The Field Notes should contain only facts - all the facts and nothing but the facts - never subjective material such as opinions or interpretations or unproven "conclusions" about the culture. Editor's note

Care needs to be taken in the use of adjectives when writing a description of an incident. "He was using a large needle." How big is "large?" It would be best to state its approximate size. "He wore his hair in hundreds of tiny filthy braids," is better written, He wore his hair in braids well-caked with what looked like pig-grease braided into many (hundreds?) of 3 - 6 inch braids." We must focus on objectivity in our culture investigation.

At the same time, you will form opinions - and they can be valuable. Even though they don't belong in the Field Notes, subjective impressions and interpretations can best be recorded in a journal or diary. (Those who have tried to keep a diary or journal before will recognize the problem of inconsistency right away. Some have solved that problem by making entries that include several days or even weeks.)