Laboratory Notebook Rules
				Dr. Christine P. Wiamer 
				MCMSNJ
				All Science Lab Classes

1. Always bring your bound notebook with you to each lab session. Failure to bring your notebook to lab will result in a zero for that lab.  Your lab notebook must be bound. No three-ring binders or notebooks with perforated pages will be accepted.  The inexpensive black and white “marble” notebooks that you can get for 99 cents is acceptable.  

2. Please number all pages of your notebook. DO NOT tear out any pages. Students who tear out pages in their notebook will receive a 20% lower grade for the lab.  In industry, lab notebooks are official documents that can be used in court to prove cases of fraud/abuse in companies. All marks in the notebook should be made in pen with nonerasable ink.  If you make a mistake in the notebook, please cross out the incorrect data (by putting ONE line through the numbers/values) and rewrite the correct data.  Students’ notebooks will be checked and initialed by the teacher at the end of each lab.   

3.  The first page of a lab notebook is called the Table of Contents. It contains the title and page numbers of the experiments/data.

4.  The second page of the notebook is where you will begin recording your experiments. 

5.  Each time you begin a new experiment, the title and date (complete) of the experiment should be at the top of the page.

6.  Since you are READING the experiment the night BEFORE doing the experiment in class, the following should be ALREADY in your notebook BEFORE you come to class:
	a. Introduction - short paragraph explaining the purpose for doing the experiment

	b. Procedure - method and materials required for doing the experiment IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
	c. Leave room in your notebook for your observations and data sections.

7. During the experiment, you will be writing any observations and data directly into your notebook. ALL CALCULATIONS are also to be completed IN your notebook.

8. The notebook will be initialized at the conclusion of lab, after all lab equipment has been returned and the lab space cleaned.  

9. The notebook will be collected in June. A final notebook grade will be given based on neatness, legibility, and how well the above notebook rules were followed.  Inferior notebook grades can have a detrimental effect on your final grade whereas good notebook grades can increase a borderline final grade.

* Remember: If you keep a good notebook, writing your lab report will be quick and easy.  You have written most of your lab report already in your notebook!