Project
HELP!
Project
HELP! (
How-to
Execute a
Leading
Project) was conceived to assist students at every level in the development of a project that has the potential to take them to the next level of Science Fair competition and beyond. It is a Ten-Step project process from inception to completion. Although we DO NOT guarantee that you will win with a project developed following these steps, we DO GUARANTEE that you will get the most out of the whole Science Fair experience by following them correctly!
When you have finished the COMPLETE TEN STEP process, you can learn all about producing the BEST display board possible by clicking HERE.
NOW, let's get started with some
HELP!!
(1) Choose Your Best Topic
A. The topic you choose should be a general area of study (birds, planetary movement, food combinations, etc.) in which you are INTERESTED/CURIOUS ABOUT and/or about which you already have A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE. You are going to be working on this for the next 6-8 months so be sure to choose something of which you will not get bored or tired!
B. In general, you should keep in mind the following criteria:
1. You should be able to COLLECT DATA -- String Theory is really cool,
but there
is no way for you to measure and/or collect any data to support it!
2. You will have access to everything you need to complete the project -- Glacial
melting is
a hot topic of interest right now, but you live in Alabama and don't
have
access to any glaciers!
C. Browse through the database of ALL project abstracts that have made it to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) since 2003 by simply clicking HERE.
D. Check out some past projects and other ideas at some of the links on our
Idea & Resource Links page here on the website. You might also want to check out some of our
past winners to see what's been done in the recent past. All of these are great ways to get your mind wondering in the right direction!
E. If you simply cannot think of anything, spend an hour or two (or more!) in the library looking through science/environmental magazines, encyclopedias, medical and other professional journals -- there's A LOT going on out there in the Scientific & Mathematics communities!
(2) Define Your Specific Problem
A. Now that you have chosen a general topic area, it is time to narrow it down to a specific problem within that area. This is where your BACKGROUND READING comes into the picture! Do ALL the reading you can for a while on the topic area you have chosen and, in that process, you'll find yourself wondering about a specific problem within that area. For example, if the topic of "Sound" really interests you, take some time to read about sound: how it is produced and how it behaves. In the process of this reading, you might start to become curious about the actual speed of sound and what, if anything, can affect it? This curiosity is then the basis for your specific problem: How does the speed of sound change with, for instance, the actual temperature of the air?
B. The specific problem you choose should be an acceptable one for a Science and/or Mathematics investigation. In short, you should be able to, with thought and planning, clearly answer "YES" to ALL of the following questions:
1. Can you find sufficient background information (3 or more UNRELATED
sources) on your specific problem within your chosen area?
2. Can you CONTROL AND MEASURE a change in one variable
(temperature of
the air)
and then MEASURE the change it affects in the variable being
studied
(speed of sound)?
3. Can you reasonably prevent other factors/variables
(ambient air temperature,
random
noises) from detrimentally affecting your results?
4. Can you collect enough data
(20-30 or more speed measurements at varying
air temperatures)
to make possible any reasonable statistical analyzes?
5. If your project involves human subjects, are you willing to get permission from
EVERY adult and parent permission for EVERY student you will test?
6. Will you have the time and the materials to do the ENTIRE experiment AT
LEAST TWICE?
C. The specific problem you choose must be acceptable within the WCA Project Regulations and Restrictions.
(3) Narrow & Perform Your Project Research
A. Now that you have defined your problem and found it acceptable, it is time to perform your actual project-specific research regarding the problem. This includes the use of the following resources in VERIFIABLE and RELIABLE formats:
1. Hard Copy -- books, magazines/journals, newspapers
2. Soft Copy -- computer searches and surveys, software programs
3. Audio and/or Visual -- personal interviews, radio/television broadcasts, lectures
4. Teacher Assistance -- NOT necessarily your classroom one, either!
B. If completed properly and thoroughly, your project research will reveal the following information regarding your specifically-defined problem:
1. Problem Significance
--
What significance does your specific problem play in
our world today? Of what relevance is the outcome of your investigation to
your general topic area?
2. Problem History --
Has there been research performed into your specific problem area in the past? If so, what was it and how/why is your
investigation different and relevant with respect to this history?
3. Facts and Terminology
--
Are there certain facts and/or terms with which a reader should be acquainted in order to comprehend and even appreciate the
work you will undertake? These should all be explained and
defined.
4. Investigative Method --
How and by what method do you propose
to
investigate your specific problem? Why is your chosen method the best
choice for your investigations?
(4) Develop A Formal Hypothesis
Once your project research is complete, you should have enough information to make a knowledgeable prediction as to what you believe the correct answer to your specific problem could be. This testable prediction of a proposed relationship is known as your
formal hypothesis*.
Traditionally, an hypothesis was thought to be a simple prediction involving the dependent and independent variables written in "if/then format". However,
a formal hypothesis should present a tentative relationship in which the dependent variable is testably predicted to behave in a certain manner with respect to the independent variable.
A. To construct your formal hypothesis, you should first clearly define BOTH your independent and your dependent variables. For example, in our "Sound" example from above, the variable you are trying to predict is the speed of sound -- therefore, the speed of sound is the DEPENDENT VARIABLE. In order to measure the speed of the sound, YOU will be varying the temperature of the air -- therefore, the temperature of the air through which the sound is traveling is the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.
B. Once your independent and dependent variables have been defined, you should then define the relationship in which the two will be inter-acting in your specific problem -- this will form the basis for your prediction. For example, based on your project research, you have determined that sound travels by way of molecular vibrations in the medium through which it is traveling. That leads you to believe that the amount of vibrations possible in a medium will directly affect the speed of sound through it. Since your medium is air and the molecules in warm air vibrate more easily than the molecules in cold air, you predict that the speed of sound should vary with the temperature of the air. Your TESTABLE PREDICTION of a RELATIONSHIP between these two variables is that the speed of sound in air will increase with the temperature of the air.
C. Now, you should pull together your definitions from parts A and B to construct your formal hypothesis. This process should incorporate ALL of your definitions into a single if/then statement that clearly defines your investigative approach. For example, our formal hypothesis for our "Sound" example would be:
IF the
speed of sound does vary with the
temperature of the air through which it is traveling, THEN
the speed of sound will increase as the temperature of the air increases.
(5) Design Your Experiment
Once you have a formal hypothesis, you are ready to design an experiment that can properly TEST** your prediction in your hypothesis. Experimental Design is a FIVE-STEP process to include: variable definitions; group definitions; apparatus and/or resource design and construction; sample size determination; and procedure development and definition. ALL of the information from ALL FIVE STEPS should be included in your Data Log Book.
**Your goal as a scientific researcher is to TEST your hypothesis NOT prove it correct! The GREATEST error on the part of young researchers is the belief that they MUST prove their hypothesis correct --
THIS BELIEF IS EXPLICITLY AND CATEGORICALLY WRONG! We invite you to
read more on this very topic from Dr. William B. Weaver, PhD, an astronomer and researcher for over 30 years.
STEP ONE: You should define and explain all of your project variables: DEPENDENT, INDEPENDENT and CONSTANT. You are already familiar with the first two types of variables. Your constant variables (there may be more than one!) are those variables which could affect the outcome of your experiment but which you will endeavor to keep constant. For example, one constant variable for our "Sound" experiment would be
outside noises/sounds
. Since any noise other than the sound being experimentally produced could affect your measurements, you will need to control the experiment environment to make sure it is silent or at least as close to silent as possible.
STEP TWO: You should define the experimental groups: a control group and experimental group (there may be more than one experimental group). The experimental group is the one in which the independent variable is changed. The control group is the one in which the independent variable is constant or, in some cases, is not present at all. For example, our set-up in which we will vary the air temperature will be our experimental groups. We should also have a duplicate set-up in which the air temperature is held at a constant temperature and never varied.
STEP THREE: You should design and/or construct your experimental apparatus or any other resources you will need to physically conduct your investigations. BE SURE to document ALL of the materials you utilize AS WELL AS the reasoning you use in this process as it is important to your overall experiment. The most important thing to remember at this point is that ANYONE should be able to look at YOUR documentation and BE ABLE to COMPLETELY reconstruct what you have done WITHOUT consulting you or any other sources EXCEPT your writing/illustrations provided!
• If you are performing surveys/tests involving human subjects
, now is the time
to
design your survey and/or other such tests.
• If you are performing actual measurements using an experimental apparatus
and/or set-
up, now is the time to design and build such equipment or
assemble such
apparatus.
STEP FOUR: You should define a sample size for your experiment.
• If you are performing surveys/tests involving human subjects
and would like
to read more about designing your survey or you would simply like to
calculate a
sufficient number of people to include so that your results properly
mirror the
entire population you are describing, please click HERE. (Note: You must have
an Individual Consent Form completed for
EVERY participant in your survey! If
you have any questions regarding this item,
please read the information
regarding Human Subjects and Informed Consent on the
required forms page
) • If you are performing actual measurements using an experimental apparatus
and/or set-
up, you need to decide how many times you will repeat each
measurement (minimum of 3 times) from
which to obtain your single (averaged)
measurement
for EACH data point. As you should have a minimum of 20 data
points for your experiment, you should finally take A MINIMUM OF 60
measurements in the course of one experiment -- more measurements and data
points are certainly acceptable.
STEP FIVE: You should define and d
ocument a STEP-BY-STEP experimental procedure that you will follow TO THE LETTER as you conduct your experiment. BE SURE that it is a numbered and concise listing with as little verbosity as possible! As was true in Step Three above,
this procedural listing should be written with such CLARITY and in such DETAIL
that ANYONE will BE ABLE to follow YOUR documentation and COMPLETELY conduct the experiment WITHOUT consulting you or any other sources EXCEPT your procedures! Make sure YOU run through your experiment following ONLY your written precedural listing a couple of times to be sure that it is accurate and make changes as necessary. It may take a few iterations of this "test running" to get the procedure completely and correctly defined, but it is important and necessary.
(6) Data Log Book Use & Data Collection
Now that you have completed ALL FIVE STEPS in the Experimental Design phase and recorded ALL of the information in your Data Log Book, it is time to actually begin collecting data toward the TESTING of your hypothesis.
LET THE DISCOVERY BEGIN!
A. First, you will need to design your data tables in your log book. These are the tables in which you will record all of your information as you conduct your experiment according to your precedure.
• You should write ONLY ON THE FRONTS OF THE PAGES in your log book!
• W
ords (column and row headers) are written NEATLY and LEGIBLY.
• Column headers MUST contain the units in which all entries in that column are
measured!
• Use a RULER or some other straight-edge to delineate any
separations between columns.
• Tables continued onto the next page of your log book should contain the
SAME column and row headers as the original page.
• Designate second and consecutive pages of a single data table with the
phrase "page 2 of 4" or "page 3 of 4", as applicable.
• Skip at least one FULL page in your log book between tables. This allows for
you to document any notes or changes throughout the course of taking
your data and/or once you move into the Data Analysis phase.
B. Time to record data into your tables. This can be a very time-consuming process, but have patience! Follow these guidelines, and your reward will be a nice set of data on which to perform some great analysis!
• BE SURE to write NEATLY and LEGIBLY when making ALL entries.
• DO NOT crowd your data entries -- leave ample space above, below and to
either side for any notations you may need to add later.
• Follow YOUR written procedure for EVERY measurement -- you do not want to
have to completely re-do your experiment because a few data points were
taken improperly!
• ALL MEASUREMENTS AND DATA MUST BE IN METRIC U
NITS! That
is, mass/weight should be in milligrams, grams, or kilograms;
length/distance
should be in centimeters, meters, or kilometers; and volume
should be in
milliliters or liters.
• USE DECIMALS ONLY -- NO FRACTIONS! This is actually quite easily done
using Metric Units.
• BE CONSISTENT -- If you use centimeters for length in one part of your
measurement, you MUST use centimeters throughout all of your
measurements.
• BE SENSIBLE -- Choose that unit which makes the most sense for your
experiment. For example, if your measurements are taking you into the
hundreds or even thousands of centimeters, you should be using meters
instead of centimeters.
(7) Data Analysis
Now that you have collected ALL of that data, we need to present it in such a way that it can be understood at a glance. Your Data Analysis is where all of your collected data are presented including any calculations you perform on the data. (Note: If you have an excessive amount of collected data, you can include it in a data table(s) in an appendix and simply refer to it/them in your graphs, calculations, etc.) As a result of your background research and, subsequently, your experimental design, your project was geared to demonstrate a relationship of some kind – your choice of data presentation choice should be that which BEST ILLUSTRATES this relationship! You have a very wide range of options available to you including data tables, line graphs, histograms, pie charts, scatter plots and more – all of these are acceptable forms of data presentation.
If you are unfamiliar with the types of data displays mentioned above, ASK YOUR
MATH TEACHER!! All of the WCA Math Faculty (you can find their names listed on the
Contact Us page) would be THRILLED to help you work through your data analysis and make the final presentation look simply AWESOME! Also, there is listed below a link to a few websites that can help as a bit of a graphing tutorial. BUT REMEMBER: your best bet is to ask your math teacher!
If you already understand how to make a line graph et al, you can find a really great selection of free, printable graph papers in pdf format at:
Some instructions on the use of MS Office Excel:
Some instructions on the use of MS Office Visio:
Finally, there are a number of companies that make graphing software that provide a free, downloadable version of their software for use on a TEMPORARY TRIAL basis. Please visit the following links for more information:
Once you have decided on an analysis approach and have begun your work on your charts and/or graphs, be sure to check the following details that MUST apply to your final product:
•
All data is presented in SI (Standard Internationale) units.
•
Axes are all clearly labeled with titles, units and axes integral marks.
•
Axes marks should be round numbers even if your data and/or calculations are
decimals (which they probably will be).
• Lines on graphs should be straight and smooth; curves should be smooth and
continuous.
•
Histogram class sizes should be equal and axes scales should be continuous (not
approximated or exponential).
•
All charts, graphs and tables should have a proper and complete title.
•
Line graphs having multiple lines should utilize multiple, non-repetitive line colors or
multiple, non-repetitive line styles.
•
Tables should be arranged in columns to be read down.
•
Table columns should each have a brief heading to include units.
• Tables do not have vertical lines betweens columns – only DISTINCT vertical
spaces.
• Tables should not contain horizontal lines to divide lines of data.
• All tables, graphs, etc. should have a unique identifier for use in data discussions
and conclusions (i.e., Table 3-A, Graph B, Chart C2, etc).
• Any results obtained through calculations should specify the equation(s) utilized to
make the calculations -- these equations should have been revealed in your
Introduction.
(8) Discussion of Analysis
Now that you have completed your analysis and have some attractive, UNCLUTTERED, interesting graphs and/or other pictorial representations of what your collected data reveals, it is time to explain and discuss just what those revelations are. THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE FOR CONCLUSIONS -- ONLY DISCUSSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS!
A. Verbally and clearly explain what each of the graphs and/or charts you have depicted actually says about the data contained on them. In your discussions, be sure to follow these standard discussion protocols
• Refer to each graph/chart according to the ID you assigned to each
one during your Data Analysis phase above.
• Steer clear of stating any conclusions that each graph/chart may help you
reach in your next phase of your project -- this is simply your chance to
clearly explain the relationships illustrated by each graph/chart.
• Be sure to address EVERY graph/chart you have included in your
analysis. Even if you decide that a graph/chart is irrelavent to your findings,
you MUST address it in your discussions. You can simply address it as
"having no relevance to the overall findings" and explain WHY such is the
case.
B. In following these protocols, your discussions should provide answers to the following types of questions:
• Does the data reveal a relationship or has some recognizable pattern
developed in your data?
CAREFULLY & CLEARLY define this
relationship or pattern with DIRECT reference to the analysis AND using all
of the knowledge you gained in your background reading or project
research -- DO NOT use speculation or hand-waving to explain "why" or
"how"!
• Was there a signficant difference between your control group and your
experimental group/groups?
CAREFULLY & CLEARLY detail these
differences, however slight they may be, with DIRECT reference to
the analysis -- DO NOT speculate as to "why" the differences exist
or guess "how" they could have happened UNLESS you QUOTE strong
project research to BACK UP your speculations and/or guesses!
• What were the possible sources of error or bias in your process? Your
answer to this question will NEVER be "There weren't any" -- in EVERY
scientific endeavor there is ALWAYS the potential for human error or
researcher bias!! The more objective you are when examining your project
for such errors and/or biases, the more realistic and meaningful your
conclusion will be!
(9) Write A Conclusion
It is time to "wrap-up" your months of working on your specific problem and summarize what your investigations have found!**
A. FIRST AND FORMOST, your conclusion should SPECIFICALLY and with clear REFERENCES BACK TO YOUR DISCUSSIONS support or reject your formal hypothesis. Remember, a rejection of your hypothesis is simply that: a rejection of what you thought might happen -- IT DOES NOT INVALIDATE YOUR EXPERIMENT OR MEAN THAT YOUR PROJECT WAS A FAILURE!! In fact, it shows that you actually learned from the process and have some newly-acquired knowledge that you might want to use toward a continuation project for NEXT year's Fair.
B. CLEARLY EXPLAIN this support or rejection USING BOTH your project research AND data analysis. This explanation should include the following:
• Possible implications of the errors/biases you have already addressed in your
Discussions.
• Significance of your results to your overall topic area and/or to the world
community at large.
• Practical applications of your results to other areas of interest.
C. Finally, EXPAND your conclusions into a recommendation for further research on your specific problem to include why such continued research is merited.
**Your goal as a scientific researcher is to TEST your hypothesis NOT prove it correct! The GREATEST error on the part of young researchers is the belief that they MUST prove their hypothesis correct --
THIS BELIEF IS EXPLICITLY AND CATEGORICALLY WRONG!
(10) Finally, An Abstract
You CAN NOT write your abstract until your research/experimentation is finished and your analysis on your data is complete.
Your abstract will give the reader a brief explanation of your project, what you discovered and even where you believe your results should lead. The key, however, is that it CAN NOT exceed 250 words! And, although you can include it as a part of your research paper, your official Fair abstract must be submitted and displayed on a
WCA Abstract Form.
**An EXCELLENT powerpoint presentation by the ISEF organization on the WRITING of your abstract can be downloaded by clicking HERE.
Below are a few more sites that give a brief explanation AND instruction and an example or two of actually writing an abstract:
GOOD LUCK AND WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE FAIR!
