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You are responsible for maintaining a research quality notebook that follows the guidelines we have given you.

• The format and style of the notebook follow guidelines used in BIOS 311.
  (You may use your notebook from BIOS 211, 313, or 311 if you have pages remaining.)
  
  
• Please see the BIOS 413 checklist. Use this checklist as a guideline for the contents of your notebook.
  
  
• SPECIAL NOTE: Record enough procedure details in your notebook during each day of lab so that you can repeat these procedures using your notebook as the ONLY resource (i.e., you should not use printed web pages or handouts from previous labs).
  
  
• Here are additional details for BIOS 413:
  
  
  • Each team will maintain a single laboratory notebook.
    • Team members record their individual activities and observations and initial all entries. We intend to use the overall quality of the laboratory notebook and your specific notebook entries to evaluate your individual effort.
      NOTE: A single team member must not, for example, act as a recordkeeper by writing in the notebook while the others carry out the work.
    • To help you keep things organized when two or more of you are working, you might "reserve" a page for each team member. Skip to the next blank page if you have more entries to make. When you finish for the day, initial your pages and record the time, drawing a line through any remaining blank spaces.
    • It is absolutely critical that you record details such as WHO did WHAT (e.g., loading samples on the gel, setting up digests, etc.) and LABELS on your DNA samples. You must have this information in your notebook in order to determine where a procedural error(s) occurred and to use the correct sample for that day's procedures.
    • Each team member is expected to make daily entries in the notebook during each lab.
      You may want to take turns writing the Objectives/Daily Summary for each lab day; remember, do NOT "pre-write" objectives or methods in your notebook BEFORE you come to lab.
    • You must give us the copy notebook pages for each lab session BEFORE leaving lab EACH day; for short procedures, such as picking colonies, you may turn in the page during the next lab session. Each team member should initial her/his notebook pages.
      NOTE: I will grade the duplicate pages.
    • On the last day of lab, you must submit the copies of the notebook pages for that day; the Table of Contents and any additional pages, such as "Summary and Conclusions" (see the checklist) are due with the poster.
    
    
  • Pictures of gels must be dated, labeled, and stored in your BIOS 413 folder (do not tape them in your notebook); "sketch" the gel in your lab notebook and describe/interpret results.
    
    
  • Because this is a real research project, you must submit all raw data. Please organize the information so that it is readily understood by someone who will be reviewing your findings.

Copyright, Acknowledgements, and Intended Use
Created by B. Beason (bbeason@rice.edu), Rice University, 22 June 2006
Updated 23 October 2009