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Science Fair Project Question

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Finding an Idea for Your Science Fair Project One of the most important considerations in picking a topic for your science fair project is to find a subject that you consider interesting. You will be spending a lot of time on it, so you do not want your science fair project to be about something that is boring. We know that finding a topic is the hardest part of a science fair project, and sometimes you just need a little help focusing on what sorts of topics would be of interest to… Read more

How to Use an Arduino

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Learning to use an Arduino is a great way to learn electronics and programming skills. Science Buddies has many cool science projects you can do with an Arduino. Before you can move on to more advanced projects, you need to learn the basics. This How to Use an Arduino series is the perfect place to get started. This simple tutorial will introduce you to how to setup an Arduino, how to program an Arduino, and how to connect electrical components to an Arduino. Follow along with our… Read more

How to Write a Bibliography in APA and MLA styles With Examples

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What is a Bibliography? A bibliography is a listing of the books, magazines, and Internet sources that you use in designing, carrying out, and understanding your science fair project. Your bibliography should include a minimum of three written sources of information about your topic from books, encyclopedias, and periodicals. You may have additional information from the Web if appropriate. But, you develop a bibliography only after first preparing a background research plan — a road… Read more

Science Fair Project Abstract

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What's an Abstract? An abstract is an abbreviated version of your science fair project final report. For most science fairs it is limited to a maximum of 250 words (check the rules for your competition). The science fair project abstract appears at the beginning of the report as well as on your display board. Almost all scientists and engineers agree that an abstract should have the following five pieces: Introduction. This is where you describe the purpose for doing your science fair… Read more

Writing a Bibliography: MLA Format

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Below are standard formats and examples for basic bibliographic information recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA). For more information on the MLA format, see MLA Style Center. Basics Your list of works cited should begin at the end of the paper on a new page with the centered title, Works Cited. Alphabetize the entries in your list by the author's last name, using the letter-by-letter system (ignore spaces and other punctuation.) If the author's name is unknown,… Read more

Writing a Hypothesis for Your Science Fair Project

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What is a Hypothesis? A hypothesis is a tentative, testable answer to a scientific question. Once a scientist has a scientific question she is interested in, the scientist reads up to find out what is already known on the topic. Then she uses that information to form a tentative answer to her scientific question. Sometimes people refer to the tentative answer as "an educated guess." Keep in mind, though, that the hypothesis also has to be testable since the next step is to do an… Read more

Comparing the Engineering Design Process and the Scientific Method

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While scientists study how nature works, engineers create new things, such as products, websites, environments, and experiences. Because engineers and scientists have different objectives, they follow different processes in their work. Scientists perform experiments using the scientific method; whereas, engineers follow the creativity-based engineering design process. Both processes can be broken down into a series of steps, as seen in the diagram and table. … Read more

Writing a Bibliography: APA Format

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Below are standard formats and examples for basic bibliographic information recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA). For more information on the APA format, see http://www.apastyle.org. Basics Your list of works cited should begin at the end of the paper on a new page with the centered title, References. Alphabetize the entries in your list by the author's last name, using the letter-by-letter system (ignore spaces and other punctuation.) Only the initials of the… Read more

Data Analysis & Graphs

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Overview Take some time to carefully review all of the data you have collected from your experiment. Use charts and graphs to help you analyze the data and patterns. Did you get the results you had expected? What did you find out from your experiment? Really think about what you have discovered and use your data to help you explain why you think certain things happened. Calculations and Summarizing Data Often, you will need to perform calculations on your raw data in order to get the results… Read more

Science and Engineering Project Laboratory Notebooks

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Keep a Great Science or Engineering Project Laboratory Notebook Whether you are a research scientist, an engineer, or a first-time science fair student, you should use a lab notebook to document your science investigations, experiments, and product designs. A lab notebook is an important part of any research or engineering project. Used properly, your lab notebook contains a detailed and permanent account of every step of your project, from the initial brainstorming to the final data analysis… Read more

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