A procedure is a step-by-step set of directions for testing the hypothesis.
A complete stranger should be able to read your procedure and carry-out the experiment in the exact same way that you did your experiment.
A good procedure will look a lot like a recipe in a cookbook. Your procedure should:
- start by listing all of the equipment and materials needed to do the experiment
- list the steps in order (use numbered bullets or time order words like first, next, then)
- be clear and precise
- be as short as possible (don't be too wordy)
- start each step with a verb
Here is an example of a BAD procedure for our lightning bug experiment:
Get a jar and some lightning bugs. Put the bugs in the jar. Count how many times the bugs flash in 5 minutes. Make the bugs hot by putting them near a heater. Count how many times they flash during the next 5 minutes. Record your results.
This procedure needs help!
How many bugs? What kind of jar? How big should the jar be? How hot should I make the air in the jar? How many times should I repeat the test?
It would also be easier to read if it was written with "bullets" instead of as a paragraph.
Here is an example of a fairly GOOD procedure:
Get the following materials and equipment:
- thermometer
- clear 1 qt glass jar with lid
- timer
- a dark room that you can adjust the air temperature
- 10 recently captured lightning bug
Follow these steps:
- Place one bug in the jar
- Put the jar in a dark room that is 72 degrees F
- Record how many times the bug flashes in 5 minutes
- Lower the temperature in the room to 62 degrees F
- Record the number of bug flashes in 5 minutes
- Raise the room temperature to 82 degrees F
- Record the number of bug flashes in 5 minutes
- Repeat steps 1-7 with nine other bugs