ibiology lab notebook keeping

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https://courses.ibiology.org/courses/LE/SP/content/module-4-gear-up-to-do-the-experiment/lesson-8-tips-best-practices/how-reproducible-is-your-notebook/

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https://courses.ibiology.org/courses/LE/SP/content/module-4-gear-up-to-do-the-experiment/lesson-8-tips-best-practices/case-study-neils-approach-to-recordkeeping/

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https://ibio-v2.s3.amazonaws.com/media/resources/lets_experiment_neils_lab_notebook_template_CaMrE07.docx

template

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As suggested by the NIH, your scientific records should describe or explain:

Who did it (the person making the record)
What you did
When you did it (clearly stating month, date and year)
Why you did it
What project the research was part of
How you did it (including the methodology)
What materials were used
The findings
Your interpretation
The next step

Neil’s Lab Notebook Template
Experiment Title
Descriptive title of the experiment
Include a date
Can include an experiment ID if you are doing higher order organization (say in a spreadsheet or index)
Background
Research question
Hypothesis
Inspiration for the experiment (including any paper references)
Previous experiments and knowledge from those experiments
Expected results
(If digital notebook) hyperlinks to other experiments or references
Experimental Design
State exactly what was done at the bench
Include full protocol and any modifications
Include all reagents and materials (including source and lot numbers)
Include images of experimental setup if there are any
Include dates on anything that happened on another day (date all work)
Results & Observations
All observations and results that come from the experiment
Any data that you gather
Notes that you make on how something looks
Images of any sketches you make
Any plots, images or graphs of the data
Conclusions & Future Directions
Interpretation and conclusion from the results
Where you will go next experimentally

Best Practices
As you keep your notebook, there are some best practices to remember:

Write in permanent ink in a paper lab notebook.
Notebook pages should be numbered and dated.
If unable to store data in the lab notebook (e.g., films in a bound notebook), then a separate storage must be kept, clearly indexed in lab notebook.
Errors should be struckthrough with a single line, never erased or crossed out to be unreadable. Corrections should always be initialed and dated.
Include data, both tangible (gels, photographs, computer printouts, file names) and intangible (observations, conclu­sions).
Whenever possible, enter the experimental results and conclusions in the notebook.
Special care must be made with human subject records - proper storage and security are required.
Entries must be understandable by other researchers without your explanation or interpretation. (Share an entry with a friend and see if they see anything you missed.)
Indicate the materials and methods used, and indicate what the variables are. If the method is new or there is substantial modification to a standard method, these must be described in detail to ensure that another investigator could repeat the experiment by using your lab notebook entry.