Aim: How to keep a research notebook

A Lab Notebook Is…•Complete record of procedures, reagents, data, and thoughts to pass on to other researchers•Explanation of why experiments were initiated, how they were performed, and the results

A Lab Notebook Is Not…•A journal•A record of communications•A place to compile lab protocols/manuals•Yours to take home

What goes inside your lab notebook… Your Name•Table of Contents•Main text of notebook (experimental records)

Table of Contents•Table of contents helps you and others quickly find previous experiments•Write down date, title of experiment, and pages

Experimental Records1. Date2. Title: One phrase describing today’s objective(s)

a. Ex- Overview of course and laboratory rules3. What you did and how you did it

a. Include materials used, along with measurements and calculationsb. Be DETAILED! Note every step.

4. Data (if applicable)5. Observations, thoughts, questions, etc.6. Summary: One or two sentences that summarize the day’s events

a. Ex- Describe breakthroughs in your experiment; describe errors you committed; describe what you plan to do tomorrow based on today’s work

7. Last thing: Initial bottom of every page

Additional Documents All letters, sketches, photos, charts, computer

printouts, etc. pertinent to the project should be permanently put in the notebook with your initials and date.

General Notebook Housekeeping•Use an ink pen to write in notebook•Write as you go: the likelihood of remembering a procedure decreases as time elapses•There should be no unmarked blank space.

◦ Either make a recognizable partition between days (ex-double squiggly line), or

◦ Draw diagonal line from corner to corner of blank space.

•Begin new entries on new page•Draw a single line through errors; never use white-out

Lab Ethics All data go in to the notebook•Even "bad" data points or “outliers” ◦Failed experiments or contradictory experiments

•Do not remove pages or mistakes•Record facts, not opinions•Be honest!

Summary: Checklist (1) Keep up with the Table of Contents? (1) Date each page? (1) Number each page consecutively? (1) Write on consecutive pages? (1) Properly void all blank pages or portions of pages? (3) Properly introduce and summarize each entry? (3) Include complete details of all first-time procedures? (3) Include detailed information that pertains to each day’s work? (3) Include calculations (if applicable)?