Creating a Materials List What type of supplies and equipment will you need to complete your EnvironMentors project? By making a complete list ahead of time, you can make sure that you have everything on hand when you need it. Some items may take time to obtain, so making a materials list in advance is key! As with your Experimental Procedure, your Materials List include the specific amounts of each item you’ll need (500 g of soil, rather than just listing soil). Ask yourself two questions when developing your materials list: Have you listed all necessary materials? Have you described the materials in sufficient detail? Tip: At a simplified level, you can think of your Materials as the ingredients list of a recipe. A recipe that lists only flour, sugar and eggs would be useless without specified quantities. Your materials list needs to be as detailed and specific as a cooking recipe ingredients list. Science Buddies.org provides an example of a “good” and a “bad” materials list A Good Materials List Is Very Specific
X A Bad Materials List
500 ml of de-ionized water
Water
Stopwatch with 0.1 sec accuracy
Clock
AA alkaline battery
Battery
If you and your mentor have any problems obtaining the materials and equipment you need for your experiment, be sure to talk to your chapter coordinator.