Lab Notebook
Keeping track of what you have done can help you and others know what needs to be done in the future
A lab notebook is a record of the work you have done in lab. This includes, but is not limited to, ideas, hypotheses, protocols, data and analyses of data. The overall purpose of a lab notebook is to give yourself and others a clear picture of what you have done, why you have done it, and what you found. A properly maintained lab notebook should be thorough enough that anyone with a basic understanding of the techniques used in your lab could reproduce your work.
Lab notebooks are important because they allow you and anyone else to go back and see what you have done and why you have done it. This can be critical for you, when you need to access your data for putting together a presentation or a manuscript. This is also helpful for writing a materials and methods section for a paper. Additionally, a well-maintained lab notebook can help you if you are troubleshooting an issue because you can look back at what you have done and try to figure out what aspects you can change to get something to work again.
Beyond helping you, a well-maintained lab notebook will also help your lab especially after you are no longer in the lab. By keeping a record of what you have done, you are allowing for others, including future members of the lab, to look at your work and learn from it. If somebody needs to perform a technique similar to one you have performed, they should be able to go into your lab notebook and gain insight from what you have written.
If you are able to successfully maintain your lab notebook you will make life easier for both future you and for your lab as a whole.
Maintaining your lab notebook
When should you write in your lab notebook?
Every time you are in lab and doing an experiment you should be writing in your lab notebook.
Even if another person in the lab is just showing you how to do something and you personally are not running an experiment you should be taking notes so you can refer to it later. It is important to get into the habit of updating your lab notebook as much as possible while you are in lab because the longer you wait to update your lab notebook, the more likely it is that you will forget something important. If you are un able to update your lab notebook during an experiment try to budget time before and after your planned experiments for maintaining your lab notebook.
What should you write in your lab notebook?
You will need to find what works for you and your type of research to figure out what exactly you should write and how you should organize it. Looking at other people’s lab notebooks and talking to other people in your lab about how they organize their lab notebook should help with this.
With that said, your lab notebook generally should include the following (this is how I do my lab notebook but like I mentioned earlier, find what works for you and your research):
1. The date, it is important to write when you did something because that can help you later when you try to go back and find something in your lab notebook.
2. The main question or main hypothesis you are testing with that experiment. Start a new section for each new experiment even if multiple experiments are on the same day.
3. The protocol for your experiment (if you do the same protocol a lot, you don’t have to write it every time. Write the page number or link to where you can find the protocol, but note if you’ve changed the protocol in any way).
4. The results of the experiment even if it did not work. Sometimes this means you will need to cut out images and tape them in or upload images. In these cases, make sure your images are clearly labeled so that anyone in your lab can understand what is going on.
5. Analysis of your results. If something worked, state how it is related to your hypothesis and what you think it means. If your experiment did not work, state why you think the experiment did not work and what may have gone wrong.
6. Some people find it helpful to write to do lists for the next day in their lab notebook, this is optional.
Types of Research lab notebooks
Electronic lab notebooks
Electronic lab notebooks are lab notebooks that are maintained on a computer rather than on a physical lab notebook. You need to check with your PI to see what type of lab note book they prefer. If you have bad handwriting and would prefer to keep an electronic lab notebook you can mention that to your PI and see if they will work with you. Often times you will not be able to access your electronic lab notebook while you are doing research so make sure to write yourself enough notes that you can convert into the online format later.
Paper lab notebooks
Paper lab notebooks are physical forms of the lab notebook that are maintained on paper. Again, talk to your PI to figure out which form of lab note book they prefer. In a written lab notebook you need to be sure that you are writing legibly and if you use acronyms and shorthand you should provide a key somewhere so that others can follow what you are saying.
Common Issues
Incomprehensibility
Used shorthand that only you understand without providing a key
Skipped writing steps in a protocol or forgot to write something that was changed
Bad hand writing (can be solved with an electronic lab notebook)
Irresponsibility
Not writing in your lab notebook
Only writing results
Waiting too long to update your lab notebook and forgetting what to write or leaving things out
Making excuses
Just apologize and fix it
Not taking initiative
You are responsible for managing your lab notebook, do not wait around for someone to tell you what to do. Ask your PI or others in the lab what type of lab notebook they prefer and what they put in their lab notebooks and then act accordingly.
Not responding well to feedback
Not listening to feedback if people say they can’t understand your lab notebook
Not asking for help if you are unsure how to manage your lab notebook
Thought Exercise: Starting your lab notebook
You have just started in your new lab and are about to begin your first experiment. You have been tasked with running a PCR to see if the baby mouse you are using is a male or a female. What do you need to write in your lab notebook before you begin? What would you write after you completed the experiment?
References & Further Reading
https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2019/09/how-keep-lab-notebook
