The Lab Notebook
Laboratory notebooks are an integral part of scientific research. They serve as permanent records of actual experimental work. Thus, it is critical that they are both accurate and truthful. In this course, you will implement some of the procedures used by scientists to safeguard against false or inaccurate records.
· Your lab notebook must be a composition book used only for Biology lab experiments.
· Your name and class period must be legible on the front cover
· The first two pages must only be used for a Table of Contents and TOC must be current and accurate
· Page numbers will go only in the upper outside corner of used pages.
· The date and lab title must be included at the top of the first page of each lab report.
· In your lab notebook, write neatly using only black or blue ink. If you make an error, draw a single line through the mistake. DO NOT SCRIBBLE OUT ERRORS OR USE WHITE OUT.
· Data Tables should be completed in blue or black pen or electronically created. They should be neat, clearly titled and labeled.
· Start each lab on a new page and record the title and page number in the Table of Contents.
Grading: 100 pt lab grade
50 pts of lab grade is your participation, behavior, and science practice (care and correct use of equipment) during the lab
50 pts of lab grade is your submission and quality of the lab write-up in the lab notebook.
Sample Lab Notebook Format
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Experiment Title Page
1 Title of Laboratory 3
Date or Dates of Experimentation
TITLE OF LAB
Introduction
Introduce the problem, moving from the broader issues (background) to the specific (purpose) and the precise aims of the paper (research questions) and your expectations of your experiment (hypothesis).
Answers the question "what is the problem and why is it important?"
Background:
· Background info and research on previous supporting experiments that is necessary to understand the observations and problems that are needed to be completed before jumping into the experiment.
· Usually on given lab guide. If given, student will summarize in own words.
Purpose:
· The purpose of this experiment is to … or Students will...
· Usually on given lab guide. If given, student will summarize in own words.
Research Question:
· Based on previous observations or inferences
· Often not given lab guide.
Hypothesis:
· You create this based on the research question (your answer to the question).
· Must be testable AND include the IV and DV
Methods
Explain how you studied the problem, which should follow logically from the purpose. Depending on the kind of data, this section may contain subsections on experimental details, materials used, data collection/sources, analytical or statistical techniques employed, study environment, etc. Provide enough detail for another experimenter to reproduce what you did. Include flowcharts, timelines, maps or tables if they aid clarity or brevity.
Answer the question "what steps did I follow?" but do not include results yet.
Materials:
· Write from given lab.
· What you used in the experiment. List supplies and amounts of supplies with units of everything used during the experiment.
Procedure:
· Write from given lab.
· How data will be collected and analyzed.
· What you are going to do. If you did something different than what is written in the given procedure, make one line through it and write what you did. You do not scratch out anything, just update it.
◦ Example: time = 20 sec, Time used = 10 sec
◦ Then in you discussion, explain the discrepancy: change due to time restrictions (aka: did not have time to finish), change due to experimenter error (aka: I forgot)
Prediction:
· Based on the design of the experiment, your prediction of what the results will be.
Results
The data collected from the experiment. Includes, description of what you observed and what you found, not what you hoped to find. This includes BOTH written and use of tables and figures. Always reference created tables and figures as you present the results in written form. This section may also include sample calculations of analysis. You may use subheadings to divide the section into logical parts. Mention any uncertainty in measurements or calculations, and use units and an appropriate number of decimal places.
Answer the question "what did I find out?"
· Includes: raw qualitative and quantitative data and raw data represented in words and tables/figures
· Data only, no discussion of what the data means
Discussion
Discuss the importance of what you found in light of the overall study aims. Stand back from the details and synthesize what has (and has not) been learned about the problem, and what it all means. You do the thinking and writing of what the data means -- do not leave this to the reader. Begin with specific comments and expand to more general issues. Recommend any improvements for further study.
Answer the question "what is the significance of the data and the experiment?"
· Interpret and/or discuss the data/results here. Make sure all data is mention.
· include analyzed data represented in tables/figures
Conclusion
Restate the study aims or key questions and summarize your findings using clear, concise statements. Keep this section brief and to the point.
· a statement, based on the data, that says that the experimenter has found evidence to:
support the hypothesis, partial support the hypothesis, or reject the hypothesis
· Integrate background research (from intro) and the summary of the experiment. Add what you found to the overall story.
· Go back to the overarching question(s) or purpose, what information did the experiment provide about these?
· Reflection on the process and the product of the experiment, suggestions for changes and their predicted outcomes, and suggestions for future experiments.
· The big picture!