Lab Rules

Lab Rules & Expectations

Last updated: February 2025

My goal is to provide lab members with the training and opportunities they need to succeed in their chosen careers, whether in academia, industry, or other fields. Please read and follow these lab rules carefully.

1. Safety & Health

Your health and safety are of the utmost importance. Lab members must:

• Complete required safety training before beginning lab work, including:

  • “Concepts in Biosafety”

  • “Laboratory and Chemical Safety”

  • “WHMIS”

  • “Supervising Safely”

  • “Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention”

  • Training instructions: UAlberta Safety Training

• Volunteers must complete a Volunteer Registration and Waiver of Liability form.

• If working with animals, complete Part 1 of the animal training course.

• If working with lasers, complete the laser safety training.

• If working alone, follow the working alone protocol.

• Maintain physical and mental health by utilizing Counseling & Clinical Services: UAlberta Counseling.

• Do not come to work if sick. Notify the team and arrange for your responsibilities to be covered.

2. Collegiality & Lab Environment

• Respect and professionalism: Treat all lab members with kindness and professionalism.

• Zero tolerance policy: Racist, sexist, or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. If you experience or witness misconduct, use university resources to report or discuss it.

• Collaboration: Maintain a culture of open communication, constructive feedback, and shared learning.

3. Work Hours & Vacation

• Lab members, including students, are expected to be present during most standard business hours (9 AM - 5 PM, Monday to Friday) unless otherwise agreed upon.

• Additional hours, including evenings and weekends, may be required for certain projects.

• Undergraduate project students must commit at least 15-20 hours per week and are not permitted to work alone after hours or on weekends.

• Vacation: Lab members are entitled to three weeks (15 business days) annually. Discuss plans with the PI in advance.

4. One-on-One Meetings

Lab members will have regular one-on-one meetings with the PI to discuss:

• Progress, challenges, and future plans.

• Review of lab notebooks, data, analysis, writing, and slides as needed.

• Sharing negative results: It is important to report both positive and negative results to ensure transparency and refine research approaches.

• Trainees should prepare a presentation file or written progress report to facilitate discussion.

• Action items for the next two weeks will be outlined.

5. Lab Meeting Expectations

Lab meetings are an opportunity to share knowledge, troubleshoot, and receive feedback. All lab members must:

• Attend weekly lab meetings and actively participate in discussions.

• Present research updates, challenges, and literature reviews as assigned.

• If presenting a paper, email the group one week in advance.

• Share both positive and negative results to help refine experiments.

• Provide constructive feedback to peers.

6. Notebooks & Data Management

• Maintain a comprehensive lab notebook detailing all methods, results, and observations to ensure reproducibility.

• The PI retains ownership of all data and lab notebooks.

• Departing members may take a copy of their notebooks for reference, but all original data and materials must remain in the lab.

• Follow best practices in scientific record-keeping: NIH Guidelines.

7. Travel for Conferences & Research

• All university-related travel must be registered through UGo Travel Registry: UAlberta Travel Registration.

• Conference attendees must submit a draft of their abstract to the PI at least one week before submission for feedback and revisions.

8. Authorship & Publications

Lab members should follow ethical authorship guidelines based on substantial contributions to research:

• Conceptualizing or designing experiments.

• Acquiring, analyzing, or interpreting data.

• Drafting or revising manuscripts for publication.

• Final approval of published work and accountability for accuracy.

• Follow NIH’s General Guidelines for Authorship Contributions

9. Grant & Fellowship Applications

• Lab members are expected to apply for grants and fellowships to support research efforts and must submit a draft of their application to the PI at least one week before submission for feedback and revisions.

• Seek guidance from the PI for proposal writing and submission timelines.

10. Confidentiality & Intellectual Property

• All unpublished data, methodologies, and research plans must remain confidential.

• Before presenting or sharing research externally, consult the PI.

• Confidentiality obligations continue after leaving the lab.

11. Expectations for Postdocs & Graduate Students

• Write and submit original and review manuscripts.

• Apply for scholarships/fellowships and contribute to lab grant proposals.

• Present research at conferences.

• Mentor undergraduate students.

Final Notes

• Lab members are expected to contribute to a collaborative, ethical, and professional environment.

• Regular feedback, open discussions, and mutual support are key to scientific progress.

• These rules are subject to revision and updates as necessary.

By following these expectations, we can maintain a positive, productive, and innovative research environment.

Last updated: February 2025