<p> Lab Notebook Guidelines for General Chemistry 1. Selecting a lab notebook:  Should be bound like a book, spiral notebooks are only permissible if the carbonless copy type. Three-ring binders or other loose-leaf notebook are not permissible. Pages may be lined, blank or graphed. 2. Staying organized:  A safety map should be attached to the front inside cover. These guidelines should be attached to the back inside cover.  The first three pages of the notebook should be reserved for a table of contents containing the following information: name of experiment, date and page number.  Each page should be numbered. Add numbers by hand if necessary.  Each page used should be clearly signed and dated as used.  All information should be recorded in black or blue ballpoint pen (never pencil). Writing from a ballpoint pen is resistant to chemicals, does not smudge easily, and is hard to tamper with. 3. Before you arrive at lab:  The below items should be on the right pages while the left pages are left blank for calculations or observations. Another option is to split the pages and divide the content as described above between the left and right halves. Consider which method is best for the type of experiment and the size of your notebook.  Write a short list of experiment objectives. What is the goal of the experiment and what skills or techniques will you be practicing?  Cut and securely paste the procedure into your lab notebook. Note that you may need to resize the margins for the procedure to fit properly.  Write a one paragraph summary the procedure in your own words.  Create a materials list with all chemicals and equipment. If you’ve never used a piece of equipment, sketch a small picture of it in the notebook.  Create tables in which to record your data. Think about how to structure these before drawing them. Organization and neatness is part of your grade. 4. Making corrections  If you make a mistake do not scribble it out or use white out. Strike the mistake with a single line so it’s still clearly legible. Correction  Write the correction next to or above the mistake. Mistake 5. Before you leave lab:  All data should be recorded in your lab notebook.  Add the experiment to the table of contents 6. After you leave lab:  Any large unused areas should be voided with a single large ‘x’ and your initials.</p>