1. Aim: How to keep a research notebook

2. 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

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

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

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

6. Experimental Records Date
Title: One phrase describing today’s objective(s)
Ex- Overview of course and laboratory rules
What you did and how you did it
Include materials used, along with measurements and calculations
Be DETAILED! Note every step.
Data (if applicable)
Observations, thoughts, questions, etc.
Summary: One or two sentences that summarize the day’s events
Ex- Describe breakthroughs in your experiment; describe errors you committed; describe what you plan to do tomorrow based on today’s work
Last thing: Initial bottom of every page

7. 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.

8. 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

10. 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!

11. 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)?