Welcome to The Lakewood Public Library Student Guide to Science Fair projects. You will find the basic steps involved in researching and completing your science project as well as a guide to science fair resources available at Lakewood Public Library.

Ideas for your project

Pick a topic that you find interesting. Your work will be easier if you choose something that stimulates your curiosity. You should find something at one of these Web sites, but if you are undecided after looking at them, take a look at some of the book sources available at the library.

Some quick advice...all of the links above will give you some good ideas for your project but don't rely on them for the exact experiments you want to do. Try to add your own personal touch. If you can, think of a new spin on an old idea. Freshness and creativity will add an extra dimension to your work.

 

One More Thought - Doing a Science Fair Project from start to finish will take you to a lot of different sources and will give you much to think about. A really good idea is to keep track of everything by writing it down in a project journal, sort of a diary of your work. It might seem time consuming but it will certainly save a lot of time if you forget something!


The Experiment Experience

In the book How to Do a Science Fair Project, the author describes the different categories of science fair projects as "assembling a model, constructing a display, carrying out a survey, repeating someone else's work, or undertaking an original investigation." The last two categories in that list are often chosen by students. They involve conducting an experiment.

We all perform informal experiments in our daily lives. For example, if you sampled all the flavors of ice cream, your "tests" would give you the information you need to decide your favorite!

A scientific experiment is much more exact. It uses four steps called the scientific method:

1. Purpose/Hypothesis. First, decide what your experiment is supposed to find out (purpose). Use information from your background research to make a guess (hypothesis) as to what the result of the experiment will be. A hypothesis is an educated guess—that is, a guess based on knowledge.

2. Procedure. Next, decide how to test your hypothesis. Scientific experiments must be planned carefully to have valid results. For instance, when testing the effect of a stimulus on a test subject, there must be a "control" subject which experiences the exact same conditions as the test subject except for the stimulus being tested. Click here for a good explanation of a control experiment.

To help plan the procedure, use your research tools to find a similar experiment. Search in the library's catalog using the subject headings "Experiments" and "Science Experiments." You can also search using a subject heading made up of the specific scientific field you are interested in plus the word "experiments" (for example, "Physics - Experiments" or "Botany - Experiments"). Science Fair Project Index
 
A few books you'll want to know about...
Science Experiments on File (REF 507.8 Sc416)
Science Fair Project Index 1985-1989 (jREF 502.8 Ak315s4)
Science Fair Project Index 1981-1984 (jREF 502.8 Ak315s3)
Science Fair Project Index is also available online at http://www.ascpl.lib.oh.us/scifair/

3. Data Collection. As you conduct your experiment, record the results as they are produced. Do not try to remember data—write it down!

4. Conclusion. Use the data you collected to form a conclusion about your original hypothesis. Did you get the results you expected? Remember, being able to use your data to form a conclusion is more important than whether or not your hypothesis was right. Do not try to force your data to support your hypothesis. Make your conclusion objectively, using only the data you collected.

Source referred to above: Salvatore Tocci, How to Do a Science Fair Project (New York: Franklin Watts, 1986).

To see other explanations of the scientific method, visit Scientific Method - Internet Public Library. For other Web sites, see the pathfinder for Science Experiments.


Gathering Information

To begin, you'll want to gather background information on the topic you've chosen.

Search the library's catalog for books on your general subject (for example, "physics" or "botany"). You can also find good background information in general science encyclopedias.
 
 
Two good science encyclopedias to try:
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology. 8th ed. 1997 
(REF 503 McGraw-Hill)
Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. 8th ed. 1995 
(REF 503 Van Nostrand's)

You can find many useful science sites online. A great place to start your research is Kid's Search Tools. 

Finally, try online encyclopedias and databases. Periodical articles can be good sources of information for some science topics, especially for recent research and discoveries. Check out the Student Research Center available as part of the Ohio Web Library.

After you have learned something about your subject of interest, you will be ready to define your specific project.

Tabulating Your Data

This is not as tough as it sounds! Tabulating your data simply means gathering your information and starting to put it in a presentable format. You can use tables, graphs, charts and statistics. The choice is up to you. Pick the format which you feel most comfortable with and which will display your work to the best advantage. 

Take a look at IPL Hints and Tips to find ideas about how you might tackle this part of your assignment. There is also an excellent chapter in the book The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects by Julianne Blair Bochinski. Check out chapter four: Organizing and Presenting Data. It starts on page 21.)

Once you have completed the organization of your materials you should be ready to write a report.


Writing Your Report

Not too long to go now. If you have reached this stage you have completed your important research and you should be able to write down what you have accomplished. Here are a couple of things you need to do. 

1. Write an abstract. An abstract is a quick summary of your project. You should state your initial idea, what you hoped to prove or achieve and what your results were. The rule of thumb here is to be brief. Use about 150-200 words and, above all, avoid the temptation to elaborate. All you need to do here is to give the judges a quick overview of what you have done. 

2. Write your report. Depending on your project and the amount of information you have accumulated your report might be anything from five to twenty pages long, or possibly even longer if you have gotten into a really complicated assignment. No matter how long it is you do need to make sure that you include all the relevant information at your disposal. The basic format may vary, but there are certain areas you should be certain to cover. 

  • An introduction - your idea and what you hoped to prove.
  • The experiment experience - how you set about conducting your experiment and what results you saw.
  • The resources you used - a listing of everything you used whether it was a book, a magazine, a pamphlet, a computer resource and so on.
  • How you set about tabulating your data - did you use graphs, table, charts....?
  • The results of your experiment - what happened? Did your experiment turn out the way you thought it would or did you have to rethink your ideas? 
As you can see the report writing process is really a way of recording everything you have done from the initial idea stage right through to your final results. Take your time with it and be sure to express your ideas clearly and concisely.

Now it is time to convince the world that you have the best science fair project in the land!


The Presentation

Well, if you are actually bringing your work to a science fair for presentation, this is where you might begin to think that the pressure is really on. Don't despair! You can do a wonderful presentation. How? The best two words to remember are: BE PREPARED!

So, how do you prepare your presentation for the scary judges? The simple answer is that you don't! Why not? Because you won't be meeting any scary judges at the science fair. You will find that most judges are friendly and sympathetic. They are interested in seeing what you have done and in hearing what you have to say.

Practice Makes Perfect! You wouldn't try to perform a part in a play without rehearsing your lines first. Treat your science fair project the same way. If possible, do this in front of your parents, friends or anyone else who will listen! This is a good idea because they can give you feedback and can ask you the kind of questions you might hear at the science fair itself. Here's a site with some advice for Presentations.


Final Thoughts

If you have gone through this guide from start to finish you should have managed to complete a good science fair project. However, it is important to note that this is only one of many science fair guides. Do take the time to look at some of the links we have provided and see if you can find other science fair sites yourself.


Additional Resources

Selected Science Fair Books

  • Beller, Joel. So You Want to Do a Science Project! New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1986, c1982. (j507.24-144) 
  • Bochinski, Julianne Blair. The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects. New York: Wiley, 1996. (507.9-Bochinski) 
  • Bombaugh, Ruth. Science Fair Success. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1990. (j507.8-172 & Bombaugh) 
  • Initz, Maxine. Science Fair: Developing a Successful and Fun Project. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1987. (507.8-506) 
  • Markle, Sandra. The Young Scientist's Guide to Successful Science Projects. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, c1990. (j507.8-Markle) 
  • Smith, Norman F. How to Do Successful Science Projects. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: J. Messner, c1990. (j507.8-Smith)
  • Tocci, Salvatore. How to Do a Science Fair Project. New York: F. Watts, 1986. (j507.2-887) 
  • VanCleave, Janice Pratt. Janice VanCleave's Guide to the Best Science Fair Projects. New York: Wiley, c1997. (j507.8-VanCleave)
General Science Fair Web Sites