Backround/reasearch

[luisc44]

hello i was wonder what exactly is Backround/reasearch and whats should it include in it

[Amber_MIT]

Hi luisc44,

Background research is an extremely important part of your science fair project. You will learn a lot and your background research will help you analyze your results once you've done the experiment.

Take a look at the "Doing Background Research" section in our project guide here (it's on the left hand side of the page): https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml.

It not only goes through writing a research plan, finding background information, writing a bibliography, and writing a research paper, but also through the entire science fair project process, step-by-step!


Here are some more tips about doing background research which was copied from this "Science Fair Tips for Success" Page: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tips.shtml

Your background research is one of the most important parts of your project. It is the basis for what you will be presenting to the judges/your teacher. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of understanding the correct background information.

What is the purpose of background research?
o It will help you formulate a hypothesis. The more you understand your topic, the better you can predict what might happen.
o It will help you create a well-designed procedure that will save you more time than one that is less thought out.
o It will let you foresee some of the inevitable problems that will come up.
o Analyzing your results will be easier and your conclusions will be more detailed.

Look for important concepts, definitions, and equations that will explain how and why your experimental results turn out the way they do. Also research why your topic is important in today's society.

Example: if you were studying the fermentation of yogurt, you would need to study what bacteria are, what structures make them up, and what chemical processes they use to create yogurt. You would also need to learn why yogurt fermentation is important/ useful. Always answer the question: "Who cares?"

Example: if you were studying rockets, you would want to look up things like drag, how various models fly differently and why, physics equations to explain a rocket's behavior, etc. How rockets are used in the world is also important.

Example: if you were studying whether oranges lose or gain vitamin C after being picked, you would want to study the plant structure of oranges (including the structure of their cells); what vitamin C is used for in the plant; how humans use vitamin C; the chemical properties of vitamin C (its molecular structure, solubility, etc.); and titration, iodine, or starch techniques to measure the amount of vitamin C in the orange.

Do not get discouraged if your research seems too difficult to understand. Start with the basics, and work upward. Sometimes you have to read an article a few times (or ten!) before you even begin to understand it. Push yourself to the limit of your understanding, and do not be afraid to tackle concepts you have never seen before (it is normal for much of your background research to look alien to you the first time you see it). One of the reasons people do a science project is to learn new information and challenge themselves.

Go in-depth with your research. Try learning advanced concepts and be as detailed as possible. The more you know, the more the judges/your teacher will be impressed.

Example: For the previous yogurt fermentation example, you would not just look up the definitions of the chemical processes that cause fermentation and write a few lines about how sugar is used to create lactic acid. Go further into the information! Study glycolysis, and go through each step in the cycle. Look up things like ATP, phosphorylation, oxidation, reduction, DPG, PEP, etc. These probably sound like complicated terms. But it's ok—you haven't learned them yet! Do not let something that sounds confusing halt your research. If you keep reading the information and ask questions, you will understand it eventually.


After reading those articles on research papers, let us know if you have any more questions. Good luck!

[luisc44]

thank you that was extremely helpful it provided all the nessacary thing not what do you believe would make the best results possible what should be included

[Amber_MIT]

I'm glad that was helpful.

As for getting the best results, do you mean in terms of how to do your research paper or when you are doing the experiment?

We also have information about doing the experiment and analyzing the results in that same project guide, which you can find here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml

As for doing background research, try to find other papers that are similar to your project and see what kinds of equipment/materials were used and what the procedure was.

We have a couple of pages about how to find and read professional research papers:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... pers.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... aper.shtml

As you are doing your research, think about what problems might occur during the experiment and how could you fix them. Also look up as many terms as possible that relate to your project and try to be as detailed as possible. The more you know about your science area, the better you'll be able to design a procedure and understand the results. Since you are in high school, you will want to be as detailed as you can and really push your understanding of the material. It is completely normal to do background research and not understand most of it. You just have to keep reading and reading and looking up the words you don't understand until it starts to makes sense.

If you give me more specific details about your project I will be able to give you better advice.