- #1
- 32,820
- 4,717
ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post
Research Work and The Lab Book
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
Research Work and The Lab Book
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
strangerep said:From the legalistic viewpoint, must the records be ink-on-paper? What if one enters notes, etc, directly onto one's laptop?
strangerep said:Yes, that's all as I suspected -- thanks.
What about in the case of theoretical research? E.g., if a calculation is too long to publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Would uploading a copy of the full calculation onto the arXiv or some other public server be sufficient to qualify as a legally acceptable "timestamp"?
My question was hypothetical.ZapperZ said:strangerep said:Yes, that's all as I suspected -- thanks.
What about in the case of theoretical research? E.g., if a calculation is too long to publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Would uploading a copy of the full calculation onto the arXiv or some other public server be sufficient to qualify as a legally acceptable "timestamp"?
When has this ever happen?
Zz.
strangerep said:My question was hypothetical.
Well, one might ask "if I feed a dog chocolate, will something bad happen?". I do not know of a specific case when this has been done, so the question would be hypothetical, at least for me. Nevertheless, the question is hardly pointless, since one is asking whether anyone else knows the answer.ZapperZ said:But if it is something that has never happened, then hypothetical or not, it is pointless. It is why we don't discuss what, hypothetically, a unicorn prefers to eat.
I deal with real, actual issues, not non-existent hypothetical situations.
Zz.
strangerep said:Well, one might ask "if I feed a dog chocolate, will something bad happen?". I do not know of a specific case when this has been done, so the question would be hypothetical, at least for me. Nevertheless, the question is hardly pointless, since one is asking whether anyone else knows the answer.
Actually, all it says is that you are not the right kind of "vet" to answer this question. OK, that's fine, you are an experimentalist.ZapperZ said:Not a good comparison, because that has been done before, and your vet CAN tell you easily the answer, even based on our understanding of the biology of a canine. The same can't be said about your question, which has a closer association with a unicorn than a dog.
The point is that some time, somewhere, some person recorded a test of feeding chocolate to dogs. The events were almost certainly recorded in a laboratory notebook.strangerep said:Well, one might ask "if I feed a dog chocolate, will something bad happen?". I do not know of a specific case when this has been done, so the question would be hypothetical, at least for me. Nevertheless, the question is hardly pointless, since one is asking whether anyone else knows the answer.
But OK, I won't bother you with further questions.
We are not robotic machines. Some human interpretation is sometimes necessary; the more specific the hypothetical question, the more easily the interpretation can be done by more people.ZapperZ said:Not a good comparison, because that has been done before, and your vet CAN tell you easily the answer, even based on our understanding of the biology of a canine. The same can't be said about your question, which has a closer association with a unicorn than a dog.
Zz.
ZapperZ said:ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post
Research Work and The Lab Book
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.![]()
ZapperZ said:When has this ever happen?
Zz.
DEvens said:This is regarding a theoretical calculation being too long to publish. I encountered an example during my grad work. A colleague shared the fact that his thesis was 110 pages (or whatever it was), exactly the maximum length allowed by the university he did his PhD at. But the appendix that showed the details of the calculation was 1000 pages.
ZapperZ said:But was it really "too long to publish", or it is just impractical?
[snips]
DEvens said:A difference without a distinction.
ZapperZ said:The distinction was made in the following paragraph to that statement.
Zz.
Andy Resnick said:I also encourage students to affix images/printout/etc directly into the lab notebook as needed. Even so, use of a 'secure' lab notebook is becoming secondary to security of the raw data itself, especially when stored on network-accessible computers. Personally, I don't store any raw data on any networked computer, and periodically back-up the raw data onto removable hard drives. My lab computers that perform data acquisition are not on our network.
atyy said:How do you backup the data drives that are not on a network?
atyy said:@Andy Resnick, how about just getting the raw data off onto another computer for analysis?
A lab book, also known as a laboratory notebook, is a detailed record of all experiments, procedures, and observations conducted in a scientific research laboratory. It serves as a written documentation of the work performed and is an essential tool for organizing and reproducing experiments.
A lab book is important for several reasons. First, it helps researchers keep track of their work and the progress made in their experiments. It also serves as a reference for future experiments and can help identify any errors or issues that may arise. Additionally, a lab book provides a legal record of the research conducted and can be used as evidence in case of patent disputes or other legal matters.
A lab book should include the date, title of the experiment, and the researcher's name. It should also include a detailed description of the procedures followed, including any materials and equipment used. Additionally, any observations, data, and results should be recorded accurately and clearly. It is also important to note any changes made to the original protocol, as well as any unexpected outcomes or issues encountered.
A lab book should be organized in a logical and systematic manner. This can include using a table of contents, numbered pages, and clear headings and subheadings. It is also helpful to use a consistent format and to leave space for any additional notes or diagrams. Keeping the lab book neat and organized will make it easier to review and reproduce experiments in the future.
Yes, there are some general guidelines for maintaining a lab book. These include using permanent ink, not leaving blank spaces or crossing out information, and dating and initialing any changes made. It is also important to include any failures or unsuccessful experiments, as these can provide valuable insights for future research. Furthermore, the lab book should be kept in a secure location and only accessible to authorized personnel.