Read the Entire Experiment before You Start: Knowing what you are going to do before you do it will help you organize your work and be more effective and efficient. It will allow you to have all materials available, allowing for a easier flow to the experiement.
Basic Safety: Before beginning work on any experiment, reread the lab manual's safety sections, try to foresee any potential hazards, and take appropriate steps to prevent safety problems.
Organize Your Work Space, Equipment, and Materials: An organized environment will allow you to organize your materials for the experiemnt easier. Organization also helps prevent accidents and injuries.
Perform the Experiment Exactly as Instructed: Follow all directions precisely in sequential order. This is not the time to be creative. Do not attempt to improvise your own procedures or create a side experiment you think might be fun!
Think About What You Are Doing: Stop and give yourself time to reflect on what has happened in your experiment to this point. What changes occurred? Why? What do they mean? How do they relate to the real world of science? This step can be the most fun and often creates "light bulb" experiences of understanding.
Clean Up: Always clean your laboratory space and laboratory equipment immediately after use. Wipe down all work surfaces that may have been exposed to chemicals. Blot any unused chemicals with a paper towel or flush them down the sink with generous amounts of water. Discard used pipets and other waste in your normal trash. Return cleaned equipment and supplies to their storage location, making sure they are out of reach of children and pets.
Complete Your Work: Complete your Lab, answer the required questions at the end of the lab. Lab prepare your Lab Report. If you have properly followed all the above ste ps, the conclusion will be easy.
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