How to Write an Introduction for a Lab Report: A Guide for Students

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Take it from us when we say that writing an introduction for a lab report can be just as hard as writing the report itself.

While it boils down to establishing the learning context and the primary goal of the lab, and at the same time giving a hypothesis for the experimental procedures, this section can be a lot harder to put together than any other part of the report.

Here's perhaps the most challenging part about introducing a lab report:

It's a one-paragraph piece of test, which has to cover so many elements of the report, with the most important information appearing at the very top.

Don't worry if you’re currently struggling to write the introduction for your lab report – or if you don't know how to do it. That's because in this guide, you'll learn how to write the best introduction for your lab report.

Why is an Introduction Important in a Lab Report?

The introduction of a lab report offers readers a preview of the most important details that you’ll address in the other sections of the paper. It provides a background to the work in the report and unveils the objectives of the proposed work to bring out the context of the real life application of the study outside the experiment.

Unlike in essay writing, where the introduction is as short as one paragraph, the introduction for a lab report tends to be longer. The length can be anything between four paragraphs and a few pages long depending on factors such as the complexity of the topic, the brief provided by your instructor, and the depth of the topic in question.

It’s important to mind your audience when writing an introduction for a lab report. Many of your readers may not be familiar with the discipline under study. In that case, it may be necessary to explain technical terms for clarity. You should do that in the introduction.

What Should I Include in the Introduction of a Lab Report?

The introduction of your lab report should show three key pieces of information to meet the standards of your professor. These are:

• The purpose of the study
• Comprehensive and concise information about the topic under investigation
• A literature review about the topic

Don’t include specific details about the methodology of the study in this section of the assignment; this will go into the method section. Furthermore, the introduction should NOT feature the conclusions that you have made based on the studies that you’ve conducted; leave this for the results section of the report.

A Guide to Writing a Good Introduction for a Laboratory Report

To write a good introduction for a lab report:

Start with a Broad Introduction

The first step to writing an introduction for your lab report is to look at the topic from a broad spectrum. This gives you a perfect idea on how to approach the assignment.

Let’s say your instructor wants you to conduct an experiment and write a lab report about the effects of temperature on catalase enzyme.

For the introduction, a reasonable approach would be to talk about enzymes in general. You can describe what they’re, how to make them, and how they work.

Further, the introduction should clearly describe the background of the science, give the reason for the study, and explain whom the experiment will benefit

Narrow Down the Introduction

The next step is to narrow down your introduction to a specific top. In the case of our example above, you’ll need to focus more on why the catalase enzyme is important, how it works, and where it comes from. By narrowing down the topic, it becomes easy for you to study exactly how temperature affects the catalase enzyme.

Work on the Literature Review

The introduction for your lab report must include a literature review, where you discuss what people already know about the subject under investigation.

It’s important to cite all the sources you used in your research. Also, make sure you summarize the research that you have done on the topic to make your description clear.

Don’t worry if you’ve never written a literature review before. You can check our guide to writing a literature review to learn more.

Describe the Goal of the Study

Conclude the introduction for the lab report by giving a clear description of the study. As a reader goes through your writing, they should be able to tell what hypothesis you tested during the study and know the questions you were trying to answer.

The Elements of a Strong Introduction for a Lab Report

A strong introduction for a lab report is the one that:

• Easily established the primary context of the lab by clearly stating what it’s about and giving the necessary background to the lab by providing relevant information about the context of the study
• Clearly describes the primary goal of the lab experiment by highlighting the objectives of the experiment. This is where you tell the reader whether the study was to determine, test, or measure something.
• Offers hypothesis for the experiment if there’s any by stating the hypothesis and examining the reasoning behind that hypothesis.

Tips to Write a Good Introduction for a Laboratory Report

Below are some tips you can sue to write a comprehensive introduction for a lab report:

• Use the lab notes to understand the topic under investigation, but don’t copy content from it. Instead, write the introduction in your own words.
• Brief lab reports may not require introductions. If this is the case, you should go straight to the aim or statement of the study.
• Don’t hesitate to introduce relevant laws, theorem, or equations in the introduction if any
• If there are relevant theories that harmoniously link to the study, explain them in details
• Don’t shy away from consulting your instructor if you’re not sure about some part of the introduction to lab report

Conclusion

Now that you know how to write a good introduction for your report, it shouldn’t be hard for you to handle this part of the assignment. Still, feel free to contact us here if you need more help.