Notebook Entries

Advanced Integrated Laboratory

Notebook Entries Grading Rubric

Notebooks can be checked at any time and must be shown to the instructor before you leave. The number of deficiencies determines your weekly score. Colored items below should be finished before entering the lab.

no deficiencies 14 points
1 – 2 deficiencies 10 points
3 – 4 deficiencies 5 points
> 4 deficiencies 0 points

All entries are

Yes

No

in ink

with no pages torn out

with empty pages crossed out

without entries on loose paper or other materials

with a date at the beginning of new entries

with updated page numbers

with an updated table of contents

with a clear statement in the beginning of project describing the task(s)/goal(s)

with the names of team-members listed

with a list of individual tasks for each team-member, if a “divide-and-conquer” approach is used

with a chemical equation at the beginning of experiment (if applicable)

with a list of chemicals at the beginning of experiment.

with physical data and safety data in table format at the beginning of experiment for each chemical

up-to-date

updated as the experiment was performed not from memory at the end

legible

organized

documenting all important details

written in the student’s own words

Print-outs (spectra, data etc.) are

clearly and fully labeled

permanently attached to the notebook

Number of deficiencies

   

Points

   

Electronic Notebook Grading Rubric to assess weekly entries in a running Word document notebook.

Objective/Criteria

Performance Indicators

 

Not acceptable

Major Improvement Needed

Good

Perfect

Format

(0 points)
more than 2 deficiencies

(2 points)
2 deficiencies

(3 points)
1 deficiency

(5 points)
date at beginning of new entries, updated page numbers, no empty spaces, updated table of contents, name of team members, with electronic "signature" at the end of a daily entry; submitted immediately after each lab period

Entries

(0 points)
2 or more deficiencies

(0 points)

(1 points)
1 deficiency

(3 points)
up-to-date, updates were made as experiment was performed not from memory at the end, organized

Data

(0 points)
more than 1 deficiencies

(0 points)

(1 points)
1 deficiency

(2 points)
data was imported electronically or entered manually, clearly and fully labeled

Content

(0 points)
more than 2 deficiencies

(1 points)
2 deficiencies

(2 points)
1 deficiency

(4 points)
all important details were reported, written in student's own words, with pre-project/lab statement of tasks/goals, with applicable chemical equations and calculations

 

out of 14  

General Advice for Writing in Notebooks During Lab

1.         Immediately after performing an action or taking a reading, enter it into the notebook before continuing.  All entries in your notebook should be in chronological order.  There should be an entry for every class meeting and every time you worked on your project.  The notebook should allow you to account for your time in lab.

2.         Do not write on anything other than the notebook while in lab.

3.         Remember that any other chemist should be able to read your notebook and understand exactly what you did and to what the data refers.

4.         Pay attention to significant zeroes!  For example, you would not measure 1 mL with a graduated pipette but you could measure 1.00 mL.

5.         Use the left-hand pages for brainstorming, planning, or scratchwork.  The right hand sides can be used to record the work actually performed.

6.         Dealing with a partner's notebook

If you are working with a partner and doing separate tasks you may photocopy the lab entries from their lab notebook and tape them into yours.

When working together you can make entries in one notebook, and photocopy those entries after the laboratory; however, you must both be doing the work. One person working and another just writing the entries is absolutely forbidden.