How to Write a Results Section

In the results section, you provide all the data that you collected and the answers
to all the calculations that you performed during the lab. You do not make
conclusions or interpret your data in this section. All you do is report the
data that you found.
In this section, you should have all graphs and tables that convey the data that
you found. All data should be reported in a table. This table should have borders
around it (borders for the table can found in the toolbox under borders and
shading). Units should not be attached to the number. Units should be next to the
title of the column. A correct table would look like:
Length of room (cm)
Mass of Copper (g)
Volume of Water (mL)

22.3
52
10.3

All tables and graphs should have a title. It should follow the format Table #: Title
of the Table. You should number the table sequentially. This means that you
should number the first table table1 and every table after that should increase in
number.
One of the biggest mistakes that students make is that they interpret their data
and draw conclusions from their data. In your results section you should only
report what you found or calculated in this section. Save interpretation of your
data for the discussion section of your report.
Graphs are often a good way to tell your reader about the data that you found.
While not all lab reports require graphs, many reports will have a graph if you are
comparing different test groups to one another. You will get a more specific
handout on graphs when you have a report that requires you to produce a graph.
Grammar for Materials and Procedures
The following grammar rules should be followed for introductions:
You should only use 3rd person. NEVER use 1st or 2nd person. This means
you cannot say I, me, we, us, etc.
You should have multiple paragraphs
Every number that you report should have a unit. Numbers without units
are incorrect.
Dont forget that you need to report the results of any and all calculations.

LABS AND PROJECTS

How to Write a Discussion Section

The discussion section of your report is the most important section of your report.
In this section you interpret the data and draw conclusions. Your discussion
section should contain the following parts:
Conclusions that you can draw from the data that you obtained from the
lab.
Answers to the post-lab questions
Sources of error that could have altered the results that you got.
The first part of the discussion section should contain a paragraph stating clearly
and concisely the conclusions that you can draw from the data that you collected.
Your conclusion needs to be supported by the data that you collected.
The second part of the discussion section should contain answers to the post-lab
questions. Every lab you do will have some post-lab questions. You need to
answer these questions in paragraphs. Your answers should be clear and you
need to explain why you are answering the way that you do.
Finally, you should discuss any sources of error that could have contributed to
the results that you got during the lab. You need to talk about both human and
experimental error. This means that you cannot just focus on errors that were the
result of human error. You always must discuss error that happened because of
the way the experiment was designed.
Grammar for Materials and Procedures
The following grammar rules should be followed for introductions:
You should only use 3rd person. NEVER use 1st or 2nd person. This means
you cannot say I, me, we, us, etc.
You should have multiple paragraphs.
Do not number the post-lab questions. Answer these in paragraphs.

LABS AND PROJECTS

Example Results and Discussion Sections

Table
numbered

Results
Throughout the lab, numerous data were obtained. All essential data can
be seen in Table 2.
Table 2: Data Obtained in Percent Yield Lab

Units listed in
parentheses

Water Used to fill plastic bottle (mL)

Volume of H2O left in bottle after
collecting CO2 (mL)
Mass of Baking Soda Used (g)

2042
422
5.00

Following the completion of the lab, calculations were completed. All

calculations that were performed for the lab can be seen in Table 3.
Table 3: Calculations for Percent Yield Laboratory
Moles of baking soda (NaHCO3) used
(mole)
Theoretical Yield Moles of CO2 that
can be made from initial moles of
NaHCO3 (mole)
Volume of CO2 Trapped in Bottle (mL)
Volume of CO2 Trapped in Bottle (L)
Actual Yield Moles of CO2 Trapped
in Bottle (mole)
Percent Yield (%)

0.059
0.059
1,620
1.620
0.066
112%

Reference the
tables in the
From the data that were obtained in the lab, it was concluded that the results section

Discussion

percent yield for the reaction between baking soda and vinegar was greater than
100%. The calculations in Table 3 clearly indicate that the percent yield
calculated aligns with this conclusion. The data that was obtained in Table 2

LABS AND PROJECTS

resulted in the actual yield being greater than the theoretical yield. As such, the
calculated percent yield was greater than 100%.
Paragraph answering Post-Lab Question 1
Paragraph answering Post-Lab Question 2
Paragraph answering Post-Lab Question 3
Paragraph answering Post-Lab Question 4

You need to answer

the 4 post-lab
questions at the end
of the lab handout

LABS AND PROJECTS