Chem 28.

1 FORMAL REPORT FORMAT

Reference: IUPUI Depertment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. C125 Experimental Chemistry 1.Formal Reports. URL:http://www.iupui.edu/~chem125/formal%20report.html. (Accessed 05 November 2009) The keys to effective technical writing are organization, brevity, coherence, clarity, and an appreciation of the needs of the reader. You must write clearly and be thorough, but concise. Do not ramble. Always use complete sentences. Formal reports must be computerized. Only use third person. Do not use I, we or you. Since you will discuss an experiment that you performed, use past tense. Also, proofread well. Use single spacing, justified alignment, 1-inch margins, 11 pt font and 8.5x11 inch paper.

Follow the following format:

(Title-bold, 16 points, Times New Roman font)

(1st Author-12 points, bold, Times New Roman)1, (Co-author)2 1 Home Institute/ Department, College of 2 Home Institute/ Department, College of University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Date Due: Date Submitted:

___________________________________________________________________________
(1space, 11 points Times New Roman font) Abstract (not more than 250 words, 12 points, Times New Roman) Example: (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 38313838)

Notice that an abstract contains the objectives, general methodology, major results and conclusions of the study. Keywords: not more than 6 words related to the experiment (2 spaces, 11 points Times New Roman)

INTRODUCTION The Introduction states the purpose of the study. It introduces the reader with the concepts used in the experiment and stresses the significance of the study. It begins with a broad description of the principles being discussed in the report, and funnels down, becoming more specific along the way, to a statement of the specific objective of the study. It also relates the study with other existing studies in the literature. As you introduce the reader with the main ideas and topics discussed in the experiment, DO NOT FORGET TO CITE YOUR REFERENCES. Example: In the aquatic environment PCBs accumulate in sediments, particulate and biota [1]. METHODOLOGY Give a concise description of what occurred in the lab with sufficient detail to allow the reader to repeat the study. In this section you should state significant information: amounts of starting materials and products, reagents used and their concentrations, instruments used, including their make and model, and significant observations of chemical reactions. Give a synopsis of what went on. Do not simply copy the procedure in your manual! The difference between formal methodology sections and laboratory text books is that laboratory texts are generally written in second person past tense, i.e., Open the lab drawer and take out your notebook. Formal Experimental sections, on the other hand, are written in the third person, past tense, i.e., The KHP solution was titrated with NaOH until a slight pink color permeated the solution. In general, remember that the audience would like to know what was done, not what to do. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Some discussion points are presented after every experiment. Completely answer these questions as you go on with your discussion. You can start by reiterating the objectives of the experiment. Write in an organized and sequential manner. As you discuss the procedure, focus on the importance of each step. Include pertinent chemical equations. Summarize your data through tables and graphs. Write something about each table or figure, keeping in mind that they only present the data but they do not state the results. Do not simply offer the data as your results. Be sure to introduce all your results in this

section. Table titles are placed on top of every table. Figure titles, on the other hand, are placed below the figure. Make sure that table and figure titles are standalone titles which can make the reader easily understand the contents of your tables and figures. Relate the results of your study with other studies in the literature. Stress the significant contributions of your work in the field of study. Always cite your references. This section will also contain error analysis. The effect of each error on the experimental outcome/results should be included. Also, assess the reliability of your results using certain statistical parameters then discuss and interpret your results. Compare the experimental from the theoretical values. You should also consider whether you accomplished what was proposed in the introduction and if your results were successful. Things may go wrong in the lab. However, even if your results are questionable, it is still possible to write a good lab report. Discuss what should have happened, then state what actually happened and why the experiment went wrong. Never focus your discussion with what went wrong. It is important that you demonstrate that you understand both what should have happened and what might have gone wrong. Try to put a positive spin on your results as much as possible. CONCLUSION Always begin your Conclusion by clearly stating your results and the goodness or significance of your results, and relating them to ideas presented in the introduction. In other words, if the objective of the study was to determine the percent calcium carbonate in an unknown sample, you should restate the percentage, with its uncertainty, in this Conclusion section. Important observations may go in this section as well. Discuss the significance of the results. Then make a concluding statement(s) and relate your conclusion to the ideas presented in the introduction. In addition, suggest improvements to the procedure or possible ideas for additional experiments that could further support your conclusion. REFERENCES Please check the Quick Guide: ACS Citation Style available at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/content/dam/psul/up/pam s/documents/QuickGuideACS.pdf. Use at least 3 references. Book and journal references are preferred.