This document discusses the importance of lab notebooks for scientific data management, both currently and in the future. It identifies that lab notebooks are a critical tool for organizing pre-publication research data but practices vary widely. Ideal notebooks would contain all raw data, metadata, analyses, and citations in an electronic, searchable format. The document outlines how librarians can help by developing resources on best practices for organizing digital data and recording this in notebooks, as well as instruction on electronic notebook software. It recognizes that notebooks are shifting to fully digital formats and this will further impact data management.

1. THE LAB NOTEBOOK
A critical tool for scientific data management
Kristin Briney
Data Management Bootcamp
UW-Madison Libraries
22 February 2012

2. Pre-publication v. Post-publication Data
• Lot of management work done in second area
• This talk focuses on first area
• Data management very important in pre-publication
• Help scientists find their own data, saving time and effort
• Help scientist share data
• Even within a lab this is important!
• Help PI’s keep track of data-long term as students leave
• Makes post-publication management smoother

3. The Scientific Process
• Literature review
• Experiment design and grant writing
• Acquire raw data
• Data analysis
• Repeat acquisition and analysis
• (Maybe share data)
• Make data presentational and write paper
• Submit paper and eventually publish it
• [Post-publication]

4. Data and Metadata Historically
Starkey, G., Newman, W. Royall, & Principe, L. (2004). Alchemical laboratory notebooks and correspondence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

5. Data and Metadata Currently
Flickr: proteinbiochemist Flickr: jurvetson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/proteinbiochemist/3167660996/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/4918852870/in/photostream/

6. Current Data and Metadata Problems
• Pointing metadata to data
• Long-term concerns with keeping data and metadata
together
• Back-ups are an issue
• No standard for digital file organization

7. Current Data and Metadata Practices
• Practices vary lab-to-lab AND researcher-to-researcher
• Sometimes PI’s enforce order but often not
• Very difficult to locate another’s data currently
• Common practice in lab is to test an experiment against
another’s data
• (Intra-lab sharing a good selling point for data management!)
• Big need for education here

8. Data and Metadata in the Future
• Metadata are digital in an electronic lab notebook
• Data are digital and stored on computer
• Electronic lab notebook stores or points to data
• More on e-notebooks later

9. Ideal Lab Notebook Contents
• Raw data
• Experimental metadata
• Equipment used, set-up, etc
• Drawings/photos of set-up
• Worked-up data
• Analysis tools used
• Graphs and figures
• Cross-references and citations
• Journal article, previous experiment in notebook, MSDS, etc.
• Research ideas
• E-mails, letters, other discussions about research
• Table of contents and/or index
(2009). Guide for keeping laboratory records. Rockville, MD: National Cancer Institute, Technology Transfer Center.

10. Ideal Lab Notebook Contents
• All contents should be dated and initialed
• Some notebooks need second signature
• There should be standards in each lab
• Obviously, very few scientists actually keep this type of
notebook

11. Common Lab Notebook Contents
• Experimental metadata
• Can include drawings
• Usually figures of
analyzed data
• Some cross-
references and
citations
• If you are lucky, a table
of contents
Flickr: julia_manzerova
http://www.flickr.com/photos/julia_manzerova/4022055109/in/photostream/

12. Ideal Lab Notebook Format
• Electronic lab notebook
• Metadata and copies of data embedded in same file
• Integration of outside material/files
• Plugins like a chemical structure creator
• Digital signatures and date stamps
• Easily searchable
• Shareable, but control who has access to data
• Other issues here like de-identifying data, etc

13. How Librarians Can Help
• Libguide on organizing digital files and recording this info
in lab notebook
• Outline creating surrogate records in lab notebook for digital files
• Suggest file naming and organization conventions
• Avoid “ / : * ? ‘ < > [ ] & $ characters
• Use underscores not spaces
• Date files and do it consistently (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Label folders with reference to notebook
• Example: C:DocumentsBrineyNotebookIV2012-02-22
• Outline metadata requirements to point to file
• Names of file, folder, computer, etc.
http://researchdata.wisc.edu/manage-your-data/file-naming-and-versioning/

14. How Librarians Can Help
• Add lab notebooks to
collection
• Example: Laura
Kiessling of UW
Chemistry Department
• What do retiring
professors do with their
notebooks?
Flickr: mabelsound
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mabelsound/4827325346/

15. How Librarians Can Help
• Put together resources on proper lab notebook skills
• Short term goal is to have resources available
• Print or online resources
• Long term goal focuses on instruction
• Target intro courses where most notebook ed happens
• Point out resources during literacy instruction
• Target grad students
• Focus on research groups
• Workshops on electronic lab notebooks
• Slip in data management training during software training
• DoIT a good resource

16. Future Things to Keep an Eye On
• Lab notebooks are critical important tools, but they’re
changing
• I expect everything to be electronic by the end of my career
• No clear winner yet for e-notebook software
• Keep an eye on DoIT’s e-notebook pilot

17. Summary
• Identify areas in the pre-publication data cycle where
scientists need help
• Recognize why lab notebooks are an important data
management tool
• Evaluate how lab notebooks are changing and how this
affects management of data
• Understand the scope of usual and ideal notebook
practices
• Outline ways that librarians can help in both the short-
term and long-term

18. Resources
• (2009). Guide for keeping laboratory
records. Rockville, MD: National Cancer
Institute, Technology Transfer Center.
• Kanare, H. M. (1985). Writing the laboratory
notebook. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society.
• UW-Madison Research Data Services (RDS)
• UW-Madison Division of Information Technology (DoIT)

19. Thank You!
• This presentation available under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 license