No matter what your science fair project is about, one thing is certain: your science project report will communicate the nature of your experiment as well as the information that you learned from the experiment. Many students enjoy actually doing the science fair experiment, but struggle with the report because it requires in-depth writing and analysis.
By breaking the project report into small steps, you will be able to complete the report without a lot of hassle. A thorough report can also mean the difference between a good grade on your science project and a so-so grade. Remember: the judges will also take a look at your report, so make sure you pay attention to the details when you create it!
Here are the sections you’ll need to include in your report:
Abstract. Your abstract should provide a short overview of the science project report. Briefly state what the report is about and what people will learn by reading the report. I usually try to keep abstracts to about a paragraph. Introduction. The introduction to your report can be anywhere from one paragraph to an entire page. This is the section where you will provide background information about the topic of your report and any pertinent information that you will include in your report, such as terms and equations. Experiments. In this section, you should describe in details how you went about conducting your experiment. Outline methods that you used to perform the experiment as well as methods you used to collect data. Data. This is the part of the science project report where you will include completed data. You can use charts, graphs, photos and other visual aids to help communicate data. If you have a large amount of data, it may be wise to organize the data in appendices at the end of your report as well. Discussion. No matter what kind of science fair project you do, chances are good that you will have your own opinion about how it worked and how effective it was. Discuss the results and talk about anything that you would change in the discussion section of your report. Conclusion. This is my favorite section of the science project report because it is where you tie together information that you learned from the experiment and draw your own conclusions. Hopefully this is also where you can share your own ideas and opinions that you gathered from your experiment. Acknowledgements. Thank anyone that helped you with your project, such as your parents, siblings, friends and teachers. This section can include a brief statement of how people helped you and allows you to send out a great big “thank you!” References. No science project would be complete without a list of references that you used in order to complete the experiment. Cite the references according to the citation method that you teacher prefers, such as MLA format. Also, be sure to recognize the people that gave you information as well, such as a doctor or scientist you may have interviewed.
A good science project report requires that you take time to pay attention to each section. You cannot complete a science fair report the night before a fair and expect it to be thorough and an accurate representation of your talent. Therefore, start in advance, plan, and work hard to include all of the information and ideas needed to make your report complete. Have fun!
If you’re ready to get going with your own science project report or project, your next step is to download a free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” from the link below right now.
By: Aurora L.
Posts Tagged ‘Science Report’
Science Fair Success – Writing a Great Science Fair Report
April 25th, 2010Writing a Science Fair Project Report
November 23rd, 2009One of the final and most important elements of a science fair project is the report. While your presentation board will present the hypothesis, basics of experiment and key results your report will include expand on your hypothesis, include all details of the experiment and all results. In my study for this article I came across a list of questions that your report will revolve around. Again I must give credit to Salvatore Tocci and his book How To Do a Science Fair Project. Here are the questions you must ask:
1. What problem or question is being investigated?
2. What background information exists on this topic?
3. What equipment and materials were used in your experiments?
4. What procedures were followed to solve the problem or answer the question for this project?
5. What observations were made during the course of the investigation?
6. What information and data were recorded?
7. What conclusions were made regarding the original problem or question?
8. What suggestions were included for further research work to solve the problem more convincingly or answer the question more thoroughly?
9. What new problems or questions were uncovered by the project?
10. What sources were used?
Use these questions to gather the main sources of content for your report. Keep your report clear and concise and make sure that you answer all questions. Science fair judges are more impressed with quality over quantity. Write in a language any person could understand since not everyone that will read your report with be well versed in scientific terminology.
The body of your report should include the following sections: abstract (a brief summary), introduction, explanation of methods, results, conclusions and bibliography (works cited). The abstract is very important due to the fact that it will be the primary section that science fair judges will read thoroughly if not the only one. The abstract should be three to four paragraphs that summarize the main parts and points of the rest of your report. It will actually be easier to write your report, then the abstract rather than the other way around.
The introduction of your report can be viewed as an expanded version of your hypothesis. Add to it what the project attempted to prove and also what variables were used in the experiments. The explanation of your methods should be precise enough that a reader could duplicate your experiment using your report. You will want to explain each step in the experimentation process and may want to use pictures, graphs or charts to help readers understand what you are explaining. The results section will simply be inserting the actual results of your experiment. No interpretation is needed, simply state the facts. You may also include details on failures, errors or unexplained results. The conclusion of your report is the section that includes interpretation of your results. This is where you will determine if your hypothesis was supported or not. The last element is to properly cite all of your sources and references. Be sure to include author names, titles, page numbers and even publishing information (publisher & year).
By: Wesley Skiles
