Instructions:

● Use the green text as a guide.

● When finished with the guide, delete the green text.

SCIENCE REPORT GUIDELINES

An experimental report will contain the following sections:
1. TITLE 9. RAW DATA
2. BACKGROUND Quantitative Data
3. AIM Qualitative Data
4. HYPOTHESIS 10. RESULTS
5. VARIABLES Processed data table
Independent variable (IV) Sample calculations
Dependent variable (DV) Graph
Controlled variable (CV) Results
6. APPARATUS 11. CONCLUSION
7. METHOD 12. EVALUATION
8. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS 13. DISCUSSION

What section are you working on?

Criterion B: Inquiring and Designing Criterion C: Processing and Evaluating

1. Title 9. Raw Data

2. Background 10. Results
3. Aim 11. Conclusion
4. Hypothesis 12. Evaluation
5. Variables 13. Discussion
6. Materials/Apparatus
7. Method
8. Safety Considerations

1. TITLE
The name of the experiment PLUS a description (what the experiment is about)

2. BACKGROUND
A brief description of what you will be doing, include:
 ● A review of relevant scientific concepts.
○ Could be: theory, formulas, practical uses, history, etc.
● a description of how your experiment is applied to address a specific issue or problem in the real
world? (including statistics / figures)
● research and explain the factors that are known to affect your investigation.
● Use citations; scientists use citations to show that their ideas are generally supported by others in
the scientific community.
● See this document for more instructions.

3. AIM
What we plan to find out.
● e.g. ‘To investigate the effect of independent variable on the dependent variable as measured by
tool and technique.
● Language:
○ To find out
○ To compare
○ To investigate
○ To measure
● It can be a QUESTION or a STATEMENT

4. HYPOTHESIS
An educational guess, a prediction of what you think will happen to your DV (when you change your
IV) with a scientific explanation of why this occurs.
● Language (need both):
○ If the IV increases then the DV will…....
○ This is because (scientific explanation including formula)
● Features:
○ It is quantitative
○ A sketch graph is included, with explanation (when appropriate - ask your teacher if
unsure)
○ Prediction is explained using scientific theory
○ The relationship between the theory and the specific results you expect to obtain
based on your experimental design.
○ Sources are used and cited

5. VARIABLES
Things that MIGHT affect the results of the experiment.
● In an experiment you usually only have
○ ONE Independent
○ ONE Dependent variable
○ MANY controlled variables.
 ● * note words such as size and amount should not be used in this section

Independent variable (IV)

The ONE thing you are changing.
The IV is what we are investigating or testing
● include units of measurement and range
○ e.g. Volume (mL ± 0.1mL) range from 0 to 100mL testing every 20mL.

Dependent variable (DV)

It is WHAT we measure in response to changing IV.
The DV depends on the IV.
● include units of measurement
e.g. mass (g ± 0.01g), time (s ± 1s), colour, voltage, distance, temperature, etc.

Include your IV and DV in a table like this:

● Variable name ● How variable is manipulated
Variable ● Units ● How variable is measured
● Uncertainty

Independent Range of IV stated and explanation of how this range was

Variable chosen.

Dependent What equipment was used.

Variable Describe the settings (if any) used for this equipment.

● variable name example:

○ Variable: Volume
○ Units: milliliters (mL)
○ Uncertainty: ± 1mL (stated on measuring cylinder)

Controlled variable (CV)

These variables do NOT change for fair testing - there are many of them
(≥5).
Things you keep the SAME in each trial.

Include your CVs in a table like this:

Controlled Variable Values of controlled variable Why we are controlling it?

How is it controlled
note: add a row for each new e.g. volume 60mL controlled using a 100mL The volume of the solution determines the
control variable measuring cylinder with an uncertainty of concentration. So, more or less volume will
±2mL affect the concentration.
 1

6. APPARATUS
A list of the equipment used to conduct the experiment AND a labelled figure of the equipment setup..
● Include quantity, sizes and uncertainties.

7. METHOD
Numbered steps of the procedure followed in the experiment

INCLUDING
● Clear (concise) statements so someone could repeat the experiment EXACTLY how you did
(conducted) the experiment
● Most steps should start with an action verb. “Measure 6ml…”
● Numbered steps
● Quantities (chemicals) to use
● Sizes of equipment
● Times
● Diagrams (*especially if equipment set up is complicated or difficult to describe)
● How you will be manipulating the variables
● How you will collect your data
o include sufficient relevant data
▪ IV: 5 variations of the IV (ensure you have included them)
▪ DV: minimum of 3 trials per IV (5 if you’re doing biology)

8. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
Outline any safety issues with the experiment and describe how they are mitigated (made less)

INCLUDING
● Clearly outline all safety issues
● Describe how each one will be made less dangerous

9. RAW DATA
An organized table of raw data (measurements you collected)
● you should not include any graphs or data which has been processed.
● click here for a sample
Quantitative Data
TABLE CHECKLIST:
● has a title(s) that explains what the experiment is about
○ include both IV and DV / could be your research question rewritten as a statement
● correctly labelled column headings including units and uncertainties
● IV is vertical (first column)
● DV is horizontal (second column and trials)
● There are no units inside the table, precision (number of decimal places) is maintained

Qualitative Data
● qualitative data is included after the raw data table
● record observations before, during, and after your experiment
● it is often appropriate to include pictures here
● observations are DETAILED
● can be in a table or written as a list
● can be used to support your evaluation section

10. RESULTS
Table(s), graph(s) and explanation of the processed data

Processed data table

● only contains processed results (e.g. IV and average of DVs)
○ may also have error calculations (e.g. Standard Deviation)
● follows same conventions as the raw data table (see above)

Sample calculations
● include a sample calculation of your processed data
● you must include one sample for EACH calculation you do
○ note: if doing standard deviation, you can take a screenshot of the formula on google sheets
● e.g. Average calcuation for 10mL variation of the IV:
○ (T1+T2+T3) / 3
○ (7 + 8 + 9) / 3 = 8

Graph
GRAPH CHECKLIST
● Has descriptive title (including IV and DV)
● Starts at the origin (0,0)
 ● Label axes – headings with units and uncertainties
○ On vertical (y-axis) put Dependent variable (units and uncertainty)
○ On horizontal (x-axis) put Independent Variable (units and uncertainty)
● Scaled appropriately
● Points plotted correctly
● Trend-line
● Error bars included
● Graphs do not break pages
● Graphs are min 80% of page (a reasonable size - easy to read)
● Consistent decimal places

Here is a checklist to help with your tables and graphs: Data Processing Checklist

Results
Discuss your graph, its shape and any trends.
For example, the shape of the trend-line, y-intercept.
Do not explain any reasons for your results.

11. CONCLUSION:
a concise STATEMENT that interprets your results and answers aim
● Language:
● eg. As the IV……....the DV ………..
● The DV changed because ______________.
● Explain results using correct scientific reasoning (theory), and includes:
○ data (from processed data table)
○ trendline explanation
● Mention if the hypothesis is supported

12. EVALUATION:
a summary of how the experiment went and how it could be improved, including:

● Evalutation of the method - what was good, what was bad

○ You could consider: sufficiency of data, correct tools, variables
○ What could you add to your method?
○ Was your equipment precise?
● Does your hypothesis match your conclusion? Why or why not?
○ Don’t repeat what you wrote in your conclusion.
 ● Evaluation of the data
○ describe the range of your data
○ were your data points close to the trendline?
○ you can use standard deviation or R2 correlation if you did these calculations.
● What could you change to improve the results of the experiment?
○ for example:
■ ‘didn’t have enough data because we only conducted one experiment’
■ ‘repeat the experiment 3 times’
■ ‘next time, I will change the IV to __________.’
● Are there any items in your qualitative data that need to be addressed here?
■ The solution was cloudy suggesting that…
■ Any colors, smells, or other observations that may have impacted on your data.

Next, complete this table (Note: do NOT repeat the same things above the table and in the table)
Weakness or Limitation Description of the Effect Suggested Improvement

13. DISCUSSION
Impacts of the experiment on the world:
Explain how the results of your experiment are useful to the real world.

INCLUDE these parts:

● What are 2 further investigations you can do from this experiment
○ i.e. is there any more experimentation that should be done?
○ what other experiments could be completed now that we have the results from this
experiment).
○ Are there practical applications to my experiment?

● Include any practical applications of your results and how it has impacted the world.
○ You should mention the benefits and limitations of your results.
○ Think about how it affects the world in one of the following factors: economically,
politically, socially, culturally, environmentally, morally or
○ ethically.