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SCIENCE FAIR
PROJECT PAPER OUTLINE
The project paper for the Science Fair will be completed in stages throughout the science fair process. For the final paper all the sections of the paper will need to be compiled into one document for a neat and clean presentation.
The sections are as follows:
1. Project Summary/Abstract:
This needs to be a maximum of 250 words but no less then 200, which includes the following information: a) brief summary of research b) purpose of the experiment, c) explanation of the procedures followed, d) summary of data and conclusions, e) Possible applications for information gained.
2. Objective/Question
This is a two-to-three sentence statement of what you will be doing for your project. Sample: Soil nutrients are affected by both living and non living things. The purpose of this experiment is to see if earthworms have an effect on nutrient levels in the soil.
3. Hypothesis
Your hypothesis is what you will be testing. This should be an if/then statement either written or implied. If a plant is placed in soil with earthworms, then it will grow better than a plant in soil without earthworms.
4. Variables
In a project you want to control all the variables of an experiment except for one, (what you are testing for). There are three types of variables that need to be listed: a. Control Variables. These are variables that are not changing from your control group to your manipulated group, b) Manipulated Variable. This is the one variable that you are testing for that is changed between the two groups, c) Responding Variable. This is what you will be looking to happen due to your experiment.
5. Materials
This is a detailed list of what you will need in order to perform your experiment. This should include lengths of material and amounts and volumes needed.
6. Procedures
This is a step-by-step instruction of how you are going to perform your experiment. If you are building something for your project, drawings of the object should be included. You should also list primary information that will be recorded and how it is to be recorded.
7. Data
This is explanation/examination of the data that you have collected during your experiment taken from your log book. You should not be drawing any conclusions about your project in this section, just presenting your information in a clear and concise manner. You should use graphs, charts, and pictures to help identify patterns that may have happened. Answer questions such as: Did each trial of your experiment give you the same results, why or why not? Were there any errors that happened in your experiment, data collection? Did these errors influence your outcome?
8. Graphs and Charts
There must be a minimum of two graphs or charts in your paper. Graphs and charts are used to help visually show your information you are presenting. They also can help you see trends in your data.
9. Conclusion/Analysis
In this section you want to draw conclusions of what happened and why it happened, (remember you want to base you conclusions in facts from the experiment or from your research). Some questions that could be answered are: Did you prove or disprove your hypothesis? If you did not prove your hypothesis that is ok, explain why your data did not do so. Were there patterns in your data, why/why not? Were there errors in the data, if so, why? Did you collect enough data? How could the project be used in the real world? How could you have improved your experiment?
10. Acknowledgements
This is a short thank you to all that have helped you with your project.
11. Log Book
A log book is a notebook where you record data about your experiment. Information in the logbook should be measurable (quantitative) and non-measurable (qualitative). If you are measuring plant growth, you might want to measure height, leaf number, and leaf size. You might want to make observations on the plant health over all: Was the stem weak? Did it have a good color? Were the leaves shaped well? Do not neglect the recorded data.