Chem 161 Lab Notebook Format

General Comments
The most important part of what a scientist does in carrying out an experiment is the record they keep
of that experiment, for it is that record that forms the basis for the acceptance of the results and
conclusions by the rest of the scientific community. Lab records also constitute the basis upon which
patents and copyrights are granted, and are used to settle disputes such as to who made a discovery
first. It is critical that researchers know and use accepted practices in keeping laboratory notes. For
this reason you will be expected to write up all laboratory experiments in a hard bound notebook
according to the following guidelines.

Laboratory Notebook
• Your labs are recorded in a hard bound lab notebook. No spiral bound notebooks. You do not need
books with carbon pages. I will collect your notebooks to grade them.
• Everything in your lab notebook is recorded in ink. Anything recorded in pencil will not be graded.
• Save the first several pages of your lab notebook for a Table of Contents and start numbering the
pages after the table of contents.
• Each of the experiments that you perform in lab should be written up in your lab notebook
according to the outline below. Be as neat as possible, however don't stress yourself about it. As
you become more proficient in the lab neatness will improve.
• To get the most out of your time in the lab you must come prepared to work efficiently. Being
unprepared for lab is the primary reason for not completing experiments in a timely manner. Thus,
before coming into the lab to the following should be completed in your lab notebook:
o Title of the lab, Date lab performed, Your full name, Full names of lab partners
o Purpose section
o Procedure section
o Data table(s)
• Material to be graded must appear on the pages on the right-hand side of your lab notebook.
The pages on the left-hand side of the notebook are to be reserved for notes, quick calculations,
scratch work, etc. The right-hand side should be neat. The left-hand side can be as messy or neat as
you want, but it should be legible. The only part of your lab book that will be graded is
material on the pages on the right side.
• Never tear out pages, use whiteout, or obliterate mistakes. A single line through a mistake is
enough. It is expected that there will be mistakes; after all, this is a human endeavor.
• Some of the labs will require an analysis of an unknown sample. For these labs part of your grade
will be assigned based on the accuracy of your analysis. For maximum credit you must be within
10% of the actual value.
• If you prepare sections of your lab reports on a computer these pages must be then taped (neatly)
into your lab notebook. Pieces of paper folded and stuffed into your lab book will not be
graded. If there is a graph or table that needs to be incorporated into your lab you need to plan
ahead and leave an extra page open in your lab book. This requires that you plan ahead. Read the
lab and think about what you are going to be doing before you show up for the lab. Do not
reproduce your data on a computer. Your data should be presented the way it was recorded (hand
written) in the lab. Remember – right side only.
• Publishing scientific experiments in journals requires that the experimenter/writer adhere to an
extremely strict and precise set of instructions for manuscript submission. The instructions for
submission to some journals are over 50 pages long. When I grade your labs I will look for the
items listed on the following two pages in the order that they are listed.
Format for Lab Reports
1. Title of the Experiment, Date Experiment Conducted, Name(s) (all names – first and last)
2. Name and date of experiment recorded in Table of Contents
3. Purpose
• The overall goals of the experiment. What is it you are trying to accomplish/determine?
4. Procedure
• Write, in a step by step fashion, the entire procedure used for the experiment. Do not summarize or
paraphrase. Another student should be able to perform the experiment from your procedure. This
is the procedure that you will use to perform the lab. You will not use the handout.

5. Data
• Data are presented in a step by step fashion that corresponds to the different parts of the
experiment. For example, if an experiment has three sections where data are collected, you should
record data in three separate, neat, clearly labeled sections.
• Tables are usually the best way to collect quantitative data (numbers). Tables should indicate the
units that were used for each piece of data recorded. Pay attention to units and significant figures.
• Resist the temptation to collect all data in one huge table. It is a confusing mess for the reader. If
the experiment has three sections, collect data in three different tables and be sure to leave room for
qualitative (non-numerical) observations which are a part of every single experiment you perform.
Qualitative observations include descriptive observations that you made – color changes, bubbles.
• Do not include any analysis or calculations in this section.
• Your tables have to be legible so leave room to cross out numbers and record additional data in
case you make mistakes.
• If you generate graphs from your data this is the appropriate place to include them.
• Tables and or graphs must be taped (neatly) onto the appropriate page in the appropriate position
in the lab write up. Do not print tables/graphs full size and then staple into the last page of
your lab book and expect the reader to go and look for them. This requires that you plan
ahead when you are doing your lab write-up.

6. Analysis and Calculations

• This is the section where you show any analysis and/or calculations that were performed on your
data in order to obtain your results.
• Each lab has specific instructions for this section. Be sure you read them.
• If you have a calculation that is performed more than once you need only show a single example in
this section unless the instruction state otherwise.
• You must show your calculations. Write them out.
• Make sure that it is clear which section of data your analysis and calculations refers to.
Label each section of your analysis and calculations so that is corresponds to each section in
your data.
• Your calculations must use the correct units and significant figures, and be clearly labeled.
• Whenever possible calculate a error for your determinations. See Handout on Error Analysis.
• The Result is the final answer or result of your calculations. If you are trying to determine the
concentration of a solution then the result is the concentration with the correct units. Be sure this is
clearly labeled and clearly correlated with the data and the calculations.
7. Results
• Each section of the lab usually leads to a single result. Something you are calculating or trying
to determine.
• The result is a number and the percent error if one was determined.
• Your results table is a single table that collects all of the results from the different sections of
the lab. Make a single results table for the entire lab and place it on the last page of the lab
before the Discussion

8. Discussion
• The discussion is a qualitative (what you did) and quantitative (what the numbers were –
including percent error if you calculated one) description of the lab. Briefly describe what you
determined and the numerical value associated with that determination. If you determined a
percent error describe it here. The discussion is where you discuss sources of error that might
have affected your data. When you discuss sources of error you must indicate if they were
random or systematic and describe exactly how they affected your data. Mistakes in
calculations are not a source of experimental error so do not list them.
• Avoid overly familiar language such as “this lab was interesting” or “I learned a lot”. This is
scientific writing.
• An example of a part of a discussion might be. In part A the volume of water was determined
using various types of glassware and an electronic balance. Percent error was determined for
the calculated volume compared to the observed value. The highest percent error was observed
for (insert observation here). A possible source of error that could be contribute to this high
value for percent error might be (insert observation here).

9. Post Lab Questions

• Write your answers to the post lab questions in your lab book in this section. Do not inclue the
post lab questions in the discussion. They are graded separately. They are due the same day
the lab is due.

Due Dates
• Pre-Lab questions are due at the beginning of lab the day of the lab. Answers must be written
on a separate sheet of paper and handed in at the beginning of lab. Copying the answers to
prelab question from your lab partner is cheating and will result in a grade of 0 for the lab.
• Lab reports are due in lab one week after completion of the lab. Any time during that week I will
read your lab report and make suggestions for improvements. Do not leave them till the last
minute or the night before they are due. If calculations are involved it is best to do them as soon
after the lab as possible. You can be sure that in every class there will be students who will spend
an amount of time on lab reports that reflects the fact that they represent 20 - 25% of your course
grade. Keep this in mind when you set aside time for lab reports.