The Engineering Notebook

Engineering notebooks are used in industry to record what work was done in case the engineer leaves the project and his/her replacement needs to quickly get up to speed as well as when work was done for patent and copyright purposes. If properly done, an Engineering Notebook permanently records what was done on a project, and particularly what inventions were made and when. Properly maintained Engineering Notebooks are frequently used to document patent claims, since patents are granted to the first person to invent something, not the first person to file for the patent.

The basic guidelines are:

• Notebooks must be permanently bound. Notebooks in which a page can be unobtrusively added or removed such as a three-ring binder are not acceptable as an Engineering Notebook
• Every page must be numbered consecutively, to prove that you have not added or removed pages after the fact.
• Either one side of each page or both sides of each page may be written on, but it must be done consistently. If only one side of each page is used, a line should be drawn through the blank backs of each page.
• Everything must be written in permanent ink. Either blue or black may be used, but a pencil should never be used since pencil can be erased.
• Notebooks must be clearly labeled with the author's name, the team's name, and the term. Devote this Engineering Notebook to the Capstone Project - they will need to be turned in at the end of the project.
• Leave several pages at the beginning for a table of contents so you can locate key information quickly.
• Entries should be made in chronological order.
• Start a new page each day you work on the project. At the top of the page clearly indicate the date and hours you worked. Either write out pr abbreviate the month to avoid confusion (is 08/02/02 August 2, or is it February 8?).
• At the end of the day draw a line through any space left on the page and the next day begin on a new page.
• Do not leave any blank pages - if a page is left blank, draw a line through the entire page.
• All data is to be recorded directly into the notebook. Notes and calculations should be done in the notebook, NOT on loose paper.
• In the case of an error, to keep from obliterating the original text, draw a single line through the incorrect item. Do not erase or use correction fluid. Initial and date all corrections.
• If information is summarized or rewritten elsewhere, a reference to that page should also be written next to the lined-out text.
• All work done by the author relating to the project, including web surfing, readings, research, design, coding, documentation, testing, team work meetings, sponsor meetings, status meetings with the instructor, etc. should be described. Copies of e-mails, memos, code listings, etc. should be stored in a three ring binder. These pages should be numbered and dated and a reference to them should appear under the corresponding date in the Notebook.
• The notebook is meant to be a permanent record of what has been done. It must be neat enough for someone else to understand what has been done a year or more later. On the other hand, it need not be a polished document - these are the author's notes, not a document intended for publication.
• The material written into the Notebook should not be transcribed from another piece of paper - to be credible, the Notebook must reflect the author's original notes.

Most companies require that someone besides the author date and sign the Notebook on a daily or weekly basis as proof of when the work was done. If there is some potential that the work being done on the Capstone project may have some value, students should have the instructor sign and date the pages on a weekly basis so it can be legally established when the work was done. In addition to signatures to verify dates, additional evidence is important if a major breakthrough or discovery is recorded. Witnesses that both observed as well as understand the work should sign their signatures under the caption "performance observed and understood by ... "