Date: April 1, 2017

To: Prof. Monique Logan

From: Zikora Agbapu
Subject: Comparison and Contrast Among Four Lab Reports.

The purpose of this memo is to compare and contrast four different lab reports
found online for the essential elements of a report as stated in the Merkel text. I chose
reports from various fields including physics, biology, and thermodynamics to get a
more diverse set of reports for comparison. The four reports chosen are:
 Heat Conduction Lab Report
 Perception of Different Sugars by Blowflies
 Newton's Second Law
 A Comparison of the Experimental Properties of a Compound Pendulum with
Simple Theory

All four reports follow the core elements outlined in the textbook: abstract,
introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion and references. This shows
that the basic structure of a lab report can be utilized in any field. They are also all
concise, with every sentence serving a purpose towards the greater goal of
communication and persuasion.
The four reports also vary in several ways. The physics reports seem to make
more use of tables and figures when compared the biology report, which used text
almost exclusively. On the other hand, the biology paper had a lot more references,
and in-text citation, as nearly every assumption or claim in the discussion had to be
backed up with evidence. It is possible that the physics reports do not use
references as frequently because the information is mostly gotten from primary
research.
Another difference between the reports is with the sub-organization. Even though
they all have the basic structure, the arrangement of information is not identical. For
example, the heat conduction report includes formulas in the methods, the data, and
the discussion sections, while the pendulum report contains the formulas under the
 “Theory” heading, which is a subsection under “Introduction.” Another instance in
differences in the organization is with the use of graphics. The physics-based reports
included their tables and graphs under the Results and Discussion, but the biology
report places the tables and figures in the appendices at the end of the report.
Finally, all four reports have conclusions, but only the heat conduction and Newton
reports have this paragraph placed under an explicit heading titled “Conclusion,”
while the rest have it as the final section in the discussion. These also happen to be
the shorter undergraduate reports, while the other two appear to be written by
graduate students in support of their thesis.
The basic structure of a lab report can be used to write in any fields, but it is
more of a set of guidelines than mandatory requirements. The structure can be
rearranged to whatever configuration best serves that particular report.

References
Curzon, A. "A Comparison of the Experimental Properties of a Compound Pendulum
with Simple Theory." (1993). Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC, Jan. 2001.
Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Fittingoff, Andrew. "Physics Laboratory Report Sample." (2003). Department of Physics.

San Fransisco State University. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Hamilton, Alexander, Sharon Flynn, and Andi Alexander. "Perception of Different Sugars
by Blowflies." SAMPLE LAB REPORT Perception of Different Sugars by
Blowflies. Hamilton University, 24 Oct. 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

JohnConor. "Heat Conduction Lab Report." Scribd. Scribd. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.