in the lab was demonstrated. For example, if the lab report is about photosynthesis and cellular respiration, this item will score how well the student understood the major concepts learned about photosynthesis and cellular respiration. (5) This item does not apply to the scientific method lab report (BIO 100). |
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Literature Cited |
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| This section is labeled Literature Cited (not Works Cited). There is not a colon after the words Literature Cited. There are no other subtitles in this section. (1) | |
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APA format is used for references. For more information on APA, go to the Douglas Library home page and select APA / MLA Guides. (5) |
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Cited literature is appropriate. Lab reports with fewer than 2 appropriate literature sources will not be graded. The following kinds of citations do not count: 1) references without an author name; 2) textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. If you use these kinds of materials, you will need to find additional citations so that you have at least two. Web pages are not reliable sources of information. If the internet is used for references, online books, journals, or other periodicals are preferred sources. (5) |
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Other Items |
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| _____ | All lab reports are submitted online. Reports are due before midnight on the due date. (-10% per day late) |
| _____ | Students may not use procedures that require their subjects to smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs or chemicals including prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Students may not use any procedures that may cause physical harm or place the subjects at risk of being harmed. Lab reports will not be graded if subjects smoked, drank alcohol, used drugs, used chemicals, or used any procedure that had any amount of risk of harm. (-100%) |
| _____ | Direct quotations can not used. All citations must be reworded in the student's own words. Up to 5 points may be deducted and the student may be required to reword the direct quotation(s). |
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The metric system is used throughout the report. Up to 3 points will be deducted for using English measurements (feet, pounds, teaspoons, etc.) |
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The writer understands that hypotheses are not proven; they are accepted or rejected. (2) |
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Complete sentences were used throughout. English is used correctly; grammatical errors are minimal. (5) |
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A spelling checker was used; there are no spelling errors or typographical errors. (3) |
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The student understands that lab reports follow a somewhat rigid format because it is a standard format that is easy to read. It is the way scientific research is published in journals. Most students will publish during their lifetime and scientific publications follow this format. (0) |