The use of laboratory notebooks is universal in laboratory work, regardless of whether that work is conducted in academia, industry or private laboratories or by scientists, engineers or the home inventor. Proper and consistent laboratory notebook upkeep is, therefore, essential. Some of the factors which reduce the value or credibility of your laboratory notebook:

• illegible entries are totally worthless;
• missing notebook pages raise questions;
• erasures, deletions and illegible errors raise questions-any subsequently discovered mistakes should be corrected and explained on the next available blank page, referencing the page with the mistake.

1. The notebook must have non-perforated, permanently bound pages which are consecutively numbered and should be used by a single person exclusively for laboratory work.
2. The notebook should begin with a Table of Contents for which the first page or two have been reserved.
3. All pertinent data must be entered directly into the laboratory notebook so that the notebook becomes a daily record of the student's activities. All entries must be dated and signed.
4. All original entries must be made in the notebook in permanent ink only and should be as legible and complete as possible. Symbols, codes and any other abbreviations must be clearly defined.
5. Draw a single line through errors. All errors must remain legible.
6. Entries for a given experiment should be made in chronological order. If more space is needed, insert the phrase "Continued on page If blank pages occur, label them with the phrase "Page left deliberately blank".
7. Never remove a page from the notebook.

Adopted: August 1998