Maintain a laboratory notebook while the work happens

Prepare the record before starting

Write the date, session title and the experiment or exercise identifier required by the course. Include the aim and a reference to the approved procedure. Leave space for results and observations. Check whether the course expects a bound notebook, digital record or supplied worksheet before choosing equipment.

Set up headings or a table for the measurements you are instructed to record, including units. Do not prefill expected results as though they were observations. If using an electronic system, confirm access and the saving process before the session so record keeping does not depend on solving a login issue during the practical.

Record actual conditions and observations

Enter measurements and relevant observations as instructed, keeping them connected to the sample, trial or step they describe. Include units and labels consistently. Distinguish a measurement from an interpretation, and mark uncertainty rather than silently choosing the value you expected to see.

Record changes from the planned procedure through the course's required process, including any instruction from staff. Do not alter a procedure on your own because a result seems inconvenient. If something is unclear or unexpected, ask the demonstrator and note the relevant clarification in the record.

Keep corrections traceable

Follow the required correction method so the original entry and change remain understandable. Avoid deleting or obscuring a result simply because it appears wrong. State the reason for a correction when known, such as a transcription error identified against an instrument output.

Keep rough calculations and decisions where the course expects them, with enough explanation to follow the reasoning later. A neat final number without its origin may be difficult to verify. If a calculation is provisional, label it accordingly rather than allowing it to look like a confirmed result.

Connect external files to the notebook

Record the names or identifiers of instrument files, images and datasets produced during the session. Note where they are stored through the approved system. Use a naming approach that links each file to the relevant sample or trial. Do not rely on the order in which files happen to appear in a download folder.

Check that permitted files are saved and accessible before leaving the session. Follow the course's data-handling instructions and do not transfer restricted material to a personal service. If a file is missing or cannot be opened, raise the issue while staff and equipment are still available.

Close the session with a review

Check that the required observations, units and identifiers are present. Add a short account of the main result and unresolved questions, keeping interpretation separate from the raw record. Note what you need to calculate, read or ask before writing the report.

When drafting the report, return to this record and the linked files rather than reconstructing the session from memory. Explain limitations supported by what actually occurred. Keep the notebook in the required condition for review or submission. Its value lies in a clear, honest account that connects the practical work to the later analysis.

Your next steps

• Prepare identifiers, units and recording space before the session.
• Distinguish observations from interpretations.
• Make corrections through the course's traceable method.
• Link and check external files before leaving.

Keep planning

• Divide a group project into work that fits together
• Make group meetings produce decisions and next actions
• Record a narrated presentation that meets the assignment brief
• Use past papers to diagnose what needs more work