> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sightlinebehavior.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Set up an observation
> Check the student, behaviors, timing, and recording options before beginning.
Set up the student, method, behaviors, and recording options before entering the recorder. The choices you make here determine the controls available during the observation and the measurements shown in Results.
Open a student and select **Start Observation**. With the free Community plan, select **New observation** and enter the student's name at the top of the setup window.
## Add the observation details
Select **Setting** to describe where or during what activity you are observing, then add the **Teacher** if useful. Press Enter or click outside a field to keep the text.
The setting describes the observation as a whole. If you want to mark changes between activities during recording, turn on **Track activities** in the options on the left.
## Choose a method
Select the method card at the upper left to change the recording method.
| Method | What you record |
| - | - |
| [Interval](/interval-recording) | Whether a behavior occurred within an interval, throughout it, or at the sampling moment. Choose Partial Interval, Whole Interval, or Momentary Time Sampling. |
| [Anecdotal](/anecdotal-recording) | Written entries describing what you observe, with optional timestamps and tags. |
| [ABC](/abc-recording) | Antecedent, behavior, and consequence for each recorded event. |
| [Frequency](/frequency-recording) | Each occurrence of a behavior. |
| [Duration](/duration-recording) | The start and end of each behavior episode. |
| [Latency](/latency-recording) | The time between a cue and a response. |
If you change methods after beginning setup, review the behaviors and options again before continuing.
## Define the behaviors
Enter the first behavior in **Behavior name…**. Use **Add behavior…** to add another. Beneath each name, describe the observable actions that count as that behavior. Use this definition to decide what to record during the observation. You can also use the library button to choose a saved definition.
For Interval and Frequency recording, the **Key** beside each behavior is its recording shortcut. You can change it before starting. For other methods, use the shortcuts shown in the recorder. Most methods support up to five behaviors. Latency records one behavior per observation.
Anecdotal recording does not require a behavior list. The other methods need at least one named behavior.
For ABC, setup continues through three stages. Enter the behaviors, select **Continue**, then review the antecedent tags. Select **Continue** again to review the consequence tags. Adjust the tags to fit what you need to record. Use **Back** to revisit an earlier stage.
## Set the timing
For methods with a **Length** control, select a preset or enter a length in minutes. Choose **No limit** if you want to decide when to end the observation. Anecdotal recording uses the length as a guide; you still end the session yourself.
For Interval recording, set **Interval** in seconds. The interval must fit within the session length. Partial Interval and Whole Interval also offer **Pause to score each interval**. You can score while observing with this on or off. Turn it on to pause at each interval’s end, check the scores, and select **Continue**. Turn it off for intervals to advance automatically. Momentary Time Sampling pauses for you to score at each sampling point.
For Latency, enter the event that begins each trial in **Clock starts when**. You can use **From library** as a starting point and edit it. This field is required before Begin becomes available.
Latency has no session-length or trial-count control in setup. Decide how many trials you intend to complete and select **End** after the last one, including when you planned only one trial.
## Choose recording options
The options shown depend on the method.
**Audio signal** provides interval cues. Check the sound preferences in [Settings](/settings) before observing if you need a particular cue or a silent session.
**Track activities** lets you select the current activity during recording and change it as the session progresses. Choose the activity set you want to use. Activity tracking is always on for ABC. See [Track activity context](/activity-context) for working with activity sets.
**Peer comparison** is available for Interval and Frequency recording. For Interval recording, choose how often to observe the comparison peer. Peer intervals are scored separately from the student's intervals. Choose a schedule that leaves enough intervals to observe the student.
## Reuse a setup
If the student has a previous observation, a **Start from** card may offer its setup. Apply it, then check the method, timing, behaviors, and activity choices for the new session.
Select **From a template** to load a saved setup. Review its settings before recording. Use **Save as template** to keep the current setup for another observation.
To set the starting preferences for a recording method, use **Set as default** or the new-observation defaults in [Settings](/settings).
## Begin recording
Check the student, method, behaviors, and timing, then select **Begin**. For ABC, this appears after the consequence stage. If Begin is unavailable, check the readiness message beside it for a missing name, behavior, or invalid timing value.
The recorder opens before the observation clock starts. Select **Start** when you are ready to observe.
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