Science Fair Student Guide - Jackson County Schools

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green light and watered and fertilized in the same way as plants grown in regular light (the control).All other variables, such as type of soil, the amount of humidity, the air temperature, and the lightexposure are kept the same for both the experimental set-up and the control set-up.REPLICATIONThe more times you repeat an experiment and obtain the same results, the more valid are your results.With plant projects you should plan to have at least 6 plants in your experimental group and 6 in yourcontrol group. Ideally your whole experiment should be repeated several times.Steps of the Experimental Design/Research Plan• Variables-Independent/Dependent• Control Set-up• Replication• Material availability/cost• Where experiment will be conducted• Research PlanSCIENTIFIC PROTOCOLDid you complete all required paperwork? All projects are required to have a Student Checklist(1A), Research Plan, Form 1, and Form 1B, including dates and signatures, completed beforeexperimentation begins. If you chose to work with any of the following you will need to obtainapproval from your teacher and the Jackson County Schools Scientific Review Committee (SRC)before experimentation begins. This involves additional permissions and other paperwork.Experiments dealing with human subjects also require approval from an Institutional Review Board(IRB).• Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (microorganisms, rDNA, human and vertebrateanimal tissue, blood, body fluids, etc.)• Vertebrate Animals• Human Subjects• Hazardous Chemicals, Activities or Devices• Controlled SubstancesSAFETY MANDATESAny experiment that involves hazardous chemicals, activities or devices (including controlledsubstances), potentially hazardous biological agents (including all soil and bacteria projects), andvertebrate animals will need to be performed under supervision at school or in a professional lab underthe direction of a supervising scientist. This will require additional paperwork before experimentationbegins. Working with a professional mentor or in a professional lab setting requires additionalpaperwork both before and after experimentationCONDUCTING THE EXPERIMENTOnce your experimental design is complete, it is the time to perform the experiment. Plan and organizethe experiment. Perform the experiment under controlled conditions. Keep careful records in the boundscientific notebook. The notebook is for your records and notes. Document everything you do, whethertalking to a person about the project, visiting a library for research, or doing the lab work.BEFORE YOU START YOUR EXPERIMENTScience Fair Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project 6
• Organize all material and equipment to be ready for use as you need them. Organizing yourwork before starting is important.• Outline the procedure and make a timeline. An outline of the proposed timeline to completeeach part of the experimentation is helpful.• Keep your scientific notebook/log handy. Design and set up the tables and graphs you expectto use prior to starting your experimentation. Include units where appropriate.• Keep a camera on location. The camera is a useful tool for documenting your project. Haveanother person take photos of you performing the experiment, and use the camera to record theprogress and the results of experimentation.• Complete all certification forms and compliance forms. Make certain you have completedthe Research Plan and all necessary forms for restricted areas and obtained proper approvalsbefore experimentation begins.BEGIN EXPERIMENTATION• Make entries in your scientific notebook as you go. Record data, both quantitative andqualitative, in your logbook. Sometimes what appears to be irrelevant or a failure on one daymay become important information at a later date.• Enter measurements in your tables. As you proceed with your project, make certain youinclude the units.• Make repeated measurements periodically. Some experiments (e.g., plant-growth projects)require repeated measurements over an extended period. Take measurements periodically (e.g.,every day at 4:00 PM, every third day at noon) to reduce extraneous variables, and make entriesinto the log when you make the measurements.• Repeat the experiment, if necessary. After completing the experiment, you may decide youneed to repeat the experiment for accuracy of your results. You may learn more from theprocess of revision than you learn when all goes "perfectly." Remember, do not discard orremove any data from your scientific notebook/logbook. These pieces of data are often valuablelater.ANALYZE THE EXPERIMENTAL DATAOrganize your data. In order to look for any trends, your results should be organized in data tables.Review your data. Try to look at the results of your experiment with a critical eye. As yourself thesequestions:• Is it complete, or did you forget something?• Do you need to collect more data?• Did you make any mistakes?Calculate an average for the different trials of your experiment, if appropriate.Make sure to clearly label all tables and graphs. And, include the units of measurement (volts,inches, grams, etc.)Place your independent variable on the x-axis of your graph and the dependent variable on they-axis.WRITING THE PAPERYour report will provide interested readers with a comprehensive look at your topic and research. Yourpaper should include information collected during the research as well as a complete description ofyour experiment, data, and conclusion. It should contain an abbreviated (abstract) or full literaturereview as part of the background information as well as your hypothesis, experimental designScience Fair Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project 7
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Science Fair Student Guide - Jackson County Schools

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