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Read pages vi to vii (Writing Formal Laboratory Reports) in the lab manual and follow
the instructions.
Specific instructions:
Take a look at scientific publications to get an idea of the scientific language used
to report experimental results (e.g. http://aem.asm.org/content/74/22/6918.long;
http://aem.asm.org/content/80/24/7659.long;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7447444 ).
Also, pay attention to any additional information you may have received from your
TAs!
Please use font size 12 and 1 margins at the top, bottom, left and right.
Do not exceed the recommended number of pages or words, when indicated! Note: TAs
will not mark pages exceeding the indicated page limits.
Pages must be numbered (Page 1 is the page following the title page).
Use at least two external references (e.g. your text book and a publication) in addition to
the lab manual. You can use different search engines to look for suitable publications
using appropriate keywords (e.g. NCBI PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed ).
Title page:
Title
Authors name
Student number
Lab section
Course number
Date submitted
TAs name
Abstract: maximum 250 words, briefly summarizing the objectives of the report, methods used,
and results generated. Example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7447444
List the bacterial strains used in the experiment, writing the name out in full with the
abbreviated form in brackets if you wish to use the abbreviated for throughout the lab
report.
Materials and methods section should be written in past tense and in third person
singular (no personal pronouns I and we)
For experiments where you did not generate your own data, briefly explain what you did
with the data that was provided for you.
Results:
All tables and figures should be numbered and titled with descriptive titles. For tables,
table headings should be at the top of the table and for figures, the headings should be
on the bottom of the figure.
Turbidimetric estimation
o At absorbance 1.0, what will be the CFU/mL?
o what is the number of CFU/mL at the percent transmittance that you measured
for the E. coli culture?
Discussion:
Discuss what your results mean and do not forget to refer to the tables/figures presented in the
experimental results:
Remember to cite references.
Note: Even though the turbidity measurement was not done by you, the theoretical
aspects of the turbidity measurements should be discussed.
Discuss briefly:
o Growth of bacteria, growth curve.
o The importance of bacterial enumeration of a sample.
Conclusions:
Summarize final results/outcomes, relate to objectives.
Please pay special attention to the technical writing of the reports. Please check to make sure to
eliminate typographical errors. The TAs marking your report will also evaluate your report based
on the following characteristics:
Control of Language
Description of Characteristics
Excellent
Good
grammar and/or spelling are satisfactory, but need some attention to detail; use
of language is appropriate
Adequate
grammar and/or spelling are poor but the paper is comprehensible; use of
language is not appropriate for a journal article
Inadequate -
grammar and/or spelling are so poor that the paper is incomprehensible without
And
Writing Style
The key qualities in scientific writing are the 4 Cs: clarity, concision, completeness, and
correctness
Description of Characteristics
Excellent
Clear and concise; main points always clearly and logically addressed and linked
to the objectives of the report
Good
Clear; making an effort to be concise; main points usually clearly and logically
addressed but might not always be linked to stated objectives.
Adequate
Clear but not concise; main points usually clearly addressed. Extraneous
material is included.
Inadequate -
Unclear and/or overly verbose; does not directly address main points; objectives
Unacceptable unclear or not addressed. Large sections of the report dwell on extraneous
topics, without really explaining the results and what they mean.
The two above aspects (writing style and control of language) will be averaged to be worth 5%
of the total eligible points for lab report 1. The purpose of this type of evaluation is to provide
feedback on your scientific writing style.