General Rubric for Grading Laboratory Notebooks

Student Name:

T.A. Name:

Lab section (day/time): Semester:

Category Score Comments

1. Pre-lab preparation:
a. Date, Title of Experiment, TOC entry, page #’s.
One sentence description/abstract of experiment.
Mathematical equations used and/or balanced
chemical equations for reactions performed.
Specific reference to the exact procedure used.
b. A completed table of amounts and physical
properties for all reactants, solvents and products
involved in preparative experiments; lot and source
number for reagents; acknowledgement
of safety precautions and hazards. A flowchart for
the experiment, including work-up, isolation, and
purification processes.

2. In lab work:
a. Changes to the experimental procedure noted
all notes in ink; line drawn through mistakes,
numerical data with units; Record of unknown number &
instruments used (settings, manufacturer, model, type).
b. A record of in-lab qualitative observations, a
detailed description of unexpected experimental behavior
or mishaps encountered. Rough and final calculations,
plots of data and results (tabulated).

3. Post-lab reflection:
Summarized results/conclusions, comparison of results
to literature values or expected range, preferably in the
form of a concise table. Appropriate references included.

Total: /20
 Category Excellent (4 points) Good (3 points) Fair (2 points) Poor (1 point)
1. Pre-lab preparation, a. Date, All of the information (date, Information presented Equation(s) presented is (are) No equation(s) given;
Title, TOC entry, page #’s, title, balanced equations, neatly, but citation, date, not balanced or incorrect; title/date/TOC entry
abstract; mathematical / TOC entry, one line abstract) abstract, or TOC entry date, TOC entry, abstract or missing completely. No
chemical equations used. is presented neatly, and the missing. citation missing. reference to exact
Reference to the exact appropriate citation is made. procedure.
procedure used.
2. Pre-lab preparation, b. Data table is complete and of Data table is mostly Format/size of table does not No recognizable data
Completed table of amounts a proper size and format; complete and properly adhere to guidelines; table presented or data
and physical properties for all known safety hazards and formatted, but some important data are missing; table is mostly blank;
reactants, solvents and precautions are clearly noted. important data are missing. precautions/hazards not precautions/hazards not
products; reagent lot and Concise experimental Precautions are noted. mentioned. Flowchart missing mentioned. Minimal or no
source numbers; safety flowchart presented in the Flow chart presented is crucial experimental flowchart presented;
precautions and hazards student’s own words; complete but mirrors the steps/details; verbatim procedural changes
mentioned. Experimental procedure from lab manual copying of the lab manual completely missing.
flowchart (work-up, isolation, and is not concise; procedure; some procedural
and purification processes) changes missing
3. In-lab work, a. All data (with units) recorded Ink used for all entries. The Pencil used and/or white out Pencil used and/or white
Changes to the experimental directly in the lab notebook; majority of the relevant data for mistakes. Some changes out for mistakes. Changes
procedure noted; all notes in procedural changes noted. All recorded; some units to the procedure noted. Some to procedure omitted.
ink; line drawn through notes in ink. Unknown missing. Procedural changes missing numerical data Completely missing
mistakes; numerical data with number recorded, and noted. Unknown number entries and incorrect units. numerical data entries/
units; Record of unknown information about recorded but information Unknown number included incorrect units. Unknown
number & instruments used instruments used included. about instruments missing. but no information recorded number omitted and no
(settings, manufacturer, about instruments used. information recorded
model, type, etc). about instruments used.
4.In-lab work, b. Detailed observations made The majority of the relevant Mistakes/ unexpected Data/results not recorded
A record of in-lab qualitative throughout the experiment. calculations shown. experimental behavior not during the experiment. No
observations, a detailed (All calculations shown However, few observations mentioned/ minimal qualitative observations
description of unexpected explicitly). Tables/plots of made, or limited qualitative observations. included. (No calculations
experimental behavior or data/results included. descriptions provided. Incomplete/incorrect data shown); data tables
mishaps encountered. (Rough Mistakes/unexpected Tables/plots of data/results plots/calculations or results completely missing.
and final calculations), plots outcomes noted. included but incomplete. not tabulated.
of data and results (tabulated)
5.Post-lab reflection A concise summary/ Appropriate conclusion Inappropriate or incomplete Conclusion/summary
Summarized results/ conclusion presented in1-2 given, but comparison of summary/conclusion given; completely missing and
conclusions, comparison of complete sentences. Table experimental and limited or no comparison to no comparison of results
results to literature values or comparing experimental and literature/expected data literature/expected data; made to literature/
expected range, preferably in literature/expected data, with incomplete or lacking; references missing. expected data; references
the form of a concise table. complete references included. references given but missing.
Relevant references included. incomplete.