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CHECKLIST OF COMMOM LAB REPORT ERRORS
- wordiness-- Scientific writing is concise. Unnecessary phrases should be avoided, and information should not be repeated.
- line spacing-- Double space the lab report so that room is available for editorial comments.
- section labels-- Label the Introduction, Results, Discussion, and Literature Cited sections of the lab report. Use a different font size, style, or placement to set off the labels from the rest of the text.
- size of graphs-- Graphs should be at least half of a page.
- reporting statistics-- Statistics should be presented parenthetically to support descriptions of the results. Do not write out the statistical results in sentences.
- effect / affect-- effect is a noun; affect is a verb
- between / among -- between is used when comparing two items; among is used when comparing three or more
- accuracy / precision-- accuracy is the degree of agreement of measurements and the true value; precision is the degree of repeatability of measurements
- see-- Use see for strictly visual observations only. Substitute determine or measure for see.
- proofreading-- Many people fail to proofread their documents. Carefully reading your report will reveal unintentional errors and should suggest places for improvement.