Research and Innovation Support - Laboratory Notebook

Research and Innovation Support 

Laboratory notebooks 

It is essential to keep thorough records of experimental work as part of Good Research Practice and also to protect Intellectual Property. At a future date it may be necessary to provide properly kept laboratory notebooks as evidence to prove the date of an invention and its reduction to practice. Specifically in cases of an opposition to a patent application (Europe) or in litigation (USA) laboratory notebooks may be required to be presented as legal evidence. This is likely to occur many years after a patent application was filed and therefore it is essential that notebooks are maintained, signed, witnessed and filed carefully. Lab notebooks are also key documents in assessing a researchers claim to inventorship of a particular invention as they should represent a true record of the research conducted. A properly kept lab notebook is vital if you want to protect your intellectual property either through the patent system, copyright or know-how.

It is worth noting that US patent law changed in 2013 and the US Patent Office now operate a "first to file" procedure which is similar to  Europe and many other parts of the world. A written lab book is preferable to one kept electronically, as records are more easily altered or manipulated in electronic form. Any electronic records should be printed and affixed into a paper-based book. It is particularly important that seperate Lab Notebooks are used for projects involving industrial collaborators and in many cases it is stipulated in collaborative research agreements.