When you decide to observe natural phenomena in detail, a good starting point is keeping a field book. The most commonly used system for keeping field books is naturalist Joseph Grinnell's. Grinnell kept a naturalist's record consisting of four components (a field journal, a species account, a catalog and a field notebook) from 1894 until 1939, and it has set the global standard for scientific observation and investigation since then. If you follow the simple, methodical techniques that separate facts from opinion, your field notebook will greatly advance your personal studies.
Instructions
1. Insert the notebook, pen, calendar and compass into the notebook cover. Keep the other notebooks, which will become your Field Journal, Species Account and Catalog, at your desk. You will carry the field notebook with you at all times.
2. Enter your daily observations, rough sketches and the date and times of your observations in your field notebook as they occur. Only write on one side of each page.
3. Review your field notes and transcribe them into your field journal, species account and catalog at the end of every day.
The field journal is a narrative expansion of your field notebook.
The species account is where you will index your notes based on what species you observed. Note that you will substitute what you are studying for the "species" in this component.
The catalog is for sequentially numbering and describing everything you collect while you are in the field.
Tags: field notebook, your field, field journal, species account, your field notebook
