Field Geophysics
Guidelines for Field Notebooks and Laboratory Reports
Field notebook
Sudents will be required to scribe in the class field notebook at least once during the semester. Students should follow the guidelines below when they scribe. This will account for part of your grade.
The field notebook should have enough information that it could be handed to a colleague or supervisor (or you could pick it up yourself a month or two after doing an experiment) and they would have all of the information needed to analyze your data or repeat your experiment.
Essential components include:
Name/Date
Each new entry should include your name and date on the top of the page.
DiagramShow the essential features of the experimental situation in a neat sketch (an elaborate artistic drawing is not necessary). Show the relationships of different parts of the apparatus, dimensions to be measured, distances covered, spacing between measurements, etc.
Location Map
Include a location map and description of experiment location with sufficient detail that the site could be reoccupied and the experiment repeated by you or someone else. GPS location is useful but a sketch map showing major roads and some directions is also needed.
Identification of Apparatus
Identify each important piece of apparatus by the manufacturer's serial number and full instrument name and model number. This is particulary helpful for tracking down problems with faulty equipment.
Data
Data should be arranged in neat, tabular form with column headings showing the quantity to be recorded and the units. All measurements should be recorded directly on the data page in ink. Record the numbers you see on the instrument; multiplying by factors and corrections should be recorded separately. If you record the wrong number, draw a single line through the entry and make the correct entry above, below, or to one side. Be sure to record the accuracy of each instrument if it is known. It is good practice to record data to the nearest tenth of the smallest scale division. This practice introduces a random error of about two or three-tenths of the smallest division. When only the final digit in a measurement is doubtful, it is said to be written in the proper number of significant figures.
Laboratory Reports
All parts of the report should be neat, legible, and well organized. A good report should include the following sections:
Objective: State briefly the main purpose of the experiment.
Diagram: As in Field Notebook, only neater.
Location Map: As in Field Notebook, only neater.
Identification of Apparatus: As in Field Notebook.
Data: As in Field Notebook, only neater (often convenient to put it into a spreadsheet)
Calculations: Give any mathematical formulas that you intend to use, and provide one sample calculation for each formula by substituting numerical values with the proper units for a particular case. Do not otherwise show numerical details, but provide a concise summary of the results of the calculations to a proper number of significant figures.
Graphs: Whenever appropriate, present the data and/or results in graphical form.
Discussion:
This section should contain a concise summary and evaluation of the experiment. Each of the following items need take only one or two sentences. (a) Identify the principal results of your measurements and calculations. One or two numerical values may be incorporated within a sentence, but any more extensive tabular or graphical results should simply be referred to where they appear in previous portions of the report. (b) Comment on the precision of your results, indicate approximate limits or error, and mention briefly the principal factors contributing to the error. (c) Compare your results to expectations. State the source, including page, from which an expected value is taken (e.g., Table x.x of seismic velocities from Burger, p. xx). Lack of agreement between your result and an accepted value does not necessarily represent an error on your part; your sample may have been different or your measurements may have been made under different conditions.