It is essential good practice to keep a day-to-day record or log book when undertaking a major investigative task, such as a programme of experiments. For some types of project, such as software projects, electronic records and documentation may be more appropriate. It is up to individual supervisors to agree with their students what form of log will be kept, and you are expected to adopt this good practice.  Students will be expected to provide themselves with a lab notebook for their projects.

The log should be used for actual work purposes - it is not for writing up later. Thus, experimental readings, brief calculations, sketches of proposed designs, etc., should be entered directly into the log. The date of each entry must be recorded. Your supervisor will monitor your log book or electronic record, and it will form the basis for discussion at the Michaelmas and Lent term progress review meetings. Log books (or electronic equivalent) are submitted with final reports, and will be considered by the assessor.