Project Continuation
Moderator: berkeleywebs
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Honeychild
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:00 pm
Project Continuation
My son (7th grader) did a science project last year and competed at the state level. The entire experience was wonderful. He has been working on this years project and it is a continuation of last years project. His problem is we can't find any information on doing a continuation. Can he use parts of his research from last time with additional info? Does he have to write a total new paper or can he just add additional research to the paper? I really don't know how to guide him. Where can I find info? Please help.
I believe that an entirely new report should be written that focuses on the new, additional experiment. Talking about his previous research would be acceptible but I feel that this continuation should not just be an add-on to his old paper.
Out of curiosity, what is the experiment/continuation about?
Out of curiosity, what is the experiment/continuation about?
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donnahardy2
- Former Expert
- Posts: 2671
- Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:45 pm
Continuing a project
Hi,
I recommend doing what scientists do when they publish a continuation of a previous project. The background report is similar to the previous project, and a reference is made to the previous results. However, the new experimental data is completely original. Quite often prior research will provide the explanation of why the new experiment is being done.
Your son could do more background research and find information to add to the background research report. The research report should be revised, but will obviously include much of the information from last year. He could actually add his previous project to the bibliography and include a paragraph or two explaining why his previous research results gave him the idea to do this year's project. Since he is more knowledgeable in the topic this year, he should be able to concentrate on the details and do an excellent job on the project. For example, he might do the experiment twice and include statistical analysis demonstrating the validity of the results. He will become more of an expert in his subject.
I think continuing a project is an excellent idea. I am working with a 7th grader this year and she will be continuing a project she did in 4th and 5th grades. The experiment she is planning is completely original, but was inspired by some results she could not explain in the previous projects.
I hope this helps!
Donna Hardy
I recommend doing what scientists do when they publish a continuation of a previous project. The background report is similar to the previous project, and a reference is made to the previous results. However, the new experimental data is completely original. Quite often prior research will provide the explanation of why the new experiment is being done.
Your son could do more background research and find information to add to the background research report. The research report should be revised, but will obviously include much of the information from last year. He could actually add his previous project to the bibliography and include a paragraph or two explaining why his previous research results gave him the idea to do this year's project. Since he is more knowledgeable in the topic this year, he should be able to concentrate on the details and do an excellent job on the project. For example, he might do the experiment twice and include statistical analysis demonstrating the validity of the results. He will become more of an expert in his subject.
I think continuing a project is an excellent idea. I am working with a 7th grader this year and she will be continuing a project she did in 4th and 5th grades. The experiment she is planning is completely original, but was inspired by some results she could not explain in the previous projects.
I hope this helps!
Donna Hardy
Wow! A 7th grader in state level competitions. That alone is something to be proud of. 
While a continuation may further explore a given field, another suggestion is a progect in a similar field that simply ties in. For example: if you previously conducted an experiment on neurological activities, in a similar vein (neurological, chemical, etc.) you could compare the former's results on the heart, or another organ. Whichever path you choose, produce as original a paper/board as you can, to authenticate the project. good luck!
While a continuation may further explore a given field, another suggestion is a progect in a similar field that simply ties in. For example: if you previously conducted an experiment on neurological activities, in a similar vein (neurological, chemical, etc.) you could compare the former's results on the heart, or another organ. Whichever path you choose, produce as original a paper/board as you can, to authenticate the project. good luck!