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Lab report template
A lab report template you can edit right here. Every section is laid out with a short note on what belongs in it, and if you paste your lab notes, it drafts the sections for you.
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[Descriptive title: what you measured, on what, and how]
[Your name] · [Lab partners] · [Course and section] · [Date]
Abstract
[Write this last. One paragraph: why you did the experiment, how, the main result with its number and uncertainty, and what that result means.]
Introduction
[The purpose of the experiment and the background a reader needs to follow it. End with the objective or hypothesis you are testing.]
Theory
[The equations your analysis uses. Number each one, and define every variable right after the equation.]
Methods
[What you did, in paragraphs, in enough detail that someone else could repeat it: equipment (with model numbers when they matter), setup, and procedure. Past tense.]
Results
[What you measured and calculated, mostly as figures and tables, with enough text to point to each one. No interpretation yet.]
Table 1: [Caption above the table: what the table shows, with units in the column headers.]
Figure 1: [Caption below the figure: what the figure shows. Label both axes with units.]
Discussion
[What the results mean. Compare them to theory or accepted values and explain the differences.]
Error Analysis
[The largest sources of uncertainty, how big each one is, and how they carry through to your final result.]
Conclusion
[Answer the objective from the introduction directly, with your final number and its uncertainty. Nothing new here.]
References
[1] [Author initials. Last name, "Title," Source, vol., no., pp., year.]
Appendix
[Raw data, long derivations, and sample calculations.]
Guide
What goes in each section
- Title
- Say what you measured and on what. "Determining the Spring Constant of a Steel Coil Spring Using Hooke's Law" tells the reader more than "Lab 3: Springs."
- Abstract
- One paragraph, written last. It covers why you did the experiment, how, the main result with its number and uncertainty, and what that result means. Someone who reads only the abstract should know what you found.
- Introduction
- The purpose of the experiment and the background someone needs to follow it. End with the objective or hypothesis you're testing.
- Theory
- The equations your analysis uses, with every variable defined. Number the equations so you can refer back to them later.
- Methods (or Procedure)
- What you did, in enough detail that someone else could repeat it: equipment with model numbers when they matter, the setup, and the steps. Write it as a description in paragraphs, not as the numbered instructions from the lab handout.
- Results
- What you measured and calculated, mostly as figures and tables, with enough text to point the reader to each one. No interpretation yet.
- Discussion
- What the results mean. Compare them to theory or accepted values, explain the differences, and say which sources of error mattered most.
- Error analysis
- Where the uncertainty in your final number comes from and how big it is. Some courses fold this into the discussion; either way, it has to be there.
- Conclusion
- Answer the objective from the introduction directly, with the final number. Don't introduce anything new here.
- References
- Every source you cite, in the style your course asks for (IEEE is common in engineering).
- Appendices
- Raw data, long derivations, sample calculations. Anything the reader might want but doesn't need to follow the report.
Guide
Mistakes that cost points
- Writing the methods as a numbered list copied from the lab handout.
- Figures and tables with no number, no caption, or no mention in the text.
- Numbers with no units, or with more significant figures than the measurement supports.
- Interpreting results in the results section, or reporting new data in the discussion.
- An abstract with no actual result in it.
- A conclusion that restates the procedure instead of answering the objective.
Guide
Tense and voice
Most engineering lab reports use past tense for what you did ("the sample was heated to 80 °C") and present tense for things that are always true ("the resistance of a conductor increases with temperature"). Passive voice is still common in methods sections, though many instructors now accept "we." Pick one and use it all the way through.
Guide
Figures and tables
Number figures and tables separately (Figure 1, Figure 2; Table 1, Table 2). Figure captions usually go below the figure and table captions above the table. Every one should be mentioned in the text before it appears, and every graph needs labeled axes with units.
FAQ
Before you start.
How long should a lab report be?
It depends on the course. A typical undergraduate engineering lab report runs about 5 to 15 pages including figures. Your instructor's page limit wins over any template.
What's the difference between an abstract and a summary?
In a lab report they mean the same thing. Some courses call it an executive summary, which is usually a bit longer and written for a reader who won't read the rest.
Should I use passive voice?
Use what your instructor asks for. If they don't say, either works as long as you're consistent.
Where do equations go?
In the theory section, numbered, with each variable defined right after the equation. In the results you can refer to them by number.
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