If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297922054_‘If_it’s_not_written_down_It_didn’t_happen’
Everything not saved will be lost
I frequently forget to finish my sentences or add background context, etc, when making logbook records.
One strategy I’ve found helpful is to return to the record a few hours, days, weeks later (either by setting a specific date to return to a certain document), after the sourrounding context is a little less fresh in the memory and after the immediacy and excitement of the experiment is no longer, but before all the details are forgotten - and make sure it still makes sense.
That said, one thing to keep in mind is, if it wasn’t recorded contemporaneously, it probably won’t ever be recorded at all.
For electronic lab notebooks with version control, I find it important not to be afraid to boldly restructure. If it will help the reader understand and find the important information, don’t hesitate to move sections, split one big document into subpages, merge snippets into an overarching summary.
Another is not to be afraid to duplicate information in multiple places, if it makes sense to do so.
Sometimes, in the moment, it doesn’t make sense why you need to record a piece of information.
For instance, we had certain pump wear out. We bought another one, and it was installed, and it worked the same way as the other one. There wasn’t a clear rationale why a nice logbook entry should be written out for a routine action which has no scientific value.
It turns out, however, that this was part of a pattern of failures, and it was later necessary to go back and analyze properties. I was very fortunate that I had written a short blurb on when this action had taken place.
You don’t know in advance what you will need the information for - so record more than you think you need.
Some tips from the late Bill Stanley on lab notebooks:
Be as detailed as possible. Finish your thought now - don’t put it off. Be complete, be thorough. Record your observation, get’er done.
Sometimes you need to follow a procedure that’s been written in e.g. a wiki format. I’ve found it useful to print it into a PDF “worksheet”, then use a PDF markup editor to add freehand annotations (like check marks, and comments on things that need to be altered to the procedure or record results contemporaneously). That worksheet then gets dated and can be uploaded back to the wiki to close the loop.
This works pretty well. Pretty much the same as printing out, except this way you can upload the annotated version to show which parts were done and which were skipped, and notes are kept.