Why documentation matters
Experiments cannot be reproduced or published without traceable records. A lab notebook is a legal document in research settings.
Minimum entries per culture experiment
- Date, operator name, plant species and source
- Media recipe and lot numbers of chemicals
- Explant preparation method and disinfectant protocol
- Environmental conditions (light hours, temperature)
- Outcome: contamination rate, shoot count, root initiation date
Digital backups
Photograph cultures on fixed schedule with scale bar. Store images with matching notebook page numbers. Cloud backup prevents loss from notebook damage.