Student Name Teacher Name Section Number Title Student Name Teacher Name Section Number

(Write out the question that you are testing.) Problem Statement (Write out the question that you are testing.) The problem statement is always written in the form of a question, even if it is used as the title. The question tells people what you are trying to find out. Poor Problem Statement: How Does Bleach Work? Better Problem Statement: Which Bleach Works Best in Removing Dirt Stains, Tide, Gain, or Great Value?

Hypothesis This is your educated guess. A Hypothesis is written like this: "If _____[this is done] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." (Fill in the blanks with the appropriate information from your own experiment.)

Background Information Background information is everything you can research on the topic of your experiment. Include as many facts as possible in a report form. Books, encyclopedias, magazines, or experts in a field can give you background information to help you understand the topic. That information will not answer your question. It will only give you ideas about your topic. For example, you may read about bleach and what it is made of, and include it in your project report, but you will still have to do the experiment to get the answer to your question. Begin collecting information for your bibliography.

Abstract This is a short summary of the entire project. It must include purpose, procedure, results, and conclusions in paragraph form. You should limit yourself to no more than 250 words. The abstract is usually the first item the judges look at after the title.

Bibliography You must make a list of all the books, magazines, interviews, or other sources that you used. There should be at least two bibliographic references. There is a specific format for writing a bibliography. Directions for writing a correct bibliography are found in your Science Fair packet.

procedures What did you do? List and number the steps in the order that you did them. Repeat your experiment several times. (At least three times!)to make sure the results are valid. Begin each procedure with a verb.

materials What did you use? List all of the items that you used. Tell how many or how much using metric measurements.

variables These are factors that affect your investigation. A manipulated variable is what you change on purpose to see its effect (what you are testing). A responding variable is what changed or did not change in response to what you have manipulated. This is what you are observing and/or measuring in order to get your results.

data What did you see? Record all your observations in a log. For example, if you were doing the bleach experiment, you should tell how long it took for different bleaches to work, or which bleach worked best at removing that stain. If you used quantitative data, be exact with your numbers of counts (use metric units). If you used qualitative data, describe what you observed in words like hot and cold, bright and dim, or fast and slow. Use the same words when you talk about the same conditions. Make graphs, tables, charts, or a survey to display your data, or take pictures. Include at least (2) forms of data collection.

result Interpret the data. Think about what you are learning from the data. State the finding of the experiment based upon the data you observed and analyzed. Do not form a conclusion. Do not answer the problem statement.

conclusion Your conclusion should begin with a statement on whether or not the results supported the hypothesis. You should have added a description of how specific experimental data supported the hypothesis. Include a description of problems that might have affected the results and why. Also include any new discoveries you have made in addition to the results of your experiment. Add any new questions that may lead to new experiments. Make sure to state the WHY? Why did your results support or not support your hypothesis. What factors could have contributed to the results?

application Tell why this experiment is important or how your findings may be useful to others. Apply what you learned to real life.