Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello, I'm a 8th grader and I really need help. I was told that we need to information and type a research paper. I need at least 5 website but I need 3 sources. One of my sources could be ask and expert. The question I want to ask is what type of herbiside is better to use, natural or chemical. I really need help on this so if anybody knows please tell me as soon as possible (I would appreciate if you answered today).

Hi RicardoReyes,
We would love to help. However, we first ask that you rephrase your question. The words "natural" and "chemical" are quite vague. Everything we know of around us on Earth is composed of chemicals regardless. Do you mean "inorganic" (synthetic) and "organic" (composed of naturally occurring chemicals) herbicides? In that case, you should take a look at the background information for this biotech project: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... background the chemical herbicide used in it (glyphosate) is inorganic so the project should give you some information on the nature of such an herbicide. is your research project going to include your own research (science project), or is it more focused on internet research? If you do plan on doing a science project, make sure to take safety precautions. Herbicides can be very harmful to humans, even if they're organic (high concentrations of vinegar for example). We ask that students pose questions not regarding information easily found on the internet, to leave room for development of their own research skills. If you have any more questions, we'll try our best to advise you.

When I meant about chemical herbicides I was talking about the ones you get at stores like Roundup and when I told you about natural herbicides I was talking about homemade herbicides like vinegar. Sorry for the confusion. I hope you respond soon.

Here at ask an expert we try to encourage students to develop their own research. We are just here to offer advice that generally cannot be found through the use of a simple search engine. So although i cannot tell you which herbicide is more effective, I still have some research advice to offer regarding key wording. inorganic herbicides are, like you mentioned, those you can purchase at Roundup, while organic herbicides are homemade. When searching online try using the words "organic" and "inorganic" instead of "natural" etc. This may help you find more credible sources like cited research papers from well-known publications to help develop you paper.