Directions for Writing the Escherichia coli Lab Report

Environmental Selection for Antibiotic Resistance: Evolution Observed

 

Rough Draft  DUE DATE: October 24th by 4:00 pm. There will be a 5 point deduction for late assignments.

 

Final Draft  DUE DATE: December 2nd by 4:00 pm

 

  • Each student will be required to write a formal lab report on the E. coli experiment that each group has conducted over the past 21 days.
  • Since this experiment has been performed in groups, each of the group member names should be listed on the title page. The group should have the same results for the experiment; however, each student must write the results in their own words.
  • Follow the formatting & content style indicated in the handout provided in lab “How to Write a Scientific Lab Report”. It is vital to follow the information in this packet (pages A-G)

 

Appearance:

  • 12 point font using “Arial” or “Times New Roman”.
  • Double spaced
  • Number the pages in bottom right-hand corner.
  • Maximum is 10 pages

 

Parts of the Scientific Lab Report:

  1. Title Page
  2. Introduction
  3. Materials and Methods
  4. Results
  5. Discussion
  6. References

**Note, an Abstract is not required for this assignment**

TITLE PAGE

This is the cover page for your lab report. The title of the paper should be brief but still give a good description of what the experiment was about. Funny or cute titles are not appropriate.

 

Environmental Selection for Antibiotic Resistance: Evolution Observed

Center your title on the page about 7cm from the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Jane Doe (Your Name)

Group Members: Dick, Spot, & Jane

UWG, BIOL 1107 Laboratory, Section 1

Instructor: Betty Boop

Due Date: October 24, 2005

 

 

INTRODUCTION

  • This section should include background information about the experiment.
  • Also include researched information on Escherichia coli, ampicillin, streptomycin, & evolution.
  • Indicate what the purpose of the experiment is, working hypothesis, alternate hypothesis, & null hypothesis.
  • The purpose of this experiment is about observing evolution in an isolated population using antibiotic resistance.
  • Include information regarding evolution & the mechanisms by which it works.
  • At least 2 resources should be used in this paper. These are books, journals, & peer reviewed journal articles.
  • The last paragraph of the introduction should contain the purpose, question to be answered, hypothesis, & prediction of the experiment. 

 

MATERIALS & METHODS

  • Do not list the materials individually; they should be listed in paragraph form as each step of the procedure is explained.
  • This section should be written well enough that any target audience could repeat this experiment by following your directions.
  • Do NOT write the procedures word for word from the lab manual, put this into your own words.
  • The lab manual should be cited as a reference. Put the steps into your own words. 
  • Always write with a passive voice. See “How to Write a Scientific Lab Report” for details.

EXAMPLE: “E. coli colonies resistant to streptomycin were streaked onto two nutrient agar plates one of which contained streptomycin. Both plates were inverted to prevent contamination from condensation and were incubated at 37 degrees Celsius for seven days”. (That is very descriptive and indicates what materials were being used and how.)

 

RESULTS

  • In this section you should report all of your data.  DO NOT explain what the data means, only present what you observed.
  • Include figures, be sure to label them (Figure 1, etc) this will allow you to refer to them in the discussion section of the paper.
  • The text in this section should explain what can be seen on the figures.

 

DISCUSSION

  • Now you can explain what your results mean. Interpret your figures and mention anything that may have influenced the results of your experiment, such as a contamination.
  • You should clearly state whether or not you ACCEPTED or REJECTED your hypothesis.
  • DO NOT USE THE WORD PROVE!! You should use terminology like the evidence supported the hypothesis and based on that information the hypothesis for the experiment is accepted. 
  • After stating which hypothesis was accepted and which one was rejected, you must also state why they were accepted or rejected.
  • Answer the four discussion questions in paragraph format. Do not write out the question and then state your answer!! Construct your answers so that it is obvious to the reader what the original question was.
  • Use these questions to guide your thinking about the scientific processes that were occurring in this experiment. All four of these questions are the basis for the entire experiment.

REFERENCES

  • Cite ALL references that were used in the writing of this lab report.
  • Use caution when using websites. If you do use a website as a resource, then you must give the exact URL for that webpage. See page G on clear directions for citing a website correctly.

 

**Remember that the Rough draft is just that a “rough draft” of your thoughts. However, the more effort you put into writing this, the more material your instructor will have to help you improve on for the final draft. It also means that who ever writes a good solid rough draft, will not need to exert a great deal of effort into writing the final draft which is worth 40 points.

 

If additional assistance is needed, you may make an appointment with your lab instructor, or call the writing center on campus for help.

 

Writing Center, located in the TLC building, Room 1-201, Phone: 678-839-6513  

Call at least 24 hours in advance and make an appointment.