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There are two basic kinds of research record: hard copy and digital. Hard copy records should be bound, with the pages consecutively numbered, signed and dated. White space should be crossed through. Entries should be written in ink, not pencil, to ensure they cannot be changed. Additional materials like images, raw data printouts, spreadsheets and graphics should be permanently pasted in, dated and initialled. A note should be made of where the original files are saved.

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Digital records can be kept on any device that stores digital information, such as PCs, tablets, USB drives, CDs, or cloud storage. However, many institutions now provide digital research notebooks or specify where digital research records are to be stored.

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There may be restrictions governing how, where and for how long you can store your data on different types of media &ndash; for example, many institutions and ethics committees advise against using USB drives or laptops for long-term data storage, as they are easily lost.

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Given the vulnerability of electronic devices to crashes, it is also important that digital records are backed up in a safe and secure place separate from the main storage location &ndash; this could be on another computer, or on a cloud storage backup service approved by your institution.

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Since digital records can be changed easily, it is also essential to independently verify the date when every element in the digital record was created and last modified.

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If your research requires the collection of field-based data, either via hard copy or digital methods, you will need to develop a system for combining this data safely and systematically with your permanent data record.

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Whether you are using a hard copy or digital record, it is best practice to keep an additional research log that documents what you did, when you did it, and what you discovered. This should also record colleagues' contributions.

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This can be especially useful for combined records, as you can then use this log to keep track of where each component is stored. You can then use the research log to locate information. 