Basic cell culture instructions

Keeping a good lab notebook

Lab notebooks provide a convenient place for you to keep all of your procedures, data and observations in one place. If written well, a lab notebook should contain everything you need to know to allow you or someone else to repeat any experiment you have ever performed. It can be useful in finding the source of errors and unexpected results when problems arise. Should your work ever be disputed, a lab notebook will provide testimony to your research. By following the simple guidelines below, you will learn how to keep a good lab notebook.

1. The notebook should be bound (no spiral notebooks, please).

2. The pages should be numbered either by hand or preprinted before using the book.

3. Use only permanent ink.

4. Write your name, contact information, and dates the notebook covers on the first page.

5. Skip the next 2-3 pages for a Table of Contents. Fill in the experiment name and page numbers as they are completed.

6. Write the date, experiment title, and partner’s name at the top of each page.

7. The first time a procedure is used, write the whole procedure in your own words into the notebook. Include a reference to the lab manual page and note any changes made to the original procedure. Do not just copy the lab manual word for word; restate each step simply and clearly. If you repeat this procedure later, reference the page where it was first performed and write down any changes made.

8. All data and observations should be written in your notebook at the time you took the measurement. Do not write on scratch paper to be copied later into your notebook – little pieces of paper may be lost and data forever lost.

9. Remember your lab notebook is extemporaneous writing. Keep it neat but do not waste too much time making it perfect. Errors should be crossed out with a single line (example). Do not scribble out mistakes.

10. Write down all calculations, no matter how simple, in your notebook. For example, every time you perform a cell count, cell viability must be calculated and recorded.

11. Permanently attach (glue or tape) images, computer print outs, and other data in your notebook. Date and initial over the corner of the attachment. Be sure to label the image with any pertinent information. [For example, if you place a Western Blot image into your notebook, label the lanes with what was in each, and the gel composition. If the lysates were prepared on a date different from the date the gel was run make a reference to the page that contains information on how the lysates were made.] Partners may photocopy original data for inclusion in the lab notebook.

12. Including complete chemical equations, statistical equations, sample calculations, and sketches or block diagrams of any apparatus used is also good practice.

13. Record start and stop times.

14. Include conclusions from this data. What does it mean and did it work as expected? If unexpected results occur, explain why. Include expected values (with reference) where appropriate.

15. Do not skip pages. Use every page of the notebook. If you need to rewrite a page, draw a large X through the page, date, initial, and start over on the next page. The same applies if you don’t fill an entire page draw a line through the remaining space, date, and initial.

Other things that must be included in your lab notebook in addition to the previous guidelines:

1. Cell count, total number of cells, and cell viability. Include calculations.

2. Actual cell number seeded.

3. Passage number.

4. Amount and type of media needed and actually used.

5. Observation of cells. Includes (but not limited to) percent confluent, morphology, media color, etc.

6. Any other requirements as specified by the TA