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Your Science Fair ExperimentReport Manual

In your Honors Science course, you are required to conduct a scientific experiment on a topic of your choice, and to report your procedures, data, and results in a formal lab report.

Your report will be a formal, typed document. Length is dependent on the complexity of the project, but an estimate is about 10-20 pages.This project will be developed, written, and submitted in multiple stages. It is important that youkeep this manual; it is the only one that you will get!

This Manual Belongs To _______________________________________________________

Science Fair 2015 Lincoln High School Honors Courses

ContentsContents..................................................................................................................................2

Cover Page.............................................................................................................................3

Chapter 1: The Report

Experimental Purpose (¾ - 1 page)........................................................................................3

Current State of Knowledge (2-3 pages).................................................................................4

Hypothesis (1-2 pages)...........................................................................................................4

Materials & Methods (2-3 pages)............................................................................................5

Data & Results (8-10 pages)...................................................................................................5

Conclusions (1 page)..............................................................................................................6

Discussion (1 page)................................................................................................................ 6

Chapter 2: Publishing Details..................................................................................................8

Writing Style............................................................................................................................8

Presentation............................................................................................................................8

Chapter 3: Science Fair Display & Presentation....................................................................9

Display.................................................................................................................................... 9

Presentation..........................................................................................................................10

Prizes.................................................................................................................................... 10


Chapter 1: The Report

Cover Page Your Cover Page sets the tone for your written report. It should be professional and scientific. Your Cover Page must have these parts:

Title: an appropriate title includes the dependent and individual variables.

Student Information: Name, class name, teacher’s name class period, grade, and date.

Tips for Success! Flashy titles are great for daytime TV, but not for scientific report titles. Stick to the variables.

Examples: “The effect of age of short-term memory,” or “The effect of nitrogen fertilizers on the growth of azaleas,” or “How shoe size affects annual income.”

Proofread the whole report, of course, but especially do not “mispell” words in your title or the teacher’s name. This often adversely prejudices the grader against you!

Experimental Purpose (1/2 to 3/4 page) Due:Your purpose is an experimental question that may involve any aspect of physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, physiology, botany, geology, or any other science. This section starts with a statement similar to…”the purpose of this experiment is to…”. The topic should be of appropriate complexity for a project of a student in high school science. However, the most important aspect of your choice of topic should be that it is quantitatively measurable. That is, whatever project you choose, you must be able to measure and collect numerical data.

The topic question should be general. The specifics of the project are explained later in the report.

Avoid “Yes/No” questions. Instead, look for a relationship or correlation.

Topics should not include human subjects at all.

The best projects have a primary independent variable that can be analyzed along a spectrum. For example, it is better to compare many temperatures, rather than just “hot” and “cold.”


Current State of Knowledge/Research (2-3 pages) Due:

You should include, as part of your report, background research to help you formulate a hypothesis. The research should be specific to your topic, and focused on providing you with enough information to form a reasonable hypothesis about your results.

Since your procedures and data are you own creations, this research is to find if anyone has done similar experiments, and/or to find scientific knowledge

necessary to understand your project.

It must be cited in proper APA format, with a correct “Works Cited” page.

The research is to support your hypothesis and procedure. Anything in the research that doesn’t do that is unnecessary.

More better. Use concise, scientific writing, discussing only relevant material.

Information that does not help form a hypothesis is probably not necessary.

The more creative topics are the most difficult to research. Trips to college or university libraries, and research in specialized journals may be required.

Be careful about your sources. Avoid using advertisements and biased information in your research. Never rely only on internet sources, it makes it appear that you didn't dig very deep.

If you use internet sources, be very careful to use only very credible sources.

The best projects use sources from a variety of backgrounds.

You must must must use proper APA citations in all cases. This is a deal-breaker. If you do not know how to cite a source, check the library or online references and notes you have been given.

Your Works Cited page (required, of course!) is included at the end of the report.

Do not be confused: the research is only a piece of your report. Be complete, but remember that this project is an experiment.

Hypothesis (1 page) Due:You should state your expectations, in detail, of the results of your experiment, based on your background research. Forming a reasonable hypothesis is why you do background research in the first place, and therefore should be based on that research.

Your hypothesis must be supported by specific pieces of evidence from your background research (That's what it was for!) You would not quote yourself as a source, so do not use any personal opinion or experience and justification for your hypothesis.

The quality (or grade) of your report does not depend on your hypothesis being correct. Sometimes the most interesting projects disprove a hypothesis.

When possible, be clear about numerical expectations, or better yet, mathematical relationships.


Materials & Methods (2-3 pages) Due:You should explain, in detail, what materials you will use, how you will construct your apparatus (if any), and how you will conduct your experiment. There are three basic pieces of the procedure section:

A discussion, paragraph, of independent/dependent variables and constants

A list of materials, and apparatus construction information A list of procedural steps to be followed.

Writing your procedure in directional (or step) form is often clearer than in paragraph form.

Do not include “how-to-do-calculations” as part of your report. I also should not see steps like “choose a topic” or “go to a library” or “make a data chart” or “draw a graph” or “write the report.”

Proper scientific writing uses passive tense writing, except in the procedure. (“The plant was watered,” not “I watered the plant.”). Procedural step would say (Water plant daily)

Any unusual or not-so-obvious steps should be briefly explained or justified.

Have someone read through your procedure to be sure it makes sense to someone who wasn’t there.

Diagrams, or pictures of your experimental setup or apparatus is an especially important to include.

Data & Results (8-10 pages) Due:Your data should be compiled and presented formally in your report. Charts are strongly encouraged.

Your results should analyze your data, and explain patterns, trends or relationships between experimental variables. Graphs and charts are vital to a proper analysis. Results are a combination of math, paragraphs, and graphs.

This section will include: Data Charts Calculations (averages, statistics, etc.) Graphs Explanations (in paragraph form) of the graphs, charts, and other analyses

Include your data in easy-to-read charts.

Label your data so it makes sense to a reader. Don’t just call them “Group A, B, and C.” Try “Group A – mustard stains” etc.

Always use correct units. These will depend on your measurement tools.

It is critical that you have enough data to strongly support a conclusion.Ballpark: Daily occurrences – 3-4 weeks of daily data

Physical tests – 5-12 trials per variable

You only need to show one type of each calculation. If you did the calculation to 100 pieces of data, just state “trial #2-100 were calculated in the same manner.”


Make sure your math is correct!

The selection of what goes in a graph is critical, and often harder than it seems. Your graphs should clearly, graphically show relationships between variables.

Bar graphs and pie graphs are rarely appropriate; scatter/line graphs are usually must better.

Plan and select your graphs carefully. Talk to your teacher to help determine which graphs best illustrate your data. Your choices of graphs are critical.

Conclusions (1-2 pages) Due:

Your conclusions should directly and specifically answer your topic question and compare your results to your hypothesis. Discuss, in paragraph form, the significance, value, and implications of your numerical results.

"Results" are your numerical answers and observations. "Conclusions" are your explanations of the numbers.

Do not blather about how much you learned. That will be obvious.

Draw conclusions from your research and results. Do not introduce new evidence or material here at the end of the report.

Must cite specific evidence from your data to support the claims that you make here.

Critical hint: the conclusion you draw must be supported by your experiment. If your experiment does not support your hypothesis, or, more importantly, if your experiment is inconclusive, you must say so!

Discussion (1+ page/s) Due:The Discussion is where you step back and look at the success of your scientific methods. Be sure to include paragraphs about:

methods for improvement sources of experimental error recommendations for future scientists suggestions for future research or expansion of current topic

Honesty is important. You do not get a better grade if you say "Everything went perfectly! Science experiments are never perfect, so you if write that yours was flawless, the reader will assume you didn't think carefully enough about it.

Be thoughtful. Sometimes when you are engrossed in a project, you oversee some obvious errors. Check with a science teacher to figure out what the relevant issues may be.

Don't skimp on this section if your experiment "failed" or came up with unexpected results. History is full of stories of Nobel Prizes that are earned when a scientist carefully studied why an experiment seemed to "fail."


Chapter 2: The Final Report

The Final Report Due:You have had the chance to have each section of your report assessed and are now responsible for turning in the finalized and complete report. All of the following items must be included:

1. Cover Page

2. Experimental Purpose

3. Current State of Knowledge

4. Hypothesis

5. Materials & Methods

6. Data & Results

7. Conclusions

8. Discussion

9. Work cited page (APA format)


Chapter 3: Publishing Details

Writing StyleYour report should be written in a formal, scientific style. There are to be NO first person references. Neither the experimenter nor the reader is directly referred to, and the structure is usually in passive voice, with the exception of the procedure. In writing classes, you may be discouraged from using passive sentence structure – however, in scientific writing, it is expected and appropriate.

Example of passive writing: "Plants were watered daily," not "I watered the plants daily."

Each section should have a clear heading (“Results,” “Materials & Methods,” etc.). You may put more than one section on a page if you wish to conserve paper.

Remember to write in a formal, scientific style. Avoid slang, chatty language, and overly-familiar phrasing.

PresentationYour report must be typed and formally submitted (exception: graphs may be hand drawn if previously arranged). There are technically no strict guidelines as to margins, fonts, etc., but a formal style and format are expected.

You will turn in a hard copy of your paper as well as submit a copy electronically, in .doc or .docx format to “Turnitin.com”.

Avoid using flowery, informal, or hard-to-read typefaces. Never use Comic Sans. It is not professional and casts your report in a poor light. Best fonts for professional papers are serif-based fonts like: Times New Roman, New York, Palatino,

Garamond, Bookman, etc. Acceptable sans-serif fonts are Helvetica, Arial, Franklin, etc.


Chapter 4: Science Fair

Entry into the LHS Science Fair is a mandatory part of this project. You will be expected to create a display backboard showing your experimental methods and results, and you will have to present and defend your experiment to two or more judges.

FormsAll Science Fair topics must first be approved by the LHS Institutional Review Board. This means that, before experimentation can begin, a panel of adults must verify that scientific procedures will be ethical, safe, and appropriate for students.

All approval forms can be found and completed online at http://student.societyforscience.org/formsYour science teacher will discuss with you which forms are appropriate for your topic.

DisplayYour Display should be a tri-fold cardboard backboard that shows the main features of your experiment to a viewer. Parts of your Final Report can be enlarged and placed on the display.

You should also decorate your board in a classy but eye-catching style.

Display items like models or samples are allowed, but must follow some strict guidelines, based on rules set by the International Science & Engineering Fair. See the fine print (next page) for details.


http://student.societyforscience.org/forms

Not Allowed at Project or Booth Display1) Living organisms, including plants2) Soil, sand, rock, and/or waste samples, even if permanently encased in a slab of acrylic3) Taxidermy specimens or parts4) Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals5) Human or animal food6) Human/animal parts or body fluids (for example, blood,urine)7) Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved) that are in their raw, unprocessed, or non-manufactured state (Exception: manufactured construction materials used in building the project or display)8) All chemicals including water (Projects may not use water in any form in a demonstration .)9) All hazardous substances or devices [for example, poisons, drugs, firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloadingdevices, and lasers

10) Dry ice or other sublimating solids11) Sharp items (for example, syringes, needles, pipettes, knives)12) Flames or highly flammable materials13) Batteries with open-top cells14) Glass or glass objects unless deemed by the Display and Safety Committee to be an integral and necessary part of the project (for example, glass that is an integral part of a commercial product such as a computer screen)15) Any apparatus deemed unsafe by the Scientific Review Committee, the Display and Safety Committee, or Society for Science & the Public (for example, large vacuum tubes or dangerous ray-generating devices, empty tanks that previously contained combustible liquids or gases, pressurized tanks, etc.

PresentationYou should prepare a 3-minute oral description of your project, including what you did, why you did it, and what your results were. You should also be prepared to answer questions about your scientific methods.

PrizesAt the Science Fair, you will receive a rating of First Grant, Second Grant, Third Grant, or Honorable Mention. The top projects will also be recommended to participate in the RI Science and Engineering fair in March.


The grant you receive at the Science Fair will affect your Final Report Grade in the following way:

First Grant +6 pointsSecond Grant +3 pointsThird Grant +0 pointsParticipation in RI SEF Exempt from Final

ExamParticipation in ISEF Exempt from Final

Exam

Chapter 5: Due Dates

Because of the size of this project, a set of intermediate due dates has been arranged.

Cover Page and Experimental PurposeCurrent State of Knowledge/ResearchHypothesisMaterials/Method and Variables DiscussionFinal Report Completed

Other due dates may also be assigned by your science teacher if he/she feels they are necessary.

All reports are due in class on the assigned due dates. Reports should be submitted as a hard copy as well as electronically.


Common Pre-Experimental Report Comments

Sources and Citations

Cite your work! Only five students actually have citations in their reports. A research report without citations is plagiarized work. Failure to cite sources drew a 10% penalty on your Pre-Exp Report; you can expect it to be an 80% penalty on your Final Report. Have a librarian, English teacher, or other smart person check your citations.

Source Media. You might have an extraordinary reason for having only online sources; for example, perhaps the only relevant print sources about your topic are in the University of Moscow Library. Otherwise, you should have a combination of 4-8 print and web sources if you want to convince me that you did sufficient research.

Works Cited Page. Format your Works Cited page correctly! If you still don't know how, try http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/ as a place to start, or talk to one of the above-mentioned smart people.

Formal Writing Style

3rd Person/Passive Voice. Authors of formal scientific papers do not refer to themselves in their writing. If it is absolutely unavoidable, an author refers to himself/herself as "the author" or "the experimenter."

2nd Person. Do not use 2nd person language as a lazy way to write. It is informal and inappropriate.

Avoid Contractions. Formal writing does not include "isn't," "can't," etc.

Break your writing into paragraphs. Do I really have to say this? Hint: If your paragraphs run on for two pages, I will go blind, and blindness puts me in a bad mood when I mark rubrics.

Northern Cardinals are large songbirds with prominent crests and short, very thick bills. It is quite common to see cardinals sitting in a hunched-over position, with the tail pointed straight down ("Northern Cardinal").

Works Cited"Northern Cardinal." All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, n.d. Web.

05 Jan. 2013.

I conducted the experiment The experiment was conducted outdoors.

Long-term memory is the part of memory you use a person uses for storage of information beyond 20-30 seconds.

Formal publishing. Formal writing should be a plain font, between 11 and 12 point size. Try Times New Roman, Palatino, Arial, Helvetica, New York, Cambria, etc. You should never italicize or bold-face an entire document. Points were not deducted for this on the Pre-Exp Report, but be sure to fix it for the Final Report.

Proofread your paper. Really. If Mr. Brown is the first person to read your paper after it came out of the printer, you are making a huge mistake.

Science Content

Hypothesis based on research. Your hypothesis must be based on research. If you made a claim in your hypothesis that was not discussed in your research, you missed something.

Don't judge. Don't claim to find out if things are "better" or "worse." Always be specific, such as claiming that items may be taller, faster, drier, etc. "Better" and "worse" are overly vague and also imply a biased experiment.

Procedural Numbers. Number your procedural steps. If you need to repeat steps, be clear about what and why.

Variables, Constants, and Controls. Make sure you know what these are. Don't wing it and hope Mr. Brown won't look too carefully. "Intentional" variables are the independent and dependent variables. "Unintentional" variables are the ones try to minimize, but are not entirely within your control.

For example, in an experiment where you test if plants grow taller when fed sugar...

o Independent variable: amount of sugar fed to the plantso Dependent variable: plant heighto Control: a plant that is fed no sugaro Constants: using the same plant, same location, same lighting, same amount of water, etc.o An unintentional variable: natural variation in plant height (i.e. even if all plants were treated the same, some

would have naturally grown taller)

5. Repeat Step 3, adding 50 ml of liquid each time, until each sample is tested twice.

Your Final Report must be submitted electronically through a website called TurnItIn.com. TurnItIn.com is a paper submission service that allows schools to verify that student work is original.

If you have not used TurnItIn.com before, you will need to create a free account, using your e-mail address and a password that you create. Visit the website for complete instructions.

After you have logged in, sign up for Mr. Brown's class using this information:

Class ID: 7053617 Class Password: sciencetown

You will then be able to upload and submit your Final Report. When you upload it, TurnItIn.com will produce a report called the Similarity Index, which shows you how much of your report was found word-for-word in some other report, website, or journal article. Obviously Similarity Index should be very low number, since your report should be entirely original.

You can upload drafts of your Final Report to TurnItIn.com as many times as you like until the due date.

Because TurnItIn.com removes some images, tables, graphs, and elements of formatting, you will ALSO need to submit your Final report as a printed hard copy on paper. Bring your printed report to school on the due date.

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