| In addition to introducing students to common biochemical techniques, the laboratory component of Dickinson College's Biochemistry course also involves teaching students how to convey their experimental data in a more professional manner. Students struggle with the transition from “writing everything down” in the laboratory notebook to reporting data in a “concise yet complete” manner that is required by the scientific community. Using guided investigational writing exercises involving excerpts from the journal Biochemistry, students determined what critical experimental information should be extracted from their notebook and subsequently included in a report. Multiple examples of these exercises will be presented and discussed. This investigative model resulted in a higher quality of writing in biochemistry laboratory reports and enhanced student skills in dissecting the finer points of scientific communication in the primary literature. |