The Step-By-Step Guide for

Science Fair
Just follow these easy steps and you will create a creative,
award winning science fair project, thought up and finished
entirely by you.

Part 1 Selecting a Project

A. Types of Science Fair Projects:

There are two types of science fair projects: Models and Experiments. Here is
the difference between the two:
This is my volcano model..

Not a good idea for science fair!!!!

A Model, Display or Collection:

Shows how something works in the real world, but it doesnt really test
anything.
o Examples of display or collection projects can be:
The Solar System, Types of Dinosaurs, Types of Rocks, or My Gum
Collection. Examples of models might be: The Solar System, How
an Electric Motor Works, or Tornado in a Bottle.
An Experiment:
Provides lots of information, but it also has a project that shows
testing that has been done and data that has been collected.
o Examples of experiments can be:
The Effects of Detergent on the Growth of
Plants, How Does Color Affect the
Absorbency of Paper Towels, or What
Structure can Withstand the Most Amount
of Weight.
* You can tell you have an experiment if you are
testing something several times and changing a
single variable to see what happens.

B. So, What Type of Project Should You Do?

Even though you can learn a lot from building a model, or a display, you
should be doing an EXPERIMENT (not a model). Why, you ask? Well,
they are fun, they are more interesting and most of all, they require that you
think like a scientist, and go through the scientific thinking processes. This is
one of the key elements that the judges will be looking for when they judge
your project.

C. Thinking Like A Scientist (and any other person that is curious)

Ask A
Question

Research
The
Problem

Make A
Hypothe
sis

Conduct
An
Experim
ent

Collect
Data

Analyze
Data

Write A
Conclusi
on

How Do You Think Like A Scientist?

When you are finished you will check your hypothesis against the
results. Was your hypothesis supported by your data, or not
supported by your data? You will also write about what you learned and
how it applies to the real world, and quite possibly come up with
another problem.

D. Choosing a topic that interests you

All great projects start with great questions but before you can get started on
a great question you need to pick a topic that interests you.

Life Science: This category deals with all animal, plant, and human
body questions that you might have and want to do an experiment
about. Remember that it is against science fair rules to complete
any type of vertebrate studies (dogs, cats, frogs, humans, birds,
snakes, hamsters, rats, fish, etc.) WITHOUT prior approval from the
science fair committee, and a doctor that will monitor your project. Yes,
even you collecting data on how long you can play XBox 1 without
going cross-eyed is considered a human study and requires paperwork!

Physical Science: If you like trying to figure out how things work,
then this is the category for you! It includes topics about matter and
structure, as well as electricity, magnetism, sound, light or anything

else that you might ask the following question, How does it work, and
what if I do this to it, will it still work?
Physical Science also includes the composition of matter
and how it reacts to each other. These are the science
experiments that may have bubbling and oozing going
on, like figuring out what which candy is an acid, and
which is a base. It is the category to try and mix things together to see
what will happen as a result of the mixing.

Earth and Space Sciences: This category is really awesome because

it covers all sorts of topics that deal with the Earth or objects in space.
This includes studying weather, Geology (which is the study of
everything that makes up the Earth, like rocks, fossils, volcanoes, etc.),
and the study of all that is in space, including the stars, our sun, and
our planets. Unfortunately this topic is also where most kids mess up
and do a collection or model project instead of an EXPERIMENT, so be
very careful.

Finally, you get to do some work!!!!:

Write down your favorite Science Fair Category and what it is you want to
learn more about:

My favorite category was

___________________________________________________________.

I want to do an experiment involving ________________________________

___________________________________________________________.

Part 2-- Coming up with a Good Question

Now that you have picked out a topic that you like and that you are
interested in, its time to write a testable question and identify the
problem within the topic. To give you an idea of what we mean you can start
off by filling in the question blanks with the following words (these are only
example questions, yours will be different based on your interests):
A. The Effect Question:
What is the effect of ________________ on _____________________?
sunlight
eye color

on the growth of plants

pupil dilation

temperature

the size of a balloon

B. The How Does Affect Question:

How does the ____________________ affect ________________________?
color of light
humidity
shirt
color of a material

the growth of plants

the effectiveness of starch on a cotton
its absorption of heat

C. The Which/What and Verb Question

Which/What
_________________?

__________________ (verb)

does paper towel color

types of foods

do to absorbency
do meal worms prefer

Now, you write your testable question

Create a testable question using either the Effect Question, the How Does
Affect Question, or the Which/What and Verb Question.

Part 3: Doing (GULP!!!!) the Research

So youve picked your category and/or topic, and youve written your
testable question. Now it is time to research your problem as much as
possible. Becoming an expert at your topic is what scientists do in the real
world.

Hum, how do you become an expert?

A. You READ!!!
READ about your topic. READ trade books. READ articles and books from the
library. READ articles on the internet. Take note of any new science words
(that means write them down in your journalmore about the journal in a
bit) you learned and use them in your paper. It makes you sound like a
scientist. Keep track of all the books and articles you read. YOU WILL
NEED THAT LIST LATER.

B. You DISCUSS!!!!!!
Talk with your family, with your teachers, with experts. Experts are those
people that might be currently working in the field of study, or category/topic
you selected. Sometimes websites will even give you e-mail addresses for
experts that can answer your questions! E-mail ONLY WITH PERMISSION
OF YOUR PARNETS/GUARDIANS, and include me on your cc line (so I
get a copy of the e-mail as well).
If you are interviewing people for your research, TAKE pictures of yourself
interviewing people.
Just when you think youre finished and have learned all you could possible
learn it is time to write your research paper.

***REFER TO MilweeScienceFair.weebly.com for support document***

Part 4 - Write a Hypothesis (another way of saying predict what is

going to happen)
Now is the time to PREDICT what you think will happen when you test your
problem. This type of guess or prediction is what we, in science, refer to as a
hypothesis.

And, just how do you write this great hypothesis?

What do you think will happen during the experiment, (even before
your start experiment)?
Example Problem: How does a varying octane level affect the
mileage a car gets on a tank of gas?
Now use the IF, THEN, BECAUSE format

Example Hypothesis: If I increase the amount of

octane in the gas, then I will
increase the amount of mileage per gallon, because
the octane cleans the gas causing it to burn more
efficiently in the engine.
*Notice the IF, THEN, BECAUSE format. This format requires that you
write your independent and dependent variable in your hypothesis,
and giving a possible reason for the results (which would mean you
thought about the research you completed and used what you learned
to help write the because statement).

HA! You are actually beginning to think about what the results you expect to
see during your experiment.
Your turn! Write your hypothesis in the following format:
IF ______________________________, THEN ______________________
BECAUSE _____________________________________________________.

Part 5 - Testing your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment

Finally comes the good part. This is the part that all scientists cant wait for.
You guessed it, THE EXPERIMENT!
Designing your experiment is really cool because you get to use your
imagination to come up with an experiment to test your question. More
importantly, you get to prove/support (or disprove/not support) your
hypothesis. (YES, it is absolutely o.k. to disprove/not support your
hypothesis. This is called doing SCIENCE!)
Gather your materials
What materials/supplies will you need to complete your
experiment? The safest way to do this is to involve your
parents/guardians. You will also need to know how much
of each supply that will be required for EACH experiment,
make sure to measure this in metric units (kilograms,
liters, meters). Take pictures or draw pictures of your
supplies so you will have the list handy.
Write a procedure
A procedure is a STEP-by-STEP list of what you will do to perform your
experiment. This is like giving the hints for you to pass the next level
on Candy Crush, or to get past the Creepers in Minecraft. If your friends
want to be able to move on in Candy Crush or Minecraft, they will have
to follow your instructions step by step. In the real world, scientists do
this so that others can repeat their experiments (or replicate) to
validate their results. Again, take pictures of yourself doing your
experiment.
Identify your variables
The variables are any factors that can change in an experiment.
Remember that when you are testing your experiment you
should only test one variable at a time in order to get accurate
results. In other words, if you want to test the effect of water
has on plant growth then all plants you test should be in the
same conditions, these are called controlled variables: same

type of dirt, same type of plant, same

location, same amount of
sunlight, etc.

The only variable you would change from plant to

plant would be the amount of water it received.
This is called the independent variable. The
independent variable is the factor you are
testing (it is the IF part your hypothesis). The results of the test that
you do are called the dependent variables. The dependent variable
is what happens as a result of your test (this is the THEN part of your
hypothesis). Knowing your variables is CRITICAL because if you dont
know them you will not be able to collect your data or read your results
accurately.

***REFER TO MilweeScienceFair.weebly.com for support document***

TEST,TEST, and then TEST some more!

Remember that the science fair judges will expect your results to be
consistent in order to consider this a good experiment. That means that you
will be need to complete your experiment at least FIVE times or more. The
more experimenting you do, the better the reliability of your results. Dont
forget to take pictures of yourself completing your experiment.

Collect your DATA.

This means to write down or record your results for each experiment. Be sure
to organize your results in a way that is easy to read. In the real world,
tables, charts, and other types of organizers are used to show results.
Organizing makes the results easy to read, and much easier to recognize
patterns in the results. Dont use a graph or table simply because we asked
you to, use it only to benefit you. It serves no purpose to have a graph or
table that doesnt have anything to do with answering your science fair
question.

What do I mean by collect data????

Keep a science journal:

A science journal is a type of science diary that you can keep especially for
your science fair project, from beginning to end. We will require that you
begin your science fair journal from day one, prior to selecting your
topic, and your science fair journal will be divided into specific sections to
help with the organization of your information. Not only does the science
journal give you a place to record your results, you will also
include research information, draw and diagram pictures, and
write down any additional questions you might have for later.
You will need to write down EVERYTHING, every thought,
every purchase, every research article, absolutely
EVERYTHING in your journal or data notebook (This is why
you needed a 3rd composition notebook) It will become your BSCJFF (Best
Science Fair Journal Friend Forever), at least until your science fair is
complete.
Tables, charts, and diagrams are generally the best way to keep track of the
data you collected during your various experiments. Remember that you will
need to collect at least FIVE sets of data. More is preferable, that means
completing your ENTIRE experiment at least FIVE times. A table is an
organized chart with columns and rows. The columns and rows are
labeled so that anyone reading your table will know what the data
is that you collected.

Be Accurate and Neat:

When you are writing your tables and charts make sure that
you record your data in the correct column or row, that you
write neatly, and that you record your data as soon as you
collect it SO YOU DONT FORGET WHAT HAPPENED! Sometimes
you might even need to draw a picture or a diagram to explain what
happened during an experiment. As they say a picture speaks 1000
words!

***REFER TO MilweeScienceFair.weebly.com for support document***

Use the Right Graph for the Experiment:

There is nothing more frustrating for a judge than to read a bad graph.
There are all types of graph designs, but the ones listed below seem to be
the easiest to use for science fair experiments (there are several on-line
sites you can use to create your graph, or you can even use Microsoft
Office or EXCEL, but be very careful to select the correct line graph as
Microsoft reverses the independent and dependent variables).

Pie graphs these are good for showing percentages of particular

groups. Remember that you cant have more than 100% in a pie graph;
therefore all parts must add up to 100%.
Bar graphs these are good if you are comparing amounts of things
because the bars show those amounts in an easy to read format. This
way the judges will be able to tell the results in a quick glance. The Xaxis (or horizontal axis) is where you label what is being tested (this is
the IF part of your hypothesis), and the Y-axis is the collected
information (this is the THEN part of your hypothesis).
Line graphs these are good if you are showing how changes
occurred in your experiments over time. In this particular case you
would label the X-axis to show time increments (minutes, hours, days,
weeks, months), and then you would use the Yaxis to show what you are measuring at that
point in time. Line graphs are ONLY used for
showing change over time.

Part 6 - Write a Conclusion

Tell us what happened during your science fair project. Was
your hypothesis supported or not supported? Were you
successful, did everything turn out okay? Would you change
anything about the experiment or are you curious about
something else now that youve completed this experiment.
And most of all, TELL US WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM
DOING THIS EXPERIMENT.

Understand its application:

Write about how this experiment be used in a real life situation. Why
was this experiment important? What is important for us to know about
it?

***REFER TO MilweeScienceFair.weebly.com for support document***

Finally, your turn again

Materials: List, and take pictures (they are great for your project board)
List the materials that you will use in your science fair experiment (make
sure to include metric units):
1 . ______________________

6._________________________

2. ______________________

7._________________________

3. ______________________

8._________________________

4.______________________

9._________________________

5. ______________________

10.________________________

Variables:
List the variables that you will control, the variables that you will change and
the variables that will be the results of your experiment:

My controlled variables are (the stuff that will ALWAYS stay the
same):
_______________________________________________________

My independent variable (this is the thing that changes from one

experiment to the next, it is the thing you are testing, and this is the
IF part of your hypothesis):
_______________________________________________

My dependent variable is (these are the results you will be collecting,

this is the THEN part of your hypothesis):
____________________________

Procedure: (the steps of your experiment, very detailed) List the steps that
you will follow in order to complete your experiment:
1 - ___________________________________________________________

2-

___________________________________________________________
3 - ___________________________________________________________
4 - ___________________________________________________________
5 - ___________________________________________________________
And so on, and so on, and so onuntil you have listed absolutely
EVERYTHING you will do during your experiment in detail! The more
detailed the procedure, the better.

Data Collection: Design a table or chart to collect your information: another

reminder TAKE PICTURES (these are REALLY great for your project board).

Conclusion: Now tell us what you learned from this and if your hypothesis
what supported or not supported? Did your experiment work? Why did your
experiment work? Why didnt your experiment work? What did the results of
your experiment tell you? Sometimes not being able to support your
hypothesis is just as valid and important. What did you prove or disprove?

Application: (How does this apply to real world situations?)

It is important to know about this experiment because ____________________
_____________________________________________________________

Making a Mouth Watering Display:

This is an example of a neat looking Science Fair Display Board. It is just an
example. Depending on your information and the amount of pictures, tables,
and graphs, you may have a different layout. Just make sure that it is neat!!!

Display Beauty Secrets:

1. Write a creative, innovative title! Make sure it is big enough to be seen
from across the room and grabs the reader!
2. Use a computer to print your information. Make sure to use a font size
that is big enough for the judge to read your information from a
distance.
3. Use spray adhesive, if you have it, it is less messy. Or you can use
double stick tape (Scotch Double Stick is a great option).
4. Mount white paper, pictures, graphs, and tables on colored paper
(make sure that the colored paper is slightly larger than the white
paper so it creates a boarder around the white paper). You can also use
scrapbooking paper if you like. And if you really want, you can add a
boarder around the project board (you dont have to purchase board
material, you can draw of stencil a boarder).

5. For empty space add BLING that will enhance (not take away from)
your project board appearance. Too much bling can take away from the
data and results and just make your board too busy, so be very careful!

6. Make sure to provide credit for any pictures that you include
on your project board, including those that you took or
pictures you may have copied and used from the internet (i.e.,
pictures by Spongebob Squarepants, or pictures copied from Google
Images).

***REFER TO MilweeScienceFair.weebly.com for support document***