show your setup: how are you structuring a research log?

SpreadsheetBrainSenior Analyst

Structure I've landed on after several rewrites, offered as a starting point not a recommendation.

Per vial: compound, mass, reconstitution date, diluent and volume, resulting concentration, storage location.

Per entry: date, volume drawn, which vial, site if relevant.

Per week: anything that broke routine, and one structured note rather than daily ratings.

Per compound: links to whatever I've read, with the evidence tier noted so I don't have to re-derive it later.

The last one has been the most useful and the least obvious. Six months on I cannot remember whether something was a rat study or a trial, and "animal, n=8" next to the link saves me re-reading it.

What does everyone else's look like?

7 replies6 upvotesResearch Logs

7 replies

  • LogEverythingSenior Analyst

    The per compound reading log with evidence tier is the best idea here and nobody does it. I've re-read the same paper three times because I couldn't remember what it was.

    5 upvotes

  • newvialwhodisSenior Analyst

    mine is a notes app. is that bad

    3 upvotes

  • MethodsSectionSenior Analyst

    Record species and n in that note, not just the tier. "Animal" is a category. "Mouse, n=8, no blinding stated" is a memory.

    4 upvotes

    • SpreadsheetBrainSenior Analyst

      Yeah the tier alone loses too much.

      2 upvotes

  • deload_weekAnalyst

    spreadsheet gang

    2 upvotes

  • chart_itAnalyst

    would be genuinely useful if the app supported the reading log part?

    3 upvotes

  • metrics_tabSenior Analyst

    the research journal is close but freeform. structured fields for source, species and n would make it searchable

    3 upvotes

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