All MCB 301 students are required to keep a laboratory notebook.  A notebook with duplicate numbered pages is required (see required materials for MCB 301).  Pre-labs will be done on the LON-CAPA system.  Full lab notebook assignments will typically be collected one week after completion of the exercise or per your teaching assistant’s instructions.  Explicit instructions on what to include in each assignment are given on the last page of every lab exercise in the lab manual (Lab Notebook Assignment), as well as total point values.

Your notebook is a personal record of your work and keeping it thorough and neat is an essential part of your scientific research.  All reports should be handwritten, not typed.  It is important that your notes are legible enough for someone else to read and clear enough for someone else to understand exactly what you did.  They should be able to repeat the experiment in its entirety by referring to your notes. Errors should be crossed out with a single line so they remain legible.  Do not erase or scratch out errors or tear pages out of your notebook.  If an error is made, you should include a comment on what went wrong and how the error was resolved.

Notice that this book is carbonless.  There are white and yellow sheets, each with the same page number.  Both sheets need to be placed on top of the notebook cover before you begin writing.  Turn in the white pages (original copies) to your TA and keep all yellow pages in your notebook for reference and proof of your work.

Write your name and lab section on the cover of your lab notebook and your lab manual.  If either is misplaced they can easily be returned to you.

1. Name, Section, Title of the Exercise and the Date the exercise begins. The date is important because reagents and cultures may differ from day to day.

2. Statement of Purpose. A short explanation of what you are attempting to learn from this experiment. This should be written in your own words. No credit will be awarded for copying the objectives listed in the lab manual.

Full lab notebook assignments should be handwritten in your lab notebook. They will typically be collected one week after completion of the exercise or per your teaching assistant’s instructions. Explicit instructions on what to include in each assignment are given on the last page of every lab exercise in the lab manual (Lab Notebook Assignment Summary).

Organizational Format For Lab Notebook Assignments

1. Data Presentation. Record the actual raw data and any observations that were made during the experiment in your notebook. Include all necessary calculations, including dilutions.

2. Data Analysis (Results). Make calculations from your data and include any charts, graphs, tables or photographs that were made.

   You should report the biologically significant information, showing what occurred in the exercise using the data you obtained. Results are derived from the data, often by calculation. For example, in an experiment on the effect of pH on growth, a table of the amount of acid or base used to attain a particular pH is data; the result of the experiment is a table or graph of growth vs. pH.

   This method of organization (Data Presentation and Data Analysis) may mean you need to re-list some information in the Analysis section.

   All graphs should include a title and labeled axis, including units and what they represent.

   Numerical data should be arranged in neat tables, which should include titles, units and explanatory notes.

   If calculations are necessary to determine a result, be sure to include at least one sample of each type of calculation. (Show how you did the entire calculation).

   Along with the tabular and graphic presentations of results, you should include a descriptive statement of why the measurements were made.

3. Discussion. Summarize your results and state any general conclusions that you are able to make from the lab. Are the results what you expected? If you do not believe your results are convincing, you should discuss possible sources of problems and ways that the experiment could be changed in the future. You may also suggest additional experimental work that goes beyond the results reported.
The discussion should be written in paragraph form. While you may be sharing data with a group or lab partner, your discussion should always be written in your own words.
All flow charts, data and observations should be recorded in your notebook, not in your lab manual or on other loose sheets of paper. On occasion, you will have loose computer print outs or forms given to you by your TA. All pertinent information must be stapled to your original notebook pages and turned in to your TA by the stated due date.