An archaeologist wants to determine the volume of an irregular jade artifact by measuring the volume of oil it displaces in a graduated cylinder.

The assistant wrote the following proposed steps in the lab manual:

1. Place the jade artifact carefully into an empty graduated cylinder.
2. Pour the oil into the cylinder until the artifact is completely submerged.
3. Read and record the combined level of the oil and the artifact on the cylinder's scale.
4. This recorded value is the volume of the jade artifact.

The assistant's proposed method is incomplete and incorrect.