Abstract Worksheet
The standard lab report will typically have 8 sections:
1. Title
2. Abstract [link to a PDF form for the Abstract]
3. Introduction
4. Experimental
5. Results
6. Discussion
7. Conclusion
8. References
In the labs for Chemistry 1110L, students are generally asked to write just the abstract, which is basically a very brief thumbnail sketch of the lab. The abstract is a way for a chemist (in this case your instructor) to know what the rest of the lab report is about. It is sort of an advertisement for the lab. It should be short and to the point. Because of tradition, the abstract should be written in the passive voice when possible, without reference to yourself. There is really no good reason why it should be written in the passive voice, but in the long history of chemical lab reports this has become the standard style and professional chemists expect the abstract to be this way. It gives the report an authoritative voice: clinical, scientific, unbiased, and impersonal.
"What is the passive voice?" you might ask. Without getting into a technical description of the grammar, a couple of examples should make this clear.
Example 1: Active: I put the beaker into the flame of a Bunsen burner.
Passive: A beaker was put into the flame of a Bunson burner.
Example 2: Active: My lab partner measured the temperature of the solution using a
thermometer.
Passive: The temperature of the solution was measured using a thermometer.
Exercise 1: Active: We mixed three different salt solutions in a flask.
Passive:
Exercise 2: Active:
Passive: 3mg of table salt was added to the solution.
The abstract should answer the following questions:
1. What was done and why?
2. What results were found?
3. What conclusions can be drawn from the results or how could the results be applied?
Example: How to write the abstract
1. What was done and why? [Typically answered in the passive voice.]
Active: I made saturated solutions of 5 different salts and measured their densities using a graduated cylinder and a triple-beam balance. I did this so I could calculate the solubility of the various salts.
Passive: Saturated solutions of 5 different salts were made and their densities were measured using a graduated cylinder and a triple-beam balance. This was done so that the solubility of various salts could be calculated.
2. What results were found?
Active: I found that the order of the solubility of the salts was: Ag/L, Bg/L, Cg/L, Dg/L, and Eg/L.
Passive: The order of the solubility of the salts was found to be: Ag/L, Bg/L, Cg/L, Dg/L, and Eg/L.
3. What conclusions can be drawn from the results or how could the results be applied?
Active: Based on these results I can conclude that nitrates are generally soluble and that sodium salts are generally soluble.
Passive: Based on these results it was concluded that nitrates and sodium salts are generally soluble.
Now, put it all together by stringing the passive answers to all three questions into one paragraph.
|
Abstract:
Saturated solutions of 5 different salts were made and their densities
were measured using a graduated cylinder and a triple-beam balance. This was done so that the solubility
of various salts could be calculated. The order of the solubility of the
salts was found to be: Ag/L, Bg/L, Cg/L, Dg/L, and Eg/L. Based on these results it was
concluded that nitrates and sodium salts are generally soluble. |
The point is to keep it brief, formal, impersonal, authoritative, and informative. In a full fledged lab report you will have the opportunity to describe interesting results, theoretical issues, and/or problems with the experiment, but in the abstract all you need to do is summarize the lab, no more.