WHY DO WE WRITE LAB REPORTS IN PASSIVE VOICE?
It’s part of the scientific point of view. We observe and record as objectively as possible, avoiding personal bias by removing ourselves.
Using the passive voice also clarifies procedures and descriptions so they can be easily reproduced and compared.
NOTE:
DO NOT write reports as directions, such as those given in your lab manual. For example, do not write, "Heat the solution until it boils." Instead, write "The solution was heated to boiling."
OTHER TIPS:
Write in the third person - Scientific experiments demonstrate facts that do not depend on the observer, therefore, reports should avoid using the first and second person (I,me,my,we,our, OR us.)
Using the correct verb tense - Lab reports and research papers should be mainly written in the present tense. You should limit the use of the past tense to (1) describe specific experimental methods and observations, and (2) citing results published in the past.
Tables and Figures - Should be used when they are a more efficient way to convey information than verbal description. They must be independent units, accompanied by explanatory captions that allow them to be understood by someone who has not read the text.
Why do we reference?
Referencing
why do we have to bother with it? Referencing helps create a map of knowledge, a web of pathways in knowledge; and each researcher helps extend that knowledge. It means that we don't have to find out everything for ourselves all over again; we don't have to reinvent the wheel. In effect, referencing multiplies knowledge exponentially.
But scholarship depends not only on the sharing of knowledge but also on the questioning of knowledge. It relies on both the acknowledgement and critique of the work of other scholars.
Referencing checklist
Have you made it as easy as possible for the reader to locate your source?
Have you supplied all the necessary details?
Is your referencing consistent and...