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✍️ Lab Note Style Guide

This guide describes how Lab Notes should feel, not just how they are shaped.

It is advisory, not enforced. When in doubt, clarity beats cleverness.

What a Lab Note Is​

A Lab Note is:

  • an observation
  • a pattern
  • a synthesis
  • a record of thinking

It is not a blog post, marketing copy, or a hot take.

The goal is useful signal, not persuasion.

Tone Guidelines​

Aim for:

  • Clear
  • Grounded
  • Curious
  • Calmly confident

Avoid:

  • Inflated language
  • Absolutes without evidence
  • Performative certainty
  • Unexamined moralizing

If a sentence feels like it’s trying to “win,” rewrite it.

Titles​

Good titles:

  • Describe the pattern directly
  • Use contrast when helpful
  • Avoid clickbait phrasing

Examples:

  • Being Talked About vs. Talked With
  • When Advocacy Happens Without Participation
  • Incentive Drift in Quiet Systems

Subtitle​

If present, the subtitle should clarify why the note exists, not repeat the title.

Observation​

Implications​

Evidence​

Card Style Usage​

Use card_style sparingly and intentionally.

  • Default to department styling
  • Use sage for reflective or analytical notes
  • Use vesper for cautionary or power-analysis notes

TL;DR​

Clarity > cleverness
Patterns > opinions
Tone matters
Leave room to think

Welcome to the Lab.