A scientist keeps a careful record of the data that is collected when testing the hypothesis. The data is then organized into nice, neat, easy-to-read tables, charts, and graphs.

It is a good idea to create your table before you begin to carry-out your procedure. Think about rows and columns. What will be your headings?

For our example with lightning bugs. I know we have 10 different bugs and three different temperatures. My empty chart should probably look like this:

Update: The table below is not displaying correctly on some browsers... hope to have it corrected soon.

Once you have created your empty table, it will be very easy to record your data. Just fill-in the empty boxes.

Whenever you collect data, you will want to look for patterns in that data. Sometimes the pattern will be easy to see, but often you will need to change your data into a graph in order to more easily see the pattern or trend.. You might choose a bar graph, a line graph, or a pie graph.

It is definitely a good idea to have a table (rows and columns) as well as a graph (bar, line, or pie) on your display board. Be sure to make it colorful and easy to read.