Help:Notebook

To see an example of the new OpenWetWare Lab Notebook in action, take a look here.

Lab Notebook Tutorial

By the end of this tutorial, you should have an online lab notebook up and running. If you have feedback regarding any step in this tutorial or any of the lab notebook features, feel free to contact us.

Setting up your Lab Notebook

• To set up your lab notebook you'll first need to create a few pages and put them in the right places. As soon as they are set up, you'll be a click away from creating new lab notebook entries.
• The required pages are:
  1. The Notebook page
  2. The Project page (Standard or iGEM template)
  3. The Entry Base page (Standard or iGEM template)

• By putting these pages in their proper places you will not only keep OWW tidy, but you'll also be able to take full advantage of the features we've built into the lab notebook.

• By simply copying and pasting the wikitext that you'll find in our templates, you will have your lab notebook working in no time. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3!

1		2		3
Copy template wikitext		Create page		Paste wikitext & Save

NOTE: We are in the process of making this a one-click setup so you can have your lab notebook created with a simple click of the mouse!

Naming recommendations

• If you plan to work on more than one project, we recommend that you set up a separate project page for each project and compile them in your notebook page. You can do this quite easily by keeping your online lab notebook organized as shown below:

For Users

• http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:John_Q._Smith/Notebook/Project_name_1
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:John_Q._Smith/Notebook/Project_name_1/Entry_Base
• http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:John_Q._Smith/Notebook/Project_name_2
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:John_Q._Smith/Notebook/Project_name_2/Entry_Base

For Labs

• http://openwetware.org/wiki/LabName:Notebook/Project_name_1
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/LabName:Notebook/Project_name_1/Entry_Base
• http://openwetware.org/wiki/LabName:Notebook/Project_name_2
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/LabName:Notebook/Project_name_2/Entry_Base

For iGEM Teams

(Visit the Help University example for more information regarding iGEM lab notebooks)

• http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:UnivName/2008/Notebook/Project_name_1
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:UnivName/2008/Notebook/Project_name_1/Entry_Base
• http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:UnivName/2008/Notebook/Project_name_1
  • http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:UnivName/2008/Notebook/Project_name_1/Entry_Base

Notebook page

• This page is where you should list all your projects. Even if you have only one!
  • Create the Notebook page in the proper hierarchy as displayed in the naming recommendation section above.

NOTE: This page may not seem to have much of a purpose at the moment but we are actively working on new features for the lab notebooks that will take advantage of a central notebook page for your project(s). Stay tuned! :)

Project page

• The notebook page is where you will find some of the tools/features that allow you to maneuver around your lab notebook. The two most important tools at the moment are:
  • the dynamic calendar
  • the local search box

Go to and copy the Standard project template

Go to and copy the iGEM project template

Entry Base template page

• The Entry Base template page is what your entry pages will look like when they are created. By making changes to the Entry Base template page, all subsequent entry pages you create will reflect these changes.

Go to and copy the Standard lab notebook entry template

Go to and copy the iGEM lab notebook entry template