Writing Chemistry Lab Report – Unknown White Compound

Writing Chemistry Lab Report – Unknown White Compound

General Chemistry Lab Report Template
This template is meant to help you get started on your lab report and see what a typical lab report
looks like. Not all rubric requirements have been included on this template and therefore it
should not be used instead of the full rubric. Please reference the full grading rubric found on
LabArchives for a complete list of requirements.
Additional Resources:
– Lab report tutor hours, http://genchem.chem.umn.edu/chem-10611065/lab-report-tutorhours-
smith-124
– TA office hours
– The Writing Center, http://writing.umn.edu/sws/
– Finding and citing resources, https://www.lib.umn.edu/course/CHEM/1065
– Plagiarism & Collaboration, LabArchives → Formal Lab Reports
– ACS Citations, LabArchives → Formal Lab Reports
– Common Errors, LabArchives → Formal Lab Reports → Additional Resources
Audience:
This report should be written as a body of scientific work. Therefore, as the writer you
should write it as a scientist not as a student. For example, your purpose should not be “to learn
about glassware” but rather “to investigate which glassware is the most accurate and precise”
Your report should be written in a way that a chemist from another University could understand
your experiment and repeat it.
Voice:
This report should be written in third person past tense in the passive voice. For
example,” the water was measured” not “measure the water” or “I measured the water”. Do not
use personal pronouns such as me, they, I, you, us, them.
Organization:
You must present and report your experiments and findings in an original* and
professional manner as though you are a research scientist, not just a student in a laboratory
class. Research scientist present their findings in journal articles that have the same sections as
your report should have and are generally written in third person, passive tense.
*See the Univeristy and our course policy on plagiarism for penalties.