Trent University
MyTrent
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Trent Online
    • Summer Courses
    • Continuing Education
    • Study Abroad
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Timetable
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Academic Advising
    • Library
    • Centre for Teaching and Learning
  • Admissions
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Services & Support
    • Academic Advising
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Administrative Departments
    • Alumni Services
    • Athletics
    • Campus Security
    • Careerspace
    • Colleges
    • Communications
    • Conferences
    • Financial Aid
    • Financial Services
    • Health & Wellness
    • Indigenous Services
    • Information Technology
    • International Students
    • Learning Support
    • Parking
    • Printshop
    • Recruitment
    • Registrar's Office
    • Residence & Housing
    • Student Clubs
    • TrentU Card
  • Research
    • Research at Trent
    • Research Centres
    • Find an Expert
    • Resources
  • Give to Trent
  • About Trent
    • About Trent
    • Careers
    • Giving to Trent
    • Governance
    • How to Find Us
    • Media
    • News & Events
    • President's Office
    • Staff Directory
    • Trent Facts
    • Contact Us
  • Campus Locations
    • Peterborough
    • Durham GTA
    • Online
  • Future Students
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Trent Forward: COVID-19 Info
  • Apply
  • Visit
  • Give
  • Map
  • Careers
  • Directions
  • Library
  • Site Map
  • Bookstore

Trent Forward: Learn more about our response to COVID-19.

Skip to main content Home
  • Peterborough
  • Durham GTA
  • Online
  • MyTrent
MENU
Trent University

Academic Skills

  • Welcome
  • Appointments
  • How To Guides
  • Documentation Guide
  • Programs & Events
  • Contact
a student standing in front of a blackboard full of physics and Math formulas.

Academic Skills

  • Welcome
    • Information for Faculty
    • Information for Graduate Students
    • Tutor Board
  • Appointments
  • How To Guides
    • How to Learn Online
    • How to Study
    • How to Manage Your Time
    • How to Write in University
    • How to Succeed in Math and Science
      • Writing Lab Reports
        • Overview
        • Understanding Hypotheses and Predictions
        • Introduction
        • Methods
        • Results
        • Tables & Figures
        • Discussion
        • Additional Elements
        • Writing Strategies
        • Writing Science
      • Presenting Data
      • Math Basics
      • Statistics Basics
      • Using R and R Studio
    • How to Use Sources
    • How to Edit Your Writing
    • How Do I Protect My Academic Integrity?
    • Academic Skills Online Resources Index
  • Documentation Guide
  • Programs & Events
  • Contact
TRENTU.CA / Academic Skills / How To Guides / How to Succeed in Math and Science / Writing Lab Reports / Writing Lab Reports

Writing Lab Reports

Overview

Lab reports are your introduction to communicating science. They follow the same format of peer-reviewed journal articles, which are the foundation of scientific knowledge. The purpose of your lab report is to communicate your research in a clear and systematic way. The reader should be able to follow your logic, reproduce your experiment, understand your results, and see how these results and their implications fit into the larger context of your field of study.

Lab reports have four standard sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. These sections are sometimes collectively called “IMRAD” as an easy way to refer to this style of report. This standard format closely relates to the scientific method, as you can see in the diagram below. Notice that the second half of the scientific method mirrors the first; your lab report should follow a similar structure.

While the content of the lab report follows the scientific method, the structure follows the shape of an hourglass; this is a helpful visual to keep in mind while writing your reports. In the diagram below, you can see that the introduction begins broadly and narrows to your specific study; the methods and results stay focused only on your research; and the discussion expands and returns to the broader scope defined in your introduction. The size of each box illustrates the relative size of each section – the methods and results are usually quite brief, while the discussion is the longest portion of the report.

Introduction

  • Begins with broader scope of your research question
  • Gradually narrows to your specific study topic
  • Concludes with your hypothesis, prediction, and rationale
  • Learn more about writing your introduction
  • Learn more about hypotheses and predictions

Methods

  • Specific to your study only; provides sufficient detail for others to reproduce your results
  • Learn more about writing your method

Results

  • Specific to your study only; provides a summary of your findings; no raw data
  • Learn more about writing your results
  • Learn more about using tables and figures

Discussion

  • Begins by relating your data to your hypothesis and predictions
  • Expands to put your results in context with those of other studies
  • Concludes by discussing broader implications of your study and direction for future research
  • Learn more about writing your discussion

How To Guides

  • How to Learn Online
  • How to Study
  • How to Manage Your Time
  • How to Write in University
  • How to Succeed in Math and Science
    • Writing Lab Reports
      • Overview
      • Understanding Hypotheses and Predictions
      • Introduction
      • Methods
      • Results
      • Tables & Figures
      • Discussion
      • Additional Elements
      • Writing Strategies
      • Writing Science
    • Presenting Data
    • Math Basics
    • Statistics Basics
    • Using R and R Studio
  • How to Use Sources
  • How to Edit Your Writing
  • How Do I Protect My Academic Integrity?
  • Academic Skills Online Resources Index
Trent University logo
Challenge the Way You Think

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

Peterborough

1600 West Bank Drive
Peterborough, ON Canada, K9L 0G2

Toll Free: 1-855-MY-TRENT

Campus Map

Durham Greater Toronto Area

55 Thornton Road South
Oshawa, ON Canada, L1J 5Y1

Phone: 905-435-5100

Campus Map

Social Media Directory
  • Contact
  • Directions
  • Site Map
  • Accessibility
  • @ Copyright 2022 Trent University