It is fine for students to work together on the actual lab procedure, which might result in you having the same numerical data, however all portions of lab reports other than the data table(s) should be completed independently by each individual student. If your lab reports match this is considered plagiarism and you will receive a zero.

Each section should be clearly labeled so that I can find it easily. You may do this by using bold or underline or both. You should have the following sections in your report: Title, Statement of the Problem, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Results, Conclusions. Make sure to spell check your document! Some of the labs may require additional sections. If the directions within the modules request additional information then you must include this in addition to this information to receive full credit. It is acceptable to copy and paste some of this information from the labs within the content. For example, if the procedure and/or materials are provided within the lab you may copy and paste them into your report.

The title was descriptive and appropriate.

Example

Title: Effect of Sunlight on Plant Growth

Write a few sentences including background information on the subject and/or answer pre-lab questions that are associated with the lab. Answer the questions in complete sentences.

A question was stated that was relevant to the lab.

Example

Statement of the Problem: Will lack of sunlight have a negative effect on plant growth over time?

Write a possible solution for the problem.
* Make sure this possible solution is a complete sentence.
* Make sure the statement is testable, an if-then statement is recommended to illustrate what criteria will support your hypothesis (and what data would no support the hypothesis).

Example

Hypothesis: If a plant does not get sunlight then it will not grow.

ALL items used in the lab were listed.

Example

Materials: 2 identical plants in pots, a window seal, a shade to place over one plant, a watering can

A step by step detailed explanation of what was done in the lab is listed. This should be concise and an easy to follow description of the procedures. Someone would be able to repeat the experiment following the students list of procedures.

Example

Procedure:
1. 2 identical plants were placed in an identical window seal.

2. The plants were give the same amount of water at the same time on the same days.

3. The plants were kept at the same temperature.

4. Each week, at the same time the plants were measured.

Student has written a few sentences describing the overall findings of the lab. Section contains visuals (tables and/or graphs) when appropriate.

* All tables, graphs and charts should be labeled appropriately. Notice the examples below have a title describing what the graph or data table is about as well as labeled information with units.

Here you would need to make a table to record your results. The table would have a place for plant A, and plant B, and a recording of the growth of the plant over weeks.

Clearly stated if the hypothesis was accepted or rejected and provided an explanation of why using data from the lab. The data is summarized in sentence form. Student addressed a minimum of one error that could have occurred while collecting data. Student provided a statement of what they learned from the lab. THIS SECTION SHOULD INCLUDE ANY QUESTIONS/ANSWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAB!

Example: The hypothesis was supported by the evidence collected during the experiment. The plant that was exposed to sunlight grew from 4 cm to 10 cm over the course of 4 weeks. The plant that was shaded started at 4 cm as well and only grew to 4.2 cm but the end of four weeks. An error that may have occurred in the experiment is that they shade might have effected the temperature of the plants. The shade might have kept the plant cooler, therefore effecting the rate of the plant growth. All other variables were kept constant. I learned that sunlight effects the rate of plant growth but may not stop it entirely.

• used correct format and all necessary headings (-10pts if incorrect or missing headings)
  
• 1pt for each spelling error
  

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