Lab Notebook Overview

The Lab Notebook is a session-by-session record of what individuals do as a member of the project team at each step of the design, construction, and testing of the project, and it is updated whenever project work is done. Most research and development work in industry will require keeping a similar log. It enables you and/or others to pick up the thread of your past work and carry it forward and serves as a legal record supporting patent claims.

The book should show entries made at or shortly after every working session.

In the context of this course, the notebook additionally serves as documentation of progress. It is often referred to when project demos are not successful. Finally, past students that have attempted to obtain patents find that this notebook is the crucial piece of information for proving their work.

Instructors should see that each partner is individually carrying an important part of the design effort. Freely referring to the work of team mates is encouraged, but identical notebooks should not be turned in.

To stress the importance of keeping track of your progress, your TA will be checking your notebook at your weekly meeting, and can provide feedback about what changes should be made. The notebooks will be graded by your TA at the end of the semester.

The Book

Any notebook with permanent bindings designed for laboratory record-keeping is acceptable. Those with pre-numbered pages are preferred. Ideally, it should have graph rulings on alternate pages, or else quarter-inch square grid on all pages. For the purposes of this class, we will accept normal spiral-bound notebooks, but keep in mind that these are not permissible in court since pages can be easily replaced.

We will allow you to keep your notebook on a computer, but entries will still need to be printed out and attached to a physical notebook for weekly meetings. Keep in mind also that it may be easier in the long run to scratch out rough graphs and equations on paper, so try to plan ahead. If you know you'll have a lot of graphs, equations, etc., don't make more work for yourself than you need to. Do NOT email your notebook entries to your TA unless he or she specifically requests that you do so.

• Rough Breakdown of Points for Lab Notebook

Notebook entries

Each complete entry should include:

1. Date
2. Brief statement of objectives for that session
3. Record of what was done

The record will include equations, diagrams, and figures. These should be numbered for reference in the narrative portion of the book. Written entries and equations should appear on the right-hand page of each pair.

Drawn figures, diagrams, and photocopies extracted from published sources should be placed on the left-hand side, which is graph-ruled. All separate documents should be permanently attached to the notebook.

Overall, the book should contain a record that is clear and complete, so that someone else can follow progress, understand problems, and understand decisions that were made in designing and executing the project.

What to include

• A copy of your project proposal.
• Bibliographic references for any materials that are used as sources. Many of these references will be needed in the written report, later.
• Diagrams, schematic and/or block, for any hardware which is to be tested. There should be an accompanying discussion explaining the principle design problems and decisions. Proposed tests should be mentioned here, too.
• Equations and formulas used in the design process, along with a reference to their sources. If derived by you, sketch enough of the development so that someone can follow the idea from your notes.
• Documentation of the testing and debugging process. I.e., notes of what is being checked, test set-up diagrams, and non-routine results. Difficulties should be noted with particular care.
• It is wise to note anything of any conceivable importance when dealing with debugging problems. Test-signal amplitudes, waveforms, frequencies, modulation types and amounts, test connections, meter scale settings and readings, sketches or printouts of waveforms from precisely identified points in the circuit, and power supply values, are examples.
• Analysis of, and proposed solutions for, any debugging problems. Include all revisions of diagrams and test setups and any new equations, etc.
• Documentation of the new tests, as before.
• Documentation of final performance tests and design verification.
• Topic outlines for oral and/or written reports can reasonably be included.

There is always something to record:

Suppose you are only 'kicking around' design ideas for the project with someone, or scanning library sources. Your objective is what you're hoping to find. The record shows what you found or what you decided and why, even if it isn't final.

One of the most common errors is to fail to record these seemingly 'unimportant' activities.