LAB NOTEBOOK

USING YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK TO RECORD ALL WORK ON THE PROJECT

Scientists need to take good notes when they are doing their experiments. As a scientist, you will want to do that too. Lab notebooks are very important and must accompany your project at the science fair. A lab notebook is to be done WHILE you are working on the investigation. Notes from the lab notebook can be later used to write the paper. Every lab notebook should have a statement of the problem/question and also background information on the project. For example, how did you get interested in this project? This information should be presented on the first pages.

Use a composition notebook where all the pages are bound together. Don't use loose pages. Use a pen for your notes and drawings, not a pencil.

On the first few pages of the NOTEBOOK, you should record all the TOPICS you have considered as your science fair project as well as a list of questions you have developed about these topics.

Write down which topic you have chosen to work on. Also in your notebook, write the references to the books and websites you have read that have led you to choose the topic.

Following this background section, you should enter a statement of the problem/ questions in your notebook.

Once you make the decision on your hypothesis, it should be clearly marked in this section.

Write the date at the beginning of each lab time.

Before you do your experiment write down in your notebook what you are going to do, step by step. Number the steps in the order you plan to do them. Sometimes it's good to draw pictures to remind you of each step.

Oftentimes, setting up the data table clearly is the most important thing in making sure your experiment is understandable. Make sure you indicate clearly what you are going to measure, and have a chart that shows this. Later on, any questions about your experiments can refer back to this data.

Write directly into your notebook as you experiment and observe. Write down everything you see. Small things can turn out to be important later on. Also it's great to draw pictures of what you see. Pictures help you remember things and they make your notebook fun for others to read.

Don't erase or tear any pages out. If something is wrong, then cross it out with one or two neat, thin lines.

Your notebook should be readable and as neat as possible. The lab notebook will be helpful to you and others, like science fair judges who want to know exactly what you did and what you saw.

In the lab notebook, write down any ideas or thoughts that come to your head. You can use these later!

Your ideas about what happened in the experiment can be used later in discussing how valid your conclusions are, and ideas for further investigation.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, do everything SAFELY and have FUN!!!