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Science Fair Project 2006

Your science fair project is much more than a fold-out display board showing a ‘science experiment’ – It is authentic, scientific research carried out and documented using scientific method. Scientific method follows an organized system to reach scientifically sound conclusions. Follow these 10 simple steps for a successful science fair project:


Part 1 – Due Monday, Oct. 9 5 points
1) Question*
2) Hypothesis*
3) Plan

PART II – Due Friday, Oct. 27 20 points
4) Bibliography
5) Background Research

PART III – Due Tuesday, Oct. 31 5 points
6) Title of Project*
7) Procedure (& materials list)*


PART IV – Due Wednesday, Nov. 29 15 points
8) Data collection*
9) Results*
10) Conclusion*

(* items on or with your board) Total 45 points



All projects MUST be approved (signed approval form) BEFORE you begin your experiment.

All projects will be reviewed for approval AFTER your research is complete.

For a complete copy of official guidelines and rules, go to www.sciserv.org/isef/

2 0 0 6 S C I E N C E F A I R ! !

1. Question:
What do you want to know? Narrow down your field of research. It is important to focus on one question. Choosing a question that can be answered with a YES or NO answer makes it easier to prove one way or the other. Ask your teacher or parents for help when looking for ideas. The internet is also full of ideas if you draw a blank. You definitely want to pick a question about a subject that interests you.

2. Hypothesis:
Your hypothesis is what you think may be the answer to your question. The hypothesis is the possible answer you will try to prove or disprove. It should be expressed in the form of a complete sentence (restating the question). Remember that it does not matter whether your hypothesis is correct or not, either way your results will prove something.

(If you get this far and realize your question cannot be answered by the scientific method, return to step one and figure out whether any part of your question involves something that can be measured. If not, it is a question science can’t answer. If yes, rephrase your question accordingly and continue).

3. Plan (brief draft)
How are you planning to prove (or disprove) your hypothesis? This plan should be brief, just to give me an idea about what you plan to do. You will write an expanded, detailed plan after your research.

4. Bibliography:
List the sources of information used in your background research (see #5). There are many resources available in libraries, book stores, teacher’s files, and on the Internet. Don’t forget!! – List all sources in your bibliography.
REMEMBER - Your bibliography will contain AT LEAST 4 references – You must have AT LEAST 2 non-Internet and non-encyclopedia references! (i.e. documents where you can credit an author)

5. Background Research:
This is an important step to your science fair project! Find information that relates to or supports your topic. This information should be put into your own words but keep track of where you fount the information to put in a bibliography. Your research gives you (and your reader) information about your topic, factors related to your topic, and an idea as to what results may come from your experiment. Your research, in most cases, will answer your question from step 1!!

Your research paper should be a minimum of two full pages, 1-inch margins, 14-point font, and double-spaced. You will find that the more sources you have to pull from, the easier and more complete your paper will be. You should have a minimum of 4 references – You must have at least 2 non-Internet* and non-encyclopedia references! (i.e. books and/or journals – an author and publishing date)

*Information published in a scientific journal or similar type publication and archived on the Internet is acceptable – please note the author, title, publisher, publishing date, and the date you looked at it in your bibliography.

ALL RESEARCH MUST BE COMPLETE, TURNED IN, AND APPROVED BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION CAN BEGIN.
6. Title:
It’s time to come up with a title of your project! Most people try to make up a cleaver or catchy title. Your title can also just be your original question.

7. Procedure: (include material list)
This step by step plan of your proposed experiment is the process by which you will prove or disprove your hypothesis (a much more detailed version than your plan from step 3). It should leave no doubt in your reader’s mind as to how you are going to do your experiment. List as much detail as you can. Include how you plan to keep your records.
Make sure your method of investigation can answer your question and only your question. Format your procedure similar to a recipe listing each step in detail. The reader should have no problem understanding your experiment and even repeat your experiment by following your directions. Remember to include a list of all the materials you will need to conduct your investigation.

8. Data Collection:
At this point begin doing your experiment, keeping very accurate records of everything you do. Include the time and date of each observation. Don’t forget to keep track of all reference materials and people that help you to list in your bibliography too. Record failures as well as successes. Keep track of all steps your perform and all tests you make in your notebook. Explain step by step how you tested your hypothesis.

Where necessary, use a control. A control is a constant: something that doesn’t change. The control is not ‘experimented’ with, instead, it is used to measure, compare, and contrast against your experiment. You also may want to do our experiment twice to ensure accuracy. Have you eliminated all variables (conditions which could affect your answer but for which you are not testing)?

ALL RESEARCH MUST BE COMPLETE, TURNED IN, AND APPROVED BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION CAN BEGIN.

9. Results:
At this point you’ll be glad you kept clear, precise records. This section contains the graphs, charts, tables, pictures, etc, you used in testing your hypothesis. Make sure everything is well labeled and easily understandable. This section should also contain a written interpretation of the data you collected.

10. Conclusion:
You asked a question, you hypothesized an answer, you did an experiment, and you recorded your results. Now it is time to write your conclusion. The conclusion, plain and simple, is the answer to your question. It should be clear, concise and to the point. Resist the temptation to jump to conclusions. Your conclusion should also include questions and answers you came up with during your experiment:
If I were to do my experiment again, would I get the same results? Can there be differences? Why? What other factors may have affected my results? What have I learned? What new questions came up? What other research could be done? What could be done to extend this experiment?
For more information, go to http://www.sciserv.org/isef/primer/index.asp

SCIENCE FAIR PART II
(bibliography due Oct. 25th; research paper due Oct. 27th)


cover question research – research – research bibliography
sheet and (two full pages minimum)
hypothesis


Background Research:
This is an important step to your science fair project! Find information that relates to or supports your topic. If you are working with a partner, you each must turn in an independent research paper. This information should be put into your own words. DO NOT JUST COPY AND PASTE FROM THE INTERNET! Keep track of where you found the information to put in bibliography. Your research gives you (and your reader) information about the topic, factors related to your topic, and an idea as to what results may come from your experiment. Your research, in many cases, will answer your question from part one!! Include a cover sheet with your name, date, class, and title of project.

Save your work often!!!
You should save it in more than one place! (a back-up disk, a second computer or email it to me!)
Your typed research paper should be two full pages (min), 14-point font, standard (ex: Times New Roman), double-spaced. Quality is more important than quantity.

In Microsoft Word –
To set Margins: File – Page Set-up – Top: 1.0, Bottom: 1.0, Left: 1.0, Right: 1.0
To set Font size: Format – Font – Size 14
To set to double spacing: Format – Paragraph – Line spacing: Double


ALL RESEARCH MUST BE COMPLETE, TURNED IN, AND APPROVED
BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION CAN BEGIN.

Bibliography:
A bibliography is an alphabetical list of all the sources used in your research. List ALL the sources of information used in your background research. Sources are alphabetized by author or by title if no author is given. Formatting should match the research paper guidelines.
There are many resources available in libraries, book stores, teacher’s files, and on the Internet. Many resources lead you to other resources. Don’t forget!! – List all sources in your bibliography including people you have interviewed.

The more references you have, the easier your paper will be. Your should have a minimum of 4 references – YOU must have at least 2 non Internet* and non encyclopedia references! The more references you have, the easier it is to write your paper.

*information published in a scientific journal or similar type publication and archived on the Internet is acceptable – please note the author, title, publisher and date published in your bibliography.

Examples of bibliography listings are on the back of this page or at http://www.ri.net/RIEMA/bibliog.html


PART IV (Due Nov. 29th)


 You’ve done your research, you’ve done your experiment, and you’ve analyzed your data. Now what? It’s time to prepare your presentation!

What to display on the front of your board:

Your QUESTION
A complete sentence ending with a question mark

Example: Does a truck carrying helium weigh less when it is full?

Your HYPOTHESIS
An educated guess as to the answer of your question. It should be a complete sentence that restates your question.

Example: A truck carrying helium will weigh less when it is full than when it is empty.
Or
A truck carrying helium will not weigh less when it is full than when it is empty.

Your PROCEDURE
A step-by-step description of your investigation (including a materials list)

Your RESULTS
A Summary of the findings of your investigation. Graphs, charts, photos,…work well here!

Your CONCLUSION
How do these results compare to your original hypothesis?
What new questions came up?
What variables may have influenced your results?
What other research could be done?
What could be done to extend this experiment?


What NOT to display on the front of your board:
Your name
Your school
Hazardous materials
Organic materials (plants, dirt, leaves, food, …)



Your PRESENTATION
The judges will be asking questions about your project. Answer honestly and as precisely as you can. Be yourself! Don’t be afraid to point things out they may have missed. Having a solid understanding of your research and experiment is key for a successful interview. A copy of the judging sheet is on the back of this paper – look it over BEFORE the due date to make sure each area is covered.


more information about getting started, sources for research, examples, and official guidelines, check out these websites:

http://www.sciserv.org/isef/ http://www.scifair.org http://whyfiles.org/ http://www.discover.com/ http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/ http://course.lib.uci.edu/ed/spirit/sciencefair.html http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/youth/science_fair_index.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/
http://www.selah.wednet.edu/SOAR/SciProj2000/index.html