Guidelines for Student Electronic Logbooks

We have been increasingly persuading students to switch from paper notes to electronic notekeeping, for ease of searching, and support across multiple devices. Indeed, electronic logbooks are now submitted alongside final reports as a means of assessing progress and engagement with the projects. Here are some general guidelines for good record keeping.

• Record meeting notes as soon as supervision meetings are complete, while the information is still fresh. Pay particular attention to action items in the coming week.

• Keep your notebook organised: avoid titles like "Third Meeting", instead include the dates and any keywords that will help you search back through the logbook later on.

• Split your electronic notebook into subsections. Suggestions include:

  • The timeline for the project, with key milestones and important dates (e.g., presentations, submission deadlines).
  • Background reading for the project, with one note for each resource read or topic covered. For example, for Jupiter you'd need to explain the basic observational properties (bands, vortices, storms); the general temperature, composition and cloud structures, the belts/zones and relationship between windshears and temperature gradients; the sources of data (missions like Juno, Cassini, telescopes).
  • Methodology background: e.g., for ground-based observations, you'll need to explain how the data were acquired (e.g., telescope, instrument, chop-nod technique) and processed (e.g., mapping and calibration), what software tools you used for your analysis, why specific filters or spectral regions were chosen (i.e., with reference to a spectrum).
  • Coding and research notes: take screenshots as you are working, explain challenges faced and means to overcome them, and conclude each session with a clear, boldface description of the next steps you'd like to take.
  • Plans for Reports & Presentations: Start generating a general list of slides (with key points); or the structure of your final report. You can give yourself action items to complete certain sections by specific dates, and tick them off as you proceed.

• As you're reading background literature, be sure to take screenshots of key figures (with an explanation) and record key references. This "harvesting" of references and figures will be very helpful when you prepare final reports and presentations.