What tense do you use when writing a discussion in a formal lab?

When writing a discussion in a formal lab report, it is customary to use the past tense. The reason for this is that you are describing and discussing the results and observations that have already occurred. Therefore, you will be referring to what you did, what you found, and what happened during the experiment in the past tense.

To ensure that you use the correct tense, you can follow these steps:

1. Begin by recounting the objectives and methods of your experiment in the past tense. For example, "The purpose of this experiment was to investigate..." or "We conducted the experiment by..."

2. When reporting the results and observations, use the past tense. For example, "The data obtained showed that..." or "We observed that..."

3. In the discussion section, use the past tense to explain and analyze the results. For example, "Our findings indicated that..." or "Based on the data collected, it can be concluded that..."

4. Lastly, when making general statements or discussing the implications of your findings, you can use the present tense. For example, "This experiment highlights the importance of..." or "These results suggest that further research is needed..."

By following these guidelines, you will maintain consistency in your writing and effectively communicate the information in a formal lab report.