Research Plan for Science Fair Project Introduction

Sally Smith

Research Plan for Science Fair Project Introduction

How do I write a research plan? This is Step 5 in the packet, so read the directions as you look at this example. Notice how the name is in the upper right corner of every page, and the pages are numbered at the bottom. Use appropriate font, size, spacing, and margins. It is a good idea to begin the first paragraph with the question you are investigating, as shown above. It is recommended that you use "chunk" writing if you are familiar with this technique. In this paragraph, students should discuss why or how their project is important. What could other people learn from the experiment? Make the last sentence the purpose of the project: The purpose of this project is to.....

In body paragraph 1, the student should explain information from at least one of their sources. Remember that they are required to have at least five sources, and at least one must not be a website. This part will be difficult for some middle school students, as they have not done much in the way of long essays. Starting in the first body paragraph, avoid the use of firstperson. Don't refer to yourself in third person, but avoid the use of "I" from this point on.

In body paragraph 2, the student should continue to explain information from their sources. Make sure the student is using their own words. Some teachers will require the paper to be submitted on , which will analyze the paper for originality. Plagiarism is dishonest and definitely not "scholarly"!

In body paragraph 3, the student should finish explaining any research from their sources. As the student is writing, they should be "teaching" the material to the reader. Pretend the reader does not know anything about this subject. Explain each concept to the reader.

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Sally Smith In the concluding paragraph, the student should explain what they think will happen with their project. Since they have not experimented yet, they should not know what will actually happen. Use the future tense here. Two to three pages in length is plenty for a middle-school paper. If it is only one page, some more work could be put into it. The last sentence of this paragraph should be the hypothesis, worded correctly as explained in Step 4 of the Science Fair Guide. It is predicted that students who follow the directions for Step 5 and model their research plan based on this example will write a better research plan than those who do not follow the directions because the directions specify exactly how the work should be completed.

There is more to the research plan, but the rest should definitely start on a new page. Delete this line if you are modifying this file to use it for your own!

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Sally Smith Experimental Design For this part, the student should write out each part of the experiment as shown below. It is OK to use a bulleted list here. Paragraphs are not necessary. Independent Variable ? Write a sentence explaining which part of the experiment is the

part the student is testing or manipulating. (Example: The independent variable being tested is whether or not the research plan directions are being used.) Dependent Variable ? Write a sentence explaining which part of the experiment will be measured as the "outcome" of the experiment. (Example: The dependent variable is the quality of each research plan.) Constants ? Write a sentence listing three different factors that could change the outcome of the experiment, but will not because they are specifically being kept the same same between all trials in your experiment. (Example: Three constants that could affect the outcome of this experiment are that each student needs access to a computer, paper, and a printer.) Experimental Group ? Write a sentence or two here explaining how the independent variable will be tested. (Example: One group of students will receive this set of directions on how to write a high-quality research plan.) Control Group ? Write a sentence or two here explaining what the results from the experimental group will be compared to. (Example: One group of students will not receive the directions on how to write a high-quality research plan.)

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Sally Smith

Methods This needs to be a numbered list of steps. Do NOT use first person. The methods written here should be enough to tell someone else exactly how to do this project. Most students don't provide enough detail for this part. Imagine what directions a person who has never made a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich would need in order to complete one for the first time. The steps would read something like this: 1. Take two slices of bread from the bag and put them on a plate side-by-side. 2. Using a knife, remove some crunchy peanut butter from the jar and spread it on one piece

of bread, covering the entire piece evenly. 3. Using a knife or spoon, take some grape jelly from the jar and spread it onto the other slice.

Cover the entire piece of bread evenly. 4. Flip one piece of bread over and put it on top of the other. Slice the sandwich into two

halves.

Materials (This should be a bulleted list. Include any specific amounts of substances you used. Remember to use metric measurements, not English! There are websites that can help you convert if necessary. For the peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, these materials would be needed.) two slices of bread crunchy peanut butter grape jelly a plate a knife

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Sally Smith Risk and Safety

There are (or are not or are some) risks associated with this science fair project. Safety is always the most important part of doing any project or experiment. If the student is using chemicals, fire, shooting a gun, batting, etc., then proper supervision and equipment are required. State any protection the student and/or participants will use and who will supervise the experiment, if necessary. Explain how any risks will be prevented. If there are no risks associated with your project, ask your teacher first to verify this and simply state that in this section of the paper.

Data Analysis This is another paragraph written in future tense. The student will explain how they

"will" analyze their data after it is collected. Again, we have not experimented yet, so they are thinking about what they will do with their data once they have collected it. Again, there should not be any actual data here in the paper. That will come later.

There's more, but it starts on the next page.

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