Pre-trip preparation
The following should be completed prior to your field visit to Stebbins Cold Canyon
I. Title
The title should be informative and reflect the general purpose of the research project
II. Research question(s)
What question(s) are you asking? Try to ask questions that are specific and that can lead to predictions. You should also be able to answer your questions by your fieldwork. For example, "Does boulder size increase further downstream?" is much more useful than "What kinds of rocks are in the streambed?"
III. Hypotheses to be tested (predictions based on questions)
Convert your question to a hypothesis that predicts what you expect. Base these hypotheses on the question you ask in part II
IV. Experimental design/methods
How are you going to test your hypotheses? Think about the information that you will need to address your hypotheses. How will you collect this information- what type of methods could you use to gather this information?
V. Materials
What materials and equipment will you need to conduct your study?
VI. Results
Based on your hypotheses and experimental design/methods, list what types of information you will collect
VII. How will you present your results?
You will be presenting the results of your research to the class. How will you present your results and conclusions? Examples include graphs, figures, tables, pictures, etc.
Data sheet instructions
Fill in the location, date, time, and weather. It is important to record this information whenever you collect scientific data.
Write in a title at the top of each column that you use. That way you will know what information you have written in the column. If you are making measurements, include the units of measurement after the title (example, "Height of plant, mm" tells you that the numbers in the column are the heights of plants in millimeters).
You may need to label rows as well as columns. For example, you may be doing a transect with a series of stations at an increasing distance from a starting point. In this case you will probably use each row as a transect station. Therefore, keep the first column reserved for row numbers should you need them.
Make sure that you have labeled each column (and possibly row as well) and included the units of measurement, if necessary.
Record any additional notes that you think may be important to remember later.
Data sheet
Location:
Date:
Time:
Weather:
Post-trip report
When you return from the field trip you will be responsible for preparing a report based on your findings. This report will have three sections:
I.Summary of results
In this section you will present a summary of your findings.
II.Graphs/figures/tables
Present your results in some form of visual summary fashion.
III.Discussion
In this section you will interpret your results. What patterns did you observe?
Did your results support your hypotheses? If they did support your hypotheses, why do you think they did? And if your results did not support your hypotheses, why do you think they did not?