1/11/2015

Notebook_Procedure

LABORATORYNOTEBOOK
PROCEDURES

Hereisasample
page:
leukocytes

DavidB.Fankhauser,Ph.D.,
ProfessorofBiologyandChemistry
UniversityofCincinnatiClermontCollege,
BataviaOH45103
File"Notebook_Procedure.htm"waslastmodifiedon06
Oct2013.
Thispagehasbeenaccessed
timessince11July2001.
4June1990,rvsd30Dec.1995,4Jan.'97,26Mar'97,16July'97,19Sept'97,3Jan'98,
28Mar'98,22Mar01,1October02

Hereisasample
page:
seminiferoustubule

Book:Usegraphlined,sewncompositionnotebooks(10"x77/8")sothatyoumakeapermanent
recordofyourexperimentsandresults.(Avoidgluedbooks.)
Pen:Useapermanentblackpenwithafinepoint,suchasaPilotPreciseRollingBallV5(my
favorite),TombowRollPen,Jr,orUniballVisionMicro.Thesearedarkblack,permanent,and
xeroxverywell.Apencilorwatersolublefelttippedpenarenotacceptable.Ballpointpenshaveink
whichwilldissolveunderorganicsolvents.[ForMicrobiology,numberpageslikethis.Hereisa
pageillustratingthecommonfeaturesofallMicroNotebooks.]

1. TitletheinsidefrontcoverLABSCHEDULE.Numberthefacingpagei,andtitle
HANDOUTTABLEOFCONTENTS.
2. MounttheHANDOUTS(LABSCHEDULEandHANDOUTTABLEOFCONTENTSas
shown.Aseachprotocolismountedinyournotebook,enteritspagenumberontheline
providedtotheleftofitslisting.Itwilllooklikethisafteryouhavereferencedthehandout
pages.(Readytoturninnotebookforgrading)
3. Numberthenexttwopagesii,iiiandiv.(forMicro,addiv,vandvi.)TitlethemMY
TABLEOFCONTENTSI,IIandIII.Youwillmountyourowntableofcontentsherelater.
4. Thennumbereveryrighthandpageatthetoprightwithoddnumbers:1,3,5,etc.
5. IfyourhandoutpacketcontainsaSlideList,titlepage1"LISTOFSLIDES."Mountthelist
onthispage.Labelpage2NOTEBOOKPROCEDURES.Mountthoseprotocolsonthese
pages.
6. Titletheinsideofthebackcover"MYGRADESLIPS".Mountsequentialgradeslips
here.Titlethefacingpage"NEWWORDSTEMS."Earntwopointsbykeepingarunning
tableofwordstemsgiveninlectureorlab,butwhicharenotonthehandoutsheetandtyping
themupbeforeNBgrading.
7. Drawguidelinesatlines1,3,6and9alongtheedgeofyourclosedbook.
8. Dateeachpageintheupperlefthandcornerassoonasyoubeginanentryonthatgiven
page.
9. TitleeachpageINCAPITALSwithaspecificfocusedtitlebetweenlines1&3.
10. Begintheentriesbelowline9.Enteralldatadirectlyintothelabbook.Hereisasample
showingdate,title,page,crossrefandentriesbelowline9.
11. Useafreshpageforeachexperiment.Neatnessisofsecondaryimportance,butleave
adequatespaceforeaseoffutureuse.Donottearoutanypages.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Labs/Notebook_protocols/Keeping_a_Notebook/Notebook_Procedure.htm

1/2

1/11/2015

Notebook_Procedure

12. Crossreferencepagesofrelatedmaterialonline6(threespacesbelowthetitle).Givethe
natureofthecrossreference:protocol,data,graph,illustration,conclusion,etc.Youmay
crossreferencethelocationofillustrationstotherightofthefeatureslistedintheprotocol.
13. PermanentlymountALLhandoutswithclearcontactpaper.Keepintactifatallpossible.
Mountsequentialgradeslipsinsidebackcover.
14. Useanyexcuseforanillustration,sinceitdisplaysinformationordatainamanner
comprehensibleataglance.(SeeNotebookIllustrations.)Preventinkfrombleedingthrough
byplacingillustrationsontheRpage,andhandoutsontheL(orviceversa).
15. Fordissections,illustrate:1)cutsmade,2)spatial&functionalrelationsoforgans.
16. Formicroscopicspecimens,illustratecharacteristicviewstofillatleasthalfapage.Clearly
resolvealldetailsobservedwithlabelsforallfeaturesmentionedintheprotocoland/orin
Lab.Theillustrationtitlegoesabove,magnificationoftheviewatthelowerright.The
legendisbelow,indicatingthesource,treatmentandstainingprocedureused.Donot
hesitatetodrawasecondillustrationtoexpandonthefirst.
17. Foreachnewpieceofapparatus:illustrate,labelandexplainallfunctionalfeatures.
18. Colormaybeaddedafterillustratingwithblackpen.Useofappropriatecolorin
illustrationscanmakethemmoremeaningfulaswellasattractive.
19. Titleyourgraphsprecisely,crossreference,labelcoordinates,notesignificantphases,
especiallyaccordingtotime.Giveconditionsunderwhichexperimentwasperformed.Show
alleffectsobserved,especiallyaccordingtotimeorchangingconditions.Hereisasample
graph.
20. Indentprotocolsorrecipes,leavingspaceaboveandbelowforclarity.Noteindetailany
changesmadeintheprotocol,difficultiesencountered,orfuturecautions.
21. Drawconclusions,notingthevalueoftheexercise,and,ifappropriate,makingsuggestions
forimprovementoftheexperiment.Includeinyourconclusionsnotonlythe"processed"
data,butpointswhichcouldbeexaminedmorecloselyinfutureexperimentsandquestions
whichmayhavearisenasaresultoftheexperiment.Foranextrathreepoints,typeoutyour
suggestionsonasinglepage,crossreferencethemtothepageoftheexperiment,andmount
theminyournotebook.
ComparetheseinstructionswiththeSampleNotebookGradeSheetswhichyouhavereceived.Notethatpointsareawarded
accordingtothecompletenesswithwhichyouhavefollowedtheseinstructions.Earlyeffortappliedtolearningcorrect
notebookprocedurewillpaydividendswhenyournotebookisgraded.(Labwork,asevidencedbyyournotebookcomprises
between25and40%ofyourgrade,dependingonthecourse.)

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Labs/Notebook_protocols/Keeping_a_Notebook/Notebook_Procedure.htm

2/2