3.1: Guidelines for the Laboratory Notebook

Guidelines for the Laboratory Notebook

1. You will be provided with a Laboratory Research Notebook to use for the course. The notebook consists of pairs of duplicate pages (a white page followed by a yellow page). The notebook has Carbonless paper, so that a copy of the white page is automatically made on the yellow page.
2. Make duplicates of photographs and other data that can be taped on both the white page and the yellow page.
3. Do not skip pages in your notebook. Write your name and the date on every page of the notebook that you use.
4. You must read the protocol for the appropriate day and write a pre-lab, which is a step by step protocol of what needs to be done that day, in your notebook prior to coming to the laboratory. All your calculations need to be completed before coming to class. You must have your pre-lab evaluated by the T.A. prior to starting the experiments. You MAY NOT begin lab until your prelab writeup is completed.
5. Record all your data in your laboratory notebook as you progress through the lab. Do not write the data on notepaper and then transfer into your notebook. Your notebook is a working document, not a volume for your mother's coffeetable.
6. After you finish the lab write-up of the section, you will submit the yellow copy to the teaching assistant for grading.
7. In addition to the write-ups, submitted on a daily basis, at the end of the module, you are required to submit a final lab report where you summarize and analyze the data you have obtained.
8. The laboratory notebook is expected to be legible and fairly neat, but it need not be without errors. If you do make errors in writing in the notebook, simply cross out the error. Do not use erasable inks or white-out in the notebook.
9. There will be a short lecture and demonstration on the some of the techniques used before each session in the laboratory. Take adequate notes in you notebook during the lecture and demonstration
10. The following section is a sample format for the laboratory notebook. There should be five sections for each lab session in your notebook. Sections I , II, and III will be referred to as the pre-lab and must be submitted and evaluated prior to starting any experiments for that session. Section IV is completed during the lab and submitted at the end of the lab session. Section V is finished after the lab session and must be submitted at the beginning of the next session.

 

Report Template

Name

Data

Session # and Description

1. Introduction:
   1. A brief description of the experiment or procedure.
2. Materials and Methods:
   1. A list of the reagents required for the experiment and their preparation and the methods used for the experiment. Show all of the calculations used for this section.
3. Outline of Experiment:
   1. A step by step protocol of the experiment or procedure
4. Results:
   1. This section includes the data obtained during the experiment and the analysis of the data. Show all the pertinent calculations
5. Summary and Discussion:
   1. A short summary of the results of the lab session and any problems encountered. Discuss your results in this section.

Note

At the end of each lab there will be certain reagents and solutions that will be used in subsequent lab sessions. Make sure that your solutions are clearly labeled and that they are stored at the appropriate temperature.

 

Laboratory Safety

General Rules for Working in the 5.32 Biochemistry Module

1. Plan your experiments before coming to the laboratory. Follow safe laboratory procedures. If you are unsure of anything, please do not hesitate to ask the teaching assistants or the professors.
2. Know the locations of all safety equipment and how to properly use them (for example, eyewash station and the safety shower).
3. Safety goggles and laboratory coats are provided and must be worn in the laboratory at all times. The laboratory coats and safety goggles are provided for you to use during the course, but must be returned at the end of the course.
4. There is no eating, drinking or smoking in the laboratory at any time.
5. Dress appropriately in the laboratory, at times you will be working with an open flame.
6. Gloves are required when working with biohazard materials, caustic agents.
7. Dispose of all wastes in their proper receptacles:
   1. Put biohazard solid waste (all E. coli samples) in biohazard bags (to be autoclaved).
   2. Put biohazard liquid waste (all E. coli samples) in a 50% liquid bleach solution.
   3. Put all glass or broken glass in proper glass waste containers.
   4. Put all sharps waste (i.e., razors, syringe needles, metal sharps) in red sharps container.
   5. Put all plastic pipets in the glass waste containers. Plastic pipettor tips may be disposed in the trash if they are not contaminated with bacteria.
8. The following compounds cannot be poured down the sink: nickel, phenol, methanol, any solution with pH < 5 or > 8.
9. The following compounds are toxic and one should wear gloves and take precautions described by the TAs. Polyacrylamide, bisacrylamide, nickel, phenol, methanol, concentrated KOH or NaOH, HCl, acetic acid. Kanamycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic used in growth of bacteria can cause an allergic reaction. If you have an allergy to this compound, all manipulations should be carried out by your lab partner.