1. Your Log Book A Useful Tool

2. Reasons why you should have one… Mrs. Valle requires it. The county, state and international science fairs require it. Documentation is important to verify your work/research. Important to learn how to document your work/research for college science courses

3. Why you should have one… Leonardo da Vinci’s original notebooks (his logbooks) have sold for millions of dollars. “Leonardo da Vinci Notebook Page”. c 1510. Online image. Leonardo da Vinci. Web. 12 Aug. 2010..

4. Why You Should have One… The Miller –Urey experiment simulated primordial earth conditions to test for chemical evolution. “Miller-Urey Experimental Set-up”. 2007. Online image. 'Lost' Miller-Urey experiment created more of life's building blocks. Web. 12 Aug. 2010..

5. Why You Should Have One… Stanley Miller died in 2007 and scientist Jeffery Bada used Miller’s log books to identify more amino acid sequences generated in 1953 during the Miller-Urey experiments. Scientists are now rethinking the origin of life’s building blocks – 55 years after the experiments were conducted.

6. Why You Should Have One…. Incoming staff members at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a major research institute in New York, are advised to grab only one item in a fire…their lab notebook – because everything else can be recreated using it. “Marie Curie’s lab notebook”. 1898. Online image. Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity. Web. 12 Aug 2010..

7. Why You Should Have One… Scientists at Medichem were competing with other labs to develop and patent a way to produce the active ingredient in Claritin®. Even though they made the discovery, they did not follow standard procedures for documenting data. Their poor notebook practice was cited as the reason that Medichem lost a multimillion dollar patent lawsuit to Rolabo for the production of Claritin.

8. Why You Should Have One… You are creating an enduring resource that can be used for future reference.

9. Setting Up Your Logbook… Put your name on the front cover. Write “Table of Contents” on the first page. Number each page for the first fifty-one right now. You can write every other number.

10. NEVER…NEVER…NEVER… Write in anything but ink. Remove any pages Skip pages – even the backside Forget to date EACH page Use computer printouts as your logbook. Use white out

11. ALWAYS…ALWAYS…ALWAYS… Write in ink. Date every single page and entry. Use every page or put an “X” through the skipped page, initial, and date it. Cross out a mistake with a single line, writing the correct entry, initial and date your correction.

12. What to Put in Your Logbook… List of potential science fair projects Target dates and deadlines Project problem and how you think you can solve it Background information Sources you consulted or intend to consult References for your bibliography which will become your works cited list

13. What to Put in Your Logbook… Search terms you have used Names and contact details of relevant people Experimental design Identification of variables Raw data tables Summary data tables

14. What to Put in Your Logbook… Daily observations of what you did and when (similar to a diary) Potential problems and possible solutions Questions you have for your teacher, media specialist, adult sponsor, expert Calculations Graphs Tentative conclusions

15. Other Considerations… If you are using bib cards, put them in a pocket in the back of your logbook; you still must have some research written in your logbook (summary) and a bibliography list. You may not use a computer printout as your logbook or put computer printouts in your logbook. Save those sheets, but know that they cannot be substituted for your data entry.

16. Other Considerations… The burden or proof that the project was completed is on YOU! To avoid any questions as to the validity of your experiment, you should document everything. I will need to see your logbook EACH time you turn in a draft of your paper. Failure to have a good logbook will result in lose of due date points.

17. Each time I check your logbook, I will look for: Multiple dates Research Bibliographic information Not having this information will result in a lost of 5 due date points.

18. Other Science Fair Information Human Subjects, bacteria, vertebrates, and tissue (not hair or teeth) projects require a qualified (MD or PhD) scientist to oversee your project. There is special paperwork to fill out. You must get approval by the Institutional Review Board or Scientific Review Committee – I take care of this but it takes more time.

19. PROJECT IDEA FORM Due Friday, September 5, 2014 You need 1-3 testable questions STAR the ones you most want to do Needs a parent signature