Writing Lab Reports

Like all writing, lab reports have a specific purpose and style. Lab reports are used to share technical information and experiment findings with others. In order to communicate the results of your lab findings as clearly as possible, it’s important to follow the formatting and stylistic guidelines created and followed by the science community.

If you’re not a science major, you’ll follow these guidelines to communicate these findings with your professor and classmates. If you are a science major, you could use your lab report writing to communicate with the science community, or even the entire world one day.

The MSU Denver Writing Center recommends students use the tool LabWrite, by North Carolina State University. This tool helps students write their lab reports from start to finish. At the beginning of your report, LabWrite can help you identify all the information you’ll need. At the end of your lab report, you can go through their checklist to ensure nothing is missing from your report.

Note: LabWrite is a free tool for students everywhere.

If you’re still unsure about writing your lab report, would like some extra support or would like to talk through the lab report process, schedule an appointment. The Writing Center helps all writers, at all stages of the writing process, with writing across all fields of study.