Resource Guides: SCI: Honors Chemistry Lab Report: Methodology and Materials

Milton Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Statement

Methodology and Materials

Methodology & Materials Rubric

Row	4	2	0
7	Experimental design addresses stated goal very well Adequate number of replicates (trials) and treatments (runs) were conducted and reported (make sure it is clear how many you did!)	Design is inappropriate or invalid for addressing stated goal No replicates and/or treatments reported in M&M	Design invalid AND no mention of runs/trials
8	Final testing well justified based on preliminary testing (you should be very brief with preliminary data, if it is applicable)	Limited justifications stated for final methodology	Justification absent
9	Procedural paragraphs are sequential, clear, accurate and concise How IV was varied and DV was measured clearly explained	Multiple errors in procedural paragraph Explanation of IV and DV variation and measurement unclear	Procedure absent
10	Experimental set up is clear from text and/or useful figure Visuals used are clearly labeled and captioned	Text unclear and visuals are absent Figure displays collection of materials used without clarifying experimental procedure	Experimental set-up absent
11	All controllable variables are detailed (quantified) within the M&M Reasons for their control are clear	Reason for control AND how they were controlled is unclear	Controlled variable absent
12	Based on written M & M, work is repeatable (thorough and unambiguous) Statistical testing choices (if necessary) are appropriate AND clearly justified	Written procedure lacks major details such that repeatability is impossible No mention in M&M of statistical testing used	Lacks detail AND no statistical analysis

The methods and materials section is where you capture (in paragraph form) your basic procedure and your experimental design strategy. The materials that you used should be obvious as you detail your procedure and experimental design. Do NOT just list your materials, or give a numbered (step 1, step 2, etc.) bulleted procedure. These paragraphs should convey the following information (the items listed are in order of the corresponding rubric):

Your design strategy should clearly address your stated goal. This means that it should be clear from reading your experimental procedure whether or not you should be able to achieve your goal.
It needs to be clearly stated within the section how many replicates (trials) and runs were carried out; it may be necessary to justify these numbers if they are unconventional (for example, if you had 10 replicates because your AAD was high).
- Did you do adequate experimentation based on the precision of your data?
It should be clear to the reader that your preliminary testing justifies your final testing strategy; there should not be a major scientific leap going into your final testing (new variables, etc.)
While the procedural steps should not be numbered, the methods and materials section should be written sequentially. The paragraphs should also be clear and accurate, with respect to actual steps you did in the laboratory. While your methods section needs to be thorough, you should also be concise.
Your IV and DV should both be clearly and accurately identified. It should be clear within this section how you manipulated your IV (what were you changing?) and how you measured or quantified your DV.
It is also critical that the experimental set-up is clear from this section. If text does not do an adequate job (subjective to the reader), then a visual aid can be quite useful. If a visual aid is used, then it: must be clear, captioned (as a figure) appropriately, and cited in the text.
All of your experimentally-controlled variables should be clearly identified and quantified (if appropriate) within your methods and materials section. For each control, it should be clear WHY you controlled them and HOW you controlled them.
Your procedure should be detailed enough and have the appropriate clarity that it would be repeatable (thorough and unambiguous) for a reader
If your data collection methods involves statistical analysis, you should mention it here. This analysis should be well justified based on your data and your experiment.