FEBRUARY, 1948
ABBOTT LABORATORIES NOTEBOOKS' MARLIN T. LEFFLER Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois
IT
IS recognized that research and development work is not only expensive-it is in many cases extremely competitive. Therefore, it is essential that the notes of this work be properly recorded. The notebook system in use at Abbott Laboratories was planned to afford adequate patent protection without being too inconvenient or bothersome a system. This goal has been at least approached by the photostating of bound and witnessed notes. In addition, this method provides any number of accurate copies at a reasonable cost. The system can best be described by giving a f e v pertinent details: 1. Bound Labo~atoryNotebooks. In our practice, bound notebooks with approximately 300 numbered pages are used. It is admitted that the laboratory worker does not find the bound laboratory notebook as convenient to use as the loose-leaf system. It necessitates more planning in the writing and some guessing a t the amount of space needed to complete the experiment. For some research divisions where many experiments of varying length are taken up, this is a problem; on-the other hand, in research involving the synthesis of new compounds, the arrangement is easier to handle. In spite of these objections, the bound book eliminates most legal questions on the authenticity of the notes and the date of the record. If notes are contained in a bound book with numbered pages, then the court can see that pages were not inserted later and that nothing has been removed. For the value of this protection the bound notebook seems worth the extra effort involved in keeping the notes. The books are numbered on the outside cover and this same number appears on each inside page. This number on the cover 6xes the location of each book and the numher on the page is of legal significance, as
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Presented before the Division of Chemical Education a t the 112th meeting of the American Chemical Society, September, 1947, New York City.
pointed out above. Also the numbered page is useful for reference and indexing purposes. In general, it has been found advisable to assign a separate book for each major research project. Miscellaneous problems can he entered together in a separate hook. Each page after the index pages is headed by the following spaces as shown: the book number, the title of the experiment and project, the code number of the compound being prepared, and the date on which the work was begun. Having the book number appear on each page establishes the legality of the photostat made from it, relating the photostat directly to the original record. Of course, the arrangement of the heading on the page will vary among different research organizations. Index pages were just mentioned. One may raise the question as to how subjects can be found in a bound book wherein there is little order of arrangement. At the beginning of each bound volume are four or five ruled pages on which the index may be kept as the research progresses. This index can be easily scanned and the subject in question located in short order. A page size of 8'/2 X 11 inches has been found convenient. Also it is necessary to leave a wide ruled margin on each page-approximately three-fourths of an inch-in order that photostats may be properly trimmed. Needless to say, the quality of the paper is important; it must be such as to take ink without blurring. A 20-compound Hammermill Bond paper seems idequate. 2. Witnessing of Notes. Notes are written in ink or indelible ~encil. Thev are siened bv the research worker and witnessed" a t freqient intervals by two persons, each signature being dated. A rubber stamp provides the blank form for these signatures. If the work recorded on the page was performed on more than one day, each day's work should be dated a t the b'eginning. And if the experiment described on a single page covers several days' time, the witnessing may appear
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more than once. I n any case, the 6nal witnessing on the page should appear under the last line of the written notes, not necessarily a t the bottom' of the page, but a t the bottom of the last line of the written material. That is, if the completed experiment does not completely fill the page, no space should appear between the witnesses' signatures and the last line of notes. This connects.the date of the signatures with all of the experimental material given on the page. Naturally it is important that the witnesses familiarize themselves with the notes they are signing, so that they may be prepared to testify if necessary to verify the dates on which research was carried out. A stentographer should not be asked to sign laboratory records involving complex chemistry. Furthermore, the witness must not be a co-inventor since the patent office gives little or no weight to the testimony of co-inventors when the question of establishing dates is involved. 5. Photostats. Most research departments find it of value, I believe, to have copies of the original notes available. This is particularly true if it is the practice, as at Abhott Laboratories, to file the original volume in a central office where it is not easily available for general use. Copies serve a variety of purposes. The research man needs a copy of his own research notes for reference purposes. Also, a bound and indexed annual volume of the work by the entire department serves as a convenient reference. compilation. Then, too, the
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
photostats themselves are documents of some legal value and can be useful should the original volume be lost. Photostats have a number of advantages over typed copies. Of first mention is absolute accuracy in reproduction. Errors creep into typed copies even though checked by both the typist and the research man-not so with photostats. Another point is economy and the time-saving feature. As a matter of fact, typing b e comes almost prohibitive in copying notes turned out by a large staff and becomes a real chore vhen many data, tables, and structural formulas appear in the notes. It even requires special training to do such copy work involving technical terms and structures. Nor should one forget that reading and translating the writing of some researchers are certainly a strain on the best of nervous systems. A 6nal point deserves emphasis. While a large laboratory notebook of S1/% X 11 inches is desirable for ease in writing, this size is generally too cumbersome for the research man to file on his bookshelf. Photostating provides an easy solution to this problem. The negativescan be reduced to any size desired as long as the reproduction is readable. Present experience indicates that a reduction from the 81/2X 11 inch original to a 7 X 9'/* inch photostat is satisfactory; then the research man can arrange these photostaits in a bound book (a pinch-back binding is very convenient) for his desk in any order he desires.
