How to Write a Psychology Lab Report

The basic structure of writing a psychology lab report is very easy to follow. The report should be based upon an experiment, and should begin with a title page, followed by an abstract, introductions, method, results, discussion, references, tables and figures. The purpose of your lab report is to give an informative perspective of the experiment to enable others to learn from it. 

TITLE PAGE
The title page of the lab report is relatively simple to create and should reflect the title of your experiment, name of the author, school name, running head, page header and page number. The title itself can either be specific or general and between 12 to 15 words. Never use filler words in the title such as “A Study of “or “The Experimental Process of...” The title should be original and to the point. An example would be “Economic Perils of Socialism.” Abbreviations should never be used in the title page. Be sure to flush left the running head. 

ABSTRACT
As the second page of your report, a brief synopsis of the experiment should be given. It should consist of at most one paragraph and a maximum of 120 words. The abstract should be a short summary of your entire lab report. Include those who participated, method, findings, and conclusions. Center the word Abstract on the second page. It is not necessary to indent the paragraph.

INTRODUCTION
When writing the lan report introduction, reflect on previous findings of the subject complete with your very own hypothesis. The intro provides very thorough investigations on the subject that are several pages long. Citation of sources can be in the introduction as well. It is very important to be specific and explain all conclusions, predictions, and inconsistencies in the study. Do not leave any stone unturned. 

METHOD
The method section is composed of participants, apparatus, and materials used in the experiment. As an option, design may also be used. Again it is imperative to be specific. When citing your participants, include the number and background. Also include how they relate to the experiment and your reason for choosing them.

When listing apparatus, include books, instruments, images, and any other materials used in the experiment. Explain the procedure in detail, listing steps in exact order. It is always good to follow the who, what, when, why, where, and how rules. When writing, it is good to use the past tense. 

RESULTS
This is where you will relate the statistics of your data collected. Table, graphs, and figures are the best way to display your results. This does not need to be a large section of the lab report and usually takes up one page. Explain your tables, graphs, or figures so that anyone can understand how it is displayed. 

DISCUSSION
Here, you will discuss your data and decide if it supports or disputes any of the information you collected in the experiment. 

REFERENCES
List all references in alphabetical order. Flush left the first line of each reference and indent any lines under the first line of a reference. Include page numbers and titles of any articles. Any references cited in the introduction or other parts of the report must also be included on the reference page.