Science Fair Paper Guidelines
Your Scientific Paper must be written in the format that I will outline below. Any paper that does not follow these requirements will be returned immediately for rewriting and be considered LATE. Scientific Papers are due for check on ________________.
Your paper must be done on a word processor or typewriter. (I recommend a word processor, since it will make any revisions easier.) Please get help on spelling, punctuation, etc., if you have trouble with these. Even though this is science, writing counts!
REQUIRED FORMAT FOR THE SCIENTIFIC PAPER
PLACE EACH SECTION ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER
Page 1: TITLE PAGE
Center your title several inches below the top of the page. Directly below your title should be your category (refer to the list of categories). In the lower right hand corner, list your name, grade, and date.
Page 2: ABSTRACT
An abstract accompanies articles in scientific publications. It is a brief summary of the entire paper. Write this section after you have written the rest of the paper. The abstract should include what the project was, a summary of your procedure, and a short paragraph on your results and conclusions. The abstract should be about half a page to one full page.
Page 3: TABLE OF CONTENTS
List each section and the page number where it begins. Do this after writing your final draft.
Page 4: INVESTIGATIVE QUESTION, PURPOSE, AND HYPOTHESIS
State them in one sentence each!
Page 5: INTRODUCTION
Explain how and why you chose this project. Include any pertinent background information that relates to your topic. In other words, research on your topic belongs in this section. The Introduction should be no more than one page.
Section 6: MATERIALS AND METHOD
List materials vertically and be specific. Explain your procedure step by step. Drawings/Sketches/Pictures help make your method clearer: include them. If you constructed any materials or equipment, explain here. Identify your Control and Variables.
Section 7: RESULTS
Present your results neatly in tables and graphs. Graphs must be on graph paper or done on a computer. Include a detailed explanation on how you interpreted your data, so that the reader will be able to follow your conclusions.
Section 8: CONCLUSIONS
Write this section after you have finished preparing your results. Briefly summarize your results in the past tense. Restate your hypothesis in the present tense and tell how your data supported or did not support your hypothesis. Give your interpretation of your results and discuss their significance. Don’t hesitate to mention difficulties you had or mistakes your made. Include other information that relates to your project that you obtained through research. Give one or two suggestions for what the next experiment might be (related to your experiment) based on your results.
Section 9: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank the people who helped you with your project, telling what they did for you.
Section 10: BIBLIOGRAPHY
List any books, articles, etc. that you used for information. Use the following format:
BOOK:
Last name of author, Author’s initial(s). Title of source. Place where published: Publisher, publishing date (year).
For example:
Lane, R. How To Wield A Sword. San Francisco: Nueva Press, 1990.
ARTICLE:
Last name of author, Author’s initial(s). “Name of article.” Journal name. Month, Year, pages.
For example:
Smuin, S. K. “My Life in Middle School.” Life. November, 1990, p. 13.
CD-ROM:
Title, publisher, publishing date (year)
For example: Encarta Encyclopedia, Grollier’s Publishing, 1995.
INTERNET:
Title of site, Author of site, date (year) or URL address.
For example: Burlingame Intermediate School Home Page, Burlingame Intermediate School, 1996 OR http://www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/besd/bis/BIS.html.
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