How to Write a Medical Lab Report?

A medical lab report elaborates briefly on the experiment and the results. It follows a structured procedure containing different sections which we are going to mention below:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Materials
  • Method
  • Data
  • Subjects
  • Results
  • Analysis and discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Figure and graphs
  • References
  • Appendices

These sections vary according to the scientific fields and requirements. Some sections are included or excluded according to the requirements. For instance, some lab reports contain a research purpose rather than an introduction. Plus, only results are mentioned and conclusions are omitted. Although, you can follow the requirements set by your instructor. Let’s have a look at all the sections in detail:

  1. Title

The title is the first impression of the lab report and tells what the report is about. It should be short that can elaborate on the purpose of the investigation or experiment.

  1. Abstract

An abstract is a brief overview of the report containing 150-300 words. It talks about the purpose, procedure, materials, result, and conclusion of the lab report. We can say that the readers get a preview of the lab report after reading the abstract. First, write all the sections of the report, then write the abstract and use the past tense because you have done everything you are writing here.

  1. Introduction

An introduction describes the objective of the experiment in a paragraph. You can include how you performed your experiment and what are the findings. You can also write it in a paragraph by only mentioning the purpose of the investigation. Write about the hypothesis that you tested to investigate. At the start, provide some background information relevant to your research topic and describe why it is important in the real world. If you have researched before on the same topic, mention it here. You can also discuss whether you are going to expand that research or not.

  1. Materials

In this section, list every material or equipment you used during gathering data and analyses.

  1. Data

Now, write the numerical data that you found and recorded during the experiment. It is normally in table form. Remember, this numerical data is based on facts rather than predictions.

  1. Subjects

Described subjects you used during research. For example, in human subjects, you will write demographic characteristics while in plants or animal subjects, you will write their genetic background.

  1. Method

Here, write down the whole procedure you did during your experiment. Use past tense and write all the steps of the procedure accordingly for example how you gathered data and analyzed it. Here, you will figure out your experimental setup so make sure no step should be skipped. The procedure you are writing here should be detailed but concise so that everyone can follow it.

  1. Results

Describe the data in words that what is the result of your experiment. Here, you will state whether the experiment results support your initial hypotheses or not.

  1. Analysis

In this section, discuss or analyze the results and calculations you made out of data. Here, you will discuss whether it proved true or not. You can also discuss the mistakes you have made during the experiment and what was their impact.

  1. Conclusion

The conclusion is the final section, that sums up the experiment and describe the findings. It tells whether the hypothesis is accepted or not. The conclusion is written in a single paragraph.

  1. Figure and graphs

Label the figure and graphs with the descriptive title. First label the axes on the graph including units of measurement. The independent variable must be on the X-axis whereas, the dependent variable must be on Y-axis. Make sure to refer to these graphs and figures in your report. You can name them Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.

  1. References

If you are researching someone’s work, or you are citing the facts then you must list the references.

  1. Appendices

Lengthy materials, data, and procedures are written in appendices.