Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2020

Career Development

Maintaining a Good Lab Notebook Developing the habit of keeping good records in a laboratory notebook is essential for scientists. It is also one of the first

detail as possible. For example, in the “Materials” section, the manufacturer name, catalogue number, and lot number are required for each reagent used for experiments. In the “Protocols/Methods” section, detailed experimental designs, parameters used on the equipment for each experiment, and doses and time courses for drug treatments must be record- ed. Finally, the “Discussion” section is a good place to sum- marize the work that has been done for the day, what was the finding, what happened unexpectedly, and what would be the next hypothesis based on the finding. All of these thoughts can help to improve your research and form a solid basis for your project. 3. Ask for a review Although a notebook is a record of your experiments and proj- ects, it doesn’t hurt to let your lab mates, supervisors, or even classmates who work with totally different projects, read it. A good review from other people will be extremely helpful for the clarity and accuracy of your lab book. In summary, a good lab notebook is as important and essen- tial as daily hands-on experiments. Only when experiments are well recorded can they benefit your future research. — Molly Cule Immersive Training in the Glycosciences Postdoctoral Fellowship Fully funded fellowships are available to support the transition of researchers into independent positions studying the role of glycans in the pathophysiology of disease. Who may apply: Scholars must be citizens or non-citi- zen nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appoint- ment. At the time of appointment scholars should hold an MD and/or PhD degree. Deadline: July 30, 2020 Website: https:/glycocareers.cclinic.jhu.edu/styled/index. html

things to go over with new lab mem- bers when they come on board. A good lab book will consist of several key components. 1. Table of contents A detailed table of contents is the key for quickly and efficiently locating important records for the future. If you rely only on memory, you will usually

overestimate the details of the experiments you have done. It is better to refresh your memory by checking previous lab notes. Thus, a clear and detailed table of contents for each lab notebook will be essential to track down the pages with the

needed protocols. 2. Daily lab notes

I record my lab notes under the headings “Purpose,” “Ma- terials,” “Protocols/Methods,” “Results,” and “Discussion,” which is just like a mini-version of a manuscript. Frequently, an experiment can take a couple of days, so it is not nec- essary to repeat each section every day. However, you do need to record what you have done each day, with as much

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