Dr. Shawn's Super Science Project Support Blog

More About How To Keep a Science Project Notebook

As noted in an earlier post, one of the great rules of doing real science is this: "If it isn't in the lab book, it never happened."

In other words, it isn't enough just to do the experiment. You have to make sure that you have enough information so that all the open questions have been answered and all the problems you encountered while doing your experiment have been solved. In short, you need to leave a record that is so clearly written down and in so well organized that another scientist could follow your notes and duplicate exactly what you did.

So, one of the most important keys to a good any good science project is writing things down clearly and systematically.

And keep in mind that the laboratory notebook is one of the most important tools a scientist has. You see, clear writing requires clear thinking. When you write something down, it forces you to think about your ideas. Very often, just writing something down will help you develop and refine an idea. Not only does will it help make your experiment repeatable, your lab book is a place where you can brainstorm, thrash out ideas, and identify mistakes and false starts. It's important to record the things that don't work, so you--and others who use your notes--can learn from them.

TIP: Keep in mind that lab books are not written for today but for the future.

Don't worry that recording your mistakes will make you look bad to your teacher or the science fair judges. Usually, the opposite is true. Being able to spot a mistake and change your experiment accordingly is a vital scientific skill. Good science means being honest about every aspect of your experiment. Mistakes, missteps and blind alleys are all part of the process, even for the Nobel Prize winners. For this reason, most science notebooks are written in ink.

Don't be too concerned if there are things you don't know. Don't be afraid to write down those issues that you haven't figured out yet. All of science is built on those three magic words: I don't know. Judges in a science fair will not dock you if you don't know everything about your subject. However, they will take off points if you claim to understand things that you really don't understand.

The Notebook

As noted in an earlier post, you need to go to an office supply store or stationary store and pick out a bound quad-ruled (graph paper) notebook with numbered pages. For most projects, a composition book or any other notebook with bound pages (as opposed to a loose-leaf or coil-bound notebook) will do. Write your name and contact information inside the front cover in case it goes missing.

TIP: Write the title of your project on the first page, then leave a blank page before starting your notes. This blank page will become your table of content as you develop your notebook. Also, as you write, put page numbers in the upper or lower corner of each page.

What to Write

Everything you do in the laboratory, library, or out in the field should be recorded in your notebook.

Start with a description of your project, followed by your background research. Before you do a real science project, you need to know something about what you are doing. Are you studying meteors? Bird songs? Fractals? Go to the library and look up these subjects, and write down the books, magazine articles, web sites, etc. you consulted, and what you learned from them.

Next, carefully describe what you are going to do and why your are doing it. If you are doing an experiment, make a clearly and carefully labeled sketch of your project. If you bought items to use in your experiment, make a record of what they were, where you got them, and what they cost. In fact, it's a good idea to paste receipts directly in your lab book. If your work involves nature study out in the field, draw or paste in a map of the area where you are working, photographs of the area, and so on.

Remember, you want someone to be able to take your notes and repeat your work exactly.

Every trial you do should have its own clearly labeled record in your notebook. Start each new trail on a new page. The top of the page should contain the title of the experiment and the date.

TIP: It's a good idea to create your index as you go along. At the end of the day's work, zip back to the index page and write down each new section with the page number. Your index page should look something like this:

Index

Project Description - - - - - - - - page 2
Background research - - - - - - page 3
Project design - - - - - - - - - - - -page 7
Experiment #1 - - - - - - - - - - - -page 12
Experiment #2 - - - - - - - - - - - -page 18

And so on.

Each complete experiment should include the following:

Title/Purpose: Every experiment should have a descriptive title.

Background Information: This section should include any information about the execution of the experiment or to the interpretation of the results. For example, if it is a repeat experiment, state what will be done differently to get the experiment to work. Include anything that will be helpful in carrying out the experiment and deciphering the experiment at a later date.

Materials: This section should list any materials, i.e., solutions or equipment, that will be needed. Include all calculations made in preparing solutions.

Procedure: Write down exactly what you are going to do before you do it and make sure you understand each step before you do it. You should include everything you do including all volumes and amounts.

Writing down a procedure helps you to remember and to understand what you're doing. It will also help you to identify steps that may be unclear or that need special attention.

Some procedures can be several pages long and include more information than is necessary in a notebook. However, it is good laboratory practice to have a separate notebook containing methods that you use on a regular basis. If an experiment is a repeat of an earlier experiment, you do not have to write down each step but refer to the earlier experiment by page or experiment number. If you make any changes, note the changes and why. Flow charts are sometimes helpful for experiments that have many parts. It is good practice to check off steps as they are completed or reagents as they are added to prevent you from losing you place or for forgetting to add something.

Results: This section should include all raw data generated by your experiment. This section should also include your analysis of the data.

Conclusions: This is one of the most important sections. You should summarize all of your results, even if they were stated elsewhere and state any conclusions you can make. If the experiment didn't work, what went wrong and what will you do the next time to try to troubleshoot?

Remember, your notebook is what makes your work into real science. Take you time and do it right. The better your notes, the stronger your science project will be.

by Dr. Shawn and Sheldon Greaves, Ph.D.

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

Test and Control Groups and the "Null Hypothesis"

Remember, doing a science experiment is all about not fooling yourself.

With that in mind see if this makes sense... To prove that you've made a discovery, you must show that your results are inconsistent with the assumption that nothing special happened in your science experiment. Here's an example. Suppose you feed one group of plants a special fertilizer of your own concoction, and you feed a second group ordinary store-bought fertilizer. If you can prove that the plants that got your special recipe grew faster than the others, then you can rightly claim to have found a better fertilizer. But if they don't, you can't claim to have something better than what's already on the shelves.

Makes sense, right?

Many science experiments are structured in just this way. They have one group that they treat in the "normal" way. Basically, you have one group that you don't do anything special to. We call this the "control group." Then you have a second group that you test out your idea on. We call this the "test group." The most conservative guess you can make about what you'll find is always that nothing special will happen. Scientists call this standard and rather boring guess the "Null Hypothesis." You should only get excited if your experimental results can not be reconciled with the Null Hypothesis. Or using the full jargon of science experiments, in order to claim a discovery you must "falsify the Null Hypothesis."

Doing that usually requires a little bit of statistics. You must know a little about averages and standard deviations, and all that. And I'll explain that stuff to you in a later post. But I can give you one very important rule of thumb that can help you design your science experiment.

Scientists know that the larger their control and test groups are, the more sensitive their science experiment will be. But what if you don't have any idea how large some new effect is likely to be? How many members should your test and control groups have in them? Rule of thumb: About 30.

Keep that in mind. When they don't know how large some effect is likely to be, many scientists conduct their first experiment with 30 members in the test group and 30 members in the control. We've learned from centuries of experience that 30 is a good number to start with. So unless you have a good reason to use a different number, use 30.

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

How to Record an Observation in Your Lab Book

Remember that your lab book has to be the final word on your science experiment and the judges who will grade your science fair project are going to want to see it. Your goal must be to keep a lab book that is so complete that an expert in your field of science would be able to understand exactly what you did and what results you got simply be reading through it.

In fact, a scientist's motto has to be "If it isn't in the log book, it didn't happen." I strongly suggest you WRITE THAT DOWN at the bottom of page one in quotation marks for two reasons; first as a constant reminder to you of one of the most important cannons of the laboratory; and second because it will really impress the judges. (Trust me!)

Here are a few tips that will help you end up with a real scientist's log book.

First, when writing down an observation, pretend that you are describing what you are observing to a knowledgeable friend over the telephone. If your description is clear enough for your friend to know exactly what you have done, it will be clear enough for the science fair judges as well.

Second, use the squares on the graph paper (is your lab book constructed of bound graph paper, or did you miss that tip?) to form your data tables, and carefully label the columns with very clearly lettered labels. Also, use a ruler to trace the lines that define the table. Don't draw these lines by hand. Nothing irritates a science fair judge more sloppy data tables or not being able to understand why you took the data you did.

Third, clearly label each page with the appropriate page number. And don't forget to date each page! (Note, if you are developing invention that you think you might want to patent, then you need to date and sign each page and write all your notes in pen. This is a legal method of establish priority for you should someone else ever claim that they invented your product first.)

Fourth, set aside the first page of your lab book as the table of contents and make sure every new topic is clearly listed there on page one.

Fifth,if you use a spreadsheet program to generate your graphs (and I strongly suggest you do so), make sure you paste copies into your lab book with a caption the clearly explains what information the graph displays.

Finally, as in all things, neatness counts. A well organized lab book suggests a well organized mind and a well organized experiment. An illegible unkempt notebook is sure to get you docked come judging time.

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

How to Stand and Deliver the Goods Come Science Fair Day

It's sad but true. No matter how good your science fair project is, you can't win your science fair unless you can impress the judges in a face-to-face interview.

But that's quite a problem for lots of students. Did you know that many people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying? It's astonishing but true. In case you are one of them, hare five important tips that will help you get over the gitters and give a great presentation to the judges when it's time for your science project to be graded.

First, make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before the competition.

Second, if you find your nerves are causing your hands to shake, don't try to stop them. You can't. Instead, exaggerate the motion! If you shake your hands vigorously for 120 seconds or so, you'll find that you use up some of that nervous energy and your hands will calm down.

Third, practice your presentation over and over. Have friends and family members work with you. You want your presentation to be as short as you can make it and still convince the judges you did your own work and that you clearly understand your science experiment. So when you are preparing, keep asking how you can make the same point using half the number of words.

Fourth, forget what everybody else tells you. Don't practice your presentation in front of a mirror! Instead, pretend that you are giving a presentation in front of a huge audience of world experts. Listen to their questions in your mind, and then answer them over and over until you've got the answers down pat. This mental game is a great way to anticipate what questions you'll be asked and be ready to answer them. Trust me, it works!

Fifth, when you see the science fair judges approaching, picture them sitting on the toilet. I'm not kidding! Nothing humanizes someone, and thereby makes them seem less intimidating, faster than that!

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

Get the Right Science Lab Book

The lab book is essential to every science experiment. In fact, to get started on any science project, the very first thing you need to do is to get the right lab book.

So go to any well-stocked office supply store and purchase a quad-ruled (graph paper) composition notebook with a least 100 bound pages. The standard size for these notebooks is 9 3/4" x 7 1/2". Some already have the page numbers printed on them. They are quite inexpensive and they will be the foundation for everything you do with your science project.

Graph paper is ideal for any science experiment. It makes it easy to lay out tables and charts. And of course graphing your data is much easier on graph paper than on regular ruled paper.

Make sure to leave the first page blank. That's where your table of contents will grow as you add notes, free flowing observations, ideas, hard data, analysis, plots, charts, pasted emails, references, and so on.

I'll explain how to record your observations in a later post. But for now, go get your lab book, leave the first page blank, and get ready to get started doing real science.

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

Data Over Dogma!

"Dogma" is a strongly held belief, and there is nothing wrong with strongly held beliefs. It is our beliefs about our friends, our country, human nature, our schools and so on that help us navigate our way through our lives. Dogma is good. Dogma is necessary. But dogma must not be absolute.

Being a scientist requires first and foremost a commitment to learning from experience-your own experience of the experience of others. That means a scientist must be willing to change his or her beliefs. That's not easy. Indeed, the hardest thing that a scientist must do is to commit him or herself to the proposition that Truth is more important than any belief, no matter how cherished, they now hold. It does not matter how important the belief is to you, a scientist must be willing to give it up when someone -- anyone -- marshals sufficient credible evidence that proves the belief to be wrong.

In short, your beliefs must change to fit the data, not your interpretation of the data to fit your beliefs. That is data over dogma!

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.

Doing Science is All About Not Fooling Yourself

After you've found a great science project idea that really interests you, you need to figure out exactly what steps you will take to conduct your science experiment. Here's a really important tip: the goal of any science experiment is to answer a question while taking every reasonable precaution not to fool yourself.

Try this science experiment: Dip one hand in hot water and the other in ice water for as long as you can stand to. Then immediately put both hands in the same tub of luke-warm water. One hand will feel the water to be nearly scalding hot, and other other will feel it to be quite cold (which feels what?). Clearly, your sense of touch isn't a very good judge of something's temperature. So if you want to know how hot or cold something is, you have to measure the temperature with a thermometer.

In fact, all of our senses are pretty easy to fool. That's why scientists know that they must use rulers, thermometers, light meters, and so on when they need to get accurate and reliable information about something they want to study. That is, scientists "quantify" their observations, and so should you!

Why do scientists keep log books? So their memories won't fail them when it's time to understand what their science experiment means. Why do they graph their results? So the meaning of the data can be made crystal clear to them and to anyone else who studies their log book. Why do they use mathematics? Because averages, and standard deviations and all that gives an experiment a clear result that is not open to guess work.

Try to think of other things that scientists do and ask yourself how that practice could help a researcher from fooling him or herself. If you think about it, I think you'll agree. Every single thing that a scientist does in a science experiment is aimed at making sure the scientists aren't fooling themselves.

So, when you are designing your science fair project, keep asking yourself "how can I be sure, how can I be sure, how can I be sure..." and you will do alright.

Dr. Shawn

For more FREE help, visit my Super Science Project Support Site. Check out my collection of killer science fair project downloads. Are you running out of time? Check out my Desperation Science Projects for complete science project instructions that can be carried out in just one day! Or, better, have a complete science experiment sent directly to your home for professional results fast! And, of course, you'll find plenty of science project ideas at my science project idea bank, or my student-driven science project idea exchange.