RESEARCH NOTEBOOK

A good notebook is the key to guiding your research and preparing your final report. A research notebook is to be kept for each project. It should contain sufficient information and be so clearly written that if you should stop the project someone else can continue with a minimum of effort. Recommendations for items to be placed in the notebook are:

A. Always write in ink. If you are doing a project near or in water keep a separate data notebook and use pencil. Pen will run in water and you may loose your results. Keep your main experimental notebook away from any water.

B. Do not erase. Draw a single horizontal line through anything you don’t need to use. You may find you need to come back to this later.  

C. WRITE LEGIBLY. This notebook is a formal record of your research and if anyone has questions about what you did it needs to be readable.

D. Develop a pattern or style so that similar items are always entered in the same manner.

E. Number the pages.

F. Reserve the first 2-3 pages for a "TABLE OF CONTENTS" to be filled in as needed.

G. Use the next few pages to write down any research questions you may have and fill in notes about the experimental process of each question. This will allow you to determine which project you want to move forward on but you will have a list of ideas for later research. (See #3 under HOW TO RESEARCH)

H. When you do choose your research project, write the research question at the top of a new page. Then write a purpose statement. Leave a few lines after the purpose statement to write a conclusion when the project is complete. Six months from now you may wonder why this experiment was done. (1 page)

a. Research Question: What is the best amount of fertilizer to put on bean plants to achieve maximum growth?

b. Purpose Statement: The purpose of this experiment is to determine what amount of fertilizer to put on bean plants to achieve maximum growth?

I. The next thing you should put in your notebook is a list of references from your background research. Keep lists of websites, books and any journal used. Add to this as needed as you go through the experimental process. (2-3 pages)

J. Start a new page for an outline or bulleted list of your methods (procedures). Remember, as you start testing and want to edit your list, DO NOT ERASE. Draw a line through anything you want to change. You may need to go back and see what you had written earlier. (4-6 pages)

a. Record all instrument settings and environmental conditions where they could have an influence.

b. Record the brand name, lot number, catalog number, grade, and any special treatment of chemicals.

K. Start a results section on a new page. Draw graphs and make tables as you collect the data. Raw data should not be a part of the final presentation. Make notes on statistical analysis. (The number of pages you will need in this section will depend on what kind of data your will be collecting. Talk this over with a teacher, mentor or colleague.)

L. Start a new page for conclusions. Take notes about what your research says. What answers did you find for your research question? What are the implications of your research? Did you prove your hypothesis? List any new questions you now have that will lead to future research.

M. Write all literature references in complete form. Any references you use in your scientific paper will become your Literature Cited section.

N. Sign and date each day's work.

O. If you feel like your research is publishable make Xerox copies of your work after every week or so and keep these copies in a place other than the laboratory for safekeeping. A duplicate page book is preferable but not always available.