Keeping a good scientific lab book is an art which scientists have developed over the centuries. It is best learned through the apprenticeship system of working with someone who knows it. However, here we will give away some of the secrets.

• The type of book used is important: a bound book, quad-ruled.
• Write in ink, and only in the lab book. (Writing on the blackboard is an exception.) Don't go back and cross out or change anything. You are making a permanent record of what happens in the lab. Don't write anything on loose sheets of paper.
• Follow sequential log format. Follow chronological order, carry out your calculations as the data is taken, record conclusions before going on to other measurements.
• The lab book is not the same thing as a lab report, which is generally prepared after the experiment is completed, on separate paper or as a Web report.