The Laboratory Notebook A laboratory notebook says exactly

The Laboratory Notebook

A laboratory notebook: üsays exactly what was done, and when; ümakes clear who did it; üenables someone else to do the same thing at some future date; üis durable and verifiable. ücan be beautiful, creative and valuable

A Laboratory Notebook Should: üBe hardback and bound üBe maintained using ink not pencil üNever contain erasures üHave numbered pages üHave a ‘Title Page’ üHave a ‘Table of Contents’

A Laboratory Notebook Might: üHave spills and blots üHave errors neatly lined out üHave notes in the margins, ideas and thoughts üHave diagrams and drawings üHave inserts of actual data objects such as a photograph or a piece of filter paper

All Data Goes Into the Notebook,

Drawings Should Be Labeled

Photos may be glued or taped into a notebook

Enrico Fermi, laboratory notebook, 1941. In the months before coming to Chicago in the spring of 1942, Fermi and his team of physicists at Columbia University worked on a preliminary design for an atomic pile. With Leo Szilard, Walter Zinn, Herbert Anderson, and other colleagues, Fermi devised a lattice structure of graphite and uranium oxide for an "exponential" pile and calculated the requirements for a self-sustaining chain reaction.

This is the historical page of a laboratory notebook where Luis Miramontes describes the invention and synthesis of the chemical that would become the first contraceptive pill.

This page out of a laboratory notebook shows a beautiful illustration. Test tubes showing gas formation of solutions of serum and other substances British Library Add. MS 56148, f. 157 Copyright © The British Library Board

Filter paper, showing absorption of Brilliant Green antiseptic British Library Add. MS 56148, f. 17 Copyright © The British Library Board

Actual data recordings are affixed to these pages. Note the stamped page numbers.

Advanced Laboratory Notebook, Joseph N. Le. Conte, ca. 1890

A typical outline for a laboratory

An Introduction to Your Experiment This includes the title of the experiment, a short statement of the problem or the task and the date. It is very important to record the complete date – day, month and year! It may be relevant in some procedures to even record the time.

The Experimental Plan You do not need to recopy an entire procedure from a book or handout – you can reference the book or handout. Record a simplified, bulleted, summary of the procedure. Include a list of materials used. It is also VERY IMPORTANT to include any safety data about materials used.

Observations and Data Observations and data lead to the acceptance or the rejection of a hypothesis and indicate possible future experiments. It is important to: üRecord honestly üRecord immediately üDo not use scraps of paper to record numbers and then recopy them – copy all data directly into the notebook üNever erase, never over-write – cross out with a single line any errors üNever use white out!!!!

Graphs and Diagrams Illustrations will greatly enhance your notebook. Label diagrams. Follow rules for excellent graphing technique when making graphs.

Analysis of Results Comment on what occurred, what has been demonstrated, what has been discovered or proved, and explain any data and observations in terms of any relevant theories.

Discussion and Conclusions Discuss problems, challenges, errors. Include suggestions for improving a procedure or reducing error in the experiments. Comment on the success or failure of the experiments.

A Well Kept Laboratory Notebook Is Useful The time you spend developing your laboratory notebook leads to successful formal laboratory reports. It is much easier to write about information and experiences if you have detailed notes that were taken while events unfolded. Organization is important. While you do not need to be extremely neat you and others need to be able to read what you write.