In her classes, Dr. Tischler has received some interesting examples of student collaboration.
Below are exerpts from two different lab reports, complete with incorrect grammar and punctuation. They are posted to serve as an example of what she does NOT consider acceptable.

Students are expected to write their own lab reports. That is what the term individual effort means. If there is some question about what is meant, see Dr. Tischler for clarification.

Students who turn in lab reports that are not their own work will receive a grade of zero for that report. If this causes you to receive a grade of D or F for the class, and it will result in your not graduating, that is your responsibility.

Two lab reports for the plant competition experiment:

Report A	Report B
Of the many factors that affect plant growth, competition is one of them. Competition can be above the ground, when plants compete for sunlight, and shade others, producing changes in height or branching patterns. Competition can also be underground where plants try to compete to get the limited water and nutrient supply in the soil. No matter, whether the competition is above or underground, it does have an effect on the growth and morphology of the plant.	Competition is one of the many factors affecting plant growth, whether it be above the ground, for sunlight or shade. Such competition can result in changes in height or even branching patterns. Competition underground can be for limited water supplies and nutrients needed for growth. However, no matter where the competition occurs or for what, it affects the growth and morphology of the plant.
There are two kinds of competition. Intraspecific competition is competition among members of the same species and is density dependent. On the other hand, interspecific competition is competition among members of different species and is density independent.	There are two types of competition, intraspecific and interspecific. Interspecific competition involves competition among members of different species and is density independent while intraspecific competition occurs among members of the same species and is density dependent.
The main purpose of this lab is to investigate to intraspecific and interspecific competition affect growth of various vegetables. We will conduct this experiment by hand-sowing in a green house type experiment, because this will allow us to control other factors that affect plant growth. The negative aspect of this experiment is that it does not resemble natural conditions.	The main objective of this lab is to study the relationship between inter and intraspecific competition and how it affects plant growth. We will conduct the experiment by planting seeds in a controlled, greenhouse type environment. One drawback is that our set-up does not completely resemble conditions in nature.
In this lab experiment we investigated the effects of both intraspecific as well as interspecific competition among 2 species of plants and how it affects their growth pattern. The results did not completely fit our hypothesis and the t-test we did failed to accept the null hypothesis.	In this lab we were able to investigate both intraspecific and interspecific competition. We investigated intraspecific competition between radish as well as cabbage plants. The differences were not as evident as we had expected in our hypothesis, and we also failed to accept the null hypothesis in the t-test.
On the whole, our plants looked fresh and grew well. This was probably a result of our effort to water them effectively. Having a clear purpose and hypotheses in mind also helped us in designing the experiment and selecting proper results and writing this report.	Overall, we had pretty healthy plants and were well taken care of during the course of our experiment. Thus by having an exact picture of the main purpose of this lab we were able to come up with some great hypotheses that helped us experimentally design our own experiments.

Two reports from the carrying capacity experiment:

Report C	Report D
The main purpose of this lab was to manipulate different factors and determine the carrying capacity of five fish tanks. Odum in 1953 described carrying capacity as "the upper bound beyond which no major increase can occur assuming no major changes in the environment." We had two variable factors in this experiment: food and space. The fish tanks received different types of food (flake or shrimp) while their sizes were also different (5, 10, 15 gallons).	Our main objective in completing this lab was to manipulate various factors in order to determine the carrying capacity of five individual fish tanks. In 1953, Odum described carrying capacity as "the upper boundary beyond which no major increase can occur assuming no major changes in the environment." We tested two variables in this experiment: space and food. The fish tanks received different types of food (shrimp vs. flakes) while they varied in tank sizes as well (5, 10, 15 gallons).
Our original hypothesis was that more nutritious food and more space would increase the carrying capacity of the fish tank. The different sizes and the food allocated to the separate tanks (the parameters) can be observed on Table #2.	Our original hypothesis was that food that had greater nutritional value and tanks with more space would increase the carrying capacity of the fish tank. The varied sizes and the food allocated to each of the separate tanks can be observed in Table #2.
The data that was obtained over the course of the semester can be seen in Table #1. Graph #1 shows that data in graphic form. By studying the data, it is very clear that the size of the fish tanks and the food given to them had an impact on their carrying capacity. The numbers recorded included the adults as well as the fry (baby fish).	The data that was obtained over the course of the semester can be seen in Table #1. Graph #1 shows that data in graphic form. By studying the data, it is very clear that the size of the fish tanks and the food given to them had an impact on their carrying capacity. The numbers recorded included the adults as well as the fry (baby fish). The data we obtained over the course of the semester is listed in Table #1 while Graph #1 reveals the data in graphic form. By analyzing the data, it is clear that the size of the fish tanks and the food made available to them influenced the carrying capacity. The numbers recorded included the adult fish and the fry (baby fish).