This guide can be used by gcse science and as level and a level biology, as level and a2 level chemistry and physics students who need to help to write up science coursework as part of their syllabus. However it also can be used as a general guideline for students who require help, advice and tips on how to write science practicals, scientific experiments and science reports for degree and university levels. It can also help students with the writing of science experiments and reports for medicine, biochemistry, biomedical science and forensic science as well as other subjects including psychology, ecology and environmental science. There is a general standardised formal structure to writing science, biology and chemistry reports which you will need to follow. This section will deal with the basics that all science students should be aware of when writing up chemsitry coursework or biology coursework. Impersonal means that you should avoid using any phrases that include personal terms such as we or i.

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Past tense means that you must describe the experiment as if it has already been carried out with the exception of any planning section that you may need to submit as part of your report. Avoid using future tense in any science, chemistry or biology practicals or writing it as if you are describing a method or instructions for others to follow. Wrong personal we added five cm 3 of buffer solution to tubes a and b and then i incubated both tubes in a water bath at 37 degrees centigrade. Right impersonal five cm 3 of buffer solution was added to tubes a and b and then both tubes were incubated in a water bath at 37 degrees centigrade. Wrong future tense you will need to label 5 tubes from one to five and add 1cm 3 of reagent to each. Or we will be labelling 5 tubes from one to five and adding 1cm 3 of reagent to each. Right past tense five tubes were labelled from one to five and 1cm 3 of reagent was added to each.

The sections usually included in science reports are: title aim or abstract introduction method hypothesis results conclusion discussion/ evaluation/ methods of improvement reference/bibliography your science report title should be short but detailed enough to accurately describe the work that has been carried out. At the top of your report you should also include the date and your name the author and the name of any collaborators if there were any. Aim the aim section should describe what the purpose of the biology or chemistry experiment is in no more than two or three sentences.

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Abstract as you begin to study at a higher level i.e post 16/ undergraduate / university / postgraduate you will need to include an abstract section instead. This is a summary in one paragraph of the entire work including results and conclusion. In academic publications the abstract is useful as it allows others to quickly judge if your work is relevant and of interest to them and warrant more detailed reading. It provides a similar role to the summarised content you find on the back covers of books. The most difficult aspect in writing an abstract is trying to summarise a long and complex report in a short paragraph without leaving out anything important.

This shows your understanding of the science behind the report but it must be relevant. In the science coursework background / introduction you include any background information you have found whilst researching your topic. Diagrams and images can be included if you so wish, but remember if you do use other sources such as books, other publications or internet sites then you must list those sources in your reference/ bibliography section.

Your science experiment hypothesis should be clear and be in the form of a question that you want to find the answer to. Does vitamin c in orange juice oxidise over time when exposed to the air? a clear and well written hypothesis can help point the way to what data you need to gather to help you find the answer. So as you can see the hypothesis is the foundation around which your report should be designed and built. From the science experimental data you obtain if the experiment is well planned and carried out you should be able to say if the hypothesis has been either supported or not in your conclusion section.

Your science practical method should include a list of the equipment and the method used. Although you must write your method in past tense and not as a series of instructions to others, it must be detailed enough for others to follow and repeat your work if required. This reproducibility of results by others is one of the cornerstones of the scientific method. Your science experimental results section should be well presented and include your data in table and graphical form. Any calculations you used on your data including statistical tests if required should also be in this section.

Presentation is everything and all graphs should have a title and all axis should be labelled. Do not scale your graphs so that they fill the entire page and butt right up against the margin a pet hate of mine. It is better to divide your scale by two and have a smaller half sized graph in the centre of the page. If you use this approach you may be able to fit more than one graph per page allowing the reader to review your graphical data and spot trends more easily.

If the graphs are on separate pages then they have to flip back and forth between them. A histogram is ideal for comparing two groups whilst a line graph is better for showing how enzyme activity varies with temperature. You must resist the temptation to make any comments on your results in the results section. An experienced scientist will, by looking at the your results, be formulating their own conclusions based on your data and you should not influence your reader by including your own thoughts and comments here.

Once the reader has reviewed your data and maybe come up with their own conclusion they can then move on to the conclusion section and see if your conclusion and theirs agree. This is where you review your data and state your opinions and arguments of what the results show at length. You should quote the data in the results section in support of the scientific conclusion you are making. Such as as can be seen by graph 3 there is a marked difference between group a and group b which allows the conclusion that. If the data obtained is not sufficient to support or reject the hypothesis state why and propose further work that will help to generate more data allowing you can draw a firmer conclusion.

If you have used measuring apparatus such as weighing scales for mass or glassware for measuring volumes then you may need to calculate the percentage error of the measuring apparatus. The formula is the smallest graduation halved then divide that number by the volume or mass measured. If you have used a pipette to measure 20cm 3 of solution and the smallest graduations on the pipette are 0.1cm 3 apart this means that the actual volume dispensed may be 0.05cm 3 which is 0.1/2 above or below 20cm 3. To calculate the percentage error for this measurement 0.1/2 0.05 and 0.05/20 100 0.25% also you could propose here further work or investigations that might be able to produce further data that will support your conclusions. You must include all the external sources of information you have used in compiling your report. Each source should be described in sufficient detail to allow the reader to locate and read the source themselves.

One standard way for example of quoting a section in a book would be to in this format. Author s , book title and edition year of publication ,publisher, page numbers stryer l, et al, biochemistry 5th ed 2002 ,w.h.freeman amp co ltd, p102 105 or for a magazine or paper in a scientific journal. 1953 a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid nature 171, 737 738 if there are more than two authors for a source name the main or first author and use the latin et al which means and others. This new a level biology course has been updated to meet the latest academic specifications, so you can feel confident studying for a qualification you can trust. On this course, you 39 ll study the following topics: human and cellular biology dna and biodiversity photosynthesis and respiration cells and organisms practical and investigative skills in biology studying a levels with open study college lets you choose when you take your exams, so that you are always fully prepared. You set the pace of your studies, fitting learning around your busy lifestyle with no strict deadlines or timetabling to contend with.