Common Mistakes in Lab Reports
(1) Failure to distinguish between the different sections of the
report. For instance, it is a mistake to include interpretation in
the Results or to begin describing the procedures in the Introduction.
(2) Stating that the results prove a hypothesis. In fact,
scientific studies never definitely prove anything. On the
other hand, they can definitely exclude some hypotheses in
specific cases. It is a common mistake to think that scientists
prove hypotheses, in the sense that a mathematician might prove a
theorem. Instead, careful scientific reports conclude that the
results are consistent with one hypothesis (or more than one), so that
this hypothesis can be tentatively accepted, pending further study.
Of course, support for a hypothesis becomes stronger as more and
more experiments eliminate alternatives.
(3) Lack of any interpretation at all. Data, or "facts",
are meaningless in themselves. For example, a statement that
paradise fish display more frequently to other paradise fish than they do
to their image in a mirror is not an interpretation; it simply states an
observation. An interpretation might explain that a real fish is a
more effective stimulus because it provides not only visual releasers but
also olfactory and tactile ones. This interpretation proposes a
possible mechanism that could produce the data. In other words,
you must consider why you obtained the results you did.
(4) Writing obscurely by using jargon or science-speak.
Instead, use simple sentences (subject-verb-object) and normal
vocabulary. Use a scientific term only when necessary for clarity
or economy of expression -- and only when its meaning has been clearly
defined in your report or in the lectures or labs for this course.
Always avoid using
- complicated words,
- strings of nouns modifying other nouns, and
- weak endings for sentences.
You can find each of these three mistakes in the following example:
"Decremental responses to mirror image
stimulation were found."
In contrast, the following sentence uses simple, clear language:
"The responses of fish to their images in a mirror decreased steadily".
Although all scientists are powerfully attracted to jargon (perhaps
because it makes us feel like we have joined a secret club!), in fact the
best scientists explain their experiments in simple, clear language.
Not only is it easier for others, even other scientists, to
understand what they have discovered, but it is also clear that the
authors themselves understand what they have done!
