Want to record an experiment? Read This First!

There are three different sections to post in, depending on the type of experiment you are conducting: Zooplankton Experiments, Fish and Larvae Experiments, and Phytoplankton Experiments. Each of the Journals opening posts will follow a method similar to how the "Breeding Journals" opening post is formatted. 
 
Experiment Title:  
A quick way to easily sum-up of what your experiment does, eg. "The Effect of Various Light Cycles on the Growth of Isochrysis galbana within 8 days"

Purpose of Experiment:  
 A quick sentence of what your experiment is trying to do, eg. "The purpose of this experiment is to determine how various light cycles affect the density of Isochrysis galbana after 8 days"

Hypothesis:  
An educated guess of how you expect the experiment to result, usually an "If... Then...." statement, eg. "If the light cycle is longer, then the density of Isochrysis galbana will be greater after 8 days"
  
Starting Date of Experiment:  
A start date for when you are beginning your experiment
  
Ending Date of Experiment:  
An end date for your whole experiment
  
Number of Trials:  
How many times will you be running your experiment
 
Materials:
An organized list of what materials you will be using during the experiment, eg:
1 quart mason jar
2/3 of a cup of reef salt
A microwave
A starter culture of Isochrysis galbana
 
Procedure for the Experiment:  

Detailed numbered instructions as to how you are conducting your experiment, eg.
1. Measure 500mL of freshly made saltwater at a salinity of 1.026sg
2. Add 500mL to 1 quart mason jar
3. Microwave mason jar for 3 minutes, or until the temperature hits 210°F
4. Take mason jar out of the microwave and allow it to cool to room temperature
5. After the mason jar has cooled, add enough Isochrysis galbana to lightly tint the water yellow
 
Experiment Constants:  

What is staying the same throughout the experiment, eg:
1 quart mason jar's, the salinity of the water, the amount of water used

Experiment Variables:  

Independent variable: The factor that you are manipulating, eg. Factor = salinity. Salinity has 3 levels: 10 ppt, 20 ppt, and 30 ppt. 
 
Dependent variable: The variable that you are measuring (what responds to your independent variable/factor), e.g cell density (cells/mL)
 
Experiment Data:   
(A data table of one’s experiment results goes here, one can still post their data in the discussion beyond this post, this is just for when one ends the experiment)
  
Conclusion: 
A sum-up of your results goes here, restate the purpose, as well as whether your hypothesis was correct or incorrect. Eg. "The purpose of this experiment was to  to determine how various light cycles affect the density of Isochrysis galbana after 8 days. After the experiment was conducted, the results showed that in 8 days, lights on for X hours had a cell density of xx, lights on for Y hours had a cell density of yy, and lights on for Z hours had a cell density of zz. The hypothesis for the experiment, "if the light cycle is longer, then the density of Isochrysis galbana will be greater after 8 days," was correct. After the 8 day period, light cycle Z had the greatest cell density."
 

I would love to record an experiment, but there is no way to start a new thread!  Seems we are missing a button….

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