Excellence Everywhere - National University of Ireland, Galway

n Use only pens, preferably with waterproof, solventproof,and fade-resistant ink that does not smear,to write in the notebook.n Make sure that your handwriting is clear and thatothers can read it.n Each entry, even for a routine task, should standon its own, to permit others to replicate the work.Entries in the notebook should be written in orderof the time the work was done, not groupedtogether with related work done on various dates.n Loose items like photographs, drawings, ormachine printouts should be permanently attachedto the notebook pages using glue or staples.n Lab notebooks should not leave the laboratory area(including the researcher’s office, if it is close tothe lab). They should not go to anyone’s home. Ifsafety and security of the notebook is a concern,a locked, fireproof box in the lab is a good place tostore notebooks overnight.n Laboratory notebooks usually stay with the lab inwhich the work was done. For this reason, it canbe useful for researchers to keep a personalnotebook full of procedures, methods, recipes, andother useful information using a second, sturdybook which they have purchased themselves. Thispersonal book, which will leave the lab, shouldnever function as a separate lab notebook.Keeping a well-organized recordn Organize material with sections and headings.n Identify and describe reagents and specimensused.n Identify sources of those materials (e.g., reagentmanufacturer, lot number, purity, expiration date).n Enter analytical instrument serial numbers andcalibration dates.n Use proper names for items and real verbs todescribe how you used them.n Write all entries in the first person, and be specificabout who did the work.n Explain nonstandard abbreviations.n Use ink and never obliterate original writing; neverremove pages or portions of a page. If you writeout an experiment and do not carry it out, make anote that it was not done, including a brief explanation.n Write down some analysis of your results andoutline new experiments, including their objectivesand rationale, suggested by your observations.