Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

where should i put my hypothesis in my lab notebook? under
- background research
- materials
- experimental set up
- data and results
- data analysis and conclusion

Hi,

If you think about what a hypothesis is (broadly, it is your guess for what the outcome of your experiment is) it doesn't really fit in to any of the sections you've just outlined. It is certainly not data analysis and conclusion, data and results, or materials, right? As a researcher, I always have a hypothesis as the first thing in my notebook after my title, but you could also consider putting it at the end of background research, since you may not be able to come up with your hypothesis until after you've done the background research. I don't think either option really is wrong, as long as you HAVE A HYPOTHESIS!!

If you are doing this project for a specific class at school, you might consider asking your teacher where they prefer that you write your hypothesis.

I hope this helps and good luck with your project!
JMP