Quick Science Fair Guide

Science fair season is just around the corner, and we have some tips and ideas to help get you
started! Here are a few basic guidelines to help make your science fair project a successful
one:
1. Pick a topic that you are interested in learning about. You are simply going to be
more enthused to work on your project, gather all the information you can, and learn
from it if you are interested in your project. Spare yourself, your parents, teachers,
and the judges from a project that bores you. It shows when you really do not care
about your project. Look at our Science Fair roject Ideas for some ideas on a
possible science fair project.
!. You do not have to reinvent the wheel with your science fair topic. " good topic can
ha#e re#olutionary ideas, but more importantly, judges will want to know if you learn
something from it, and if you used the scientific method to do your project. It is okay
to take an e$isting science project and use it as your project, just modify the #ariables
being tested to make the project your own. "lso, topics that relate to current issues
and concerns in society tend to score high points in science fairs %they still ha#e to be
well thought out and well researched projects to score high&. 'hese topics usually
somehow relate to how we can impro#e or maintain our health, welfare, and(or way
of life. "#oid politically charged topics. It is hard to stay neutral, and it is usually hard,
if not impossible, to scientifically test your theory.
). Do your own work. *udges are e#aluating what you know about your project and
what you learned during the process of your project from start to finish. If your parent,
brother or sister, friend or classmate does all your work, you are not going to learn
anything. 'his will become embarrassing when the judges come and talk to you
about your project.
+. Make sure your project is a science project. 'o be a science project, it must use the
scientific method and answer a ,uestion. -ata must be collected and analy.ed in
order to conclude whether or not your hypothesis was correct. -emonstrating how
something works is not a science project. For e$ample, demonstrating a collection of
magic eye tricks does not constitute a science project because no data was
collected. /owe#er, if you compare how long it takes specific groups of people %such
as children and adults, boys and girls& to see the magic eye tricks, then you ha#e a
science project because you are collecting data and can use that data to draw
conclusions. %"s a side note, although it used to be allowed for elementary students
to do obser#ation(demonstration projects, more and more science fairs want
elementary students to also use the scientific method and collect data. 'herefore, it is
best to co#er your bases and a#oid doing solely an obser#ation(demonstration
project.&
0. Keep your project simple. 'ry to test only one #ariable or one hypothesis. 'he more
e$periments in the project, the harder it is to keep track of all the factors that
influence your science project. 'here is always ne$t year to e$pand on this year1s
project. 2onsult our Science Fair 3uide for more information on completing a science
fair project.
4. Relax during the interview when presenting your project. 'he judges are not there to
torment you or pick apart your project. 'hey want to see that you did your own work
%which can easily be answered by how well you understand your project&, that you
ha#e all parts of the scientific method, did the steps correctly, and identified any
factors that may ha#e caused inaccurate results. "lso, many judges want to know
how you can impro#e your science project or what you would change to account for
those factors. 'he best ad#ice for the inter#iew is to know your project inside and out.