How to Keep a Science Journal
If you are doing any kind of scientific investigation, you need to keep a science journal so you can keep a detailed record of everything you investigate. If you do not write these records down, you may forget them in the future. A science journal will help you remember every detail. You can learn how to keep a science journal in a few short steps.
- Purchase a journal that you can use for your science journal. It can be a simple notebook, if you prefer, or you can purchase a binder and fill it with paper. There are no set rules so you can make it any way you like. You can even keep an electronic science journal, if you prefer.
- Keep day-to-day notes in your science journal. Record everything about what you do, what you think, what you discover, and what you want to know about your scientific experimentations. Do not write it like a diary or a personal journey. It is a sequential record of what you think about the investigation.
- Make sure you include your initial observations, brainstorming ideas, questions you might need to ask, background information, sources you used, strategies you may need to explore, research questions you need to answer, your plan to answer them, the materials you need, the data you will collect, and notes about how the research is progressing.
- Start each journal entry with the date. Write the date on the piece of paper in the same place on each entry. Keep your science journal updated and write it in on a regular basis. If you are handwriting the entries, make sure you write legibly.