This is a brief, introductory guide about how to do science. That is, you will effectively be told how to do the science. Other practicals, such as your Southampton Common project, will be much more open-ended. Whatever type of practical you are doing, your understanding and interpretation of the subject will be enhanced if you have an appreciation of how science ought to be done.
Science is partly about asking questions.
More importantly, it is about asking the right questions. This handout provides you with a framework within which you can start to ask questions and get the right answers to them. Formulate an Initial Question and Make Preliminary Observations. We can't ask questions in an intellectual vacuum. We need to know something about the system we plan to study before we can make any progress.