Keeping a laboratory notebook is an essential part of scientific research.  Your notebook should be detailed enough for someone else to read and understand exactly what you did and why you did it.  All results should be kept in your notebook, not filed in folders or on your desk.  This will minimise problems that may be encountered if any questions arise about your results and will be useful for planning future research, writing up the results for publications and ultimately your thesis. 

In addition to the above, it is also important to adopt best practice in terms of maintaining a laboratory notebook if the results of your research are to be used as the basis of a patent application.  This is especially important if the patent application is to be filed in the United States where the rule of ‘first to invent’ rather than the European standard of the ‘first to file’ applies. 

The following suggestions are proposed to assist you in keeping an accurate and detailed record of your laboratory results for your own publication/thesis needs and also to ensure that the necessary evidence is available to prove both the date of the invention and one’s entitlement to be named as an inventor.

1.      Use a hardbound laboratory notebook with consecutively numbered pages.

2.      Write in ink.

3.      Date each page or entry.

4.      Each experiment should ideally include the following sections:

Purpose.  Begin with a short explanation of why you did the experiment.

Protocol.   Include a detailed description of what you actually did.  Provide sufficient detail so someone could repeat the experiment exactly the way you did it.  All procedures obtained from other sources (e.g., lab manuals or lab protocols) should be included as a permanent part of your notebook if they are used for the first time.  It is acceptable to cross-reference previous experiments, but you should specify any changes or differences in the experimental design. 

Results.  Include the actual raw data in your notebook as well as any plots or calculations.  Show any equations used for your calculations.

Discussion.  Include a brief summary of the conclusions.

5.      Errors should be crossed out with a single line so they remain readable. Do not tear pages out of your notebook.  When an error is made, include a comment on what went wrong and whether the experiment was repeated. This will allow you to figure out what actually happened at a future date.

6.      Tape or staple any attachments (e.g. print-outs) directly to the notebook.  All attachments should include the date and details about how they were obtained (e.g. the wavelength of the spectrophotometer, etc.).  Material that is too large to be attached to the notebook (e.g. sequencing autoradiograms) should be clearly marked with the date and page of the experiment in your laboratory notebook.

7.      Have your laboratory notebook signed and dated by an independent witness on at least a weekly basis.  The witness should be a fellow researcher who understands the research but preferably not someone who is within the same research group or who would have a claim as a co-inventor.

8.      Store your laboratory notebook in a safe location.

NovaUCD has a new supply of laboratory notebooks which are available for UCD researchers.

For further information on how to purchase these laboratory notebooks please contact Caroline Gill, t: 01 7163 715, e: caroline.gill@ucd.ie