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How To Keep A Lab Notebook

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81 views32 pages

How To Keep A Lab Notebook

Uploaded by

phiwayinkosi Pwa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Keep a Lab

Notebook

Integrated Project: APCH 342

Prof B Moodley
Keeping a Laboratory Notebook
 Lab notebook must be a bound book (no loose leaf or
spiral bound books)
 First page should have the following information:
- Your name
- Course name and code
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
- Semester
- Year
 Leave a page for the Table of Contents and keep it
updated
 Leave a page or two to describe any abbreviations you
Example: Table of Contents
 Number all subsequent pages in ink in the upper
outside corner

 Never remove pages from the notebook!!!

 All entries must be in black ink

 DO NOT ERASE or use TIPPEX! If you make a mistake


(you will, we all do), cross out the mistake with a single
line and initial it. A lab notebook should reflect
everything you do in the lab, even the mistakes. If a large
section is incorrect, circle it, cross it out, initial and
annotate it and go on.
Examples of mistakes
 Date every page on the upper outside corner
 Enter information in the notebook as it
happens. Don’t leave blank spaces or pages to
go back and fill in later. The notebook should be
like a logbook or journal and should reflect your
data and observations as the lab is being
performed.
 Do not skip pages. If you must leave a page
blank for some reason, cross it out, initial it and
date it.
 Beforeyou start a new experiment, enter its name
and a brief description of the experiment.

 INCLUDE ALL CHEMICAL EQUATIONS!!!!! Enter


data and observations in the notebook as you make
them – even if you have more than one experiment
going on at the same time. When your experiment
is complete, you should enter a summary report
with tabulated data and results.

 Useyour notebook for everything! NEVER write on


anything else when you are in the lab. Make
observations in your lab notebook; don’t just
record numbers. What colour was it? Did it get hot
Example: Record EVERYTHING
you do
“I dropped the PCR tube before placing it
in the Thermal Cycler”

“DNA extraction was performed from an


overnight liquid culture of Saccharomyces
cerevisiae using the MasterPure Yeast DNA
Purification Kit from Epicenter following
the manufacturers instructions except that
the optional RNase treatment was omitted.
 Write down experimental details, like what was
added first, how something was mixed, who did what,
and how long it took for a precipitate to form. These
will be important when you need to explain and/or
reproduce your experiment. It is better to write down
too much detail than not enough.

 Label all data with headings and units


so that you will know what it means when
you read it later.
 Some details you should consider adding to your
notebook are:

(a) Chemical reagent information: manufacturer, lot


number, purity, type of container, and age or expiration
date.

(b) Was water distilled, tap, deionized? Was it stored


before use?

(c) When using an instrument, note the last calibration


date.
(e) Record the materials that vessels are made of: platinum,
ceramic, glass, pyrex? How was the labware cleaned?

(f) In what sequence were the reagents mixed? Was “A” added to
“B” or vice versa?

(g) How precisely were reagents measured? Did you use a


pipette, burette, or graduated cylinder? Was the balance
readable to 0.01 g or 0.0001 g?

(h) How were materials heated? What was the rate? How were
materials stirred?

(i) How long did it take to get from step A to step B? Did the
precipitate appear immediately or over some specified period of
 You should perform all calculations in your
laboratory notebook. They should show sufficient
detail so that you can go back and check if you
realise later that you may have made a mistake.

 Yourhandwriting should be clearly legible.


Numbers and symbols should be unambiguous.(A
seven should not look like a two, a one like an “el”
or an “oh” like a zero.)
 Your lab notebook should be stored safely when not in
use. It should be with you and should NOT be left lying
about the lab.

 Remember that your notebook needs to be accessible


to your colleagues so your descriptions must be
intelligible and able to be reproduced in exactly the
same manner as you carried them out.

 Your lab notebook must be written WHILE IN THE LAB!


Do not re-write it after the fact. We are not looking for
“pretty”! Take notes as you work in the lab, not from
memory
Purpose of a Lab Notebook
 Yourlab notebook is a permanent record of the work
done and of the results of your work

 Itis a legal document of time and outcome of


experiments and calculations

 Itdocuments the development of ideas during the


course of a project/ experimental procedure
The Hardware – Format of a Lab
Notebook
 A4format: you need space to write and to attach
documents

 Quality paper: the record of your work should last 30


years

 Only use hardbound lab books. Lose pieces of paper or


spiral-bound books are not suitable

 Numbered pages: never EVER remove a page from your


What to Bring for Lab Work

Every student needs


to
bring an A4 black
hardcover notebook
for
the lab phase of the
project work!!
What NOT to use!!

Collections of lose papers


and printouts or 3-ring
binders

Spiral-bound
book
Proper Writing Utensils

 Allnotes should be done using a black


ballpoint pen to leave a permanent record

 Pencils or any writing tool that can be erased


or that smudges easily are not suitable
Keeping a Permanent Record
 Keep the lab book in a safe place, i.e. your
office (if you are working in a community lab) or
your lab (if you are working in a private lab)

 Use high quality paper and black ballpoint pen

 Attach printouts from instrumentation and cross-


reference digital records and where they are stored

 Make copies of your lab book and store them in a safe


place.
Content of a Lab Notebook
 Date experiment/calculation was performed

 Project title

 Objective of the experiment/calculation (i.e. WHY was the


experiment/calculation done)

 Details of the experiment/calculation performed

 Literature references

 Background information, e.g. data, phase diagrams etc


Content of a Lab Notebook cont.
 Exact
description and rationale of the procedure including
Chemicals used (including source, purity, CAS number)
 Instruments (model, make) and labware used
 Software used (including version)
 Instrument settings used
 Putdown as much detail as possible. Another person
should be able to follow your procedure and repeat
the experiment

 Common procedures, once established, can be recorded once


and referred to later
 Results: raw data, processed data

 Quick interpretation of the data, validity, success

 Attach computer print-outs with results if possible. Otherwise,


keep computer print-outs in a separate folder and refer to
them in the notebook

 Refer to electronic data and where they are stored

 What follows from the experiment/calculation?

 What will be the next step?


Types of Lab Notebooks: The
Academic Research Lab

 Project title
 Goal of the current experiment/calculation
 Background: data, reasoning
 Detailed procedures
 Instruments and other equipment used
 Original and processed data, calculations
 Record where electronic data are saved
 Record where collaborators work is stored.
Types of Lab Notebooks: Lab
Notebooks for Courses and Projects
 Ifthe project is part of a course, note the course number on
the first page

 Record pre-lab work in your notebook

 Ifyou have to copy experimental data from a lab mate, include


experimental procedure and who performed the measurement
along with the results

 Have an instructor/demonstrator sign off on your notebook


Types of Lab Notebooks: Lab
Notebooks in Industry
 Project number and project title

 Sample numbers

 Projectscan contain proprietary information and/or may be


used for patent filing. Make sure you keep your records safe
and dated.

 Projects
are often part of a group effort. Make sure other
group members/supervisors have access to your work.
Types of Lab Notebooks:
Instrument Logbooks
 Eachscientific instrument (synthesis or analytical) should
have a logbook next to it.

- The instrument logbook serves to Document and monitor


instrument use and users
- Document instrument settings and materials used
- Document status of the instrument, damage and repair
- Document instrument downtime
- Document service cycles
 Minimum information recorded should be:–Date/time

– User name

– Project name/cost centre

– Instrument settings/techniques used

– Substances used

– Status the instrument was found in and left in, so


the following user and the responsible lab technician
Good Note-Keeping Habits
 Write
on consecutive pages WHILE you
are working
 Do not leave empty spaces
 Include
thoughts/reasoning WHILE you
are working
 Include
EVERYTHING done, the good, the
bad and the ugly.
 Clearly mark thoughts added later
 Your notes should be neat and legible
 Always add to your table of contents
Example: Charles Darwin’s
Notebook

Charles Darwin: Beagle Field Notebook


St. Helena Notebook

Edinburgh Notebook Notebook D


Starting a New Lab
Notebook
 Purchase a hardbound notebook with good quality paper

 Ifyou are doing more than one project, devote a


separate notebook for each one

 Put your name and contact information on the first page

 Put the project title on the first page.


Benefits of Keeping Good Notes

 Systematic experimentation is much easier if you


have clear records and reflect on your work while you
are doing it

 Writingup your project is much easier if you have


clear records

 You
need a legal record, e.g. for patent filing or if
your work is being challenged

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