Lab Write-up and Course Grading

Grading. Your grade in the course will be based on your lab reports, problem sets, your participation in group discussions, and your overall performance. The latter is, I admit, a subjective determination; however, certain behaviors are guaranteed to lower your grade. These include not attending lab; not handing in assignments on time, arriving late to lab; not performing your share of group chores; leaving the lab messy; jeopardizing other students' work, etc. In other words, be a good citizen and neighbor, as well as a good student, and you will do well.

Lab Write-up Format:

Lab write-ups should be typewritten.

Number the pages and include your name prominently on the first page.

Staple the pages of the report together.

Each write-up should include all of the sections described below:

• Purpose/Introduction. If this has not been provided, state in two or three sentences the exact purpose of the exercise; what was done, to what, and why. (Avoid stating that the purpose was to gain experience with a particular piece of equipment or technique.)

• Materials and Methods. If provided, attach the appropriate section of the lab handout and note any corrections or alterations to the procedure. If there were none, merely note "No deviations from the planned procedure were performed, " or words to that effect. Include in this section any calculations for dilutions, cell volumes, centrifuge speeds, etc. This information is not included in a formal journal article, but it will help me to evaluate the results you obtain for the more straight-forward exercises we will perform.

  Most weeks you will be developing and following your own protocols. Therefore, you will have to write this section de novo. You will want to follow the style used in the scientific literature. It may find it helpful to find scientific articles that employ the technique so that you have an idea of overall style and of how much detail to include.

• Data/Results. This section should include your raw data. Observations made during the course of the experiment should be described in detail and with precise wording. If appropriate, create a table or graph that accurately and effectively represents the data. Be certain that calculated values have the appropriate units and that the axes are properly labeled on any graph. Do not underestimate the value of a simple drawing.

  [Record your observations honestly. Remember, in this course we are as interested in your thinking processes as in your technical manipulations!]

• Discussion and Conclusions. In this section, analyze your results. The Discussion/Conclusion section does not have to be extensive -- one or two paragraphs is generally sufficient. If you don't know what to write, consider the following questions: Were these the results that you expected? If not, why do you think you got the results that you did? If you were to repeat the experiment, what would you do differently or how would you modify the procedure? For monoclonal antibody experiments, are the results consistent with those from previous experiments? Do you think that your results are reliable? (If you made a dilution error that you think may have affected your results, this is the place to discuss it. ) What additional experiments might be done? In your discussion, you may wish to look up material that is beyond the scope of your textbook. If so, clearly cite the reference: include author, journal or book name, pages and year.