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Practical Report Format

This document provides guidelines for preparing practical reports for a Year 12 biology class. It outlines the required sections of the report, including an abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. The introduction states the background, hypothesis, and variables. The materials and methods section describes the procedures and diagrams. The results section presents the processed data in tables and graphs without conclusions. The discussion compares results, identifies sources of error, and suggests improvements. The conclusion describes trends and states whether the hypothesis was supported.

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Jason de Nys
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1K views

Practical Report Format

This document provides guidelines for preparing practical reports for a Year 12 biology class. It outlines the required sections of the report, including an abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. The introduction states the background, hypothesis, and variables. The materials and methods section describes the procedures and diagrams. The results section presents the processed data in tables and graphs without conclusions. The discussion compares results, identifies sources of error, and suggests improvements. The conclusion describes trends and states whether the hypothesis was supported.

Uploaded by

Jason de Nys
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Year 12 biology
Practical report guidelines

You are to prepare your practical reports using the following format:

Title

Abstract
Write this section last. It is a brief summary that should be no more than four or five sentences.
You should state your aim, how you tested it (method) and a summary of your result.

Introduction
Provide background theory. You may need to use reference material.
State your testable hypothesis.
Identify the variables in your experiment and classify them as independent, dependent
or controlled.
Identify controls.
Explain what results will support or disprove your hypothesis.

Materials and method
Decsribe and explain the procedure for your experiment.
Draw diagrams of the apparatus used in your experiment.

Results
State and explain your results without making any conclusions (this comes later). There is a
difference between data you collect (raw data) and data you present here in tables and/or
graphs (processed data). All data in this section should be processed data.
Describe any patterns or behaviours observed.
Record data from your experiment to an appropriate degree of precision.
Present data in tabular form with appropriate column headings, including symbols and
units.
Plot a graph of a dependent variable versus an independent variable, with appropriate
choice of scales and units.
Draw a line or curve of best fit through a series of points on the graph.
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Discussion
Compare your results with those of other individuals or groups, and account for any
similarities or differences.
Identify any sources of random and systematic errors in your experiment.
Identify strengths and weaknesses in the experimental procedure and suggest
improvements.
Comment on the precision and accuracy of your results. How could they be improved?

Conclusion
Describe the trend of your data and compare this with the class data (where applicable).
State whether your hypothesis was supported or not. Explain your reasoning.

References
Cite any reference material that you have used according to the Harvard Referencing system
(see the information sheet from the library intranet page for details).

Communication
Your report should be logical, clear and scientific (ie. Set out under the appropriate headings).
Write in the third person, ie. the temperature was measured not we measured the
temperature. You should use biological terms and concepts correctly.

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