1. Laboratory Notebooks Guidelines for the Basic User
Presenter Name
Presenter Affiliation
Date

2. Outline History and purpose of laboratory notebooks
How to organize laboratory notebook entries
Notebook best practices for individual researchers
An introduction to the types of laboratory notebooks
An introduction to storing laboratory notebooks

3. History of Laboratory Notebooks
Early Greek physicians kept notes on wooden tablets, leather pages, or rolls of papyrus.
More formal notebooks developed during the Renaissance.
Notebooks became mainstream during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Today’s notebooks face new challenges
Larger research groups
Big data revolution
Digital notebooks
Early Greek physicians kept notebooks of medical recipes to treat different ailments. Early forms of these publications were written on rolls of papyrus or bound together in notebooks filled with wooden tablets or leather pages (Totelin2009 A and B page 227 )
More traditional forms of laboratory notebooks became popular in the seventeenth century. Scholars during the Renaissance had a renewed interest in the world around them and began keeping field notebooks to document their observations. This interest in natural history produced notebooks filled with plants and animals observed on their travels  (Pickerstone2001 A page 62). For example, Leonardo Da Vinci kept careful records of his work. He even used complicated encryption systems to keep his information safe.  
During the 19th and 20th centuries, laboratory notebooks became mainstream (Taylor2006 B page 348). Today’s notebooks face new challenges ( Schreier2006 A page 43)
Larger research groups sometimes prevent principal investigators or group leaders from having the time to train new researchers in good record-keeping practices
Big data revolution- Advances in technology make it possible to analyze massive amounts of data. What do we do with all of this data?
Digital notebooks- Electronic laboratory notebooks have many advantages and are becoming increasingly popular. How do we standardize them to fit all laboratories?
The laboratory notebook of Marie Curie. Image credit: Wellcome Library, London

4. What is a Laboratory Notebook?
A laboratory notebook is…
a hallmark of responsible research.
a complete record of laboratory activities.
a central location to record ideas for inventions, surveys of scientific literature, or the development of new methods, techniques, and procedures learned on the job.
a legal document that can help secure your intellectual property.
a legal document that can help protect you against accusations of research misconduct.
What a laboratory notebook is…
A hallmark of responsible research (ResponsibleScience1992 C page 139)
A complete record of laboratory activities.
The act of writing helps a researcher process and reflect on scientific experiments and their implications.  (Kanare1985 A page 1)
The detailed record can also help in writing reports, dissertations, technical papers, and patent applications. (Kanare1985 B page 2)  
The record provides a knowledge base on a scientific project. Researchers that inherit older projects can use the notebooks of their predecessors to expand on work.
A central location to record ideas for inventions (Kanare1985 Z page 75) , surveys of scientific literature (Kanare1985 AA page 76), or a place to keep track of new methods, techniques, and procedures learned on the job (Kanare1985 AB page 76).
A legal document that can help secure your intellectual property (IP). Good notebooks provide clear evidence of a researcher’s involvement in an invention.
A legal document that can help protect you against accusations of research misconduct  (Nickla2011 A page 4). Investigations by institutions typically include careful reviews of publications, data repositories, interviews with all relevant parities, and careful inspection of laboratory notebooks.  (ResponsibleScience1992 B page 103)
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

5. Basic Notebook Organization
Table of Contents
Main Body Format
Title and Introduction
Experimental Plan/Procedures
Observations and Data
Discussion
Conclusions
Now that we have covered some important purposes of laboratory notebooks, we will move on to discussing how notebooks are organized. We will discuss the main components of a typical laboratory notebook entry. After the table of contents, the main body for a typical experiment can be organized similar to an academic manuscript and contains the following sections (Kanare1985 W page 63)
Introduction
Experimental Plan/Procedures
Observations and Data
Discussion
Conclusions
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

6. Table of Contents
Provides a quick reference to locate experiments and data
Includes experiment date, title, and page number
Should be kept up-to-date
Can be tailored to fit researcher’s needs
The table of contents is included toward the front of the laboratory notebook. It details experiment names, experiment dates, and page numbers (Kanare1985 J page 18). The table of contents can be extremely useful for rapidly locating data and observations weeks or even years after an experiment. However, to be of use the table has to be kept up-to-date as the notebook progresses (Kanare1985 B1 page 54).
The table can be formatted in different ways depending on the needs of the researcher. Notebooks with multiple projects for example can have a column detailing what project each experiment belongs to (Kanare1985 B2 page 58).
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

7. Title Information What’s the experiment name?
Who is making the notebook entry?
What is the date?
What project is the experiment a part of?
Each experiment included in your laboratory notebook should have a clear experiment title (Kanare1985 K page 20). The researcher’s name, the date, and the project the experiment belongs to should also be included at the top of the notebook entry (Schreier2006 B page 44).
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

8. Introduction/Purpose
What experiment are you going to do?
Who thought of the experiment?
Why are you going to do it?
What similar work has already been done, either by the researcher or elsewhere in the literature?
Sometimes “purpose” is used for this section instead. The introduction/purpose states the reason for the work. It explains why the work is being done, what similar studies have already been conducted, either by the researcher or elsewhere in literature. It explains the researcher’s reasoning for carrying out this experiment. (Kanare1985 W page 63)
The introduction should begin to answer the following questions (Schreier2006 B page 44):
What experiment are you going to do?
Who thought of the experiment?
Why are you going to do it?
What similar work has already been done, either by the researcher or elsewhere in the literature
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

9. Experimental Plan/Procedures
What steps are you going to take?
What materials and instruments are you going to use?
Include any necessary calculations
Include material safety information and details
The previous section (“Introduction and Purpose”) looked backwards on what’s already been done. Conversely, this next section (“Experimental Plan/Procedures”) looks more forward on the work you are about to carry out (Kanare1985 X page 64). Experimental plans can be done in a flowchart, outline, or a numbered list of individual experimental steps. Laboratory plans and procedures frequently change in the midst of an experiment. However, the experimental plan should document your original intent for the experiment. The next section (“Observations and Data”) will help factor in any alterations to your plan during the course of the experiment (Kanare1986 X page 65).
The experimental plan should include the following information (Schreier2006 B page 44):
What steps are you going to take?
What materials and instruments are you going to use?
Any necessary calculations
Safety details and information for different solvents and materials (Kanare1985 W page 63).
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

10. Observations and Data
What occurred and did not occur during your experiment?
How did you analyze your results? How did you manipulate your data?
This is perhaps the most important section in a notebook entry. It includes observations made during the experiment along with raw data as well as analyzed data. Opinions and interpretations of data should be left out of this section (Kanare1985 W page 63). Observations should be objective, professional, and honest.
Your observations should include as much detail as possible, including names of manufacturers for different materials and exact measured amounts used in experiments. What order were things mixed? What type of equipment did you use to measure materials? How were things heated? How were they stirred? What type of glassware was used? Was the water distilled or deionized? Were instruments calibrated?   (Kanare1985 X page 71)
This section should also include raw data from your experiments. Once again, the data should not be accompanied by opinions or personal thought. That comes later in the “Discussion and Conclusion” section.
This section should answer the following questions (Schreier2006 B page 44)
What occurred and did not occur during your experiment?
How did you analyze your results? How did you manipulate your data?
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

11. Discussion and Conclusions
What’s your interpretation of the data?
What interpretation do others have if important?
Does the data fit the hypothesis?
Conclusions
What was the original goal of the work? Was it achieved?
What should have been done differently?
What will you do next?
Discussion
In this section, the researcher thoroughly reflects on the experiment. This section does not restate the data found in the “Observations” section but rather seeks to understand the data.
This section should include the following information (Kanare1985 Y page 74):
What’s your interpretation of the data?
What interpretation do others have if important?
Does the data fit the hypothesis?
Conclusions
This section summarizes the goal of the work and the results. It looks at what was done, what should have been done, and what should be done next. Some researchers prefer to complete this section as a numbered list while others prefer conclusions in a paragraph form (Kanare1985 Y page 74)
This section should answer the following questions (Schreier2006 B page 44):
What was the original goal of the work? Was it achieved?
What should have been done differently?
What will you do next?
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

12. Notebook Best Practices
Keep notebooks up-to-date
Write in permanent ink
Be thorough and detailed
Write legibly
Date entries
Have an advisor and independent witness review your work
Store notebooks in a safe location
Do not edit or remove old entries
Correct entries by crossing out an error with a single strikethrough and initial
Adhere external data pieces to your notebook with tape or glue
In addition to a well-organized laboratory notebook, there are a number of simple things you can do to make your notebook more professional and effective:
Keep notebooks up-to-date (Kanare1985 X page 67)-Practice good record-keeping by staying on top of your laboratory notebook. Enter information and data immediately while it’s still fresh in your mind.
Write in permanent ink (Nickla2011 AB page 6)- Notebooks are a professional document. Write in permanent ink to demonstrate that you haven’t erased or edited data.
Be thorough and detailed -Record even minor details. They may turn out to be important when you try to repeat or understand your experiments.
Write legibly (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Date entries (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Have an advisor and independent witness review your work (Nickla2011 AB page 6)- Have an authority check your work. Sometimes having another person look over your research can give you new ideas. An advisor and a witness can also make sure you are following good record-keeping practices. They have the additional advantage of protecting your intellectual property, but we will talk more about that in the next presentation.
Store notebooks in a safe location (Nickla2011 AB page 6)-Store notebooks somewhere safe when not in use to prevent them from being damaged, lost, or stolen.
Do not edit or remove old entries (Nickla2011 AB page 6)-Notebook entries should be left alone after the experiment is concluded. If you have new data, make a separate entry and reference back to the first.
Correct entries by crossing out an error with a strikethrough and initial (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Adhere external data pieces to your notebook with tape or glue (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

13. Types of Laboratory Notebooks
Traditional
Logbook
Diary or Personal Journal
Student Notebook
Cleanroom Notebook
Electronic Notebook
There are many different types of laboratory notebooks:
Traditional Notebook- A formal record of scientific experiments and conclusions. Notebooks document the scientific progress of researchers and help guard them against scientific misconduct while protecting their intellectual property. (Kanare1985E page 7)
Logbook- Chronological list of events and activities for things like instrument use, equipment checkout, sample handling, or labor records. (Kanare1985E page 7)
Diary or Personal journal-These are smaller notebooks frequently kept by scientists that provide an overview of each day’s work. They help researchers plan out experiments and provide a quick reference for laboratory activities. (Kanare1985E page 7)
Student notebook-Notebooks used in composition and laboratory coursework by students. (Kanare1985E L page 22)
Cleanroom notebook-Notebooks for use in laboratory environments called cleanrooms that have to be kept clear of contaminates (TotalTechCleanroom page 1)

14. Electronic Notebooks Advantages Save time and money long-term
Provide powerful search functions
Foster collaboration
Disadvantages
Initial time investment
Cost
Technical issues
Rapid technological advances and the growing amount of digital data has made electronic notebooks increasingly popular. Today, electronic notebooks are becoming more mainstream. They’re already used by a variety of large pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, and GlaxoSmithKline (Du2007 K page 164). However, universities have been very slow to implement electronic notebooks (Nickla2011 F page 7). Some of the biggest advantages and disadvantages of these notebooks include:
Advantages (Nussbeck2014 AB page 631 unless otherwise noted)
Save time long-term-Although notebooks require an initial time investment, they ultimately save and money time long-term. They can be tailored to your research needs to streamline entries into the notebook.
Search functions-Electronic notebooks provide notebook-wide or even laboratory-wide searching. With just a few mouse clicks, researchers can filter through hundreds of notebook entries to find experiments or data that they’re looking for. This could help in the preparation of dissertations, patent applications, manuscripts, or reports.
Foster collaboration- National and even international collaborations are common in research today. Electronic notebooks can easily be instantly shared with collaborators irrespective of distances (Wright2009 AB page 2).
Disadvantages (Nussbeck2014 AA page 631 unless otherwise noted):
Initial time investment- Notebooks require an initial time investment. Researchers need to be trained and templates need to be made that fit the needs of each laboratory
Cost- ELNs require a higher upfront cost than traditional laboratory notebooks. The notebooks often require expensive software, servers, backup systems, training, and even a dedicated IT staff.
Technical issues-A dedicated IT staff may be necessary that’s familiar with the notebook software, notebook management, data storage, and archiving notebooks. Technical issues and power outages could limit notebook availability and use (also see Wright2009 AA page 2).

15. Notebook Storage
Notebooks should be archived for later reference in publications, research, or patent applications
The notebook storage facility should limit notebook damage from:
Fire
Pests
Floods
Theft
In addition to a well-organized laboratory notebook, there are a number of simple things you can do to make your notebook more professional and effective:
Keep notebooks up-to-date (Kanare1985 X page 67)-Practice good record-keeping by staying on top of your laboratory notebook. Enter information and data immediately while it’s still fresh in your mind.
Write in permanent ink (Nickla2011 AB page 6)- Notebooks are a professional document. Write in permanent ink to demonstrate that you haven’t erased or edited data.
Be thorough and detailed -Record even minor details. They may turn out to be important when you try to repeat or understand your experiments.
Write legibly (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Date entries (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Have an advisor and independent witness review your work (Nickla2011 AB page 6)- Have an authority check your work. Sometimes having another person look over your research can give you new ideas. An advisor and a witness can also make sure you are following good record-keeping practices. They have the additional advantage of protecting your intellectual property, but we will talk more about that in the next presentation.
Store notebooks in a safe location (Nickla2011 AB page 6)-Store notebooks somewhere safe when not in use to prevent them from being damaged, lost, or stolen.
Do not edit or remove old entries (Nickla2011 AB page 6)-Notebook entries should be left alone after the experiment is concluded. If you have new data, make a separate entry and reference back to the first.
Correct entries by crossing out an error with a strikethrough and initial (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Adhere external data pieces to your notebook with tape or glue (Nickla2011 AB page 6)
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

16. Conclusions Today’s notebooks face new challenges
The main body of a laboratory notebook has a specific structure.
Individual researchers can follow a list of best practices for good record-keeping
There are many different types of laboratory notebooks
There is a correct way to store notebooks long-term
Image Credit: VELA Sciences

17. In the next presentation, we will discuss…
The role of notebooks in intellectual property and research misconduct investigations.
How to incorporate elements that will help organize your notebook.
The role of group leaders, departments, and universities in notebook management.
The many different types of existing laboratory notebooks.
The best paper, ink, and adhesive to use in notebooks.
How to issue, close, backup, and store notebooks.
Image Credit: VELA Sciences