Lab Reports – IMRAD The purpose of a lab report is to describe the results of an experiment or research study. University lab reports follow the style and format of professional journal articles, which research scientists use to share and evaluate each other’s work. Lab report formats vary slightly among scientific disciplines, but all are based on the IMRAD outline: introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion. The purpose of each section dictates what information to include, regardless of the specialty being written for. Helpful Tip: It is usually easiest to write the methods and results sections first, followed by the discussion and introduction. Title and abstract (if required) should be written last. IMRAD format: Section Purpose Content and Characteristics Title • Describes the content of • Clear, specific, and accurate the report • Loaded with keywords drawn from • Allows scientists to the body of the report locate research of interest when searching databases Abstract • Summarizes the report • One paragraph (200-­‐250 words) • Helps researchers decide • 2-­‐3 sentences for each section, whether to read the summarizing key data and ideas entire paper • A complete synopsis, not a teaser (results and discussion must be included) Introduction • Gives background • Reviews relevant literature, information needed to including properly formatted understand the current citations research, tracing the • Explains why the study was development of existing conducted, and what question it was knowledge designed to answer • Places the new • Briefly describes approach to the experiments within the problem context of the field • Outlines hypothesis(es) to be tested, • Identifies gaps in and predicted results existing knowledge and • Written in a mixture of present tense shows how the present (for generally accepted truths) and research will fill them past tense (when referencing specific • States the specific research objectives of the work © The Writing Centre, Saint Mary’s University, 2014 This handout is for personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without permission. Lab Reports – IMRAD 2 IMRAD format continued: Section Purpose Content and Characteristics Materials and • Explains how the • written in paragraph format Methods experiments were • materials are mentioned while conducted describing methods, never listed separately • Provides enough detail that another scientist • describes the purpose of each could repeat the procedure, as well as necessary steps experiment • omits details that are common • Gives readers the knowledge or would not impact the information they need to results evaluate the validity of • written in past tense (recounts what results and conclusions was done, rather than giving instructions) Results • Describes the outcomes • straightforward reporting of of the experiments observations and calculations • Draws attention to key • does not include commentary or findings and interpretation relationships • detailed data is presented in tables • Allows readers to form and figures, which are referenced in their own conclusions the text based on the data • written portion should summarize and emphasize, not repeat details shown in the visuals • written in past tense Discussion • Interprets the results • references key data, describing its and explains their implications significance • identifies any errors made during the experiment and their impacts • Places the new data in the context of the field • discusses any shortcomings of the protocols or experimental designs • Identifies limitations of the study and suggests • draws conclusions next steps • identifies questions that could not be answered • cites relevant literature • written in past, present, and future tense, as appropriate References • Provides full • includes only literature that’s cited in bibliographic the text information, directing • follow a consistent scientific citation the reader to relevant style, such as APA literature © The Writing Centre, Saint Mary’s University, 2014 This handout is for personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without permission.