Best Laboratory Notebooks of 2025
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Laboratory notebooks are essential tools for scientists, researchers, and engineers to record and maintain their research data, experiments, observations, and results. These notebooks come in various sizes, binding types, and paper types to suit different research requirements. They enable researchers to maintain a chronological record of their work, providing a legal and scientific document of their research findings. Laboratory notebooks are often used to comply with regulatory requirements, patent applications, and publication submissions. They also serve as a reference for future research, ensuring that experiments can be replicated and findings can be verified.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
#TOP 1
9.9
#TOP 2
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#TOP 3
9.6
Top 10 Laboratory Notebooks
BookFactory Carbonless Lab Notebook
The BookFactory Carbonless Lab Notebook is a durable laboratory notebook that contains carbon copies. Each copy set consists of two fully formatted pages, including an original numbered permanent record and an identical perforated carbonless transfer page with a "Duplicate" watermark. The notebook features wire-o binding and scientific grid format with a 1/4" grid ruling, and contains 100 sheets of archival quality, acid-free paper. BookFactory is a Veteran-Owned Firm that produces their books in Ohio, USA.
BookFactory Lab Notebook
The BookFactory Lab Notebook is a hardbound book with a blue imitation leather cover, perfect for laboratory use. The book is Smyth sewn, ensuring it lies flat when open, and features tamper-evident, acid-free paper in 1/4" grid format. The pages are 8 7/8" x 11 1/4" and include a "User Data" page, a "Documentation Guidelines" page, and a "Table of Contents" page. Proudly made in the USA and produced by a veteran-owned company.
National Laboratory Notebook
The National Laboratory Notebook is a 4 x 4 quad ruled notebook that comes with 100 carbonless numbered sets. The notebook features stitched binding with brown pressboard cover, and white and yellow paper. The second sheet is micro-perforated for easy removal. The notebook measures 11 x 9.25 inches, making it a perfect fit for laboratory use.
National Laboratory Notebook - 5 x 5 Quad Ruling
The National Laboratory Notebook features a center sewn binding with a durable green marble cover. Its 96 sheets of white recycled paper have 5 x 5 quad ruling, 5 squares to an inch. This notebook is perfect for laboratory use, where detailed note-taking is required.
BookFactory Lab Notebook/Laboratory Notebook
This hardbound laboratory notebook features an imitation leather cover with foil-stamped borders and title, contains 96 pages of FSC certified, acid-free, and archival quality paper in 1/4" (6 mm) scientific ruled format. It also includes a "User Data" page, a "Documentation Guidelines" page, and a "Table of Contents" page. The notebook is made in the USA and proudly produced in Ohio by a veteran-owned company.
BookFactory Chemistry Lab Notebook - 50 Sets
The BookFactory Chemistry Lab Notebook is a durable and reliable lab notebook for scientific record-keeping. The notebook features a translucent cover and wire-O binding, allowing the book to lie flat when open. The notebook is designed with 1/4" (6 mm) grid format pages with a carbonless duplicate system that consists of an original numbered permanent record and an identically numbered perforated carbonless transfer page with a "Duplicate" watermark. Proudly produced in Ohio by a veteran-owned company.
BookFactory Carbonless Student Lab Notebook
The BookFactory Carbonless Student Lab Notebook is a durable and convenient laboratory notebook that features a translucent cover and Wire-O binding, allowing the book to lay flat when open. The notebook includes 50 sets of pages, each consisting of 2 fully formatted pages with an original, numbered permanent record and an identically numbered perforated carbonless transfer page with "Duplicate" watermark. The pages are in 1/4" (6 mm) grid format, making it easy to record scientific data. The notebook is made in the USA by a veteran-owned company.
Bright Creations Carbonless Laboratory Notebook
The Bright Creations Lab Notebook is a versatile and durable notebook designed for chemistry students, math students, engineers, and lab assistants. With 100 sheets per book, this notebook provides ample space for note-taking and recording data. The notebook features a table of contents page, making it easy to organize and locate specific information. The grid paper sheets include fields for a title, project, and date, allowing for easy organization and tracking of experiments and projects. The durable spiral binding ensures that the notebook won't easily unwind or break, providing long-lasting use. With its value pack of 2 notebooks, the Bright Creations Lab Notebook offers great value for users who need multiple notebooks.
National Chemistry Notebook
The National Chemistry Notebook is a versatile laboratory notebook that offers a range of useful features to enhance your note-taking experience. With its Eye-Ease green paper, you can write comfortably for extended periods without straining your eyes. The numbered pages make it easy to organize your notes and find specific information quickly. The stiff perfect bound cover provides durability, ensuring that your notes are well-protected. Whether you are a student or a professional, the National Chemistry Notebook is an ideal choice for recording your experiments, observations, and findings. Stay organized and efficient with this reliable notebook from National.
Vela Sciences E7-D Lab Notebook
The Vela Sciences Lab Notebook offers a well-thought-out design perfect for your laboratory needs. Its smart construction features a durable hardcover and a flat-back spine, ensuring it withstands daily use. You'll appreciate the lab-ready layout, which includes essential guidelines, a pre-numbered index, and user pages that help you organize your research efficiently. Made with heavyweight paper, this notebook minimizes ink bleed-through, allowing you to write clearly without worrying about smudges. Plus, all materials are acid-free and archival quality, ensuring your notes remain intact for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the purpose of a laboratory notebook?
The purpose of a laboratory notebook is to document hypotheses, experiments, and initial analysis or interpretation of the experiments conducted by researchers. It serves as an organizational tool, aids in memory retention, and can also help protect intellectual property resulting from the research.
2. Do scientists still use lab notebooks?
Yes, scientists still use lab notebooks, although some prefer electronic note-taking methods. Many researchers store data electronically and utilize software like Word, Evernote, and Excel for writing notes, handling figures and graphs. However, some scientists still prefer traditional paper lab notebooks for their work.
3. Can I use a regular notebook as a lab notebook?
No, a regular notebook is not suitable for use as a lab notebook. Engineering or industrial research/development labs typically require specific lab notebooks with prenumbered pages, spaces for dates, and investigator's and supervisor's signatures. Pads of graph paper or spiral-bound notebooks without pre-numbered pages are not acceptable.
4. What is the difference between a lab notebook and a regular notebook?
Lab notebooks differ from regular notebooks in several ways. Lab notebooks are generally bound and ruled, have numbered pages, and each entry is dated. They often include a table of contents and voided blank pages. Lab notebook entries are written in permanent ink, and any mistakes are crossed out rather than erased.
5. What is the difference between a lab notebook and a composition notebook?
The main difference between a lab notebook and a composition notebook is in their binding and durability. Composition notebooks are hard to lay flat unless the spine is cracked, while lab notebooks are Smyth-sewn with robust binding thread, allowing them to lay perfectly flat. Lab notebooks also have spill-proof vinyl covers, making them more suitable for laboratory environments.
6. Do lab notebooks need to be written in pen?
Yes, lab notebooks should always be written in pen using permanent ink. This is to ensure that the data recorded is not falsified or modified. Pencil should never be used. Additionally, data should be recorded on the right side of each page in the lab notebook.
During our laboratory notebook research, we found 24 laboratory notebook products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 17,796 customer reviews through our big data system to write the laboratory notebooks list. We found that most customers choose laboratory notebooks with an average price of $19.54.
The laboratory notebooks are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of laboratory notebooks, including BookFactory, Blueline, Rediform, Bright Creations, National. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 461 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.
Rebecca Cantu grew up in a family-owned retail store for home and kitchen products. She worked online and gave assistance to people to buy ideal products for their sweet home after graduating from Northwestern University with a marketing degree. She has been writing content for online shopping guides since 2011 with her professional knowledge and natural sensitivity of appliances.