Deck 19: Writing Lab Reports

Question 1

The discussion section of a lab report is the appropriate section in which to interpret or explain your findings to readers.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Ideally, what will the title and abstract of a report help readers do?

Answer 2

not answered

Question 3

The discussion portion of a lab report is also called an analysis.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A written lab report is the primary evidence on which your audience will judge your credibility and skills as a researcher.

Question 5

In the context of a lab report, what does replicability mean?

Question 6

Science and engineering journals usually instruct authors to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide.

Question 7

Chapter 19 provides four guidelines for including equations in a lab report. One is to use an equation editor or write the equations by hand. What are the other three guidelines?

Question 8

How familiar should you assume your audience will be with the particulars of your experiment?

Question 9

A descriptive abstract states the topics covered in the lab report but doesn't present important results or conclusions.

Question 10

Although a lab report is organized as a single cohesive argument, most readers probably will not read it in a linear fashion, from start to finish.

Question 11

If you consulted a source during your research but you did not cite it, you should leave the source out of your references list.

Question 12

What does prepublication permit an author to do and what is it designed to take advantage of?

Question 13

Which of the procedures you performed should you mention in the "Materials and Methods" section of your report?

Question 14

Why do scientists have a strong tradition of using the passive voice in lab reports?

Question 15

According to Chapter 19, most lab reports consist of eight basic elements. One is the introduction. What are two other elements found in most lab reports?

Question 16

Scientific research does not entail persuasive writing; providing the facts established in an experiment is sufficient.

Question 17

The acknowledgments section of a lab report is typically used to identify and thank people who have assisted the author during a study or in preparing the report. What is another typical use of the acknowledgments section?

Question 18

You should write the sections of a lab report in the order in which they will appear in the report.

Question 19

In describing your methods, you might include a picture of the equipment in your lab as you used it.

Question 20

What are author guidelines?

Question 21

According to Chapter 19, what is the process of peer review?

A) Professionals evaluate inconsistent data to achieve a breakthrough in understanding.
B) Qualified professionals test the replicability of an experiment before publishing an article about it.
C) Qualified professionals review and comment on an article before it is published in a professional or academic journal.
D) A third party reviews the qualifications of the people in a laboratory before recommending that others use its services.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT one of the questions readers of abstracts typically ask?

A) What questions motivated your study?
B) What answers did you discover?
C) What are the implications of your findings?
D) How much did your equipment cost?

Question 23

Your methods should be detailed enough that another researcher could perform the same experiment using the same materials and methods. What term describes this goal?

A) iteration
B) redundancy
C) redaction
D) replicability

Question 24

Which of the following actions is unethical?

A) submission of relevant data
B) emphasis of relevant data
C) omission of uncited sources
D) omission of relevant data

Question 25

Which part of a lab report or a scientific report might be distributed more widely than the report itself?

A) the introduction
B) the discussion
C) the abstract
D) the acknowledgments

Question 26

How should you present your data in the results section?

A) in text only
B) in graphics only
C) in a mix of text and graphics appropriate for your audience
D) in a table only

Question 27

Which section should include a concise review of previous research relevant to your study?

A) introduction
B) methods and materials
C) discussion
D) appendix

Question 28

According to Chapter 19, what affects the persuasiveness of the evidence you present to your readers?

A) the quantity of your evidence; more is better
B) the quantity of your words
C) the way you present your evidence
D) the way you describe your materials and methods

Question 29

How does writing articles based on lab research differ from writing lab reports in an academic class?

A) Academic audiences and professional audiences are similar, so there is no difference.
B) Class work is seen by one or a few instructors, but professional work is often seen by a larger audience of professional peers.
C) Academic work focuses on generating new knowledge in a field, while professional writing focuses on demonstrating existing knowledge in a field.
D) Although professional work is often published for the use of large audiences, the standards for punctuation and spelling are more relaxed than those in academia.

Question 30

Which sentence is written in a style that is typical of lab reports?

A) Twenty samples were divided into two groups.
B) We tested twenty samples.
C) I tested twenty samples.
D) We divided the samples into two groups.

Question 31

What is the function of an acknowledgments section in a lab report?

A) to provide information about sources you cited in your report
B) to give credit to people who provided you with assistance or funding for your study
C) to provide more detailed information about the equipment used in the study
D) to acknowledge any additional data that did not fit with your conclusions

Question 32

Which of the following statements about lab reports is NOT correct?

A) A lab report is a carefully crafted argument meant to persuade an audience to accept your findings and conclusions.
B) Supporting evidence is often presented with a combination of graphics and text.
C) The most effective way to write a lab report is to write it in sequence, beginning with the introduction.
D) In organizing the discussion of your data, you should begin by presenting the most important findings.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a descriptive abstract?

A) It contains a list of topics covered in the report.
B) It does not include the important results of the study.
C) It does not include the conclusions of the study.
D) It includes important results and conclusions of the study.

Question 34

Why is it important to follow a standard pattern when writing a lab report?

A) The pattern is built into many available templates.
B) The pattern allots space for acknowledgment of peer reviewers.
C) The pattern reflects the scientific method used by other scientists and engineers.
D) The pattern has major sections in alphabetical order.

Question 35

The references section of a lab report should contain which of the following?

A) references for all of the sources you consulted, whether or not you cited them in the report
B) references for only the sources you cited in the report
C) references for only the sources you cited in the body of the report
D) references for the sources you cited as well as other sources you want to recommend to readers

Question 36

According to Chapter 19, which of these is NOT an element common to most lab reports?

A) task schedule
B) title
C) discussion
D) conclusion

Question 37

Which of the following is the LEAST effective title for a lab report or scientific article?

A) Three-dimensional Imaging of Enzymes
B) Intensification in the Activity of Lipase Enzyme Using Ultrasonic Irradiation and Stability Studies
C) Immunoassays of Fungal Laccases for Screening of Natural Enzymes and Control of Recombinant Enzyme Production
D) Evaluation of Butyrate-induced Production of a Mannose-6-phosphorylated Therapeutic Enzyme Using Parallel Bioreactors

Question 38

Which of these guidelines should you NOT follow when writing conclusions?

A) Review the purpose of your lab and the hypothesis (or hypotheses) you tested.
B) Summarize the most important implications of your findings.
C) Do not introduce any new information or analysis in this section.
D) Introduce new information and analysis to support your conclusions.

Question 39

Which of the following tasks is NOT one that the introduction to a lab report should accomplish?

A) Describe the hypothesis or question that your study attempted to answer and why this hypothesis or question is important.
B) Provide an extensive, detailed review of previous research relevant to your study.
C) Briefly describe the methods you used to find an answer to your research question.
D) Define the important terms and present the theoretical background concepts you expect your readers will need to know.

Question 40

According to Chapter 19, where should you write about research data that are atypical or problematic in some way?

A) in the discussion section
B) in the results section
C) in an appendix
D) in the acknowledgments