Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello! I am a 8th Grade student with the science fair project: What material will keeps food the freshest. I will put different foods ( a protein, a veggie, a fruit, and a few more) in different materials ( tin foil, plastic container, and more) and see how long it take before they go bad. Anyway, I need to write a long research paper about my research on the topic and I am not sure how to find enough information about it. I want to change something to make it easier to find information on. Should I change certain variables or what it testing to make it on a topic containing more information for me to write about? I want this experiment to work for me, but I do not know if I can find enough information to write for my long report. Thank you and I appreciate your time to help me!

It is usually the norm to limit scientific experiments to one manipulated variable. Right now, you have two (type of food and type of containment material). If you want to test both, you'll need to perform a series of experiments. In either case, you'll have plenty to write about in your report.

The first part of your report will include your hypothesis, variables, and research methodology (describe your entire procedure). You may also include an abstract and materials list if you wish. Next, you should state all your results.

The last of your report is the conclusion. This is where you restate your results and analyze them. The bulk of it will be your scientific explanation of why the foods went bad at the time they did. Discuss it at a molecular level if you can, and use your experimental results to support your claims. If you are still running out of things to say, you can also talk about any errors you may have made in your experiment, how they would affect your results, and what you would change to improve your experiment if you performed it again.

-Karen

Hi gcates,

karenzyj gave some excellent advice on variables and your final report.

I wanted to add some suggestions for background research. Take a look at these two sites:

http://www.foodsafety.gov
http://www.fsis.usda.gov

They might be a good place to start, and help you find some other background information sources.

Also, here is some info from Science Buddies on how to find information for your research paper:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tion.shtml

Good luck and let us know how it goes!