The responsibility of an experimental scientist is to accurately report the results of the experiment. Good scientific writing skills are as important to a scientist as the writing skills of a journalist or poet are to their professions. Many basic components of a good lab report are outlined in these hints. Except for the first lab of the semester, each lab will start with a short quiz. (Information about the quiz can be found here.)

Lab reports during the semester consist of two different types:

1. 'In class' labs. 'In class' lab reports each count 20 points. The majority of the labs during the semester will be 'in class' labs. You will complete the experiment in class and submit the report to your TA at the end of the class period. Each 'in class' lab requires a prelab. More information about the 'in class' labs can be found here.
2. Some labs during the semester will require a formal lab report. The formal labs reports each count 30 points. More information about formal lab reports can be found here.