Biotechnology Laboratory Skills

Safe habits come first in a laboratory. You wear protection, know the exits and handle waste properly. A signed induction shows you are ready to start.

• Wear a lab coat, gloves and eye protection at all times in the work area, and tie back long hair.
• Learn the location of exits, the first-aid kit, the eye wash and the fire equipment before you start work.
• Never taste, sniff or touch chemicals or samples, and never eat or drink in the lab.
• Label every container with the contents, the concentration, the date and your initials.
• Put waste in the correct bin as your supervisor shows you, and check with your local authority for waste rules.

Activity. Complete the induction, pass a short safety quiz and sign the safety agreement, with your supervisor countersigning.

Standard to meet. Score at least 90% on the quiz, find all safety points on a walk-round and hold a signed induction record.

A lab record is the proof of what you did. If it is not written, it did not happen. Clear, honest records let others repeat your work.

• Write entries in ink with the date, and record what you did at the time and not later from memory.
• Correct a mistake by drawing a single line through it and adding your initials and the date, so the original is still readable.
• Put units on every number, such as 5.02 g or 10.0 mL.
• Include the method, the materials, the batch or lot numbers and any change from the plan.
• A common mistake is to use scrap paper and copy the notes later.

Activity. Keep a lab notebook for all six exercises and have your supervisor check at least three entries.

Standard to meet. Date every entry, give units, show corrections by a single line with initials, and ensure your supervisor can repeat the work from it.

Accurate weighing and pipetting need care and practice. You check your skill by repeating measurements. Small errors early can grow into large errors later.

• Level the balance, tare it with the container and handle it gently with the doors closed.
• Hold the pipette upright, press to the first stop, draw up slowly by easing the plunger back, and dispense by pressing to the first stop and then on to the second stop.
• Use a new tip for each sample and check the volume is in range for the pipette.
• Repeat each measurement three times to see how close the results are.
• A common mistake is to pipette too fast, which traps air and gives a wrong volume.

Activity. Complete a pipetting and weighing exercise with at least nine repeat measurements and calculate the mean and range for each volume.

Standard to meet. Keep your mean within 2% of the target for each volume and record your range correctly.

A solution is a substance dissolved in a liquid. Concentration tells you how much is in a given volume. You calculate first, then prepare and label.

• Concentration is the amount of substance divided by the volume, for example grams per litre.
• Convert millilitres to litres by dividing by 1,000 before you calculate in grams per litre.
• To dilute, use the rule that the starting concentration times the starting volume equals the final concentration times the final volume.
• Add the solid or stock to a little liquid, mix, then top up to the final volume and label.
• A common mistake is to add the full volume of water on top of the stock, which gives a final volume that is too large.

Activity. Prepare three solutions of different concentrations, with the calculation shown, and label each one correctly.

Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, match your prepared solutions to the target within the tolerance and label each fully.

Sterile technique keeps unwanted organisms out of your work. Small habits such as clean surfaces and quick, careful handling make a big difference. You also dispose of waste correctly.

• Wipe the bench with the approved disinfectant before and after work, and wash your hands.
• Work close to the flame or in the hood only as your supervisor has taught, and keep lids off for as short a time as possible.
• Do not touch the inside of lids or the parts of tools that touch samples.
• Put used items in the right waste container, and treat waste as your supervisor instructs, for example by autoclaving at the setting they give.
• A common mistake is to talk or lean over open containers.

Activity. Practise sterile technique on approved exercises while your supervisor observes and writes a note on your habits.

Standard to meet. Earn your supervisor's note of correct habits on all steps and keep your contamination rate in practice to no more than 10%.

Data has a centre and a spread. The mean describes the centre and the range describes the spread. Looking for outliers and sources of error helps you trust your results.

• The mean is the sum of the values divided by how many there are.
• The range is the largest value minus the smallest value.
• An outlier is a value far from the rest, and you should look for a cause before you decide how to treat it.
• List the sources of error, such as reading a scale, a worn pipette tip or a temperature change.
• A common mistake is to report only the mean and not the spread.

Activity. Analyse the results from at least three exercises by calculating the mean and range and writing the likely sources of error.

Standard to meet. Calculate means and ranges correctly and list at least two realistic sources of error for each exercise.

Honest work matters more than neat results. You never change data and you follow the rules on consent and the care of living things. Methods must be clear enough for someone else to repeat.

• Never change, invent or delete a result to make it look better, and report all values including odd ones.
• Follow the rules on consent, privacy and the treatment of any living things, and check with your local authority and your supervisor.
• Write the method clearly enough that another person could repeat it and get similar results.
• Report anything that went wrong, such as a spill or a mistake, so others can learn.
• A common mistake is to drop an outlier without telling anyone.

Activity. Write a one-page note on how you kept honest records, how you handled one outlier and how you would make a method repeatable.

Standard to meet. Report both values with and without any outlier and explain your reasoning, and confirm that your supervisor agrees it is honest and clear.

A short, clear report shares your findings with others. It states the aim, method, results and limits in plain words. A table and a chart make the numbers easy to see.

• Open with a title and a one-sentence aim that says what you set out to find.
• Describe the method briefly with the key materials and steps, so a reader can repeat it.
• Present the results in a table with units and one clear chart with labelled axes.
• State one conclusion supported by the numbers and list the limits, such as the small number of repeats.
• A common mistake is to draw a conclusion that your data does not support.

Activity. Write a two-page report on your six exercises and give it to a peer to review, then revise it based on their notes.

Standard to meet. Include all required parts in your report, confirm with a peer that it is clear and match your conclusion to the data in your table.