Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Overview
Typical Components
Title Page
(Abstract) depending on the nature of the research/project/experiment
Introduction
Methods and Materials (or Equipment)
Experimental Procedure
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References
Appendices
Further Reading
1
Lab report demonstrates;
Introduction
2
Must Have:
May include:
First step;
you must show that the chosen area, in general, is important, problematic (problems
of the research area), interesting, central to the field of research, or its relevance to the
field.
in doing so, you must introduce the previous research carried out in the same area
Second step;
Third step;
3
Now look at your lab reports and answer the following questions?
The experiment is already over. Use the past tense when talking about the experiment.
The report, the theory and permanent equipment still exist; therefore, use the present tense:
4
Following is an introduction to a paper.
a. Read the extract and fill in blanks with the appropriate form of the verb.
b. Divide the paper into sections according to the following questions;
What was investigating?
Why is it important?
What was already known about the subject in researched?
What did researcher expect to know after doing the research?
How did researcher approach the problem?
Note: The most commonly used pattern in research/lab reports is to start the
introduction as;
The objective of this research is/ The aim of this project is, This paper examines (not Commented [U1]: This paper is not preferred as it is the
research that is important and not the paper.
preferred, though). However, the following introduction differs from traditional
writing style. Discuss.
Recent advances in space technology (1) ........................ ........... (provide) the Commented [U2]: Topic/main idea sentence begins with the
general statement. Note: general to specific is the writing style.
possibility of studying the survival of different microorganisms in the harsh
environment of space (Demets et.al., 2005; Boglioni et. al., 2007). So far, lichens (2) Commented [U3]: Citation: information is emphasised not
the writer. When you need to emphasise the writer, state
................................................. (be) the only organisms able to survive exposure to writers name first as : Demets et. al. has shown / show the
possibility of ......
such extreme conditions (Sancho et. al., 2007; de los Rios et. al., 2010).
Commented [U4]: First step is covered in this paragraph.
general, it is important, emphasising the problem with previous
It is believed that, if sufficiently protected by meteorite-like material, microorganisms research-back ground. second step
may also survive the journey through space. However, Brandsttter et. al.,2008) (3)
............................... (report) that microorganisms embedded in 2 cm thick rocks on the
outer surface of a re-entry capsule, simulating the entry of a meteorite, (4)
................................. (not surive). Commented [U5]: gap in the previous research
The aim of this work (5) ................................. (be) to obtain further information on the Commented [U6]: The objective of the research is in the last
paragraph. third step contributing to existing paradigm of
resistance of rock-colonising microbial communities and lichens to outer space knowledge
conditions, during the Biopan- flight of ESA on board a Russian Foton satellite.