Learning effective science writing is an important component of becoming a scientist, but it can also be difficult to master. Even though the lab report has a long history in science education, there are still lingering issues that impact life science instructors and students. This dissertation is a coherent body of three interrelated research projects regarding written lab reports. The first research project was a qualitative study considering the reasons why some life science instructors have decided not to assign lab reports. The second research project used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to quantitatively addresses the validity and reliability of a three-factor novel instrument (the "Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Writing Lab Reports Scale") which can be used to gauge undergraduates' attitudes and perceptions toward writing lab reports. The second study used the scale to empirically evaluate differences in attitudes toward writing lab reports for undergraduate life science majors who self-identify as either female or male. The third study compared perceptions and attitudes toward writing lab reports for rural and urban undergraduate biology majors. While the quantitative results in this dissertation highlight equity differences in life science major's perceptions and attitudes toward writing lab reports, the qualitative results underscore reasons why some instructors opt not to use the assignment. Taken together, science educators must consider how science writing with regard to the lab report ultimately impacts their students' success and desired class outcomes. This research adds to the literature on science writing and the lab report. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]