Science fair projects - Making a winning science project Step 5 – Your Project Report

Just Like a Scientist

Science fair projects help you go through a process similar to what scientists go through. The most important part of your science fair project is your project report. Your project report sums up everything you have done from the beginning to the end. It is a record of the work you have done. It will speak for you and explain everything in your absence. It will help others to understand how you went about your project, from where you gathered your information, what your hypothesis was, whether your experiment results supported your hypothesis or not.

Most of the content for your report will come from your journal. I’m sure you have maintained a detailed journal. Now go back to your journal and organize the same facts and figures in your report by using tables, charts, graphs and diagrams. You may use your computer for the same.

I would suggest that you pay special attention to the order in which the facts and figures are presented. Science fair projects follow certain regulations. Ask your teacher, about these regulations. You must type your report using double spacing and bind the pages into a folder.

Let me take you through each step of preparing a winning project report:

• Descriptive Heading: This page should contain a heading or title. Your heading should preferable be centered as per regulations of some science fair projects. It should not only attract attention but should also reflect your project theme. Ask your teacher for exact regulations whether any additional information, such as your name, is required.

•  List of Contents: This page should tell a person at a glance what to expect in the following pages of the report. The exact order is very important. You can also mention the page number beside the contents.

•  Overview: This section must not exceed one page. Begin by writing the project heading as written on the first page. The first paragraph should mention the purpose of your project. In the next paragraph you must state your hypothesis. In the consecutive paragraphs you must describe the procedure conducted and the results obtained. Remember to keep every paragraph short.

Some science fairs require that you give a copy to the fair authorities. This page should enable your judges to understand your whole project and make the right decision. I would suggest that you keep some extra copies at your display. This can also help special award sponsors to prepare their introduction. So do a good job in preparing it.

•  Introductory Ideas: Here you must state your purpose and what got you interested in this study. State your problem question, the one that must be scientifically answered. Now state your proposed answer or hypothesis to this question. Mention the information that helped you reach your purpose and hypothesis. If required, include footnotes that show from where the information was taken.

•  Methods and Materials: This section should have sub-headings such as Purpose, Materials, Procedure and Observation. Mention the purpose, materials used and quantities used. In the procedure section mention the step by step process you went though. These steps must enable anyone to do the experiment and get the expected results. Next, present your observations in the form of a table, chart or graph. Make it simple, attractive and colorful so that it will grab attention.

•  Concluding Comments: This section should be only one page long, and should mention what decision you have reached based on the experimentation results. You must state your hypothesis and mention whether the experiment result supports it or not. Also suggest areas that you would want to improvise on if the same experiment is to be conducted for science fair projects in the future, by either yourself or someone else.

•  References: In this section you must mention the names of the persons you have quoted in your project. Also include names of persons who were interviewed by you, and the names of books along with their authors from which you extracted information.

• · Appreciation: This section is actually a paragraph mentioning the names of persons or organizations that have helped you with your project, giving them the credit. While giving credit to family members, mentioning their names is not required.

This is a model I have prepared for you to follow. Please add your own creative ideas to make the project report more interesting. All the best!