BISC411
                                            EXPERIMENTAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL

                                                        Preparation of the Laboratory Reports

In Summary:

 Each laboratory report should contain the following:

· Cover Page (Your name, group members' names, title of experiment)

· Introduction

· Materials and Methods

· Results

· Discussion

· References

 Detailed Description of Laboratory Reports

1.    Title page as described above.

2.    Introduction - Begin the body of your paper with a short explanation of what you did and why. The introduction section includes the objectives or purpose of the experiment and any necessary background information.

3.    Materials and Methods - A concise summary of the protocol used in the experiment. It should include names and concentrations of the reagents used and, if necessary, specify operating parameters for equipment used (for example, voltage, time run, etc)., sufficient for others to reproduce the experiment if they desired to do so.

4.    Results - Data should be recorded in concise orderly tables, drawings, and graphs.  Data should be expressed quantitatively using the metric system and scientific notation. All tables need to be clearly headed and titled, all graphs should be titled with their axes labeled and parameters and units clearly designated.  Any necessary calculations should be shown with sufficient intermediate steps. A figure legend should accompany all graphs. A text should always be included explaining the results. The data tables and graphs provide evidence for the written statement of results which is in effect a translation of the tabulated or graphed data into English. This section of a lab report should not be speculative nor should it attempt to interpret results.  It should merely state them. The graphs, figures, etc. should be found in the same section of the report as the text, not attached as if an afterthought to the end of the report.

5.    Discussion and Conclusions - This is the section of a lab report where it is proper to make conclusions and generalizations which are supported by the data presented in the Results. It is important in making conclusions to cite the evidence backing your statements. In this section you are also allowed to speculate as to the meaning of results, but be sure that you identify speculations, hypotheses, or conjectures as such. If the experiment does not give easily interpreted results, try to identify possible reasons for the data obtained. Discuss the limitations of the experimental protocol and the interpretations and suggest future experiments that could help clarify the conclusions you are making.

6. References, as appropriate.  This should include any websites, textbooks, journals, etc. that you may have refered to in any section of the report or in the background information you used to write the introduction and discussion sections. Full references are required.(URLs should not stand alone. The organization and, if possible, the author of the site should be named; textbooks must include the title author, publisher, year published, and the pages referenced; journal articles must include the author/s, year of publication, title, journal name, journal issue, and page numbers.).