A good, effective introductory paragraph is essential to writing success, which is also the case while writing lab reports. It follows the abstract, and students are usually confused about the difference between the two. An abstract must provide a brief idea of the report, while the introduction must elaborate on it, state the experiment’s objective, and give background information. Below are the tips for writing a lab report introduction that will capture the attention and impress the readers:

Hook your audience

The introduction usually follows the title of the lab report. It depends on this section whether the reader will proceed to read the entire lab report or not. Your introduction paragraph should, therefore, be attention-grabbing. When writing a lab report, one of the hooks is to begin with an interesting fact or a statistic. It should be clear and crisp while providing background information and stating the overall goal of the experiment. It should set the context and explain why the experiment was done, including any theories/laws/ formulae relevant to the experiment. 

Maintain a logical flow.

A well-structured introduction is vital for setting the stage and providing a logical flow to your lab report. To achieve this, it is recommended to follow a systematic approach. Begin by addressing the broader topic and providing an overview of the subject matter. This will help readers understand the context and significance of the experiment you conducted. The next step involves discussing the theoretical framework that influenced your experiment. Explain the concepts and principles that are relevant to your study, highlighting their importance in guiding your research.

Furthermore, it is essential to explain the purpose and background of your experiment. Elaborate on the reasons for conducting the study and outline the gap or knowledge deficit that your research aims to address. In this section, you can also reference any previous studies conducted by other researchers that are related to your research question. Provide details about the experimenters, the focus of their study, and the outcomes they obtained. After summarizing the previous studies, it is crucial to establish a rationale for conducting your experiment.

Explain how your study builds upon the previous research and why it is necessary to further investigate the topic. Discuss any changes in the scenario or advancements in the field that justify the need for your experiment. Finally, present your hypothesis or prediction for the experiment. This allows readers to understand the expected outcome and provides a basis for comparison with the actual results. However, avoid including specific details about the experimental procedure or the final results, as these will be addressed in dedicated sections later in the report.

Include the literature review.

The introduction should also include a literature review that states the existing information that is already known about the topic of experimentation. Generally, it is an overview of all the journals and articles related to the topic in question and is meant to offer context. 

Formulate a strong hypothesis.

Hypotheses are tentative statements that predict the outcome of an experiment, and they form a crucial part of the lab report. To write a solid hypothesis, ensure it is clear, specific and testable. It should be based on variables that will be measured during the experiment. After conducting the experiment, you can go on to explain whether you accept or reject it in the discussion section, along with justifying it with your findings. 

Pay attention to the tenses.

When it comes to the correct use of tenses, students usually get muddled up, especially while writing the lab report introduction. When referring to the experiment that has already been conducted, you can stick to past tense since it is being worked upon.