HowTo – Cornell field logging

Priority: medium
Updating: mature

This HowTo describes the field logs maintained by Cornell in:

  1. Confidential paper notebooks,
  2. Backup scans of paper notebooks.

Change log:

Date Who Comment
2021 03 09 sp17 Created first skeleton
2021 03 19 Sp17 Began to flesh out
2021 07 21 Sp17 Minor notes about reconnaissance trips. Refinements about confidential and non-confidential content.
2021 08 06 Sp17 Fleshing out to 80%. The destination of scans or emails of lake samplers’ shipping manifests will be the Cornell field log, not the Cornell lab log, keeping them together with lake samplers’ per-sample metadata forms which will be scanned into the Cornell open field log.

This will stay at 80% until tried out.
2021 10 01 Sp17Reformatted for export to MS Word DOCX as part of QAPP.
2023 05 31 Sp17 Deleted the online log version. Mention scanning for backup. All field logs are confidential.

Cross-references to other HowTos:

1. Objectives

  • Maintain records of field activity, including dates/times/locations of samples and measurements and other observations done in the field.
  • Transcribe field measurements from paper into sample tracking database (sample log spreadsheet file and SQLite tabular database) soon after return from field activity.
  • Make periodic digital scans of notebook pages to protect against loss of records.

2. What to include in field log notebooks

Field activities worthy of logging are of several kinds:

  1. Pre-contact area reconnaissance to scout for candidate sites.
  2. Recruitment meeting. This may include site owners or intermediaries who assist in recruiting, such as Cornell Extension faculty and staff.
  3. Site characterization. (May be combined with recruitment meeting.)
  4. (if needed) Well installation.
  5. Sample collection and handling after collection until they reach Cornell.
  6. Site maintenance, diagnosis, repair, and closeout.

Plans for any of these activities may optionally be part of the log to keep information like checklists together with results of applying the checklist.

The field logs contain dated entries about who from Cornell visited, who was visited and encountered, records of discussion with landowners (including preparing to visit), site observations and measurements, and samples collected to return to Cornell. Any departures from protocol are noted. Field activity plans can also go into a field log.

Field notebooks are dedicated to a project and numbered sequentially on the cover. These use waterproof paper and pens with quick-drying, waterproof ink that is compatible with the paper. Field Notes and Field Book make pocket and larger waterproof notebooks. Uniball Jetstream pens are compatible with both.

There is more detail about what to record during sampling in the cross-referenced sampling HotwTos above.

Field activities that do not require logging include:

  • Shopping for supplies such as ice, except perhaps to note where to acquire them on a future trip.
  • Meals and lodging.
  • Weather except for extremes that affect the sampling conditions.
  • Minor courtesy contacts with landowners and others onsite.

As a related aspect, the shipping manifests and metadata sheets from the lake volunteers will be scanned shortly after receipt. They can be photographed with a cell phone camera or scanned on a flatbed. Note that there are no issues about landowner identities in lake samples thus the sheets are not confidential.

3. Life cycle stages of logbooks

Field logbooks have three life cycle stages:

  1. New logbook, numbered on the cover with a date. When a new logbook is started, assign it a number one higher than the highest current project notebook’s number.
  2. Logbook in progress. Periodically, make scans of pages as backups or for access by someone other than a person with the notebook in the field. Store scans in the Box
  3. Logbook filled. Write date of filling on the cover. Complete the last scan.

There are at least two active field logbooks passed among Cornell project participants, since sampling and installation teams can include more than one person working separately, at one site or multiple sites.

When a paper logbook fills, begin a fresh one. Record the starting date on the new notebook cover and increment the number. Record the full date on the filled notebook cover.

After transcribing data, the paper logbook becomes a backup copy retained at Cornell by a principal investigator or designee. Most significant content in the paper logbook should be transcribed into the project database, notably field measurements.

Any pages scanned from the paper logbook into backups are also confidential. Mark the last page scanned in the logbook so the next scan can with a little overlap.