MD Miah

English 21007

Professor Von Uhl

25 April 2021

Rhetorical Analysis of a Lab Report

Introduction 

Dr. Michele L. Pergadia, John W. Newcomer, and David G. Gilbert wrote the lab report “Depression and Nicotine Withdrawal Associations with Combustible and Electronic Cigarette Use” to analyze the correlation between depression and nicotine withdrawals. They also explain the correlation between nicotine withdrawal and depression, of which they discuss how electronic cigarettes, which have become much more common, can cause the same effects. To prove this theory the doctors held a survey on US adults, at least 18 years old and 52% percent women, in which they examined the effects of nicotine in active use and while on a withdrawal (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). This cross section-survey examined how often one uses nicotine-related products, their connection to age and gender, as well as how it impacts depression-related symptoms. Each applicant had to answer a questionnaire and their answers would then be evaluated and also cross-checked with many other concealed or otherwise unmentioned factors like the ones previously mentioned. Finally, the results were both expected but were also accompanied by even more data which provided the conclusion that the effects caused by nicotine could be decided by a myriad of other different factors. However, to fully understand the conclusion of this lab report, the exact process of the survey and its conclusion must be fully analyzed and explained.

Title of Lab Report

The first noticeable element of this lab report is its title which is the first thing any reader will notice. It’s detailed enough and straight to the point: “Depression and Nicotine Withdrawal Associations with Combustible and Electronic Cigarette Use”. It easily grabs a reader’s attention and gives them a small mention of the central idea of this report. Furthermore, it is not complicated and will not leave the reader guessing or confused whilst reading it. It is very important to have detailed and informative articles, especially for scientific lab reports (Markel, Selber, 2017). In conclusion, the lab report had a title that fulfilled all the requirements needed to be considered a proper title.

Abstract of Lab Report

The abstract of a lab report is an important component of a lab report since it provides the reader a summary of what the lab report will entail. This includes explaining the title, procedure, results, and conclusion (Markel, Selber, 2017). The lab report meets all of the requirements in its abstract as it is both long and detailed enough to be able to sway the reader’s choice to whether or not to read the report. However, despite being detailed, certain acronyms which are meant to shorten the terms are very complicated and will require readers who are not familiar with them to use context to decipher them (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). This can sway the reader’s decision to continue reading the report as it may already confuse them. The authors should dedicate more space in the abstract to properly explain the acronyms used. Moreover, by explaining the key details in an even more precise way, they might change the target audience of the lab report to include younger readers – a problem that could be affecting the next coming generations and could help prevent it. All in all, the abstract of this lab report is very detailed but does feature some very complicated terms that could be better explained to help the reader decide whether or not they wish to read the report.

Introduction of Lab Report

Another critical component of a lab report is its introduction. An introduction is how the lab report not only introduces itself to the reader but how it provides the context needed to understand the rest of the article. If the introduction of a lab report does not meet all of the necessary standards then the report is already starting in a bad place and may dissuade readers from continuing. For this reason, lab reports must have a clear thesis, and ways to answer said thesis (Markel, Selber, 2017). The introduction of this lab report talked about how past research has found a correlation between depression and nicotine withdrawal. Furthermore, given the rise of e-cigarettes, it’s important to re-evaluate the relationship between regular cigarettes and newer e-cigs (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). In addition to evaluating the relationship between the two, the individual effects can also be analyzed (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). The introduction continues by providing relevant terms and information needed to understand the survey about to be conducted. It also explains related statistics like how a person with nicotine addiction will smoke enough e-cigs to make up for not smoking combustible cigarettes. 

Methods and Materials of Lab Report

The methods and materials used in a lab report are a very crucial component. The lab report includes both the type of experiment used to test the theory, in this case, a survey, and the specific process used by the survey. They also explained the requirements needed to replicate their survey and the specifics of the survey. It includes asking questions such as if the participant had any smoking-related interests, has the participant tried e-cigarettes, and if the participant has been feeling depressed after nicotine withdrawal (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). Furthermore, the survey also included both male and female participants to see if the effects are somewhat different and if they are, how exactly are they different. Also, sample survey methodology was used to account for the complex survey design and to provide a nationally representative estimate. This methodology uses a sample group that represents a much bigger population of people and is typically used in medical experiments. Using this sort of methodology can bring the most accurate results from the limited number of participants chosen. Likewise, computer programs are used to simplify and organize survey results in the most efficient way possible. Finally, while the experiment did use a sample group to try to represent the national population it was acclaimed that further experiments and tests were needed for more accurate results.

Results of Lab Report

The results of a lab report are also another important part since it is the conclusion to whatever theory the authors of a lab report wanted to prove.  As for the results of this lab, the report analysis stated that 42.1% of the sample group indicated the use of combustible cigarettes and 28.2% of that number reported the use of e-cigarettes as well. A total of 15.6% of the sample group had symptoms related to depression while smoking. While a further 45.9% percent who suffered from nicotine withdrawal also reported depression (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020).  Additionally, the lab report provides visual explanations such as bar and line graphs. These visual examples can further help increase the abstraction of the article as it helps clarify the results of the report. Results are meant to help convey the central idea of the report while also being detailed enough for further study. This lab report meets all of these requirements but lacks an explanation of key terms used in the article also known as (NICUSER), (CCIG), and others leaving the reader having to use context clues. This complicates the paper and hurts the understanding of the results as more time has to be spent understanding these terms under the results given. It would be better if the authors would have dedicated a section to the explanation of these terms. However, all in all, the results of the paper were good and only needed minor changes.

Discussion of Lab Report

One of the most crucial parts of any lab report is the discussion about the thesis. The discussion attempts to either support or disagree with the thesis or hypothesis, of a lab report. For this lab report, the thesis was to find the correlation between smoking combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes and their correlation with depression. The experiment conducted attempted to find whether this was a positive correlation or a negative correlation. This was completed through experimentation which mainly utilized cross-sectional surveys and questionnaires. As for these surveys, it was found that adults with clinically diagnosed depression had a higher chance of using combustible or electronic cigarettes. Moreover, it was found that depressed users of either combustible or e-cigarettes were significantly more likely to get the nicotine withdrawal symptoms of concentration problems and depression (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). The lab report also highlights the fact that people with depression are just as likely to use e-cigarettes as they are to use combustible cigarettes. The results of this study were highly consistent with previous studies of combustible cigarettes which also found that depression was linked with nicotine withdrawal (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). This study was limited by the fact it used a cross-sectional survey and further studies are needed to validate its findings. However, it can be concluded that even if tobacco use drops it may just be replaced with electronic cigarettes. Finally, these results highlight a connection between, depression, tobacco use, and nicotine withdrawal in both combustible and electric cigarette use.

Conclusion of Lab Report

In the conclusion of this lab report, they attempted to find the correlation between depression, tobacco use, and nicotine withdrawal in both combustible and electric cigarette use. It recapped the results and methods used to summarize the entire report (Markel, Selber, 2017). Its results from using surveys managed to find this correlation in a sample group representing a large adult population. The results did find a correlation between the three and even many similarities between combustible and electronic cigarettes and their effect on depression (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). Conclusively, there is a major correlation between depression, tobacco use, and nicotine withdrawal, and further studies are needed to represent its effects on a national level. 

References of Lab Report

References are needed to provide validation for claims made. The lab report uses many references from different scientific institutions and notable figures to validate its claims (Pergadia, Newcomer, Gilbert, 2020). All references are cited at the end of the lab report in the MLA format. Therefore, this lab report meets all of the requirements of having organized and ample references.

Conclusion

To have a complete Lab report, you need to have a title, abstract, introduction, methods, materials, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. Missing anyone one of these things can affect the structure of the lab report and turn it into an incomplete paper. However, the quality of the lab report is also very important as it determines whether or not a lab report is mediocre. The authors who wrote this lab report, Dr. Michele L. Pergadia, John W. Newcomer, and David G. Gilbert, accomplished all the requisites of a good lab report. Nonetheless, the format the authors used expects the reader to have some background knowledge on the topic and thus shortens the length of the report, keeping it in a simple demeanor. However, this may confuse the reader, especially those who are uneducated on the topic. All in all this lab report was good and could’ve been great if more consideration was given to the reader.

 

Work Cited

Markel, Selber, M. S. A. (2017). City College of New York Libraries. Technical Communication. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=5724c193-d85f-4bcd-8a50-b865f4073770%40sessionmgr4008

Pergadia, M. L., Newcomer, J. W., & Gilbert, D. G. (2020, December 14). Depression and Nicotine Withdrawal Associations with Combustible and Electronic Cigarette Use. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7764909/.