FUTURE IN YOUR HANDS: Getting Started

Getting Started with Your Science Laboratory Notebook

Once you have selected a lab notebook, the following tips and techniques will help you get started keeping an organized, well-maintained lab notebook for your science or engineering project:

Label your lab notebook. Put your name, your teacher's name (if it applies), and some form of contact information, like an email address or phone number, in a prominent location, like the inside cover. If you accidentally leave the lab notebook behind or lose it, someone will be able to reach you if the notebook is found. If your notebook will be used for a single science or engineering project, also label the notebook with the project title and the year.
Use ink. Make your lab notebook entries in pen, not in pencil. Using a smudge-proof pen may reduce the risk of smears. If you make a mistake in your lab notebook, simply cross out the error and write in the necessary correction.
Number the pages. Numbering the pages of your lab notebook helps keep your notebook organized. You can use these numbers to set up an index or table of contents or to cross-reference earlier observations within your lab notebook. If the pages of your lab notebook are not already numbered, you may want to number them before you begin using the lab notebook.
Create a table of contents. To quickly go back and find information in your lab notebook, it helps to create a table of contents. The traditional way (used by professional scientists and engineers) is to create a Table of Contents as you go. Label the first page "Table of Contents," and then as you work on the project, enter important pages in the Table of Contents. For example, when you begin your Experimental Procedure, you might note "Trial 1, Page 10" in the Table of Contents so you can quickly find your notes at a later date.If you find this method too confusing, and your teacher allows, you can create tabs for the different sections of your science project. This optional approach may help you keep your notes and records organized. Your sections will vary based on your science or engineering project, and you may find that your class assignment or the steps of the scientific or engineering method can help you determine the sections you will use. The following table shows a sampleset of sections that might appear in a student science project lab notebook. In this sample, the student has used tabs to mark the various divisions of the lab notebook and recorded the color of each tab in the Table of Contents for easy reference.

Date your entries. Always date your lab notebook entries. Even if your entry is very short, adding a date helps you track when you took certain steps or made certain observations. Your lab notebook will be a sequential record of your project, so the dates are important.
No blank pages. Your lab notebook entries should be entered consecutively, starting at the front of the notebook. When making entries, do not skip pages. (If you are using sections, as outlined above, do not skip pages within a section when making a new entry.) Scientists and researchers often cross out unused sections of a page so that nothing can be added later that might alter or confuse the data originally recorded.
Be brief. While some entries in your lab notebook may require in-depth notes, many of your entries will be short and concise. Full sentences are not required! Every scientist develops her own style of recordkeeping. What is important is that you record enough information so that you fully understand the notes you've made and so that the notes contains all important or necessary details. Looking back at an entry, even months later, it should be clear to youexactly what you did or documented on that day. It should also be clear to your teacher or another scientist or engineer!

The lab notebook page above records weekly observations made during a composting investigation over a period of several weeks. The entries are short, but each is dated, the observations are clear, and important data has been recorded in each entry.

Keep it legible. Your lab notebook entries should be easy to read, but do not worry if the entries are not perfectly neat or if you make a mistake.
No loose papers. Be sure to secure loose papers in your lab notebook with glue, tape, or staples. Unsecured items (including sticky notes) may fall out or be damaged. If there are digital materials you want to include in your lab notebook, you may find it helpful to print them at a reduced size and then glue or tape them into the notebook.

It is important to secure all items in your lab notebook so that nothing is lost. In the lab notebook shown above, small, loose papers have been taped in place.

Do not remove pages. If something is wrong on a page, or if you discover an accidental blank page, simply put a large "x" through the area or page, signaling that it should be ignored. Do not tear pages out.
Keep it with you. You want to record every single detail of your science or engineering project in your lab notebook, so you need to make sure you have it with you at all times, especially when you are in the lab, working on your procedure, doing research, or collecting data. Do not take the chance that you will remember all of the details to record at a later date. You also do not want to make a habit or recording data on scraps of paper and entering them in the lab notebook after the fact. Loose papers are easily lost. Keep the lab notebook with you and make your entries on the spot.
Do it every day. Get in the habit of starting a new entry as soon as you go to the lab or begin working on your science project for the day, even if you are only taking a quick measurement or doing a visual check. Write down the date and then record what you do. As you get in a routine of documenting your research and experiment every day, using your lab notebook will become an important part of how you navigate a science or engineering project!

Keeping Track of Your Science or Engineering Project

Now that you have a lab notebook and an understanding of organizational strategies that can help you make the most of your lab notebook, it is time to start recording your science or engineering project. What should you include? Everything!

Your lab notebook should be used from the beginning of your project and should reflect all phases of your project (and all steps of the scientific or engineeringmethod. Someone looking at your lab notebook should be able to follow your steps through the science or engineering project, from beginning to end. In your lab notebook, you want to document and include the following kinds of information:

Project planning. As you plan your science project, use your lab notebook to capture the questions you hope to investigate, your hypothesis, and yourvariables.
Research. Record your background research, noting sources you use (including URLs or bibliographic data). Summarize articles and publications you review (or plan to review) during your background research, any interviews you conduct, and notes related to feedback, suggestions, or troubleshooting you receive from a teacher or mentor. This information will make compiling your bibliography much easier!
Materials. Document the materials you use (including specific brands, quantities, and costs).
Experimental procedure. Record all details related to your experimental design, setup, and procedure. As you begin your experiment, document your steps, trials, and observations. Be sure and clearly note any modifications you make and any problems you encounter, including any mistakes. Even if it seems trivial or inconsequential, you should write it down.

The lab notebook entry shown above records an unexpected problem the student encountered with a plant biology project. The student's notes record steps the student took to troubleshoot the experimental setup.

Data collection. Your data is critical to your science project and to the conclusions you will draw at the end of the project. As you gather data, be careful to accurately enter all numbers, measurements, temperatures, calculations, or other data. It is best to enter all data directly in your lab notebook. If you have data logged electronically, keep a list of log dates and file names and tape or glue printed copies into your lab notebook when possible.

The photo above shows photosynthetic data from oak seedlings that have been recorded in a lab notebook (left). Related data files were also stored electronically on a computer. A list of file names were entered in the lab notebook (right).

Visual records. Diagrams and charts can be very important in helping you record your science or engineering project. When appropriate, draw a figure in your lab notebook to visually record an aspect of your project. Be sure to date and label, or annotate, the drawing.

The photos above show a lab notebook sketch that documents sample points inside shade tents (left) and a schematic record of different ages of tree branches that were sampled during an experiment (right).

A Successful Laboratory Notebook

Make entering notes about your project in your lab notebook a routine part of your science project. When it is time to put your final presentation together, you will be glad for the time you spent documenting your project in your lab notebook! An organized and well-maintained lab notebook may impress teachers and science fair judges, and if you are asked questions about specific steps of your project, you will have the information at hand!

Finding an Idea for Your Science Fair Project

One of the most important considerations in picking a topic for your science fair project is to find a subject that you consider interesting. You'll be spending a lot of time on it, so you don't want your science fair project to be about something that is boring.

We know that finding a topic is the hardest part of a science fair project, and sometimes you just need a little help focusing on what sorts of topics would be of interest to you. To help you find a science fair project idea that can hold your interest, Science Buddies has developed the Topic Selection Wizard. By answering a series of questions about everyday interests and activities, you will help us identify an area of science that is best for you. So click on the following link and let's get started!

Your Science Fair Project Question

The question that you select for your science fair project is the cornerstone of your work. The research and experiment you will be conducting all revolve around finding an answer to the question you are posing. It is important to select a question that is going to be interesting to work on for at least a month or two and a question that is specific enough to allow you to find the answer with a simple experiment. A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. Here are some characteristics of a good science fair project question:

The question should be interesting enough to read about, then work on for the next couple months.
There should be at least 3 sources of written information on the subject. You want to be able to build on the experience of others!

Now, for something like a science fair project, it is important to think ahead. This will save you lots of unhappiness later. Imagine the experiment you might perform to answer your question. How does that possible experiment stack up against these issues?

The experiment should measure changes to the important factors (variables) using a number that represents a quantity such as a count, percentage, length, width, weight, voltage, velocity, energy, time, etc. Or, just as good might be an experiment that measures a factor (variable) that is simply present or not present. For example, lights ON in one trial, then lights OFF in another trial, or USE fertilizer in one trial, then DON'T USE fertilizer in another trial. If you can't measure the results of your experiment, you're not doing science!
You must be able to control other factors that might influence your experiment, so that you can do a fair test. A "fair test" occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same.
Is your experiment safe to perform?
Do you have all the materials and equipment you need for your science fair project, or will you be able to obtain them quickly and at a very low cost?
Do you have enough time to do your experiment before the science fair? For example, most plants take weeks to grow. If you want to do a project on plants, you need to start very early! For most experiments you will want to allow enough time to do a practice run in order to work out any problems in your procedures.
Does your science fair project meet all the rules and requirements for your science fair?
Have you avoided the bad science fair projects listed in the table "Science Project Topics to Avoid" in this project guide?

If you don't have good answers for these issues, then you probably should look for a better science fair project question to answer.

Some science fair projects that involve human subjects, vertebrate animals (animals with a backbone) or animal tissue, pathogenic agents, DNA, or controlled or hazardous substances, need SRC (Scientific Review Committee) approval from your science fair BEFORE you start experimentation. Now is the time to start thinking about getting approval if necessary for your science project

Examples

These are examples of good science fair project questions:

How does water purity affect surface tension?
When is the best time to plant soy beans?
Which material is the best insulator?
How does arch curvature affect load carrying strength?
How do different foundations stand up to earthquakes?
What sugars do yeast use?

Science Fair Project Question Checklist

Here are some things to consider as you finalize your question:

The Scientific Method

Overview of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way.

Just as it does for a professional scientist, the scientific method will help you to focus your science fair project question, construct a hypothesis, design, execute, and evaluate your experiment.

Steps of the Scientific Method

Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

And, in order for the scientific method to answer the question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a number.

Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:
"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."

You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question.

Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.

Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

Scientists often find that their hypothesis was not supported, and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis based on the information they learned during their experiment. This starts the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was supported, they may want to test it again in a new way.

Communicate Your Results: To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster at a scientific meeting. In a science fair, judges are interested in your findings regardless of whether or not they support your original hypothesis.

Note: Even though we show the scientific method as a series of steps, keep in mind that new information or thinking might cause a scientist to back up and repeat steps at any point during the process. A process like the scientific method that involves such backing up and repeating is called an iterative process.

Throughout the process of doing your science fair project, you should keep a journal containing all of your important ideas and information. This journal is called a laboratory notebook.