how to write background research for science fair

VFM 8th Grade Science Fair Project: Step 4: Background Research

• Step 1: Find a Project Idea
• Step 2: Formulate a Research Question & do a Project Proposal
• Step 3: State the Purpose
• Step 4: Background Research
• Free Web Search
• Step 5: Bibliography
• Step 6: Identify the Variables in your Experiment
• Step 7: Form a Hypothesis
• Step 8: Materials
• Step 9: Design & Write the Procedure
• Step 10: Perform the Experiment
• Step 11: Record your Data and Results
• Step 12: Analyze your Data & Results
• Step 13: Make a Conclusion
• Step 14: Write the Abstract
• Step 15: Acknowledgments
• Step 16: Title Page and Table of Contents
• Step 17: Proofread!
• Step 18: Write a Final Copy of your Lab Report
• Step 19: Create your Display Board
• Step 20: The VFMS Science Fair
• Oral Presentation
• Lab Journal/Notebook
• Schedule and Due Dates

In-Text Citation

• [APA] How do I write an APA parenthetical (in-text) reference? Give Credit to your website or author in the body of your research.

Background Research

Background research should help you to educate the reader of your project about important aspects of your topic.  

Using multiple resources, students should learn about past results of other experiments that are similar to theirs. Students should know how and why previous experimenters arrived at their conclusions. The background research should help the students give the “because…” in the “if… then… because…” section of their hypothesis.

20 - 30 facts from 3 sources  is a reasonable expectation for this section. In the final paper, this background research will be put into paragraph form.

Use the  Background Research Planning Worksheet  to help you formulate questions that you need to answer for your topic.  Each student should become an expert on anything that is closely related to their area of research. 

• Background Research Worksheet Complete this worksheet prior to beginning your background research for your project.
• Fact Collection Worksheet Collect 20-30 facts from a minimum of 3 sources: one source must be from Gale Science in Context
• Sample of Background Research Paragraphs Here is a sample of what your background research paragraphs might look like. Sample found on the web here: http://www.oncoursesystems.com/images/user/2162/302482/img074.jpg

Why You Should Use Databases

Databases are sometimes called the "deep web" or "invisible web" because their information is usually only accessible through paid subscriptions using passwords and isn't usually found (indexed) by search engines such as Google.

Database records are organized using a variety of indexes such as author and subject but are keyword searchable as well. 

Databases are either subject specific such as World History in Context or content specific such as the newspaper and magazine database through EBSCO. 

Databases contain information that has been checked for the  ABC's   of  authority  &   accuracy, bias, and content  &  currency . You can trust the information you find in databases, not like on the web or through Google searches. Sometimes it's accurate, but many times it isn't. 

Library Databases: Start your Search Here

What is Research?

Research is: 

• Driven by a question that guides the process.
• Seeking information with a clear goal.
• A process, which works best when done step- by-step. The steps may need to be repeated.
• Collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the problem.
• Going beyond facts and old ideas.
• Taking a new look at the information and taking a stand.

Research is not:

• Copying and pasting information you find through a Google search.
• Combining a paragraph from one article with a couple of paragraphs from websites. That's plagiarism.
• Rearranging facts
• Rewording each phrase and citing each source. That's just a summary of facts with someone else's name on them and still can be classified as plagiarism.

Words for the wise student: 

• Remember, begin with a "wide net" and then narrow your search results.
• If you only look for specific information to answer a specific question, you may miss many opportunities to broaden your understanding .
• Allow for surprises- you may find your views on your topic will change and take you in an entirely new direction.
• Remember that research is searching again and again.
• In the process of doing research, you will be looking at information that others have looked at before, trying to see something that they have not seen.
• << Previous: Step 3: State the Purpose
• Next: Free Web Search >>
• Last Updated: Jan 27, 2016 2:09 PM
• URL: https://tesd.libguides.com/VFMScienceFairProject

How to Write a Science Fair Project Report

Lab Reports and Research Essays

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• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Writing a science fair project report may seem like a challenging task, but it is not as difficult as it first appears. This is a format that you may use to write a science project report. If your project included animals, humans, hazardous materials, or regulated substances, you can attach an appendix that describes any special activities your project required. Also, some reports may benefit from additional sections, such as abstracts and bibliographies. You may find it helpful to fill out the science fair lab report template to prepare your report.

Important: Some science fairs have guidelines put forth by the science fair committee or an instructor. If your science fair has these guidelines, be sure to follow them.

• Title:  For a science fair, you probably want a catchy, clever title. Otherwise, try to make it an accurate description of the project. For example, I could entitle a project, "Determining Minimum NaCl Concentration That Can Be Tasted in Water." Avoid unnecessary words, while covering the essential purpose of the project. Whatever title you come up with, get it critiqued by friends, family, or teachers.
• Introduction and Purpose:  Sometimes this section is called "background." Whatever its name, this section introduces the topic of the project, notes any information already available, explains why you are interested in the project, and states the purpose of the project. If you are going to state references in your report, this is where most of the citations are likely to be, with the actual references listed at the end of the entire report in the form of a bibliography or reference section.
• The Hypothesis or Question:  Explicitly state your hypothesis or question.
• Materials and Methods:  List the materials you used in your project and describe the procedure that you used to perform the project. If you have a photo or diagram of your project, this is a good place to include it.
• Data and Results:  Data and results are not the same things. Some reports will require that they be in separate sections, so make sure you understand the difference between the concepts. Data refers to the actual numbers or other information you obtained in your project. Data can be presented in tables or charts, if appropriate. The results section is where the data is manipulated or the hypothesis is tested. Sometimes this analysis will yield tables, graphs, or charts, too. For example, a table listing the minimum concentration of salt that I can taste in water, with each line in the table being a separate test or trial, would be data. If I average the data or perform a statistical test of a null hypothesis , the information would be the results of the project.
• Conclusion:  The conclusion focuses on the hypothesis or question as it compares to the data and results. What was the answer to the question? Was the hypothesis supported (keep in mind a hypothesis cannot be proved, only disproved)? What did you find out from the experiment? Answer these questions first. Then, depending on your answers, you may wish to explain the ways in which the project might be improved or introduce new questions that have come up as a result of the project. This section is judged not only by what you were able to conclude but also by your recognition of areas where you could not draw valid conclusions based on your data.

Appearances Matter

Neatness counts, spelling counts, grammar counts. Take the time to make the report look nice. Pay attention to margins, avoid fonts that are difficult to read or are too small or too large, use clean paper, and make print the report cleanly on as good a printer or copier as you can.

• Make a Science Fair Poster or Display
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How to Do a Science Fair Project

Science fair projects are a wonderful opportunity to go beyond the knowledge you learn in a textbook. Through independent research, a science fair project allows you to explore any scientific or engineering topic that interests you, study a subject in depth and come up with a hands-on experiment that investigates a question you have about the world around you.

Let’s walk you through the complete process of how to do a science fair project. Including, coming up with an idea, creating a testable question, conducting the experiment, recording and examining your results and even preparing your presentation. Make sure that when you conduct any project, you follow all safety procedures and have adult supervision.

Science Fair Project Expectations

The expectations for varying ages will be different. Although all the steps for a science fair project are covered in the video below, you’ll want to note these average expectations by grade level:

1 -3 rd grade: What I Did and What I Learned

• Younger elementary students would explore a science topic that reflects their current interests, as well as share what they did and what they learned in the process.

4-6 th grade: Simplified Scientific Method

• Older elementary students would explore a topic more in-depth by creating a simple hypothesis and going through a simplified version of the scientific method.

7-8 th grade: Scientific Method

• Middle school students should follow the scientific method; however, their background research and future studies would be brief.

9-12 th grade: All Portions, Including Research, Conclusions and Future Studies

• Finally, high school students would complete all portions of the process covered in the video, including in-depth research, conclusions, and future studies.

Ultimately we want you to have fun exploring and experimenting in a safe manner, experiencing the joy that comes from discovering something new.

Brainstorming an Experiment Idea

The first thing you need for a science fair project is an idea, and the key to a successful science fair project begins with you. What are your interests? What questions do you have about the things you like to do every day? Because you are going to spend lots of time researching, experimenting, and presenting, make your topic something you are excited about. If you choose a project idea that interests you, then you’ll be more motivated to complete it, do it well, and, most importantly, have fun learning!

A good science fair project goes beyond the classic volcano model (unless you absolutely love studying volcanoes). You want your project to stand out as you share your newfound knowledge with others.

Now there are some topics that are not a good choice for a science fair project. For example, don’t pick any topics that include hard-to-measure data, such as how a person’s feelings or memory would be affected by certain foods, music, or other stimuli. If you are comparing products, try to avoid results that are open to personal opinions. You want results that are measurable. Do not choose a topic that requires dangerous materials, and please don’t pick a topic that could cause injury or pain to a living animal or human!

A traditional science question may come about like this:

• Let’s say you enjoy baking bread- you have always been fascinated to watch the loaves grow as you stare through the oven window. This might start you thinking about how yeast causes the bread to rise.
• Or perhaps you have a garden that is constantly bothered by ants. You might start to wonder what structural barriers you could test that would keep them out.
• If you like to play sports, perhaps you could test what types of shoe treads would make you run faster.
• If you’re considering an engineering design project, look around at designs and technology around you to see if there are ways to improve them. Maybe you want to make something stronger, faster, or smaller. For this type of project, you’re basically looking for ways you can improve existing designs.

These are all great topics to start with, but you need to think about that subject a bit in order to come up with a testable question. So the next step involves doing some research to gather background information on your topic.

Doing Some Background Research

Once you’ve come up with an idea, gather some library books and research internet sources on the subject. If you know a professional in the area of your study, they might be helpful to brainstorm ideas with, too. For older students, it’s important to learn what research has already been completed about your subject. This way, you can create an intelligent experiment. Particularly for high school students, background research (called a literature review) is an important part of your project- taking up a good portion of your efforts.

Let’s say that in reading about yeast and its role in bread, you learn that yeast is a type of single-celled fungus. When yeast cells are activated (by placing them in warm water), they feed on sugars and release carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles that become trapped in the dough, causing it to rise. That background information might cause you to ask some questions:

You might ask, “Does yeast do better with warmer or cooler oven temperatures while baking?” “Are there certain acidic materials that affect yeast, such as lemon juice or vinegar?” “How much sugar do yeast cells need?” “What type of sugar works best to get the most even rise?”

Make sure to write your research discoveries and all of these questions in your lab notebook. That way, you can refer back to this information when you need to.

This brings us to the next step in the process.

Choosing a Testable Question and Formatting it as a Hypothesis

In looking over your questions, you should now try to identify which of them can be tested. Which questions might be easy to explore and measure? You want to pick one thing to test in your project, and don’t forget to identify which one of the topics is interesting to YOU!

A helpful way to format your questions is “How does (something) affect (something)? That way, you are setting yourself up to create an experiment to answer that question. You might ask, “How does tail length affect a paper airplane’s distance of flight?” Or “How does fertilizer affect the growth of a tomato plant?”

In reviewing your background reading and research on baking bread, you might wonder what type of sugar is best to produce the greatest bread rise. Your question might be, “How does sugar type affect bread rise?” You imagine trying a bread recipe using white granulated sugar, unbleached sugar, honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, or stevia. Then, you can discuss this thinking process with your parents, a science teacher, or a professional baker.

Is this a good, testable question? Can you easily measure bread rising? Yes, you can use a ruler to measure the height of each loaf after it is baked. So this looks to be a good science fair topic – it’s testable, it’s measurable and you are interested in exploring the outcome!

Don’t forget to write this thought process in your notebook. If you discuss your idea with a professional, make sure to write down what you talked about. Again, this will be helpful for later reference.

Once you come up with a good question, it’s time to reword it into a statement called a hypothesis . A hypothesis is a testable statement – not a question – that is based on some observed situation or the relationship between elements in a situation. To say it more simply, you are making an educated guess based on the information you have observed and researched. You want to try to answer the question you have and then conduct an experiment to see if the results will either support your hypothesis or reject it.

So, if your question is, “How does sugar type affect bread rise?” you need to predict which sugar type YOU think would work the best. After doing some reading on the subject, you might notice that most yeast bread recipes call for white sugar. So your hypothesis might be, “If I use white sugar in yeast bread, then it will rise higher than other sugars.” Now THAT is a statement you can test.

One of the easiest formats for a hypothesis is called an If-then statement . It is worded in an easy-to-test way. Some examples include,

If a paper airplane is made of heavier paper, then it will fly farther than paper airplanes made of lighter paper. If disinfecting wipes are used on a cell phone daily, then the cell phone will have fewer bacteria on it compared to a cell phone that is not disinfected daily.

At this point, you have chosen your topic, done some background research on it, chosen a testable question and formed a hypothesis. All of these should be listed in your notebook. Now it’s time to set up your experiment.

Planning Your Experiment to Test One Variable

When setting up your experiment, it’s important to make every component the same, except the one you want to test. Each changeable element in an experiment is called a variable. It can vary within the experiment. For example, in varying the sugar type for the bread baking example, there are other things that could possibly change. You could bake your loaves in different types of bread pans. You might use different recipes for each loaf. You might bake the loaves at different time periods or cook them at different heights within the oven. All these variables – these things that can vary – can have an effect on your result – which is how high the bread rises. So, in order to make sure that ONLY sugar type changes, you should reduce or remove all the other variables as best as possible.

That means you should use the same type of baking pans, and bake them in the same oven on the same oven rack. And to make it even better, bake each of the loaves in the center of the oven. That might mean you have to bake them one at a time, but oven temperatures vary around the inside. You should follow the same recipe for all your loaves, using the same quantity of sugar, but the ONLY thing you vary is the type of sugar. That way, any differences in rise will most likely be due to the sugar type the yeast fed on.

Ideally, you also should conduct this same experiment more than once for each sugar type – preferably at least three times. These are called trials . You should conduct several trials so that you have more than one set of results to analyze. Each trial will include the use of the same bread pans, the same recipe, the same placement in the oven, etc. The only variable that should change is the sugar type.

If you are doing an engineering project, your experiment might look a bit different. Say you are designing a machine or device to do a task, such as exploring the best wing design for a paper airplane glider in order to make it travel the farthest. You come up with a design, create a model, test it, and then refine the design. In this case, you’ll be making several illustrations in your notebook that you can refer to. Engineering project design is more of a cyclical process. You create a design, test it several times, make a design adjustment, retest it again several times, and so on until you find the design that works best. However, just like the bread-baking example, you should still keep all the other variables, besides wing design, the same. Variables such as the height you release the plane from, the way you release the plane and the location in which you perform the experiment (which would preferably be indoors, so there is no wind variable) should all be kept constant. Once you discover the best wing length, for example, you could continue the process of keeping that best wing length and then varying another aspect, such as adjusting wing width or bending the wings upward on the tips.

As you plan your experiment, make a list in your notebook of all the materials you are going to use and write out your planned procedure. Make sure your notebook is neat and easy to read.

Now it’s time to do the actual experiment.

Conducting Your Experiment and Recording Your Observations

When conducting your experiment, measure the data carefully, record it in your notebook and include any units. In the bread-rising example, you might measure how many centimeters high each loaf of bread is, once it is removed from the loaf pan. Whenever possible, use the metric system of measurement. If you’re testing the speed of a wooden car, you could use meters per second by marking off the number of meters in the car’s path and using a phone stopwatch. When you record your data, you might want to use a chart or table to keep everything organized.

Along with your data, include photos or illustrations of your experimental setup.

Make a note if you have to change your procedure at all. Sometimes once you begin conducting an experiment, you notice new variables or other issues that need to be adjusted. That is perfectly fine, as long as you make a note of what you actually did and include that in your final report.

Examining Your Results and Making a Conclusion

The purpose of examining the results of your experiment is to look for any trends from your data and come up with conclusions based on those trends.

In the bread-baking example, you might have observed that using honey produced the highest rise. Compare that result to your original hypothesis. In our example, the hypothesis was, “If I use white sugar in yeast bread, then it will rise higher than other sugars.” Was the hypothesis correct? Did you discover a different result?

In this case, the hypothesis was not supported. Now, it’s perfectly OK if your results do not support your hypothesis. In your discussion about your experiment, you can explain what you learned from the data you collected and add the new result as your conclusion.

The most important part of this step is that you understand your subject well and can use the data you collected to come up with a conclusion – even if it is a conclusion you were surprised to get. If you hypothesized that white sugar would produce the highest rise, and your results demonstrated that honey produced the highest rise, then you’ve learned something by conducting this experiment (and you can adjust how you bake in the future!).

Some experiments will produce data that can be graphed. This is the time to do that. Analyzing data can include creating a pie chart, a bar chart, a line graph, or tables. These are great ways to present your data in an easy-to-read manner. Add these graphs or charts into your notebook, if you haven’t already.

A final part of this step includes identifying any data that were way outside of the expected findings. Perhaps one of the loaves of bread using white sugar didn’t rise at all. If something like this happens, think about what might have caused it. Maybe in this one case, the yeast was dissolved in water that was too hot, and perhaps they didn’t survive. Or perhaps the electricity went out during a portion of your cooking time, and the oven may have cooled down a bit. Although both the water temperature and the baking temperature should be variables that are controlled, sometimes there are circumstances that cause one of these variables to change, causing an unexpected outcome.

Creating a Science Fair Display Board and Report

Now it’s time to take your scientific process, findings and conclusions and create a display board and project report.

It’s best to write a report first so you can chronicle the entire process of your project. The format of a science fair report is basically the same as a lab report. You can find helps in writing a lab report by watching our “How to Write a Lab Report” YouTube video. Younger students, of course, are not expected to write as much as older students. For example, early elementary students should write or dictate a sentence or two for each of their steps.

The display board is a way people can tell at a glance what your project was all about. It is typically a three-sided corrugated board that presents all the elements of your science experiment. It has a clear title at the top center, of the board that is a form of your original question. As a general rule, the display board has your Problem, Purpose, and Hypothesis on the left side of the board, your Procedure and Materials – diagrams, graphs, and/or pictures go in the center of the board and your Results and Conclusion (along with any other images) go on the right side of the board.

Keep everything clear and simple – not cluttered. Don’t include too much text, and add clear graphs or tables in coordinating colors.  Add pictures of you conducting your experiment and close-ups of some of your results. The goal is to make your display board pleasing to the eye – not too flashy, and not too plain – but you want to include all of the major elements.

In your conclusion, tie the new information into a bigger-picture statement. In our bread-baking example, you might say that producing higher-rising bread would create more delicious bread and larger-sized sandwiches. Think about why people should care about this particular issue. Make it something they will be happy they learned about – something they can relate to. How can this information help in other areas? You can suggest how this information might benefit other types of baking, improving the texture and rise of cookies and cakes.

Preparing a Short Presentation

One of the unique things about a science fair is that students get to present their work to others. Presentations might sound a little scary, but you are basically describing how you chose your project, what you did, and what you discovered. It is a good way to teach others what you learned!

You can discuss how you came up with the idea for your project, whether it was a question you had or a problem you wanted to try to solve. Make sure you can explain the experimental process and the results you collected. Note whether your experimental results supported your hypothesis or not, and what you learned from this process. If something surprised you, include that as well. Finally, it’s always good to include how your results might be a springboard to future experimentation on your topic.

Practice your presentation for your family or friends to get some feedback and encouragement.

Wrapping Up

Science fair projects help you better understand a STEM topic and see its real-life application. Plus, they build creativity and can be both interesting and fun. You can immerse yourself in an experiment, exploring the answer to a question you have and eventually becoming an expert on the subject.

There are lots of potential experiments to choose from, but the best ones come from your own ideas. You might be way more excited to test “Do video games really rot my brain?” versus “Do plants need sunlight?” Both involve critical thinking and creativity and yet when the exploration comes out of something you enjoy, the fun – and greater learning – begins!

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The Ultimate Science Fair Project Guide – From Start to Finish

When our daughter entered her first science fair, we kept seeing references to the Internet Public Library Science Fair Project Resource Guide .  However, the IPL2 permanently closed… taking the guide with it.  Bummer !  After now participating in over a half-dozen elementary school science fairs (including a first-place finish!), we created our own guide to help other students go from start to finish in their next science fair project.  If this is your first science fair, have fun!  If you’ve done it before, we hope this is your best one!  Let’s science!

*Images from Unsplash

How to Use the STEMium Science Fair Project Ultimate Guide?

If you are just starting off and this is your first science fair, here’s how to get started:

• Start with the STEMium Science Fair Project Roadmap . This is an infographic that “maps” out the process from start to finish and shows all the steps in a visual format.
• Getting Started – Why Do a Science Fair Project . Besides walking through some reasons to do a project, we also share links to examples of national science fair competitions, what’s involved and examples of winning science fair experiments .  *Note: this is where you’ll get excited!!
• The Scientific Method – What is It and What’s Involved . One of the great things about a science fair project is that it introduces students to an essential process/concept known as the scientific method.  This is simply the way in which we develop a hypothesis to test.
• Start the Process – Find an Idea . You now have a general idea of what to expect at the science fair, examples of winning ideas, and know about the scientific method.  You’re ready to get started on your own project.  How do you come up with an idea for a science fair project?  We have resources on how to use a Google tool , as well as some other strategies for finding an idea.
• Experiment and Build the Project . Time to roll up those sleeves and put on your lab coat.
• Other Resources for the Fair. Along the way, you will likely encounter challenges or get stuck.  Don’t give up – it’s all part of the scientific process.  Check out our STEMium Resources page for more links and resources from the web.  We also have additional experiments like the germiest spot in school , or the alka-seltzer rocket project that our own kids used.

Getting Started – Why Do a Science Fair Project

For many students, participating in the science fair might be a choice that was made FOR you.  In other words, something you must do as part of a class.  Maybe your parents are making you do it.  For others, maybe it sounded like a cool idea.  Something fun to try.  Whatever your motivation, there are a lot of great reasons to do a science fair project.

• Challenge yourself
• Learn more about science
• Explore cool technology
• Make something to help the world! (seriously!)
• Win prizes (and sometimes even money)
• Do something you can be proud of!

Many students will participate in a science fair at their school.  But there are also national competitions that include 1000s of participants.  There are also engineering fairs, maker events, and hackathons.  It’s an exciting time to be a scientist!!  The list below gives examples of national events.

• Regeneron Science Talent Search
• Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
• Google Science Fair
• Conrad Challenge
• Microsoft Imagine Cup
• JSHS Program
• Exploravision

What’s the Scientific Method?

Before we jump into your project, it’s important to introduce a key concept:  The Scientific Method .  The scientific method is the framework scientists use to answer their questions and test their hypothesis.  The figure below illustrates the steps you’ll take to get to the end, but it starts with asking a question (you’ve already finished the first step!).

After we find a problem/idea to tackle, and dig into some background research, we create a guess on a potential solution.  This is known as our hypothesis.

Example of a Hypothesis

My brother can hold his breath underwater longer than I can (“our problem”) –> how can I hold my breath longer? (“our question”) –>  if I drink soda with caffeine before I hold my breath, I will be able to stay underwater longer (“our solution”).  Our hypothesis is that using caffeine before we go underwater will increase the time we hold our breath.  We’re not sure if that is a correct solution or not at this stage – just taking a guess.

Once we have a hypothesis, we design an experiment to TEST our hypothesis.  First, we will change variables/conditions one at a time while keeping everything else the same, so we can compare the outcomes.

Experimental Design Example

Using our underwater example, maybe we will test different drinks and count how long I can hold my breath.  Maybe we can also see if someone else can serve as a “control” – someone who holds their breath but does not drink caffeine.  For the underwater experiment, we can time in seconds how long I hold my breath before I have a drink and then time it again after I have my caffeine drink.  I can also time how long I stay underwater when I have a drink without caffeine.

Then, once we finish with our experiment, we analyze our data and develop a conclusion.

• How many seconds did I stay underwater in the different situations? 
• Which outcome is greater?  Did caffeine help me hold my breath longer? 

Finally, (and most important), we present our findings. Imagine putting together a poster board with a chart showing the number of seconds I stayed underwater in the different conditions.

Hopefully you have a better sense of the scientific method.  If you are completing a science fair project, sticking with these steps is super important.  Just in case there is any lingering confusion, here are some resources for learning more about the scientific method:

• Science Buddies – Steps of the Scientific Method
• Ducksters – Learn About the Scientific Method
• Biology4kids – Scientific Method
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences – Scientific Method

What Science Fair Project Should I Do?

And science is no different.

Just know that if you can get through the idea part, the rest of the science fair is relatively smooth sailing.  Remember to keep an open mind and a positive outlook .  Each year 100s of 1000s of kids, teenagers and college students come up with new projects and ideas to test.  You’ve got this!

What Makes a Great Science Fair Project?  Start with a Problem To Solve

As we discuss below, good science experiments attempt to answer a QUESTION.  Why is the sky blue?  Why does my dog bark at her reflection?  First, we will step through some ways to find TESTABLE QUESTIONS.  These questions that you create will be what you work on for your science fair project.  Pick something fun, something interesting and something that you are excited about.  Not sure what that looks like?  Step through some of the tips below for help.

Use the Google Science Fair Idea Generator

Are you surprised Google made a tool for science fair projects??  Our post called the low-stress way to find a science fair project gives a more in-depth overview about how to use it.  It’s a great first stop if you’re early in the brainstorming process.

Answer your own questions

• What type of music makes you run faster?
• Can boys hold their breath underwater longer than girls?
• How can I be sure the sandwich I bought is gluten free?
• If we plant 100 trees in our neighborhood, will the air be cleaner?

Still stuck? Get inspiration from other science fair projects

Check out the Getting Started section and look at some of the winning science project ideas, our STEMium experiments and our Resource page.  We’ve presented a ton of potential idea starters for you – take time to run through some of these, but our suggestion is to give yourself a deadline to pick an idea .  Going through the lists could take you longer than you think, and in many cases sometimes it’s just better to pick something and go for it!  The next section will take you through how to create testable questions for your project.

Starting Your Project: Find A Testable Question

The best experiments start with a question.  Taking that a step further, the questions you useyou’re your science fair project should be ones that are TESTABLE.  That means something you can measure.  Let’s look at an example.  Let’s say I’m super excited about baking.  OH YEA!!  I love baking.  Specifically, baking cakes.  In fact, I love baking cakes so much that I want to do a science project related to cakes.  We’ve got two questions on cakes that we created.  Which question below could be most useful for a science fair project:

1)  Can eating cake before a test improve your score?

2)  Why isn’t carrot cake more popular than chocolate cake?

The second question isn’t necessarily a bad question to pick.  You could survey people and perhaps tackle the question that way.  However, chances are you will get a lot of different answers and it will probably take a lot of surveys to start to pick up a trend.

Although, the first question might be a little easier.  How would you test this?   Maybe you pick one type of cake and one test that you give people.  If you can get five people to take the test after eating cake and five people take the test with no cake, you can compare the test results.  There might be other variables beyond cake that you could test (example: age, sex, education).  But you can see that the first question is probably a little easier to test.  The first question is also a little easier to come up with a hypothesis.

At this point, you’ve got an idea.  That was the hard part!  Now it’s time to think a little more about that idea and focus it into a scientific question that is testable and that you can create a hypothesis around .

What makes a question “testable”?

Testable questions are ones that can be measured and should focus on what you will change.  In our first cake question, we would be changing whether or not people eat cake before a test.  If we are giving them all the same test and in the same conditions, you could compare how they do on the test with and without cake.  As you are creating your testable question, think about what you WILL CHANGE (cake) and what you are expecting to be different (test scores).  Cause and effect.  Check out this reference on testable questions for more details.

Outline Your Science Project – What Steps Should I Take?

Do Background Research / Create Hypothesis

Science experiments typically start with a question (example: Which cleaning solution eliminates more germs?).  The questions might come up because of a problem.  For example, maybe you’re an engineer and you are trying to design a new line of cars that can drive at least 50 mph faster.  Your problem is that the car isn’t fast enough.  After looking at what other people have tried to do to get the car to go faster, and thinking about what you can change, you try to find a solution or an answer.  When we talk about the scientific method, the proposed answer is referred to as the HYPOTHESIS.

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The information you gather to answer these research questions can be used in your report or in your board.  This will go in the BACKGROUND section.  For resources that you find useful, make sure you note the web address where you found it, and save in a Google Doc for later.

Additional Research Tips

For your own science fair project, there will likely be rules that will already be set by the judges/teachers/school.  Make sure you get familiar with the rules FOR YOUR FAIR and what needs to be completed to participate .  Typically, you will have to do some research into your project, you’ll complete experiments, analyze data, make conclusions and then present the work in a written report and on a poster board.  Make a checklist of all these “to do” items.  Key things to address:

• Question being answered – this is your testable question
• Hypothesis – what did you come up with and why
• Experimental design – how are you going to test your hypothesis
• Conclusions – why did you reach these and what are some alternative explanations
• What would you do next? Answering a testable question usually leads to asking more questions and judges will be interested in how you think about next steps.

Need more help?  Check out these additional resources on how to tackle a science fair project:

• Developing a Science Fair Project – Wiley
• Successful Science Fair Projects – Washington University
• Science Fair Planning Guide – Chattahoochee Elementary

Experiment – Time to Test That Hypothesis

Way to go!  You’ve found a problem and identified a testable question.  You’ve done background research and even created a hypothesis.  It’s time to put it all together now and start designing your experiment.  Two experiments we have outlined in detail – germiest spot in school and alka-seltzer rockets – help show how to set up experiments to test variable changes.

The folks at ThoughtCo have a great overview on the different types of variables – independent, dependent and controls.  You need to identify which ones are relevant to your own experiment and then test to see how changes in the independent variable impacts the dependent variable .  Sounds hard?  Nope.  Let’s look at an example.  Let’s say our hypothesis is that cold weather will let you flip a coin with more heads than tails.  The independent variable is the temperature.  The dependent variable is the number of heads or tails that show up.  Our experiment could involve flipping a coin fifty times in different temperatures (outside, in a sauna, in room temperature) and seeing how many heads/tails we get.

One other important point – write down all the steps you take and the materials you use!!  This will be in your final report and project board.  Example – for our coin flipping experiment, we will have a coin (or more than one), a thermometer to keep track of the temperature in our environment.  Take pictures of the flipping too!

Analyze Results – Make Conclusions

Analyzing means adding up our results and putting them into pretty pictures.  Use charts and graphs whenever you can.  In our last coin flipping example, you’d want to include bar charts of the number of heads and tails at different temperatures.  If you’re doing some other type of experiment, take pictures during the different steps to document everything.

This is the fun part….  Now we get to see if we answered our question!  Did the weather affect the coin flipping?  Did eating cake help us do better on our test??  So exciting!  Look through what the data tells you and try to answer your question.  Your hypothesis may / may not be correct.  It’s not important either way – the most important part is what you learned and the process.  Check out these references for more help:

• How to make a chart or graph in Google Sheets
• How to make a chart in Excel

Presentation Time – Set Up Your Board, Practice Your Talk

Personally, the presentation is my favorite part!  First, you get to show off all your hard work and look back at everything you did!  Additionally, science fair rules should outline the specific sections that need to be in the report, and in the poster board – so, be like Emmett from Lego Movie and read the instructions.  Here’s a loose overview of what you should include:

• Title – what is it called.
• Introduction / background – here’s why you’re doing it and helping the judges learn a bit about your project.
• Materials/Methods – what you used and the steps in your experiment. This is so someone else could repeat your experiment.
• Results – what was the outcome? How many heads/tails?  Include pictures and graphs.
• Conclusions – was your hypothesis correct? What else would you like to investigate now?  What went right and what went wrong?
• References – if you did research, where did you get your information from? What are your sources?

The written report will be very similar to the final presentation board.  The board that you’ll prepare is usually a three-panel board set up like the picture shown below.

To prepare for the presentation, you and your partner should be able to talk about the following:

• why you did the experiment
• the hypothesis that was tested
• the data results
• the conclusions.

It’s totally OK to not know an answer.  Just remember this is the fun part!

And that’s it!  YOU DID IT!! 

Science fair projects have been great opportunities for our kids to not only learn more about science, but to also be challenged and push themselves.  Independent projects like these are usually a great learning opportunity.  Has your child completed a science fair project that they are proud of?  Include a pic in the comments – we love to share science!!  Please also check out our STEMium Resources page for more science fair project tips and tricks .

STEMomma is a mother & former scientist/educator. She loves to find creative, fun ways to help engage kids in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math).  When she’s not busy in meetings or carpooling kids, she loves spending time with the family and dreaming up new experiments  or games they can try in the backyard.

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How To Write A Background Paper For Science Fair

APA Background Research Paper . Science Fair Background Research Process: 1. You will need 60 index cards 2. You will make a list of 20 questions about your topic and then find answers for each of your 20 questions from 3…

Typing The APA Background Research Paper – Science Fair Background Research Process:1. You will need 60 index cards2. You will make a list of 20 questions about your topic and then find answers for each of your 20 questions from 3 different sources: Books, Internet, and Encyclopedias3. You will then write each of your 20 questions on one side of the index cards; one per index card. Repeat this a total of three times so that you have 60 index cards. IE: Topic: Sun Spots Question #1 “What causes sun spots?

Video advice: How to Write the Background of the Study in Research (Part 1). See Links Below for Parts 2, 3, and 4

Full transcript of the video lecture on \”How to Write the Background of the Study Part 1\” is available at:

Acaciawood Prep :: Science Fair – Acaciawood School 5th-8th grade students participate in an annual Science Fair competition. Projects are prepared throughout the fall semester and the first part of the spring semester for a competition in the early spring. The top projects in each grade of the school’s competition compete at the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair. Winners at the county level move on to the State Science Fair competition.

Background Information for Science Projects

Science projects for school students range from simple setups and graphs to more complex fair-style displays or even extended activities. Students and teachers can complete some projects directly in the classroom, while others may need some at-home care to finish. Whether you (or your child or student) create an …

. . Science projects for college students vary from simple setups and graphs to more complicated fair-style displays or perhaps extended activities. Students and teachers can complete some projects directly within the classroom, while some may require some at-homecare to complete. Regardless of whether you (or perhaps your child or student) create a more sophisticated activity or something like that more fundamental, all science projects should contain history or perhaps a purpose statement. Explore this short article What’s History? Additional Information to incorporate Keeping History Finding History 1 What’s History? Science project history includes all research that you simply conduct prior to starting the game. For instance, should you design a task about how acids and bases react when mixed together, the backdrop section should contain specific info on acids, bases, litmus tests, chemical formulas, solutions, molecules and reactions.

Video advice: Challenge A Science Fair part 2… Research Question, Background Research, and Hypothesis

Video advice: Introduction to Science Fair Background Research Paper

What is a background paper for science project?

The purpose of the Background Research Report is for you to gain knowledge about your Science Fair Project topic. This way you will be able to interpret the results of your experiment and draw conclusions based on the previous knowledge you gained by writing this report.

How do you write a science background?

The background should be written as a summary of your interpretation of previous research and what your study proposes to accomplish .... How to avoid common mistakes in writing the background

• Don't write a background that is too long or too short. ...
• Don't be ambiguous. ...
• Don't discuss unrelated themes. ...
• Don't be disorganized.

What is the background information of an experiment?

Science project background information includes all research that you conduct before beginning the activity .

How do you start a background research?

The background study for a thesis includes a review of the area being researched, current information surrounding the issue, previous studies on the issue, and relevant history on the issue. Ideally, the study should effectively set forth the history and background information on your thesis problem.

What is an example of background information?

Background information is often provided after the hook, or opening statement that is used to grab the reader's attention. ... Examples of Background Information: In his inaugural speech at Rice University, John F. Kennedy spoke about the space race and going to the moon.

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How to Write a Research Plan for a Science Project

How to Make a Rough Draft on Science Projects

A research plan outlines your proposed science fair project and must be approved by a science fair committee before experiments are done. For this reason, it contains no experimental data but instead offers the questions you plan to address, the significance of questions, background information and experimental design. Since a committee must approve your plan, provide a proposal that represents your ideas as important, doable and unique in its approach.

Make a list of "what, when, where and how" questions that relate to your topic. Be specific. Start with all the possible questions, then eliminate those that are too vague or those you cannot answer, given your time and resources. Science Buddies provides an example of this.

Describe the significance of your questions by considering how answering them might be helpful to others in the future. Think big but not unreasonable. Answering questions about bacteria growth, for example, has implications on disease prevention. Research each implication and offer statistics or solid facts on how knowing more would be important. Keep track of your information for your bibliography.

Build a foundation for your questions with background information. Determine what is already known, who figured it out and how these finding have already affected the world. Make sure your questions are not already answered by the work of other people. If they are, find holes in the background information and find new questions that address them. Ask anyone with experience on your topic for help if you have difficult finding background information. Keep track of where you get all information for your bibliography.

Describe a detailed step-by-step method for answering your questions. Individual experiments may be necessary for individual questions. List the necessary materials and equipment. Include exact amounts and explicitly state data collection methods.

Anticipate the results you might get through the method you outlined. Consider any problems you may encounter in your experiments and how you will address them. Think critically about your planned experiments. Make sure they address the questions you stated. If not, redo either your method or your question list.

Formalize a research plan. Make it easy to read and include the following sections: questions, significance, background and materials and methods. Possible problems may be its own section or part of the materials and methods section. Follow school guidelines regarding accompanying paperwork and the order of your sections. The bibliography has its own section and is always last. Check for good grammar and spelling.

• Always cite whenever you use information from the Web or from books or people. Citations from reliable resources gives credibility to your project.
• Network at your local university. Students and faculty doing research on a related topic can be a valuable resource.

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Teaching Resources & Guides > How to Teach Science Tips > Writing a Science Report  

Writing a Science Report

With science fair season coming up as well as many end of the year projects, students are often required to write a research paper or a report on their project. Use this guide to help you in the process from finding a topic to revising and editing your final paper.

Brainstorming Topics

Sometimes one of the largest barriers to writing a research paper is trying to figure out what to write about. Many times the topic is supplied by the teacher, or the curriculum tells what the student should research and write about. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes the student is given a very broad concept to write a research paper on, for example, water. Within the category of water, there are many topics and subtopics that would be appropriate. Topics about water can include anything from the three states of water, different water sources, minerals found in water, how water is used by living organisms, the water cycle, or how to find water in the desert. The point is that “water” is a very large topic and would be too broad to be adequately covered in a typical 3-5 page research paper.

When given a broad category to write about, it is important to narrow it down to a topic that is much more manageable. Sometimes research needs to be done in order to find the best topic to write about. (Look for searching tips in “Finding and Gathering Information.”) Listed below are some tips and guidelines for picking a suitable research topic:

• Pick a topic within the category that you find interesting. It makes it that much easier to research and write about a topic if it interests you.
• You may find while researching a topic that the details of the topic are very boring to you. If this is the case, and you have the option to do this, change your topic.
• Pick a topic that you are already familiar with and research further into that area to build on your current knowledge.
• When researching topics to do your paper on, look at how much information you are finding. If you are finding very little information on your topic or you are finding an overwhelming amount, you may need to rethink your topic.
• If permissible, always leave yourself open to changing your topic. While researching for topics, you may come across one that you find really interesting and can use just as well as the previous topics you were searching for.
• Most importantly, does your research topic fit the guidelines set forth by your teacher or curriculum?

Finding and Gathering Information

There are numerous resources out there to help you find information on the topic selected for your research paper. One of the first places to begin research is at your local library. Use the Dewey Decimal System or ask the librarian to help you find books related to your topic. There are also a variety of reference materials, such as encyclopedias, available at the library.

A relatively new reference resource has become available with the power of technology – the Internet. While the Internet allows the user to access a wealth of information that is often more up-to-date than printed materials such as books and encyclopedias, there are certainly drawbacks to using it. It can be hard to tell whether or not a site contains factual information or just someone’s opinion. A site can also be dangerous or inappropriate for students to use.

You may find that certain science concepts and science terminology are not easy to find in regular dictionaries and encyclopedias. A science dictionary or science encyclopedia can help you find more in-depth and relevant information for your science report. If your topic is very technical or specific, reference materials such as medical dictionaries and chemistry encyclopedias may also be good resources to use.

If you are writing a report for your science fair project, not only will you be finding information from published sources, you will also be generating your own data, results, and conclusions. Keep a journal that tracks and records your experiments and results. When writing your report, you can either write out your findings from your experiments or display them using graphs or charts .

*As you are gathering information, keep a working bibliography of where you found your sources. Look under “Citing Sources” for more information. This will save you a lot of time in the long run!

Organizing Information

Most people find it hard to just take all the information they have gathered from their research and write it out in paper form. It is hard to get a starting point and go from the beginning to the end. You probably have several ideas you know you want to put in your paper, but you may be having trouble deciding where these ideas should go. Organizing your information in a way where new thoughts can be added to a subtopic at any time is a great way to organize the information you have about your topic. Here are two of the more popular ways to organize information so it can be used in a research paper:

• Graphic organizers such as a web or mind map . Mind maps are basically stating the main topic of your paper, then branching off into as many subtopics as possible about the main topic. Enchanted Learning has a list of several different types of mind maps as well as information on how to use them and what topics fit best for each type of mind map and graphic organizer.
• Sub-Subtopic: Low temperatures and adequate amounts of snow are needed to form glaciers.
• Sub-Subtopic: Glaciers move large amounts of earth and debris.
• Sub-Subtopic: Two basic types of glaciers: valley and continental.
• Subtopic: Icebergs – large masses of ice floating on liquid water

Different Formats For Your Paper

Depending on your topic and your writing preference, the layout of your paper can greatly enhance how well the information on your topic is displayed.

1. Process . This method is used to explain how something is done or how it works by listing the steps of the process. For most science fair projects and science experiments, this is the best format. Reports for science fairs need the entire project written out from start to finish. Your report should include a title page, statement of purpose, hypothesis, materials and procedures, results and conclusions, discussion, and credits and bibliography. If applicable, graphs, tables, or charts should be included with the results portion of your report.

2. Cause and effect . This is another common science experiment research paper format. The basic premise is that because event X happened, event Y happened.

3. Specific to general . This method works best when trying to draw conclusions about how little topics and details are connected to support one main topic or idea.

4. Climatic order . Similar to the “specific to general” category, here details are listed in order from least important to most important.

5. General to specific . Works in a similar fashion as the method for organizing your information. The main topic or subtopic is stated first, followed by supporting details that give more information about the topic.

6. Compare and contrast . This method works best when you wish to show the similarities and/or differences between two or more topics. A block pattern is used when you first write about one topic and all its details and then write about the second topic and all its details. An alternating pattern can be used to describe a detail about the first topic and then compare that to the related detail of the second topic. The block pattern and alternating pattern can also be combined to make a format that better fits your research paper.

Citing Sources

When writing a research paper, you must cite your sources! Otherwise you are plagiarizing (claiming someone else’s ideas as your own) which can cause severe penalties from failing your research paper assignment in primary and secondary grades to failing the entire course (most colleges and universities have this policy). To help you avoid plagiarism, follow these simple steps:

• Find out what format for citing your paper your teacher or curriculum wishes you to use. One of the most widely used and widely accepted citation formats by scholars and schools is the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. We recommended that you do an Internet search for the most recent format of the citation style you will be using in your paper.
• Keep a working bibliography when researching your topic. Have a document in your computer files or a page in your notebook where you write down every source that you found and may use in your paper. (You probably will not use every resource you find, but it is much easier to delete unused sources later rather than try to find them four weeks down the road.) To make this process even easier, write the source down in the citation format that will be used in your paper. No matter what citation format you use, you should always write down title, author, publisher, published date, page numbers used, and if applicable, the volume and issue number.
• When collecting ideas and information from your sources, write the author’s last name at the end of the idea. When revising and formatting your paper, keep the author’s last name attached to the end of the idea, no matter where you move that idea. This way, you won’t have to go back and try to remember where the ideas in your paper came from.
• There are two ways to use the information in your paper: paraphrasing and quotes. The majority of your paper will be paraphrasing the information you found. Paraphrasing is basically restating the idea being used in your own words.   As a general rule of thumb, no more than two of the original words should be used in sequence when paraphrasing information, and similes should be used for as many of the words as possible in the original passage without changing the meaning of the main point. Sometimes, you may find something stated so well by the original author that it would be best to use the author’s original words in your paper. When using the author’s original words, use quotation marks only around the words being directly quoted and work the quote into the body of your paper so that it makes sense grammatically. Search the Internet for more rules on paraphrasing and quoting information.

Revising and Editing Your Paper

Revising your paper basically means you are fixing grammatical errors or changing the meaning of what you wrote. After you have written the rough draft of your paper, read through it again to make sure the ideas in your paper flow and are cohesive. You may need to add in information, delete extra information, use a thesaurus to find a better word to better express a concept, reword a sentence, or just make sure your ideas are stated in a logical and progressive order.

After revising your paper, go back and edit it, correcting the capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors – the mechanics of writing. If you are not 100% positive a word is spelled correctly, look it up in a dictionary. Ask a parent or teacher for help on the proper usage of commas, hyphens, capitalization, and numbers. You may also be able to find the answers to these questions by doing an Internet search on writing mechanics or by checking you local library for a book on writing mechanics.

It is also always a good idea to have someone else read your paper. Because this person did not write the paper and is not familiar with the topic, he or she is more likely to catch mistakes or ideas that do not quite make sense. This person can also give you insights or suggestions on how to reword or format your paper to make it flow better or convey your ideas better.

More Information:

• Quick Science Fair Guide
• Science Fair Project Ideas

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Do a Science Fair Project!

How do you do a science fair project.

Ask a parent, teacher, or other adult to help you research the topic and find out how to do a science fair project about it.

Test, answer, or show?

Your science fair project may do one of three things:

Test an idea (or hypothesis.)

Answer a question.

Show how nature works.

Topic ideas:

Space topics:.

How do the constellations change in the night sky over different periods of time?

How does the number of stars visible in the sky change from place to place because of light pollution?

Learn about and demonstrate the ancient method of parallax to measure the distance to an object, such as stars and planets.

Study different types of stars and explain different ways they end their life cycles.

Earth topics:

How do the phases of the Moon correspond to the changing tides?

Demonstrate what causes the phases of the Moon?

How does the tilt of Earth’s axis create seasons throughout the year?

How do weather conditions (temperature, humidity) affect how fast a puddle evaporates?

How salty is the ocean?

Solar system topics:

How does the size of a meteorite relate to the size of the crater it makes when it hits Earth?

How does the phase of the Moon affect the number of stars visible in the sky?

Show how a planet’s distance from the Sun affects its temperature.

Sun topics:

Observe and record changes in the number and placement of sun spots over several days. DO NOT look directly at the Sun!

Make a sundial and explain how it works.

Show why the Moon and the Sun appear to be the same size in the sky.

How effective are automobile sunshades?

Study and explain the life space of the sun relative to other stars.

Pick a topic.

Try to find out what people already know about it.

State a hypothesis related to the topic. That is, make a cause-and-effect-statement that you can test using the scientific method .

Explain something.

Make a plan to observe something.

Design and carry out your research, keeping careful records of everything you do or see.

Create an exhibit or display to show and explain to others what you hoped to test (if you had a hypothesis) or what question you wanted to answer, what you did, what your data showed, and your conclusions.

Write a short report that also states the same things as the exhibit or display, and also gives the sources of your initial background research.

Practice describing your project and results, so you will be ready for visitors to your exhibit at the science fair.

Follow these steps to a successful science fair entry!

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What are your chances of acceptance?

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Your chancing factors

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A Beginner’s Guide to the Science Fair

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While it’s unlikely that you have reached high school without having ever heard of a science fair, it’s completely possible that you’ve gotten this far without having ever participated in one. For many students, a science fair is a rite of passage. It could be the first time that you design and complete a scientific experiment outside of a teacher-led lab period. It may also be the first time you have formally presented your learning to a panel of independent judges, most of whom you have probably never met before. It can be an intimidating or overwhelming experience if you are not quite sure what to expect. But lucky for you, the CollegeVine team has some great tips for first-time science fair participants!

If you’ve never participated in a science fair before, you may be wondering what a science fair really is.

Generally, a science fair is a formal competition in which contestants present the findings of scientific experiments in the form of a display and/or model that they have created. A panel of independent judges is assigned to assess each project and scores them on a pre-determined rubric. At the end of the fair, high scorers are announced as the winners and often the winners of a local science fair will be invited to compete at higher-level fairs, such as regional or state fairs. Winners can even progress all the way to national and international science fairs.

The level of your science fair will determine what type of project is appropriate. Typically elementary school level science fairs will include collections and report-based projects displaying new knowledge gained through independent study. These include things like rock collections and habitat reports. At middle school fairs, you will begin to see demonstrations of scientific principles, such as the oh-so-common baking soda and vinegar volcano. You may also see engineering projects that involve designing or improving a device or material, like a new cup holder for a bike. By the high school level, though, these kinds of projects are no longer appropriate.

Science fair projects by students older than middle-school age should focus on true engineering or scientific experimentation.

Engineering projects should be in-depth evaluations of an existing device, material, or technology. They should thoroughly examine the ways in which the existing product falls short or becomes impractical in specific situations. Your work on an engineering project should result in the creation of a working prototype that addresses these shortcomings. You should produce an alternative model that is feasible in terms of production, cost, and ease of use. Successful engineering projects have included prototypes for new, portable water filtration systems or affordable, functional prosthetic limbs. Before you proceed with an engineering project, check with your science teacher or the fair’s organizers to make sure that this is an acceptable choice. Some science fairs might strictly accept experiments only.        

If you do not choose an engineering project, you will need to choose a scientific experiment. This is by far the most common type of project at the high school level and if you are familiar with the procedure for completing and writing up lab experiments in your science classes, you will be familiar with the process for completing a science fair experiment.

There are two primary differences between a class lab experiment and a science fair experiment. First, your science fair project is self-chosen rather than assigned. When you complete a lab for class, you are usually assigned a specific experiment to complete. In the science fair, you will need to come up with your own. Second, unlike a lab experiment in which the entire class usually replicates a single experiment, an experiment for the science fair is completed by only you, or you and a partner if partners are allowed. 

Before you begin brainstorming your specific project, make sure you have a lab notebook to keep track of all your work.

This could be a simple composition book or a duplicate style lab notebook. In any case, as soon as you get it, you should number all of the pages in it, leaving two blanks at the beginning to be labeled “Table of Contents”. This may seem tedious, but you will be grateful that you did so when you can easily add sections to your table of contents and find relevant research quickly.

You should use this notebook to keep a permanent record of all the work you do on your science fair project. It should contain initial brainstorming, notes from background research, and drafts of material lists and experimental designs. Even if you get halfway through your background research and choose a new topic, continue to use the same notebook. You never know when your previous brainstorming or research will come in handy. 

Once you have decided which type of project to pursue and you’ve set up a lab notebook, your work will begin in earnest. Below, find 9 key steps to a successful first science fair.

1. Know the Rules

Every science fair has rules outlining who is eligible to participate and what kind of projects may be entered. These rules are always available ahead of time, so be sure to check them early on and make sure that any work you do adheres to them. Some of the rules are designed to keep you safe, like limiting the ways in which potentially hazardous chemicals can be used. Other rules are designed to keep the environment safe, like placing restrictions on how you dispose of foreign substances or non-native species. There are also ethical rules that govern the use of human participants or vertebrate animals in your studies.

Any science fair associated with Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair is governed by their rules, available on their website here . Make sure to check which rules govern your school’s fair and how they might impact your ideas before you put any more thought into your project.    

2. Brainstorming and Background Research

You can start brainstorming for project ideas as soon as you’ve read the fair’s rules and decided whether to do an engineering project or a science experiment project. Keep a running list of possible projects based on your interests in the sciences and any scientific questions you may have. Also think about what specialized lab equipment you might have access to, and who you could ask to be your mentor. A mentor is not a necessity to participate in the science fair, but most competitors who go on to be successful at the state and national level have a mentor who has helped to shape their thinking and provide feedback through the testing process. For more information, about finding a mentor and choosing a topic, check out the CollegeVine “Guide to Choosing a Winning Science Fair Project”. 

The first real step in working on your specific science fair project comes in the form of background research. You should aim to become an expert in your field. You should be familiar with groundbreaking studies and with current work that is being done to increase understanding. Make sure to keep notes and a working citations list in your notebook. 

3 . Experimental Design or Prototype Design

It is only after extensive background research that you will be able to come up with an experimental or prototype design for your project.

If you’re doing an experiment, just as in a lab experiment, you will need to create a controlled study, accounting for all variables. You will need to make the test as “fair” as possible to isolate the variable you’re testing.

For example, if you’re comparing the effectiveness of three different kinds of fertilizers on pea plants, make sure that you have a fourth group that is the control group, grown without any fertilizer. Also ensure that all other variables are exactly the same; the plants need to receive exactly the same amount of light, water, and soil in order to compare growth across fertilizer groups.

If you’re doing an engineering project, you will need to create a specific design for your prototype, considering things like materials, cost, and function. It will often take more than one design before you come up with something that’s likely to work. Often, you will go back and forth between the prototype design and the prototype testing phase many times before you find a design that meets all of your criteria for success.

4. Data Collection or Prototype Testing

While you’re experimenting, take consistent, accurate measurements and input them straight into your lab notebook.

If you’re building a prototype, you will probably need to make several different models, comparing their function, cost, and ease of production before you can argue which is best.

For both types of projects, take lots of photographs. These will serve to document your work and will become valuable visual aids for your science fair display.

5. Evaluate your Data or Prototype

Once you have gathered your data or tested your prototype, you will need to evaluate it.

When interpreting data, be careful not to let your hypothesis influence your interpretation. If you are capable of running a statistical analysis to confirm the validity of your findings, definitely do so. This means using standard deviation to determine if your results are statistically significant. Running such an analysis is often above the skill set expected at the high school level, but if you know how to do so, you can definitely set yourself apart. If you cannot run a statistical analysis, instead think about ways in which you could further test your project’s findings.

If you’ve built a prototype, try to be its toughest critic. Come up with ideas for making it more streamlined, more cost-effective, more portable, or more visually appealing. Judges will appreciate your efforts to improve on your design, even if it’s already successful. 

6. Write a Scientific Report

Your report will contain all the same elements of a lab report. These include the following sections:

• Introduction
• Materials and Methods

Your report should be written in the passive voice, just as you would write a lab. In fact, it sometimes helps to think of it as a very long, in-depth lab report like you would write for class. Have a friend, teacher, or mentor proofread your paper and write at least two drafts of it. 

7. Create a Visual Display

When your paper is complete, you can work on your display. Your display should include a summary of your work in a visually appealing manner. You will need to have each section of your paper clearly labeled and available for reading. You should also include photos, graphs, diagrams, or any other visual aids that will develop your audience’s understanding. Usually, a regular poster board is not enough space to display a project like this, and often your display will need to be self-standing. A trifold display board similar to this can be found online or at your local office supply store.

If you have any hands-on elements that you’re able to bring, you should definitely do so. Your prototype itself is an ideal prop for showing off your hard work.

8. Practice Your Presentation

Just because you’ve finished your paper and put together your display, that doesn’t mean that your work is done. You’ll need to practice your presentation in much the same way that you would practice for an interview. Stand in front of a mirror and summarize your findings. Try to anticipate what questions a judge might have.   The most common questions from a science fair judge are “What would you do differently next time?” and “What would you do next?” 

9. On the night of the science fair . . .    

Dress for success. First impressions matter so make sure to wear something that would be appropriate for a professional event. This means at minimum a collared shirt and tie, or blouse and skirt or slacks. When the judges arrive (usually one at a time) greet them with a confident smile and a firm handshake. Introduce yourself and your project, and ask if they would like to have a look at your work or if they’d like you to introduce the project first. It’s easy to be nervous but try to relax and take the opportunity to learn as much as you can from them.

Your first science fair can seem intimidating if you don’t know where to start, but with a step-by-step approach to choosing your project, conducting your work, and preparing for the fair, you will find that each task on its own is completely manageable. A science fair is a great way to build experience in presenting information to independent judges, and an even better way to practice the skills that research scientists and engineers use on a daily basis. You might even form a lasting relationship with your mentor or fellow presenters. If you’re considering participating in the science fair, your aim should be to learn more about a topic that you’re interested in and to gain experience in conducting research and presenting your work. Though it’s always nice to win, there are many advantages to participating even if you come home without a blue ribbon.

If you are interested in engineering and want to pursue it further, check out CollegeVine’s article, “How to Spend Your Summer as an Aspiring Engineer” .   Or, if you’re interested in pursuing the sciences in college but haven’t yet taken many advanced science classes, read our guide on How the Classes You Take Affect Your Chances at Admissions .  

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.  

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Every great science project includes the same basic activities:

• Identifying a testable question . The question should be answerable, using affordable materials and methods that are both safe and feasible.
• Testing each variable  in an experiment more than once. Repeated testing will ensure you have enough data to make valid conclusions.
• Testing only one variable at a time . This approach allows you to identify and measure the effect of each variable individually.
• Data gathering and recording . Data include measurements and observations.
• Graphing data , and then identifying trends in the data. That will help support your conclusion.

This  science fair project guide  published by Science Buddies can help you get started. This 15-minute  animated video , by a young artist named Kevin Temmer, provides a great introduction to preparing for a science fair.

Now that you know what to do, choose a topic and then:

• Research the topic . This means becoming a mini-expert on the topic.
• Organize . This includes stating the question you want to answer.
• Create a timetable . Research takes planning, pacing and usually much more time than you expect.
• Make a research plan . This is a roadmap of the questions you will have to answer as you design, conduct and interpret your experiment.
• Review rules , and have an adult review and approve your experiment if necessary. Every science fair requires students to follow a set of rules. For example, here are the rules for Regeneron ISEF competition for high school students. Some projects also require the review and approval of an adult. These can include projects involving hazardous or potentially hazardous substances and devices, or live animals (including people).
• Construct a hypothesis.  This is an educated guess about how something will work. An experiment will test your hypothesis.
• Conduct the experiment . You will have to repeat it multiple times, following the same procedure each time.
• Record results . This means collecting your measurements and observations.
• Analyze results . Review your data, using charts and graphs to help interpret them.
• Draw conclusions . Your data will either support or refute your original hypothesis.
• Present results . You can share the results of your experiment through an abstract, or brief summary. You may also present your results in a research paper or on a presentation board.

Project Timing

Each of the above steps will take time — more than you may think at first. Making a timetable will help you plan. Be ambitious but realistic. That means making sure that the topic you choose not only interests you but also can be researched in the amount of time you have. Once you have identified your testable question, next develop a timeline to manage how you will test it. Build into your project some extra time to accommodate unexpected problems. These might include taking a big test, getting the flu or having to leave town for a family event.

If you will be taking part in a large science fair, you may have to fill out entry forms and review your research plan with your sponsor. Allow time for that. Certain projects will require more time because they need prior approval from a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) or an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Budget time for that. And allow plenty of time to experiment and collect data. Sometimes experiments don’t work. Sometimes experiments raise more questions than they answer — and require even more experimenting. This all takes time. Finally, you may have to write a paper that pulls together your findings. Or you may need to create a display or poster that presents your data and findings.

Project Support

Creating an independent research project doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. Parents, teachers, experts and other students may offer to help you on your project. Figuring out what kind of help is fair — and what type of help is not — can be tricky. Below are several stories from  Science News for Kids  that help offer guidance on that issue.

Many students find a mentor to help them refine what questions to ask and how to answer them. Ideally, a mentor should never tell you what to do (even if you ask). Instead, a good mentor will help you find information that will inform your decisions on what to do and how to do it. For example, this story from Science News for Students gives examples of the proper roles played by mentors. This  article discusses the advantages of working with a mentor. Meanwhile, we feature in this story  the rewarding example of a young student who had the courage to contact an outside expert in the topic he was researching.

Parents and teachers can play a role too. Parents and teachers may offer advice and give assistance, but they must not do any of the actual work on a research project.. For instance, they may help you map out the time you have available to do your work. Parents and teachers also can evaluate whether the project you want to do can be done in the time available. They also can help determine whether supplies will cost more than you can afford, or whether what you plan to do might be dangerous or require approval from others. Here are two links to SNK stories that expand on this topic.

This Science News for Students article  features what parents learned about their role in helping on science fair projects. And this story  highlights teachers sharing the roles they played.

Presentation and Competition

Once you have completed your experiment, analyzed your results and drawn your conclusions, there is still more to do: You must communicate your findings. You also should be prepared to discuss your project, answering any questions that judges, teachers or others might have about how and why you tested or developed something the way you did and how to interpret your findings.

There are many different ways to present the results of your research. Remember: Presenting results doesn’t mean performing, demonstrating or repeating your experiment. Instead, you should prepare:

• A research paper. This gathers in one document all the work you have done on your project. The contents will vary, but should include a title, table of contents, hypothesis, background research, materials, procedures, data analysis, conclusions and a bibliography. You might also include ideas for future research and acknowledgements.
• An abstract, or brief summary of your research paper. An abstract typically includes the purpose of the experiment, procedures used, results and conclusion. You also may want to include an introduction. Science Buddies offers this concise guide to writing an abstract .
• A project or display board .  The board includes much of the same information as in your research paper. However, it is designed for display and brevity. That means it must be organized and laid out in a way that makes it easy to read — even by someone standing a short distance away. Again, Science Buddies provides some clear  guidelines for preparing a board. For most science fairs, there are complex and strict rules that govern what a board must (and cannot) include. For example, review the  Regeneron ISEF Display and Safety Regulations .

When presenting your work, it can be helpful to keep in mind what judges look for in reviewing the entries in a science fair. Even if you don’t plan to compete, these criteria can help you focus in creating a presentation of your work. Some of the criteria include originality and creativity, design and methodology, knowledge achieved, and clarity of expression.

For more examples of what judges look for, review the Regeneron ISEF Judging Criteria .  You can also try searching on the Internet for “science fair judging criteria.” You can narrow your search by adding, for example, the name of your state. SSP-Affiliate Fairs are listed in a Find-A-Fair index by state; many have websites with details about registration, judging and past winners.

Background Information for Science Projects

Science projects for school students range from simple setups and graphs to more complex fair-style displays or even extended activities. Students and teachers can complete some projects directly in the classroom, while others may need some at-home care to finish. Whether you (or your child or student) create an elaborate activity or something more basic, all science projects should contain background information or a purpose statement.

Explore this article

• What Is Background Information?
• Other Information to Include
• Placement of Background Information
• Finding Background Information

1 What Is Background Information?

Science project background information includes all research that you conduct before beginning the activity. For example, if you design a project on how acids and bases react when mixed together, the background section should contain specific information on acids, bases, litmus tests, chemical formulas, solutions, molecules and reactions. Additionally, the background information for an acid/base science project may contain biographical knowledge on scientists such as Robert Boyle who have contributed theories in this specific area or a time line of chemical research.

2 Other Information to Include

The purpose statement provides answers to many questions such as why you chose this specific project and why it is significant to the scientific community. Unlike general scientific background information, a purpose statement provides background on your connection to the project and the greater purpose of the activity.

3 Placement of Background Information

Background information for a science project should come at the beginning of any written report or materials. If you write a multisection paper, place the background information in the introduction before you delve into the experiment. if you display the project at a school fair or science event, include the background information on a display board. A science project display board, typically a trifold stand-up board, can include the background information, charts/graphs and other vital statistics or explanations. Type out the background information statement on a separate sheet and position it at the top of a display board.

4 Finding Background Information

There are a number of different sources that students can use to find background information for science projects. School textbooks are a first option for projects that are solely based on in-class material. Another source for background information is the Internet. Students should be mindful of using websites that do not contain authoritative sources. Look for sites from reputable scientific organizations and schools. Avoid blogs or sites created by individuals with little or no science credentials. Students may also choose to use nonfiction library books or scientific magazines such as National Geographic Kids.

• 1 University of Washington: Neuroscience for Kids
• 2 Visionlearning: Acids and Bases

About the Author

Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. Her articles have appeared in "Pittsburgh Parent Magazine" and the website PBS Parents. She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.

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How to Write a Research Proposal: (with Examples & Templates)

Table of Contents

Before conducting a study, a research proposal should be created that outlines researchers’ plans and methodology and is submitted to the concerned evaluating organization or person. Creating a research proposal is an important step to ensure that researchers are on track and are moving forward as intended. A research proposal can be defined as a detailed plan or blueprint for the proposed research that you intend to undertake. It provides readers with a snapshot of your project by describing what you will investigate, why it is needed, and how you will conduct the research.  

Your research proposal should aim to explain to the readers why your research is relevant and original, that you understand the context and current scenario in the field, have the appropriate resources to conduct the research, and that the research is feasible given the usual constraints.  

This article will describe in detail the purpose and typical structure of a research proposal , along with examples and templates to help you ace this step in your research journey.  

What is a Research Proposal ?  

A research proposal¹ ,²  can be defined as a formal report that describes your proposed research, its objectives, methodology, implications, and other important details. Research proposals are the framework of your research and are used to obtain approvals or grants to conduct the study from various committees or organizations. Consequently, research proposals should convince readers of your study’s credibility, accuracy, achievability, practicality, and reproducibility.   

With research proposals , researchers usually aim to persuade the readers, funding agencies, educational institutions, and supervisors to approve the proposal. To achieve this, the report should be well structured with the objectives written in clear, understandable language devoid of jargon. A well-organized research proposal conveys to the readers or evaluators that the writer has thought out the research plan meticulously and has the resources to ensure timely completion.  

Purpose of Research Proposals  

A research proposal is a sales pitch and therefore should be detailed enough to convince your readers, who could be supervisors, ethics committees, universities, etc., that what you’re proposing has merit and is feasible . Research proposals can help students discuss their dissertation with their faculty or fulfill course requirements and also help researchers obtain funding. A well-structured proposal instills confidence among readers about your ability to conduct and complete the study as proposed.  

Research proposals can be written for several reasons:³  

• To describe the importance of research in the specific topic  
• Address any potential challenges you may encounter  
• Showcase knowledge in the field and your ability to conduct a study  
• Apply for a role at a research institute  
• Convince a research supervisor or university that your research can satisfy the requirements of a degree program  
• Highlight the importance of your research to organizations that may sponsor your project  
• Identify implications of your project and how it can benefit the audience  

What Goes in a Research Proposal?    

Research proposals should aim to answer the three basic questions—what, why, and how.  

The What question should be answered by describing the specific subject being researched. It should typically include the objectives, the cohort details, and the location or setting.  

The Why question should be answered by describing the existing scenario of the subject, listing unanswered questions, identifying gaps in the existing research, and describing how your study can address these gaps, along with the implications and significance.  

The How question should be answered by describing the proposed research methodology, data analysis tools expected to be used, and other details to describe your proposed methodology.   

Research Proposal Example  

Here is a research proposal sample template (with examples) from the University of Rochester Medical Center. 4 The sections in all research proposals are essentially the same although different terminology and other specific sections may be used depending on the subject.  

Structure of a Research Proposal  

If you want to know how to make a research proposal impactful, include the following components:¹  

1. Introduction  

This section provides a background of the study, including the research topic, what is already known about it and the gaps, and the significance of the proposed research.  

2. Literature review  

This section contains descriptions of all the previous relevant studies pertaining to the research topic. Every study cited should be described in a few sentences, starting with the general studies to the more specific ones. This section builds on the understanding gained by readers in the Introduction section and supports it by citing relevant prior literature, indicating to readers that you have thoroughly researched your subject.  

3. Objectives  

Once the background and gaps in the research topic have been established, authors must now state the aims of the research clearly. Hypotheses should be mentioned here. This section further helps readers understand what your study’s specific goals are.  

4. Research design and methodology  

Here, authors should clearly describe the methods they intend to use to achieve their proposed objectives. Important components of this section include the population and sample size, data collection and analysis methods and duration, statistical analysis software, measures to avoid bias (randomization, blinding), etc.  

5. Ethical considerations  

This refers to the protection of participants’ rights, such as the right to privacy, right to confidentiality, etc. Researchers need to obtain informed consent and institutional review approval by the required authorities and mention this clearly for transparency.  

6. Budget/funding  

Researchers should prepare their budget and include all expected expenditures. An additional allowance for contingencies such as delays should also be factored in.  

7. Appendices  

This section typically includes information that supports the research proposal and may include informed consent forms, questionnaires, participant information, measurement tools, etc.  

8. Citations  

Important Tips for Writing a Research Proposal  

Writing a research proposal begins much before the actual task of writing. Planning the research proposal structure and content is an important stage, which if done efficiently, can help you seamlessly transition into the writing stage. 3,5  

The Planning Stage  

• Manage your time efficiently. Plan to have the draft version ready at least two weeks before your deadline and the final version at least two to three days before the deadline.
• What is the primary objective of your research?  
• Will your research address any existing gap?  
• What is the impact of your proposed research?  
• Do people outside your field find your research applicable in other areas?  
• If your research is unsuccessful, would there still be other useful research outcomes?  

  The Writing Stage  

• Create an outline with main section headings that are typically used.  
• Focus only on writing and getting your points across without worrying about the format of the research proposal , grammar, punctuation, etc. These can be fixed during the subsequent passes. Add details to each section heading you created in the beginning.   
• Ensure your sentences are concise and use plain language. A research proposal usually contains about 2,000 to 4,000 words or four to seven pages.  
• Don’t use too many technical terms and abbreviations assuming that the readers would know them. Define the abbreviations and technical terms.  
• Ensure that the entire content is readable. Avoid using long paragraphs because they affect the continuity in reading. Break them into shorter paragraphs and introduce some white space for readability.  
• Focus on only the major research issues and cite sources accordingly. Don’t include generic information or their sources in the literature review.  
• Proofread your final document to ensure there are no grammatical errors so readers can enjoy a seamless, uninterrupted read.  
• Use academic, scholarly language because it brings formality into a document.  
• Ensure that your title is created using the keywords in the document and is neither too long and specific nor too short and general.  
• Cite all sources appropriately to avoid plagiarism.  
• Make sure that you follow guidelines, if provided. This includes rules as simple as using a specific font or a hyphen or en dash between numerical ranges.  
• Ensure that you’ve answered all questions requested by the evaluating authority.  

Key Takeaways   

Here’s a summary of the main points about research proposals discussed in the previous sections:  

• A research proposal is a document that outlines the details of a proposed study and is created by researchers to submit to evaluators who could be research institutions, universities, faculty, etc.  
• Research proposals are usually about 2,000-4,000 words long, but this depends on the evaluating authority’s guidelines.  
• A good research proposal ensures that you’ve done your background research and assessed the feasibility of the research.  
• Research proposals have the following main sections—introduction, literature review, objectives, methodology, ethical considerations, and budget.  

Frequently Asked Questions  

Q1. How is a research proposal evaluated?  

A1. In general, most evaluators, including universities, broadly use the following criteria to evaluate research proposals . 6  

• Significance —Does the research address any important subject or issue, which may or may not be specific to the evaluator or university?  
• Content and design —Is the proposed methodology appropriate to answer the research question? Are the objectives clear and well aligned with the proposed methodology?  
• Sample size and selection —Is the target population or cohort size clearly mentioned? Is the sampling process used to select participants randomized, appropriate, and free of bias?  
• Timing —Are the proposed data collection dates mentioned clearly? Is the project feasible given the specified resources and timeline?  
• Data management and dissemination —Who will have access to the data? What is the plan for data analysis?  

Q2. What is the difference between the Introduction and Literature Review sections in a research proposal ?  

A2. The Introduction or Background section in a research proposal sets the context of the study by describing the current scenario of the subject and identifying the gaps and need for the research. A Literature Review, on the other hand, provides references to all prior relevant literature to help corroborate the gaps identified and the research need.  

Q3. How long should a research proposal be?  

A3. Research proposal lengths vary with the evaluating authority like universities or committees and also the subject. Here’s a table that lists the typical research proposal lengths for a few universities.  

Q4. What are the common mistakes to avoid in a research proposal ?  

A4. Here are a few common mistakes that you must avoid while writing a research proposal . 7  

• No clear objectives: Objectives should be clear, specific, and measurable for the easy understanding among readers.  
• Incomplete or unconvincing background research: Background research usually includes a review of the current scenario of the particular industry and also a review of the previous literature on the subject. This helps readers understand your reasons for undertaking this research because you identified gaps in the existing research.  
• Overlooking project feasibility: The project scope and estimates should be realistic considering the resources and time available.   
• Neglecting the impact and significance of the study: In a research proposal , readers and evaluators look for the implications or significance of your research and how it contributes to the existing research. This information should always be included.  
• Unstructured format of a research proposal : A well-structured document gives confidence to evaluators that you have read the guidelines carefully and are well organized in your approach, consequently affirming that you will be able to undertake the research as mentioned in your proposal.  
• Ineffective writing style: The language used should be formal and grammatically correct. If required, editors could be consulted, including AI-based tools such as Paperpal , to refine the research proposal structure and language.  

Thus, a research proposal is an essential document that can help you promote your research and secure funds and grants for conducting your research. Consequently, it should be well written in clear language and include all essential details to convince the evaluators of your ability to conduct the research as proposed.  

This article has described all the important components of a research proposal and has also provided tips to improve your writing style. We hope all these tips will help you write a well-structured research proposal to ensure receipt of grants or any other purpose.  

References  

• Sudheesh K, Duggappa DR, Nethra SS. How to write a research proposal? Indian J Anaesth. 2016;60(9):631-634. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037942/  
• Writing research proposals. Harvard College Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Harvard University. Accessed July 14, 2024. https://uraf.harvard.edu/apply-opportunities/app-components/essays/research-proposals  
• What is a research proposal? Plus how to write one. Indeed website. Accessed July 17, 2024. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/research-proposal  
• Research proposal template. University of Rochester Medical Center. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/pediatrics/research/documents/Research-proposal-Template.pdf  
• Tips for successful proposal writing. Johns Hopkins University. Accessed July 17, 2024. https://research.jhu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tips-for-Successful-Proposal-Writing.pdf  
• Formal review of research proposals. Cornell University. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/surveys/survey-assessment-review-group/research-proposals  
• 7 Mistakes you must avoid in your research proposal. Aveksana (via LinkedIn). Accessed July 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-mistakes-you-must-avoid-your-research-proposal-aveksana-cmtwf/  

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How to Write a Science Fiction Novel: A Comprehensive Guide

• by Andrea Feccomandi
• July 31, 2024

Do you dream of creating new worlds and futuristic adventures? Science fiction can take readers beyond the stars and into the unknown .

Science fiction holds a special place in literature. It explores what could be, pushing the boundaries of our imagination. Through its lens, we tackle important questions about humanity, technology, and the future . Writing science fiction means joining a tradition of authors who inspire and provoke thought.

But how do you start writing a science fiction novel? This guide on how to write a science fiction novel will cover the essential steps to bring your vision to life.

Let’s start!

Sci-fi Novel Meaning

To master how to write a science fiction novel, you need to first understand what science fiction is. Science fiction explores imaginative concepts, often based on scientific principles or futuristic settings. It asks big questions about what is possible and what the future might hold.

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL DEFINITION What is a Science Fiction Novel? A science fiction novel is a type of fiction that explores imaginative and futuristic concepts, often grounded in scientific principles or advanced technology. These novels often address themes like space exploration, time travel, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life. By creating speculative worlds, science fiction novels examine the potential impact of science and technology on society and individuals.

Science fiction is a broad genre with many subgenres. Each has its own unique focus and style. Here are a few key subgenres:

Hard Sci-Fi

This subgenre focuses on scientific accuracy and technical detail . Stories often revolve around real scientific principles and theories. For example, Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: “ A Space Odyssey ” explores space travel with great scientific detail.

Soft Sci-Fi

Soft sci-fi emphasizes human elements rather than scientific accuracy . It explores social sciences like psychology, sociology, and politics. Ursula K. Le Guin’s “ The Left Hand of Darkness ” is a great example, focusing on social and political issues on an alien planet.

Cyberpunk features a high-tech, low-life world . It often involves hackers, artificial intelligence, and cybernetic enhancements. William Gibson’s “ Neuromancer ” is a classic cyberpunk novel depicting a dark and gritty future dominated by technology.

Space Opera

Space opera is grand and epic, set in space with large-scale battles and complex plots . It focuses more on adventure and drama than scientific accuracy. “ Star Wars ” is a well-known example, with its vast interstellar conflicts and heroic characters.

Biopunk focuses on biotechnology and genetic engineering . It explores the implications of manipulating living organisms. Margaret Atwood’s “ Oryx and Crake ” delves into a future where genetic engineering has drastically altered life on Earth, raising ethical and moral questions.

Military Sci-Fi

Military science fiction centers on armed conflict in futuristic or space settings . It often features detailed descriptions of battles and military technology. “ Starship Troopers ” by Robert A. Heinlein is a notable example, portraying a future society where citizens earn their rights through military service.

Post-Apocalyptic

Post-apocalyptic sci-fi explores life after a catastrophic event that has destroyed civilization . These stories often focus on survival and rebuilding. “ The Road ” by Cormac McCarthy is a well-known post-apocalyptic novel, following a father and son in a devastated world.

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science fiction gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. Isaac Asimov

How to Write a Science Fiction Novel: Developing Your Concept

When learning how to write a science fiction novel, developing your central idea is crucial. The central idea drives your story and keeps readers engaged. It’s the main theme or question that your novel explores . This idea will guide your plot , characters , and setting.

For example, in Mary Shelley’s “ Frankenstein ,” the central idea revolves around the consequences of playing God. This theme shapes every part of the novel.

Finding inspiration for the central idea can sometimes be the hardest part, but science and technology offer endless possibilities. Consider how modern technology or scientific discoveries could evolve in the future . For instance, reading about advancements in artificial intelligence might inspire a story about AI gaining consciousness.

Think about space exploration, genetic engineering, or climate change. How might these areas change our world? Isaac Asimov’s “ Foundation ” series explores the idea of predicting and shaping the future through mathematics, inspired by his interest in science.

Don’t even ignore your dreams and imagination . Many great science fiction ideas come from asking: “ What if? ” What if humans could travel faster than light? What if we discovered a parallel universe? Use these questions to spark your creativity.

Structuring the Main Idea into a Clear and Intriguing Concept

Once you have your central idea, you need to structure it into a clear and intriguing concept. Start by summarizing your idea in one sentence . For example, “ In a future where humans have colonized Mars, a young scientist discovers a hidden alien civilization .”

Next, expand this sentence into a paragraph . Introduce your main characters and their goals. Describe the setting and the main conflict . This is the premise and will help you see how your idea can develop into a full story.

For instance, “ Dr. Jane Carter, a brilliant but isolated scientist, works on Mars terraforming projects. When she stumbles upon an ancient alien city, she must decide whether to reveal her discovery and risk interplanetary conflict or keep it secret to protect humanity. ”

World-Building in a Science Fiction Novel

When writing a science fiction novel, building a believable and detailed setting is essential.

Start with the basics. Where does your story take place? Is it on Earth, in a distant galaxy, or on a newly discovered planet? Describe the environment. Is it lush and green, barren and rocky, or filled with towering futuristic cities?

For example, in Frank Herbert’s “ Dune ,” the desert planet Arrakis is harsh and arid. Its environment shapes the culture and lifestyle of its inhabitants. Similarly, your setting should influence your characters and their actions.

World-Building Techniques

To build a rich and believable world, consider its history, geography, politics, society, and technology. Here’s how to approach each aspect.

History . Create a backstory for your world. What significant events shaped it? In “ The War of the Worlds ” by H.G. Wells, the Martian invasion is a pivotal event that alters the course of human history and society. The panic, destruction, and eventual human resilience against the Martians add depth and context to the story. Your world’s history should add depth and context to your narrative.

Geography. Map out your world. Include continents, oceans, mountains, and cities. Describe the climate and natural resources. For example, the floating mountains in James Cameron’s “ Avatar ” create a unique and memorable setting.

Politics . Define the political landscape. Who holds power, and how do they govern? Are there tensions or alliances between different groups? In “ Ender’s Game ” by Orson Scott Card, the government and military hold significant power, training young children for war against alien invaders. This creates a complex dynamic of control, manipulation, and rebellion.

Society . Think about the culture and social structure. What are the customs, traditions, and beliefs? How do people interact with each other? In “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin, the society on the planet Gethen is unique in its fluid approach to gender, deeply influencing social interactions and cultural norms.

Technology . Consider the level of technological advancement. What inventions and devices are common? How do they affect daily life? In Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series, advanced technology like psychohistory shapes the story’s events.

Balancing Realism and Imagination

A successful science fiction novel balances realism and imagination. Ground your world in details that make it feel real, but don’t be afraid to stretch the limits of what’s possible . For instance, in “ Star Trek ,” the concept of warp drive is based on real scientific theories, but it’s pushed beyond our current understanding to create exciting possibilities.

Use familiar elements to anchor your readers . Describing a bustling market with vendors selling exotic fruits can make an alien planet feel relatable. At the same time, let your imagination run wild. Invent unique creatures, landscapes, and technologies that surprise and intrigue.

As you build your world, think about how all these elements interact . A technologically advanced society might have different values and problems than a primitive one. A planet with scarce resources will shape its inhabitants’ behavior and culture differently than one with abundance.

Common Plot Structures in Sci-Fi Novels

If you want to learn how to write a science fiction novel, you have to understand the most common common plot structures. These structures provide a framework to guide your story and keep readers engaged.

Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey is a classic plot structure . Your protagonist starts in an ordinary world, faces a call to adventure, and embarks on a quest. Along the way, they encounter challenges, gain allies , and confront a final ordeal. Think of Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,” who leaves his home to battle the Empire. This structure works well in sci-fi by showcasing a character’s growth in the face of technological wonders and alien threats.

A quest involves a protagonist setting out to achieve a specific goal . This journey drives the plot. For example, in “ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, ” Arthur Dent travels through space to discover the meaning of life. Sci-fi quests often involve interstellar travel, advanced technology, and the search for knowledge or power, highlighting humanity’s relentless pursuit of understanding.

In a rebellion plot, characters fight against an oppressive force . This structure often explores themes of freedom and justice. In “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, Ender Wiggin trains to battle an alien species that threatens Earth, dealing with internal and external conflicts against authority figures and military regimes. Sci-fi rebellions might feature dystopian futures , advanced surveillance, and the struggle against technologically superior oppressors, emphasizing the human spirit’s resistance.

First Contact

First contact stories revolve around humans meeting alien species for the first time . These plots explore themes of communication and understanding. “ Contact ” by Carl Sagan follows Dr. Ellie Arroway as she deciphers a message from an alien civilization. Sci-fi first contact plots often deal with the implications of encountering intelligent extraterrestrial life, cultural exchanges, and the potential for conflict or cooperation.

Time Travel

Time travel plots involve characters moving through different points in time . In “ The Time Machine ” by H.G. Wells, the protagonist explores distant futures. Sci-fi time travel stories often address the consequences of altering timelines, paradoxes, and the philosophical implications of time manipulation, showcasing complex narrative structures and speculative ideas.

Exploration

Exploration plots focus on discovering new worlds, societies, and technologies . In “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Arthur C. Clarke, humans explore space and encounter mysterious alien artifacts. Sci-fi exploration stories often highlight the sense of wonder and danger in the unknown, pushing the boundaries of human experience and knowledge.

How to write a Science Fiction Novel: Integrating Science and Technology

To write a compelling science fiction novel, you must integrate science and technology seamlessly. This adds depth and credibility to your story. How you present these elements can make or break the believability of your fictional world .

Scientific Research for Credibility

Research is crucial . Accurate science grounds your novel in reality. Read scientific journals, watch documentaries, and consult experts.

For instance, if your story involves space travel, understand the basics of astrophysics and propulsion systems. If your narrative explores genetic engineering, familiarize yourself with CRISPR technology and current advancements in biology.

By weaving accurate scientific details into your story, you create a foundation that readers can trust , even as you introduce speculative elements.

Imagine you are writing about a future where humans colonize other planets. Knowing the challenges of human physiology in space, like muscle atrophy and radiation exposure, allows you to construct a believable narrative. Or consider a plot centered around artificial intelligence; understanding machine learning and neural networks will enable you to depict AI interactions more convincingly.

How to Integrate Technology and Science into the Plot

Introduce technology and science naturally, by embedding them into the plot and character experiences.

You can incorporate technology as a tool that characters use to solve problems or achieve goals . For example, in “ Ready Player One ” by Ernest Cline, virtual reality technology is integral to the plot. The protagonist, Wade Watts, navigates a virtual world called the OASIS to find hidden Easter eggs, using advanced technology to overcome challenges and outsmart adversaries.

Consider also how technology can drive your plot. Technological failures or advancements can create tension and conflict . A malfunctioning life-support system in a space station can lead to a life-or-death situation, while a rogue AI developing consciousness can introduce ethical dilemmas and unexpected threats. These elements make technology integral to the plot rather than a mere backdrop.

When introducing new technology, think about its societal implications . How does it change daily life, power structures, or personal relationships? For instance, in “Dune” by Frank Herbert, the control of the spice Melange, a substance necessary for space travel, creates political and economic tensions. This illustrates the profound impact of science on society, driving the plot and character motivations.

Another example is in “ The Expanse ” series by James S.A. Corey, where the discovery of the protomolecule, an alien technology, triggers a race among Earth, Mars, and the Belt factions. This technology not only affects political alliances but also reshapes the future of humanity.

Use technology to reveal character traits and advance the story. How a character reacts to a technological crisis can show their resourcefulness, bravery, or desperation. For instance, in “ Altered Carbon ” by Richard K. Morgan, the protagonist Takeshi Kovacs navigates a world where consciousness can be transferred to different bodies, revealing his adaptability and resilience as he solves complex mysteries.

Balancing Technical Explanations and Narrative

Balance is key. Too much technical detail can overwhelm readers, while too little can make your story seem unconvincing.

You have to show technology in action rather than explaining it . In “ The Martian ,” Andy Weir uses the protagonist’s struggle for survival on Mars to explain scientific concepts. Mark Watney’s use of chemistry to produce water is woven into the narrative through his actions and thoughts.

In “Neuromancer” by William Gibson, the concept of cyberspace is introduced through the protagonist’s experiences rather than lengthy descriptions. This approach keeps the narrative engaging while still providing a sense of the technology’s scope and significance.

Another effective technique is use analogies and simple explanations . For example, instead of detailing how a spaceship’s engine works, describe it as “ powerful enough to cross the galaxy in days .”

Crafting Compelling Characters in a Science Fiction Novel

Creating engaging characters is crucial when learning how to write a science fiction novel. Your characters should be complex and relatable. They drive your story and connect with your readers on an emotional level.

Characteristics of Protagonists and Antagonists in Science Fiction

In science fiction, protagonists often face extraordinary challenges . They might be scientists, explorers, rebels, or ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. Think of Luke Skywalker from “Star Wars,” who starts as a farm boy and becomes a hero . Your protagonist should have clear goals, strong motivations, and a mix of strengths and weaknesses .

Antagonists in science fiction are equally important. They create conflict and drive the plot. They might be alien invaders, corrupt governments, rogue AI, or even a harsh environment. For example, HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a rogue AI that turns against the crew. Your antagonist should have clear reasons for their actions, making them more than just obstacles for the protagonist.

Developing the Background and Motivations of Characters

Backgrounds give depth to your characters. Where did they come from? What experiences shaped them? Consider a character’s upbringing, education, and significant life events. These elements influence their decisions and interactions .

Motivations are the driving forces behind your characters’ actions. Why do they do what they do? In “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, Ender Wiggin is driven by a desire to protect humanity, even as he struggles with the harsh training he undergoes. Motivations can be personal (revenge, love, survival) or broader (justice, freedom, knowledge). Ensure your characters have clear, compelling reasons for their actions.

Interactions Between Characters and How They Influence the Plot

Character interactions shape your plot . Relationships between characters can create tension, reveal secrets, or drive the story forward. Consider the dynamic between Rick Deckard and the replicants in “ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ” Their interactions explore themes of humanity and empathy, adding depth to the plot.

In science fiction, interactions often revolve around unique elements of the genre. How do characters respond to advanced technology or alien cultures ? In “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin, the protagonist’s interactions with an alien society that has a different approach to gender deeply influence the plot and his character development.

Dialogue is a key tool for showing interactions. It reveals character traits, builds relationships, and advances the story. Avoid using dialogue just for exposition . Instead, make it meaningful and character-driven.

Conflicts between characters are also crucial. They can be ideological, physical, or emotional. These conflicts create drama and keep readers engaged. For example, in “Dune,” the conflict between Paul Atreides and the Harkonnens drives much of the plot.

How Bibisco Novel Writing Software Can Help You Write a Science Fiction Novel

bibisco novel writing software offers many features to help you write a science fiction novel . It provides tools for organizing your thoughts and structuring your story.

bibisco allows you to outline your plot with clear, visual tools. You can break your story into chapters and scenes, making it easier to see the overall structure. This helps in maintaining a steady pace and logical progression.

bibisco provides a clean writing interface where you can write and edit your novel within the software. It tracks your progress and helps set writing goals, keeping you motivated and on track to complete your novel.

bibisco supports every aspect of writing a science fiction novel , from character development to world-building and plot organization, helping turn your creative ideas into a structured, compelling story.

Conclusion: How to Write a Science Fiction Novel

Science fiction sparks our imagination and pushes the boundaries of what we believe is possible. From exploring distant galaxies to envisioning futuristic technology, science fiction allows us to dream big and ask, “ What if? “

By writing science fiction, you join a tradition of authors who inspire and provoke thought, reflecting our hopes, fears, and questions about the future.

In this guide, we covered the basic concepts you need to know for writing your own science fiction novel. Now, it’s time to put your ideas into action. Start writing your science fiction novel and bring your unique vision of the future to life!

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