Project and Board Guidelines

                              edited from a file written by Judy Reeves of Region V

              You should have your project written up and placed in a binder

              for the judges to read!!!

                       Your Written Project

1.   Your Abstract

Your abstract is a brief summary (less than one typed page) of your science fair project.

It must contain summaries of your

  a.  Purpose or Question
  b.  Hypothesis
  c.  Procedure (shortened version)
  d.  Data
  e.  Conclusion

Note:

You may -- but you don't have to -- put the abstract on your board.  Your abstract should be available at your project.  (Students who attend the ISEF, and other students who wish to do so, should put their abstracts in an inexpensive frame, which they can place to the side of their display.)

2.   Title Page                                                      

This is the first page and the front page.  (Do not put a page number on this page.)   This page is where the title of your project goes.  You should go about one-third of the way down the page and type the following, which should be centered on the page:

Title

Go down another third of the page and center and type this:
 

Your Name
School
Grade

Remember that the title does NOT have to be in a question form.  If you wish, a picture or graphic about your project can be on your cover.

3.   Table Of Contents

The Table of Contents should include, in this order: Purpose, Research, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Data, Results, Conclusion, Reference/Bibliography, and Acknowledgments.  Do not put a page number on this page.

4.   Problem/Question

The "Problem" or "Question" tells why you are doing the project.

5.   Research/Report

This is a written report containing information about your purpose or question.   Research may go on all during your experiment. Depending on the nature of your project your research may be one page or ten pages long. 

6.   Hypothesis

This is a statement that is an educated guess as to the outcome of your investigation. Research is often needed before the hypothesis can be formed. It must be stated as a fact not an opinion or a possibility.

7.   Materials

This is a list of materials needed to perform your experiment. It must be complete and specific. List your materials in a column form. Do not number your materials 1,2,3, etc.,

and do not use materials you used to record your results.

8.   Procedure

This is a step-by-step (numbered) instruction on how to do the experiment. It must be very specific so anyone can read the steps and do exactly what you did, even without knowing anything about your topic. Often it is helpful to include diagrams of a step that is difficult to explain. such as constructing a model.  On your board you can put photos of you doing the procedure to show your work. Judges like this!

9.   Data

Information gathered throughout your experiments may be recorded as you work on your project.  This information could go into a chart or graph. Some projects may require you to keep separate data charts.  Any good project is tested at least 3 times and documented in data.

10. Results

What did you learn from the information in your data chart or graph?  Write it out in paragraph form. Your research needs to back up your reason for getting your result, otherwise your conclusion will be invalid.

11. Conclusion

This is where you make a decision about whether your hypothesis was proved to be correct or not. It is OK if you did not prove your hypothesis to be correct; that is what often happens with experiments.  It is possible that you may have to do more research and add it to your report before you can complete your conclusion. Do not make statements about how you enjoyed the project.

12. Bibliography

This is a list of sources that you used to get your information. You will need to have a minimum of at least 4 (four) reference sources. ** See below.

12. Acknowledgment

This is a list of all people that contributed in some way to your project.

                            Your Project Display

1.  The MAXIMUM size of your display is W48" x D30" x H108."   It can be smaller.
 

2.  Your project must be on a "project board" which can be bought at School Aids or Office Depot.  Project boards can also be hand-made of wood or foam core.  Your board should be of a 3-panel configuration.

3.  The traditional way to setup this type of board is:

The purpose of your display is to display your project to a judge. Content, or the information on the board, is the most important thing. Many boards look good but don't have very much information. Your display board should look professional, something that a business person might use, not a little kid. It should attract the attention of a viewer and make a person want to come over and read about your project. It is good to use color in your display but you shouldn't make it too colorful because it will make your display lose its professionalism. Stick to one or two colors that contrast, such as black and white or red and green. Avoid fluorescent colors because they make your project look cheap and hard to read. Whatever you do, don't use colors that clash. Use colors sparingly. You don't want the judges focusing on the colors instead of the content. The title is very important on a display board. It should be eye catching and easy to read. Be sure that the letters are large enough to read across a room. Use dark colors for the title. Also, correct spelling is important on your project board. A misspelled word here and there is enough to loose a few points, which might make the difference between winning and loosing.

** Secondary research is information and/or data that someone else has collected. You can find this type of information in printed sources (books, magazines, and newspapers) and in electronic sources (CD-ROM encyclopedias, software packages or online services, such as the Internet) When you use a secondary source, be sure to note, for future reference, where you got the information. If you are required to write a report, you will need the following information for a bibliography or to give credit for any quotes or illustrations you use.

Book - Author's name, title of book, place of publication, publisher, copyright date, and pages read or quoted.

Magazine or periodical - Author's name, title of article, title or magazine, volume and issue number and date of publication, and page numbers of article.

Newspaper - Author's name, title of article, name of newspaper, date of publication, and section and page numbers.

Encyclopedia - Name of encyclopedia, volume number, title of article, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, and page numbers of article.

CD-ROM encyclopedia or software package - Name of program, version or release number, name of supplier, and place where supplier is located.

Document from online service - Author of document (if known), title of document, name of organization that posted document, place where organization is located, date given on document, and online address (url) or mailing address where document is available.

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