Lab reports often include both the written report and supporting data — spreadsheets, graphs, photos of experiments, and raw data files. Email can't handle this well. Here's a better way.
Why lab reports are tricky to collect
A typical lab report submission might include: - A PDF or Word document (the report itself) - An Excel file with raw data - Screenshots or photos of the experiment - Sometimes a video of a procedure
That's 4–6 files per student, potentially 100+ files for a class. Email falls apart at this scale.
Using an upload link
Create an upload page with these settings:
- Title: "Chemistry Lab 201 — Titration Lab Report"
- Description: "Upload your lab report (PDF), data spreadsheet (XLSX), and any supporting photos. Name files with your last name prefix."
- File types: "Any files" (to accept mixed formats)
- Max files: 10 (per uploader)
Tips specific to lab reports
Encourage bundling: Ask students to put all files in a single ZIP before uploading if they have many files. This makes it easier for you to organize later.
Photo quality: If students are documenting experiments with photos, remind them to upload the original photos — not screenshots from their camera roll.
Data integrity: For data-heavy assignments, ask students to include raw data files alongside their processed results. The upload link preserves original files without conversion or compression.
After collection
Download the ZIP and create one folder per student. Review reports alongside their data files. The upload timestamps help you track submission times for deadline enforcement.