How to Collect Data: Field Journals

Field Journals

Field journals should be used for monitoring projects. NatureMapping participants on a birding trip or watching wildlife in their own backyard need only to fill out the Data Collection Form.

It is important to record detailed information, whether you are conducting a scientific experiment in a lab or out in the field. We can not remember everything and referring to notes is a critical component of the scientific process. A sketch of the field site (or a photograph) is a handy way to remember your visit.

Field journals are important if a question arises after you return from the site. It is much better to have notes than try to guess. Data collected in the field notebooks can be transferred to the NatureMapping Data Collection Form or into the Wildlife database.

Users may modify the field notebooks to meet their project needs. Remember, field notebooks are for recording more detail than what NatureMapping needs for the database, but are important for monitoring and learning the importance of note taking for scientific studies.