Keeping a Laboratory Notebook in BIO 151
Why Keeping a Laboratory Notebook is Important
Every forensic analyst, whether in the employ of a government
agency or a private company, is required to keep a meticulous
record of their work. In forensic casework, lives are often at stake,
and
analysts are frequently called into court to testify about their work, sometimes many years after the
work was actually performed. For these reasons, the rules for documenting forensic lab analyses are
stricter than in many other laboratory settings, and analysts must be able to prove that they
performed all of their tests according to validated and approved guidelines.
In this class, you will document your work in a laboratory notebook. In many forensic labs, the format
for keeping notes is different; often casework lab notes are kept as a series of preprinted forms that
the analyst fills in and stores together in a case binder) However, learning to keep a lab notebook in
the manner outlined below will train you for any future method of documenting your experiments in a
forensic setting.
Keeping a laboratory notebook also has other advantages:

It provides a laboratory scientist with a record of all the cases or experiments
he/she has worked on. As such, it is a rich source of information concerning what has
worked successfully (or failed to produce results) in the past. It also provides a record of the
scientist’s work for other technicians who may use the notebook to inform their own casework
or research after the scientist retires or leaves the laboratory.

It encourages a scientist to be organized and thoughtful in his/her approach to a
case or set of experiments. It gives the scientist a place to record observations that might
otherwise be forgotten or overlooked.
What Type of Notebook to Use
Since a laboratory notebook is a permanent and legal record, it is critical that a scientist be able to
prove that it cannot be tampered with to falsify results. There are several standard practices that help
ensure this, including the type of notebook chosen.

The notebook should have a stitched or glued binding. Loose leaf binders, spiral
notebooks, or file folders are not acceptable because pages can be easily removed without
leaving any evidence of the removal. Stitched binders last longer than glued ones but are
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generally more expensive. For this class, you will probably want to purchase a notebook with a
glued binding.

Carbon copy notebooks are expensive and unnecessary since they do not provide a
means of copying items (e.g. photographs, electropherograms) that are taped into the
notebook. When notebook pages need to be copied, they should be xeroxed or scanned.
Therefore, having a carbon copy is not helpful and just takes up unnecessary space.

Larger notebooks are better because they hold more data, especially data that needs to be
taped into the notebook. If possible, choose a notebook that has pages that are about 8.5 x
11 inches.

The notebook should have pre-numbered pages, if possible. However, these types of
notebooks are harder to find and usually more expensive. An alternative is to buy a notebook
without pre-numbered pages and then number them yourself before use.

Other niceties include: Notebooks that lie flat when open and notebooks that have nonsmear paper. Such notebooks are available at specialty stores and over the internet through
scientific supply companies. However, they are expensive and not necessary for this class.
Organizing the Notebook
Always write your name and the address and phone number of the laboratory (not your personal
contact information) on the first page of your notebook. If you are working for an agency or company,
the notebook is the property of the agency or company; it does not belong to you. In addition, the
agency or company’s contact information is less likely to change than your own personal contact
information, so if the notebook is lost and returned at a later date, it is more likely to so that it can be
returned to the right place. Although you can take your notebook home to study for this class and to
write up your protocols for the next lab session, notebooks are normally NEVER removed from the
laboratory. (This helps prevent tampering or misplacement.)

Table of Contents. Leave 2-4 pages at the front of the notebook for a Table of Contents and
keep this part of the notebook up-to-date. The Table of Contents should list the number and
name of the experiment (e.g. “Extraction and Quantitation of DNA from Donor 5, Before and
After Sweating),” the date of each analysis, and the page numbers devoted to each analysis.

Always write in your notebook with pen. Since the notebook is a permanent and legal
record, pencil is not acceptable. Gel pens are ideal because the ink tends to fade less with
time than the ink from ballpoint pens.

When you make a mistake, draw a thin line through the mistake and then write the
correction above the mistake. Do not try to mask the error but make clear that it is an
error. Never use white-out or any other method of correcting your work.

Write clearly. There is nothing (!!!) more frustrating than trying to read something you wrote
several weeks previously and being unable to do so. If your handwriting is sloppy, learn to
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print. It is far better to write slowly and legibly than to finish quickly but be unable to read
what you have written. This is also a courtesy for those who may need to access your work
later. Writing clearly is also important on tubes and reagents. If you have sloppy or very large
handwriting, you may wish to purchase a label maker and use it to print out labels for your
tubes and reagent bottles.

When dating an entry, always include the year. It may seem obvious that it’s 2009 when
you are making an entry, but five years from now it will not be. Also be consistent in the way
that you record dates. If you use the format “mm/dd/yy” then always use that format. Never
allow the date to be open to possible misinterpretation.

For purposes in this course, each entry must include:
o
A list of reagents and equipment used in the experiment, including brand, model,
vendor, lot number, and expiration date, if possible. Recording this information
enables you to troubleshoot a failed analysis later, if necessary.
o
A detailed protocol. If a kit is used, the protocol need not be detailed but the
manufacturer, kit name, and protocol version (included in the kit) should be noted. In
addition, any variations you made to the protocol should be carefully documented.
o
Results, including photographs or print outs of electronic data (when applicable)
o
All calculations, including units.
o
Mistakes or errors that were made in the procedure and what you did to remedy the
errors.
o
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Justification of any departure from standard laboratory protocols.
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