Laboratory notebook format

At this early stage, the batch record is frequently a simple set of instructions with wide parameters or no parameters at all. Batch records can vary between data recorded in laboratory notebooks to formal, typed documents. Regardless of format, data should be collected in these batch records at processing stages that could readily impact the production of the product. This data can then be utilized to assist in scale-up activities. 

The conference report from the Crystal City III Workshop outlines the documentation requirements in detail [10]. The degree of documentation should be sufficient to recreate the validation. Prior to initiating a prestudy validation, an appropriate standard operating procedure or a detailed validation plan should be written. This plan can be a stand-alone document or can be contained in a laboratory notebook or some comparable format. The documentation should clearly state the intended use of the method and a summary of the performance parameters to be validated. The plan should include a summary of the proposed experiments and the target acceptance criteria for each performance parameter evaluated. 

It is critical to document the information generated during the development of a method in a laboratory notebook or other acceptable format. Information on the... 

Figure 4.2. Sequin s graphical format can show segmented sequence construction and feature intervals. These can be compared with drawings in laboratory notebooks to see, at a glance, whether the features are annotated at the proper locations. Different styles can be used, and new styles can be created, to customize the appearance of the graphical view. The picture can be copied to a personal computer s clipboard for pasting into a word processor or drawing program.

Safety plans or SOPs should be developed to document the hazards posed by and controls for COCs. SOPs can have a variety of formats, including postings, documentation in laboratory notebooks, forms, binders, and digital collections of plans. The objective is to document hazards and control and disposal methods in a manner that ensures that those who have access to the materials will understand how to use them safely. An example of a form for a safety plan is provided in Appendix E... 

The format of the laboratory notebook is usually different for these two types of experiments. Once again, your instructor may have a particular style that is recommended, but we provide suggested formats below. 

A template for how you should write-up your experiment in your laboratory notebook is given in Figure 1.2 (overleaf). You may well see variations on this style elsewhere and there is nothing wrong with most of these. However, if you follow this general format, you will not go far wrong when writing-up experiments. 

Chemical Abstracts Service Information System Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Internet Internet-based Computational Chemistry Tools Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) Online Databases in Chemistry Spectroscopic Databases Standard Exchange Formats for Spectral Data Structure and Substructure Searching. 

Circular Dichroism Electronic Computer Graphics and Molecular Modeling Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Electronic Publishing of Scientific Manuscripts Factual Information Databases Internet Molecular Models Visualization Object-oriented Programming Online Databases in Chemistry Standard Exchange Formats for Spectral Data Structural Similarity Measures for Database Searching. 

Laboratories should require that any reaction mixture stored in glassware be labeled with its chemical composition, its date of preparation or formation, the name of the laboratory worker responsible, and a notebook reference. This procedure can provide the information necessary to guide disposal of the mixture if the responsible laboratory worker is no longer available. It should be recognized, however, that such a procedure must be enforced. It cannot guarantee that a departing worker will not leave behind unlabeled mixtures. 

Before any practical work is undertaken in the laboratory a sturdy hard-backed lab notebook should be obtained and a standard format for keeping the notebook should be decided upon. A good deal of thought should go... 

The values calculated by Excel are shown in cells B12 and B13. Of course they must be rounded off to the correct number of significant figures, but are the same as the results obtained manually. Learning to use spreadsheets can save time and permit the data to be stored, processed, and presented in a variety of formats. The spreadsheets can be made part of the electronic lab notebooks that are common in industry and government laboratories as well as in many college laboratories. 

Lab notebooks are commonly used in the laboratory to record data. This information is often then transferred into a computer file or spreadsheet once outside of the lab. Scientists use spreadsheets to organize, analyze, and display data. Use of spreadsheets simplifies data collection and manipulation and allows the presentation of data in a logical and understandable format. Models are another common way of portraying evidence. A model may be built to demonstrate an object too large or too small to otherwise visualize with ease. In the case of chemistry, computers and their simulations are often used to show the three dimensional structure of a molecule and to predict its possible chemical interactions. 

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