Notebooks

Laboratory notebooks have long been part of scientific research.¹ Not only do they provide the student and researcher with important safety and procedural details, but they are used for documentation in applying for patents, pharmaceutical approval, and other legal matters.²  Modern electronic notebooks come in many forms but still use the same basic ideas as traditional bound notebooks.³ 

General lab notebook rules:

1. Think of this as a permanent legal record owned by the school. Your instructor, lab assistants, and lab partners will need access to it during the semester. Do not delete it. 

2. If you make a mistake in the notebook, use a strikethrough font so that readers can still see what you wrote. It might turn out to be important later. Google Docs allows us to see all edit history just in case you forget this.

3. Record everything! You and your partners can leave reminders to yourself and one another in your notebook. Think about who/what/when/where/why of all that you do. Consider specifics such as lot/batch numbers and actual concentrations of reagents used. Always use appropriate significant figures and units associated with the measurement instrument. 

4. Record data and observations chronologically and immediately. If any space is left blank in your notebook, explain why. Do not wait to record data in your notebook or rely on scraps of paper, gloves, hands, or your memory.

5. When taking repeat measurements, use tables to organize your data collection. Preparing tables as part of your prelab preparation will help remind you of what data to record.

6. Consider how your notebook will be used by you and others in the future. Write clearly and be descriptive. Consider whether you have provided enough detail for you or others to repeat this work with similar results.

7. Never falsify or delete data/observations.⁴ If your observations indicate that a data point should not be included in later analysis, it still must remain in the notebook.  

8. Any outside information included in your notebook should include a reference.⁴ This applies to literature values for comparison, safety information, outside sources used for preparing procedures, and any resources used for calculations. 

9. Preparing for lab in your prelab notebook assignments is a safety issue. If you are not properly prepared with a prelab notebook, you are not allowed to participate in lab. 

Lab Notebooks in CHEM106L

References

1. Eisenberg, A. Keeping a laboratory notebook. Journal of Chemical Education 1982, 59 (12), 1045. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ed059p1045 

2. Cohen, J. O. N. Dispute Over Lab Notebooks Lands Researcher in Jail. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2011, 334 (6060), 1189-1190. DOI: 10.1126/science.334.6060.1189.

3. Chappell, C. R. How to keep a lab notebook. https://www.calliechappell.com/blog/2020/3/19/lab-notebook. (Accessed July 18, 2024)

4. St. Mary's College of Maryland. To the Point Student Handbook. https://s7445.pcdn.co/tothepoint/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2023/08/STUDENT-HANDBOOK-8.11.23.pdf (accessed August 1, 2024)

Further Reading

1. Manhattan Project Notebook (1942). 1942. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/manhattan-project-notebook (accessed July 18, 2024).

2. Pringle, P. Notebooks Shed Light on an Antibiotic’s Contested Discovery. In The New York Times, 2012.

3. Tang, X. Lab Notebook. In The Ethics of Data Management; Penn State. https://sites.psu.edu/ethicsofdatamanagement/unit-2-generating-data/2-3-lab-notebook/ (accessed July 18, 2024)