Science Fair Projects - Complete Guide to a Winning Science Project Step 3 - Project Research

You have selected your topic and you have completed the topic research.

 Now it is time to start your project research. Science fair projects always need research in order to see what other people already know about your specific topic. This type of research is much more thorough than the topic research. You will be collecting information from knowledgeable sources such as written information from books, magazines or software, and interviewing knowledgeable people from teachers, parents and librarians to people like scientists, doctors, and professors. It is also the data you have collected from performing your experiment.

Make sure you read up on the topic you have chosen so you will have a better understanding of the information your will be given from your project research. The better you understand you topic the more successful your project will be.   Also the better you understand your topic the easier it will be to explain to other people. Judges look for science fair topics that students really understand, and which followed the scientific method well, including research.
 
You will find there are two basic types of research. There is primary and secondary research.
 
Once you have completed your project research you will be ready to use the information you have learned and collected to express the problem, give a hypothesis, and design and perform one or more experiments. You will find the project research will be helpful when writing your project report.
 
Primary Research

Primary research is the research you have initiated on your own. You can gather information from experiments you perform, surveys you have taken, interviews of people who are knowledgeable about the topic, and responses to your letters.
 
The people you will want to interview are the people who have special knowledge about your topic. Before you get in touch with the people you want to interview to make an appointment make sure you are prepared. You need to have the questions you want to ask written down.  Discussing your topic with someone who knows nothing about your topic, can help you organize your thoughts and remember questions you hadn't thought about. Follow these simple rules of courtesy like the ones listed below and the person will be more inclined to talk to you. Some of the best science fair projects have personal interviews as a part of them.
 

1. Identify yourself
2. Identify the school you attend and your teacher
3. Briefly explain why you are calling. Tell them about your project and explain to them how they can help you.
4. Request an interview time that is convenient for them. The interview can be by phone or face-to-face.
5. Ask before you tape record the conversation.
6. There is a chance the person will be free right then, so be ready if they are.
7. Be on time, and make sure you are ready to start the interview as soon as you get there.
8. At the end of the interview, make sure to thank them for their time and the information.
9. Remember to send a thank you note after the interview, so make sure you have their name and address.

 Don't be afraid to write email or even letters to those people who do not live locally, but are knowledgeable about your topic. You will want to put these letters in the mail as soon as possible, so they will have time to get their answers back to you.
 
Secondary Research
 
Secondary research is the research you do by reading anything written. If you use a secondary source you will want to make note of it for future reference. You will need to list your sources at the end of your project report, so you will need the information. Secondary sources will have to be written in a bibliography to give the credit to lose who wrote or said it. Here is the format science fair projects should use for listing the "sources" or "References," depending on where they are from:
 
Book
Author's name, title of book, place of publication, publisher, copyright date, and pages read or quoted.
 
Magazine or periodical
Author's name, title of article, title of magazine, volume and issue number and date of publication, and page numbers of articles.
 
Newspaper
Author's name, title of article, name of newspaper, date of publication, and section and page numbers
 
Encyclopedia
Name of encyclopedia, volume number, title of article, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, and page numbers of article
 
CD-Rom Encyclopedia or software package
Name of program, version or release number, name of supplier, and place where supplier is located.
 
Web Site
URL, Author, Page title, Date of site (These may not all be available, so some may be skipped)

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