Lab Notebook Format and Rules Introduction l The

Lab Notebook Format and Rules

Introduction l The lab notebook is perhaps the single most important piece of laboratory equipment. l May be entered as evidence in court l Poor record keeping results in wasted time l Industrial lab records that are inadequate cost the company money

Notebook Format and Rules l Laboratory records are to be kept in a bound notebook ( i. e. , secured with glue), not a spiral notebook or a loose-leaf binder. l Pages l No are consecutively numbered pages are ever to be removed

Notebook Format and Rules All entries are to be made in blue or black ink l Everything must be recorded in a neat and tidy manner l Work must be traceable, intelligible and understandable to the notebook author and any other persons attempting to duplicate recorded information. l

Notebook Format and Rules l It is unacceptable under all circumstances to rewrite (or “copy over”) an experiment in the notebook outside of the lab. l It is unacceptable to type up portions of the notebook and affix them to the notebook. l Plan your activities so that you complete all information in the laboratory.

Notebook Format and Rules l Include in your notebook a complete description of: l All work performed l All reference material consulted l Ideas that you have related to your work.

Notebook Format and Rules l Graphs, charts, spectra, or spreadsheet analyses should be affixed to the pages of the notebook with tape or glue. l Label the space where the material is to be placed with a description or the item and the results it contained. l Make no notes directly on the inserted material.

Notebook Format and Rules l On the first page of your notebook are written the name of the class, the section, and your name. l It is also a good idea to put your contact information (e. g. , your phone number or email address) in case your notebook is lost.

Notebook Format and Rules l Pages 2 and 3 are reserved for a table of contents. l Write the words “Table of Contents” at the top of these pages. l The first entry is to be the table of contents itself. l An entry is made in the table of contents for every experiment when it is begun. The entry includes the title of the experiment and the page number on which the experiment began.

Notebook Format and Rules l Immediately following table of contents is a page labeled “Abbreviations and Other Useful Information”. These items must be completed before the first laboratory session. l Only write on the right side pages. The left pages are reserved for minor calculations, notes of no consequence to the experiment, and notes that refer to material found elsewhere in the notebook.

Notebook Format and Rules l If a page is skipped, a large “X” must be drawn across it. The page is then initialed and dated. l While frowned upon, you may skip a line as needed to separate sections. There should be no unused, empty space on a page, except for the printed margins.

Notebook Format and Rules l At the top of each page write the title of the experiment that matches in the table of contents. l At the bottom of the page place the date that the last entry was made on that page, your printed name and signature.

Notebook Format and Rules l If an error is made, draw a single bold horizontal line through the error so that it can still be read. l Write the correct information to the right of the incorrect entry and have a short accompanying explanation of the reason for exclusion. Never use whiteout or completely obliterate the incorrect entry.

Notebook Format and Rules l Do not copy any information from the notebooks of former or current students. The only exception is when working in a group, and only one member of the group recorded the data during the experiment. In this case, you must indicate in your notebook that the results were copied from the other person’s notebook. Write the recorder’s name and the page number from which the data were copied next to the copied data.

Arrangement of Experiments l Title: This includes the experiment’s title, your name, the name (s) of your lab partner (s), and the date the experiment began.

Arrangement of Experiments l Statement of Purpose: Clearly and concisely (two or three complete sentences) describe the purpose of the experiment, including the general method that will be used anticipated results.

Arrangement of Experiments l Background: Includes more information on the goals of the experiment, the methods used and the procedure followed. l Reference (s) to the procedure that you are using following the American Chemical Society guidelines. l Balanced chemical equations for any chemical reactions you will be performing.

Arrangement of Experiments l A table of the physical properties of all the materials (starting materials, solvents, and products) with which you will be working. l Record any hazardous properties (flammability, toxicity, etc. ) of the substances that you will encounter in the exercise.

Arrangement of Experiments l Procedural Outline: This section is a brief (this section should not be more than one or two pages long, at most), but complete, description of the steps taken to carry out the experiment. l Not a rewrite of directions l May use a bulleted list

Arrangement of Experiments l Before beginning the procedural outline, divide the pages that will contain the procedure into two parts by drawing a vertical line on the page, approximately 3/5 of the way across the page from the left-hand margin (many notebooks already have this line drawn for you). Record the procedure on the left-hand side, and any modifications or procedural notes on the righthand side. You do not record results on the right -hand side.

Arrangement of Experiments l Results: This section does not need to be completed before you come to the lab, but you may want to prepare blank tables for recording data. l Include: l Reduced data (e. g. , tables), all graphs, spreadsheet results, and spectra. l Unlike the procedural outline, this and following sections may use the right-hand page.

Arrangement of Experiments l Common Errors: l Forgetting to leave space for graphs ( a handdrawn graph should take up most, if not all, of the page so as to maximize the result’s precision) and other items (e. g. , spreadsheet output) that will be prepared as part of the exercise.

Arrangement of Experiments l All data should be recorded in this section in chronological order. l Include l All measurements made l Important observations All observations are written in passive past tense. So instead of “I saw the solution turn green”, one writes, “The solution turned green”. l Personal pronouns (e. g. , “I”, “We”) are not used in scientific writing. l

Arrangement of Experiments l The overuse of personal pronouns is taken as a sign of arrogance and the passive is thought to sound more objective. l Observations are always written in complete sentences

Arrangement of Experiments l Calculations: An example of each calculation performed to reach the final reported answers should be shown with the units clearly shown at each step.

Arrangement of Experiments l Discussion of Conclusions and Error Analysis: Summarize your results paralleling what you set forth in the Statement of Purpose, compare them to the expected results and try to place them in context of the class. This is not a long section; it may only be two or three pages long in the notebook. The key to a good discussion is to concisely cover important points.

Arrangement of Experiments l Do not write things like: l “I liked this lab” l “This lab went well” l “This lab was successfully completed” l Do not use personal pronouns. l Take your time and put some thought into your conclusions.