Guidelines for Laboratory Notebooks

1. Lab notebooks will be graded at the beginning of each lab period, accounting for your pre-lab
points. Lab Notebooks will be graded on the basis of the following criterion:

 Following lab notebook guidelines and formating protocols.

 Neatness and Organization.
 Description and sketches of setup and operations.
 Notes on experimental procedure and instrument calibration.
 Notes on observations.

Each of the above points will be discussed in more depth below.

2. Lab Notebook Guidelines and Formatting:

 Lab notebook entries must be made in black or blue ink only.

 If data is recorded incorrectly it should be crossed out with a single line and the reason
for changing number noted.
 The date must be written at the top of each page with the title of the experiment.
 The names of all of the group members involved should be noted at the start of each
experiment.
 There should be no missing page numbers in your notebook. Only the duplicate pages
are to be removed.
3. Neatness and Organization:

 Your entries, observations, calculations, tables, sketches, etc… must be clearly written
and presented.
 Tables should have clean lines and contain labels. When presenting data you must
include units and labels (i.e., 5.00 g of NaCl).
 Print legibly. If your entries cannot be read then your lab notebook is of no use.
 When organizing your entries, keep in mind the order of events during the lab. This
can help you reconstruct an experiment were it necessary months later or when you go
to write up your results.
 Set up blank tables in your notebook ahead of time.
The goal of keeping a lab notebook is that someone can pick up your notebook, follow
your experimental notes and observations, and repeat the experiment themselves.
4. Description and Sketches of Setup and Operations:

 It is important to record the actual setup for each experiment. This includes written
notes and hand sketches. You should note dimensions and instrumental parameters
used.
 You should make special notes regarding procedures that were tricky because this will
be useful the next time you would perform the same experiment. These notes can be
brief.
5. Experimental Procedure and Instrument Calibration:

 Be careful to note calibration procedures and constants.

 Make sure to record concentrations of stock solutions and reagents.
 Be sure to note the UNITS that you use and be consistent.

6. Observations:

 It is important to note interesting observations during experiments. These could

involve instrumental fluctations, instrumental problems, difficulties with certain
procedures, odd appearances of solutions after chemical reactions. Your observations
may also just be on relationships you notice.
 Your observations might prove useful if you have to explain errant data points and
they might lead to interesting discoveries scientifically and educationally.