1. Science Research Project Getting Started

2. Science Research Grade Sheet O Keep track of due dates on your own O I will announce any extensions or changed dates O Each check point counts for 5 points out of a 50 point test grade O The project exhibit (tri-board) is another 50 point test grade O The research paper is a 100 point test grade

3. Log Book O Must be a composition notebook O Must have IN CLASS on Tuesday 8/9/16. Remember, no late work is accepted O Leave room for Table of contents O Number all pages O Include metric measurements O Must use pen, never tear out pages, or scribble out wiritng O Write date and time of observations O Take pictures, record date, time and location, glue them in O Keep track of materials and their cost O Once you’ve settled on a topic, write, write, write!

4. Choosing a Topic O Official topics must be approved by me on a topic approval sheet (found on my webpage) O Due 8/16 O Review “Science Project Topics to Avoid” hand out O Any topic that includes anything on this list will not be approved O Start out broad O What general area of science is most interesting to you? O Narrow in on a specific topic from there by following your interests O https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef-categories- and-subcategories (ISEF Categories) https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef-categories- and-subcategories

5. Choosing a Topic O Come up with a minimum of 3 potential research questions by 8/5 (use notebook paper) O Be ambitious O Your project should be challenging and relevant O Be realistic O Set high goals but know your limitations O Be detailed O Write the question, then elaborate. Explain exactly what it is you want to research O I will be reading your ideas outside of class. I need to clearly understand what you’ve written without you being present to explain it to me.

6. Getting your topic approved O Work hard O Choosing a good topic that you are interested in will take some thought O I will not choose a project for you! O Expect to revise O I will provide feedback on your topics and you should plan to adjust accordingly and resubmit O Be patient O For many students, topic approval is a long back and forth process O Do not get discouraged if many of your ideas are not approved. Think about why they weren’t accepted and take that into consideration in the future

7. After your topic is approved O Record your research question in your log book O It does not have to be perfect O You may slightly adjust or add to your question as you move through the experiment O Begin conducting background research O Be sure to write where you found the information so you can include it in your bibliography

8. Research Plan O Question O Should already have a solid, well-written question at this point O Hypothesis O Detailed sentence explaining what you predict will be the result of your experiment. It should be a strong, direct statement. O Ex: Seagrass fragmentation has a negative effect on the abundance of organisms that inhabit seagrass beds; the more fragmented the seagrass bed, the fewer the organisms. O Null Hypothesis O No relationship between two measured phenomenon O Ex: Seagrass fragmentation has no effect on the abundance of organisms that inhabit a seagrass bed.

9. Research Plan O Procedure O Plan out every single little detail you can think of in your logbook O When you actually conduct the experiment you will write out the procedure as you do it, even if it ends up being exactly the same (although that is highly unlikely) O Risks and Safety O Identify all risks and precautions that should be taken O Data analysis O What will you do with the data you collect?

10. Research Plan O Bibliography O I am requiring at least 5 peer reviewed journal articles in your bibliography O You may also use books and credible websites O I recommend using Google Scholar or Galileo to find such articles O Read the abstract first to see if the article will be useful to you O Look for “full text” versions so you can read the whole thing O If there is an article you want but cannot access the full text, let me know O I suggest printing them out so you can highlight important information or bring it to me with questions O Much of the information from these articles will be useful in writing a detailed introduction in your final paper O Be sure to write a citation for each article in your lab notebook and take notes / write summaries of each in it as well