Initial Observation & Research You notice something and wonder why it happens. You want to investigate it. The first step is to write down exactly what you observed and provide research for that topic. Find out what you want to investigate. Research it by reading books, magazines, or ask professionals. Keep track of where your information came from.

Project Title (Catchy, short, and sweet) Choose a title that describes what you are investigating. The title should be short and summarize what the investigation will deal with.

The Problem (Written in the form of a question) What do you want to find out? Use observations you have made to write a question that addresses the problem or topic you want to investigate.

Hypothesis (Answers the problem) What do you think will happen? Predict the answer to your problem or the outcome of the experiment. Written as: If ___ Then ___, Because ___ (If ___(Independent Variable)____ Then __(Dependent Variable)____, Because _______________)

Materials & Equipment Provide a list of everything you will need for that experiment with exact amounts List the materials & equipment used.

Experimental Procedure Make a step-by-step list of what you will do.

MULTIPLE TRIALS Conduct the experiment (3) times to make sure that the outcome is not just a fluke!

MULTIPLE TRIALS Even a broken clock is right once a day…

Data (Present any data collected, such as times, distances, etc.)

Experimental Observations (What did you observe during your experiment?) You may want to take pictures or videos of you performing your experiment or the results of your experiment.

Calculations (If any, such as addition, subtraction, etc.)

Results Summarize what happened in a written statement. Your science project should include data tables and graphs.

Conclusion

Conclusion Answer your original question or problem. Is your hypothesis correct? (It does not have to be correct. You should however, explain why it is or is not correct) Do you need to change the procedure? What would you do different next time? What did you learn? Did you encounter any errors? What application does your project have in the world? Why is it useful?

CONCLUSION (continued) CONCLUSION: Review the data and determine whether your hypothesis was correct or disproved. ***BE SURE THAT YOU FULLY EXPLAIN YOUR CONCLUSION!*** This is the most important part of the scientific process. REMEMBER, your conclusion tells what the whole point of the project was and what you learned from it. Therefore, this SHOULD NOT be a rushed, last step. Instead, it should be the section you spend the most time on.