A laboratory notebook is a bound, written record of procedures, reagents, data, calculations, thoughts, explanations, and results of experiments. It is a legal document used to defend intellectual property, and provides knowledge to future researchers. Lab notebooks are often the foundation for theses and publications.
Your laboratory notebook should follow the following general page structure:
Remember to always ask your professor(s) if they have a notebook style preference.
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Use only a bound notebook and always write directly into your lab notebook. Do not write on separate scraps of paper to be added later. This means making sure you always have your notebook when you are in lab. |
Correct mistakes by drawing a single line Do not erase, white-out, or scribble out mistakes. Do not remove pages from your notebook. |
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Include a Table of Contents at the front of the notebook. Either use the inside flap or the first couple of pages to accommodate a Table of Contents. |
Use only the front side of each page. Do not write on the back of each page. |
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Write legibly using black permanent ink only. Do not use a pencil. Ball point pens are recommended as they do not smear easily. |
If you are required to write your plans in advance, write a summary of the procedure steps in your own words. It is not necessary to rewrite every little detail from the lab manual. |
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Use past tense and write in 3rd person to describe what you did. Your entries should indicate what you did in the past, not what you plan to do. |
You can set up your lab notebook for an experiment ahead of the lab, but be sure to record ALL EXPERIMENTAL details in the notebook DURING the time you are in lab. Do not wait to record information after the lab. |
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Record what you actually did in lab. Do not simply copy your lab manual. It is especially important to make note of anything you do that is different or in addition to your lab manual instructions, such as using different amounts of substance or doing things in a different order. |
Include all observations and measurements in your lab notebook. Always include units of measurement. These notes should include if a substance changed colors, if a reaction produced bubbles, if a process took longer than expected, the weights/volumes of substances used, etc. |
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Be as detailed and descriptive as possible in all observations as well as titles and headings. For example, use "Preparation of Alum rather than "Chemical Synthesis." At the end of each lab, ask yourself, "Can I recreate this experiment/my results with what I have written down?" |
These guidelines have been adapted from those published at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2025).
