Paper: Some observations can be recorded informally on blank paper, a tablet, or some lined or unlined notebook.[sample] The variety and prices of paper and note books is bewildering. Some researchers have found that using voice-activated pocket recorders, and video cameras (often on mobile phones) also work well in collecting what might be considered "casual" data. Indeed, voice recorders are excellent for researchers working alone and doing reconnaissance work from a car or truck.
Custom Forms: Often enough, field workers find it easier to design and reproduce a form which is unique to the project on which they are currently working. Custom made forms have one disadvantage in that researchers must know before going into the field precisely what types of data they will be collecting.[sample] For example, a field worker about to study prospective sites for a rest area along a highway may find it useful to record the type of vegetation at each site. Accordingly, she or he should probably include a space on the survey form marked "Vegetation." There probably will not be a need to prepare special spaces labled "Number of redwood trees," "Distance to the nearest school," or something of the sort. Determining what and what should not be included on a custom survey form can be determined during initial reconnaissance or during what is known as a "pilot study."
Custom forms have a number of advantages. First, they aid in collecting only pertinent and relevant data, removing from consideration extraneous data. Second, they insure consistency in data collection. That is, the same type of data are collected from every site. Third, loss of one form does not necessarily result in the loss of all forms or data collected from other sites. Fourth, they are quite easy to use in the field.
In many respects, custom field forms are like questionnaires. Unlike standard questionnaires in which human subjects are asked to respond to predetermined questions, custom forms require that the field worker ask questions of herself or himself about phenomena being studied.
Field Books: Professional geographers as well as land surveyors, foresters, ecologists, geologists, engineers,, have long used field books to record data. These books come in a variety of formats, with pages lined in different rows and columns for specific types of data [sample]. Most field workers prefer the ones that measure approximately 12 cm by 18 cm, will fit in your hip pocket, and have rainproof pages. That is, they can be written-in even when the pages are damp. Convention holds that tabular data are recorded on the left, and graphic (map) data are recorded on the right, along with the name of the project, date, weather conditions, and the names of the crew.[sample] Professional models of these books are cloth bound and quite expensive. Less expensive paper back student models are required for this course (see Course Outline).
Use of a field survey book is not necessarily easy. Care has to be taken to lay-out columns and tabular data appropriately on the left-hand page. Similarly, the illustration on the right-hand page has to be drawn with care. It need not be to scale. It should, however, be carefully centered. The north arrow need not be pointing to the top of the page. Data points on the illustration should be labeled to correspond with the tabular data. Labeling should, for the most part, conform to the lines on the page. In a few cases, such as where a path might cross the page diagonally, it is appropriate to align the label with the related feature. Text should never exceed the margins of the page, and it should never cross any lines drawn as part of the map.
The procedures for recording data in a survey book are straightforward. First, begin a Table of Contents on the first page. This page should include the titles of each project beginning at the left hand margin and progressing down the page, and the corresponding page numbers near the right hand margin. The Table of Contents will begin with one project and will grow as new projects are recorded in the book. Page numbers in your fieldbook should be written in the lower corners of the page, beginning with "1" on the left hand side of the page.
For each project, first record the title of the project across the top of the two facing pages. Then create a project information box in the upper right corner of the right hand page. On different lines, it should include the place, the date, weather conditions, and names of crew members with the name of the data recorder listed first [sample].
Next, walk over the area to be mapped to get a feel for the area and the task at hand. Then, and only then, lay-out the illustration (map) on the right-hand page. Draw-in all the relevant items and projected survey lines. Be sure to use a sharp pencil and a straight-edge. Do not include any superfluous information. Neatness and clear, ledgible printing (not cursive writing) are imperative [sample].
Once you have the illustration finished, you can begin taking measurements and recording data, both in tabular form on the left-hand page, and with the illustration on the right-hand page [sample]. Recording numerical data on both pages may seem redundant, but this duplication allows for errors of transposition to be double-checked. If there are too many data for one page, go on to a second page. You need not redraw the illustration on the next page. You might, however, find the next right-hand page to be a good place to make a "secondary" graphic, perhaps of some area or feature not initially anticipated.
When recording data, remember to do so with the thought that someone other than yourself will use them. If you are working for a government agency or a private firm, the recorded data belong to that employer and not yourself. There is an excellent chance that the data you recorded will have to be used by other people, perhaps well after the time you recorded them. Record data as though your job depends on it. It does!
Do not even think about recording "rough notes" on a sheet of paper and transcribing them into a field book later. Such a practice defeats the entire purpose of recording data accurately in the first place. It is also unethical. That would be tantamount to a surgeon using unsterile instruments with the idea that she or he can later cure any infections with antibiotics. You wouldn't want such a physician working on you. Similarly, an employer won't tolerate sloppily recorded data.
NEVER work hastily. NEVER overstrike. NEVER underline (unless summing). NEVER put boxes around data. NEVER freehand what are supposed to be straight lines. NEVER encroach on the margins. NEVER allow lines and words or numbers to cross each other. NEVER have variable density lines and letters. NEVER have decimals out of line (on the tabular page). NEVER allow erasures to show (Professional surveyors do not erase; they strike-over and redo!). NEVER smudge your lines, letters, and numbers. NEVER list information out of order in the information box. NEVER list the names out of order in the information box.
Photographs are important as they record what was going on in a particular
place at a particular time. In other words, they contain data.
Accordingly, every fieldworker should photograph important
features and conditions being studied. Cameras on mobile phones work just fine for this purpose. Photographs complement field
notes.
Created by William E. Doolittle. Last revised 12 May 2017