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Good ideas for science projects
The Logbook



Why is this page entitled - Good ideas for science projects - when it is about a Logbook? Because the good idea IS the Logbook! Science is best done when you are organized!

Think about it. Can you imagine Mr. Edison having papers lying all over his laboratory bench-top while he was trying to get that light-bulb to fire up? For obvious reasons – I think not!


Your science fair project's Logbook will serve as a notebook, diary, record keeper and planner. It is a vital tool in helping you produce one of those “jaw dropping” projects that you never thought you could do.

This page will tell you how to use the Logbook and “ Easy science project: the 'how to' page “ will guide you as to where and when to use it in your project.

What is a Logbook?

What is a logbook? It is one of those good ideas for science projects ... and I will remind you again of that later because, in my experience as a teacher, being organized is vital in producing a good project.

I will also point out some of the more important good ideas for science projects within the pages of your Logbook!

"But what are the cogs and wheels of a logbook?" I hear you ask...

A Logbook is a note-book in which you will record all your thoughts, information from research, experiments, ideas, conclusions and anything else that is relevant to your science fair project.

This book does not have to be a work of art but the judges must be able to read it and make sense of all that you have written down.

This book is however not only for the judges to look at but for you to be able to look back through and see how you reached your answer and the methods you used to solve your question.

How do you use a Logbook?

  • Split your book into sections. Example – Project chosen, The hypothesis and aim, Research, Equipment needed, The experiments, The results, The conclusions, My thoughts.

  • ”Never judge a book by its cover” - but in this case a good first impression, showing that you are an organized and neat scientist, will impress the socks off judges. So give your Logbook a neat cover and write neatly in it.

    (NEATNESS one of those good ideas for science projects!!)

    Include some photos of your project's progression in the Logbook. For more ways to impress the judges click here .

  • Record the date each time you use your Logbook. To make it easier to go back and find what you did a few days before, start each writing in your book at the top of a new page. This means you need to carefully space the sections so that you'll have enough pages.



    Let me take you through the suggested sections that I mentioned above and tell you what kind of things I would write in each:
  • Project chosen No. Pages: 1

    Here I would write down what project topic/title I have chosen at the top of the page. I would mention the problem or question that I need solved and would explain why and how I came about choosing this project (obviously keeping in mind the requirements my teacher has given me - um - I shouldn't need to say this - one of those good ideas for science projects!!).

  • The hypothesis and aim No. Pages: 1
    What do I think a solution or explanation to my problem or question is. Along with this I write the aim of each of the experiments down. These two concepts are linked – both point towards solving the problem.

  • Equipment needed No. Pages: 1 per experiment
    This is more of a checklist for the equipment.
    I would list each item one under the other.
    When I have collected an item I would tick it off. Once all my items are ticked, I could start the experiment.

    Just before I start the experiment, I would tick next to each item again to ensure I have all the equipment in front of me. (Yup, another one of those more important good ideas for science projects - why? - so I don't have to go running around looking for it while the experiment is running!)

    All the experiments on this site will list the equipment you need. You just need to make sure you have them.



  • The experiments No. Pages: 1 page for each day the experiment runs for. If the experiment is completed on a single day, then at least 2 pages.

    The method is the first thing I would write down here. (Good-Science-Fair-Projects.com gives you the experiment method for each of the experiments listed on the site.)
    The rest of this section will be filled in during the experiment. Things like “what went wrong” (yes, things do sometimes go wrong!), “unexpected reactions”, “things that went right”, etc. can all be noted down.

    (These kind of notes are especially useful in experiments that last over a number of days or weeks. You may not need all the points you write down here, but you definitely will be able to use some of them.)

  • The results No. Pages: 2 per experiment
    This is quite obvious – here I would write down what happened during the experiment. Even though each of the experiments on this site has what the results should be, I would NOT write down what I thought should have happened, only what did happen, since that is NOT one of those good ideas for science projects.

    However, if you follow the instructions for each experiment, in most cases the results will be the same as what is expected.
    I would stick some photos of the results in this section. It is a good way of recording what happened. Obviously, you will also need photos for your display, so don't use all of them, or make copies.

  • The conclusions No. Pages: 2 This could be as short as one line or as long as two pages. Looking at the results obtained in my experiments, I would write down if they had proved my hypothesis was correct or not.

    Either way, I would then explain why the results proved or disproved my hypothesis.

    If they disproved it, I would explain why I thought the experiment did not give the results expected and if necessary come up with a new or adjusted hypothesis.

  • My thoughts No. Pages: 1 000 000!!
    Why so many pages – because I may need them! My frustrations, my victories and new discoveries all would be noted here. This section would be used all the time throughout the project, from choosing the project to making the display. It is a good way to discover the wonders of science but it also encourages you to not give up.



    Oh yes, I almost forgot, I said I would remind you:
    your Logbook is one of those good ideas for science projects - why - because you will be O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-E-D! And that is the first step towards good science...

    But wait, there is more. Check out another one of those Good ideas for science projects – The Time Management Crash Course.


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