research paper for science fair format

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Teaching Resources & Guides > How to Teach Science Tips > Writing a Science Report  

Writing a Science Report

With science fair season coming up as well as many end of the year projects, students are often required to write a research paper or a report on their project. Use this guide to help you in the process from finding a topic to revising and editing your final paper.

Brainstorming Topics

Sometimes one of the largest barriers to writing a research paper is trying to figure out what to write about. Many times the topic is supplied by the teacher, or the curriculum tells what the student should research and write about. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes the student is given a very broad concept to write a research paper on, for example, water. Within the category of water, there are many topics and subtopics that would be appropriate. Topics about water can include anything from the three states of water, different water sources, minerals found in water, how water is used by living organisms, the water cycle, or how to find water in the desert. The point is that “water” is a very large topic and would be too broad to be adequately covered in a typical 3-5 page research paper.

When given a broad category to write about, it is important to narrow it down to a topic that is much more manageable. Sometimes research needs to be done in order to find the best topic to write about. (Look for searching tips in “Finding and Gathering Information.”) Listed below are some tips and guidelines for picking a suitable research topic:

• Pick a topic within the category that you find interesting. It makes it that much easier to research and write about a topic if it interests you.
• You may find while researching a topic that the details of the topic are very boring to you. If this is the case, and you have the option to do this, change your topic.
• Pick a topic that you are already familiar with and research further into that area to build on your current knowledge.
• When researching topics to do your paper on, look at how much information you are finding. If you are finding very little information on your topic or you are finding an overwhelming amount, you may need to rethink your topic.
• If permissible, always leave yourself open to changing your topic. While researching for topics, you may come across one that you find really interesting and can use just as well as the previous topics you were searching for.
• Most importantly, does your research topic fit the guidelines set forth by your teacher or curriculum?

Finding and Gathering Information

There are numerous resources out there to help you find information on the topic selected for your research paper. One of the first places to begin research is at your local library. Use the Dewey Decimal System or ask the librarian to help you find books related to your topic. There are also a variety of reference materials, such as encyclopedias, available at the library.

A relatively new reference resource has become available with the power of technology – the Internet. While the Internet allows the user to access a wealth of information that is often more up-to-date than printed materials such as books and encyclopedias, there are certainly drawbacks to using it. It can be hard to tell whether or not a site contains factual information or just someone’s opinion. A site can also be dangerous or inappropriate for students to use.

You may find that certain science concepts and science terminology are not easy to find in regular dictionaries and encyclopedias. A science dictionary or science encyclopedia can help you find more in-depth and relevant information for your science report. If your topic is very technical or specific, reference materials such as medical dictionaries and chemistry encyclopedias may also be good resources to use.

If you are writing a report for your science fair project, not only will you be finding information from published sources, you will also be generating your own data, results, and conclusions. Keep a journal that tracks and records your experiments and results. When writing your report, you can either write out your findings from your experiments or display them using graphs or charts .

*As you are gathering information, keep a working bibliography of where you found your sources. Look under “Citing Sources” for more information. This will save you a lot of time in the long run!

Organizing Information

Most people find it hard to just take all the information they have gathered from their research and write it out in paper form. It is hard to get a starting point and go from the beginning to the end. You probably have several ideas you know you want to put in your paper, but you may be having trouble deciding where these ideas should go. Organizing your information in a way where new thoughts can be added to a subtopic at any time is a great way to organize the information you have about your topic. Here are two of the more popular ways to organize information so it can be used in a research paper:

• Graphic organizers such as a web or mind map . Mind maps are basically stating the main topic of your paper, then branching off into as many subtopics as possible about the main topic. Enchanted Learning has a list of several different types of mind maps as well as information on how to use them and what topics fit best for each type of mind map and graphic organizer.
• Sub-Subtopic: Low temperatures and adequate amounts of snow are needed to form glaciers.
• Sub-Subtopic: Glaciers move large amounts of earth and debris.
• Sub-Subtopic: Two basic types of glaciers: valley and continental.
• Subtopic: Icebergs – large masses of ice floating on liquid water

Different Formats For Your Paper

Depending on your topic and your writing preference, the layout of your paper can greatly enhance how well the information on your topic is displayed.

1. Process . This method is used to explain how something is done or how it works by listing the steps of the process. For most science fair projects and science experiments, this is the best format. Reports for science fairs need the entire project written out from start to finish. Your report should include a title page, statement of purpose, hypothesis, materials and procedures, results and conclusions, discussion, and credits and bibliography. If applicable, graphs, tables, or charts should be included with the results portion of your report.

2. Cause and effect . This is another common science experiment research paper format. The basic premise is that because event X happened, event Y happened.

3. Specific to general . This method works best when trying to draw conclusions about how little topics and details are connected to support one main topic or idea.

4. Climatic order . Similar to the “specific to general” category, here details are listed in order from least important to most important.

5. General to specific . Works in a similar fashion as the method for organizing your information. The main topic or subtopic is stated first, followed by supporting details that give more information about the topic.

6. Compare and contrast . This method works best when you wish to show the similarities and/or differences between two or more topics. A block pattern is used when you first write about one topic and all its details and then write about the second topic and all its details. An alternating pattern can be used to describe a detail about the first topic and then compare that to the related detail of the second topic. The block pattern and alternating pattern can also be combined to make a format that better fits your research paper.

Citing Sources

When writing a research paper, you must cite your sources! Otherwise you are plagiarizing (claiming someone else’s ideas as your own) which can cause severe penalties from failing your research paper assignment in primary and secondary grades to failing the entire course (most colleges and universities have this policy). To help you avoid plagiarism, follow these simple steps:

• Find out what format for citing your paper your teacher or curriculum wishes you to use. One of the most widely used and widely accepted citation formats by scholars and schools is the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. We recommended that you do an Internet search for the most recent format of the citation style you will be using in your paper.
• Keep a working bibliography when researching your topic. Have a document in your computer files or a page in your notebook where you write down every source that you found and may use in your paper. (You probably will not use every resource you find, but it is much easier to delete unused sources later rather than try to find them four weeks down the road.) To make this process even easier, write the source down in the citation format that will be used in your paper. No matter what citation format you use, you should always write down title, author, publisher, published date, page numbers used, and if applicable, the volume and issue number.
• When collecting ideas and information from your sources, write the author’s last name at the end of the idea. When revising and formatting your paper, keep the author’s last name attached to the end of the idea, no matter where you move that idea. This way, you won’t have to go back and try to remember where the ideas in your paper came from.
• There are two ways to use the information in your paper: paraphrasing and quotes. The majority of your paper will be paraphrasing the information you found. Paraphrasing is basically restating the idea being used in your own words.   As a general rule of thumb, no more than two of the original words should be used in sequence when paraphrasing information, and similes should be used for as many of the words as possible in the original passage without changing the meaning of the main point. Sometimes, you may find something stated so well by the original author that it would be best to use the author’s original words in your paper. When using the author’s original words, use quotation marks only around the words being directly quoted and work the quote into the body of your paper so that it makes sense grammatically. Search the Internet for more rules on paraphrasing and quoting information.

Revising and Editing Your Paper

Revising your paper basically means you are fixing grammatical errors or changing the meaning of what you wrote. After you have written the rough draft of your paper, read through it again to make sure the ideas in your paper flow and are cohesive. You may need to add in information, delete extra information, use a thesaurus to find a better word to better express a concept, reword a sentence, or just make sure your ideas are stated in a logical and progressive order.

After revising your paper, go back and edit it, correcting the capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors – the mechanics of writing. If you are not 100% positive a word is spelled correctly, look it up in a dictionary. Ask a parent or teacher for help on the proper usage of commas, hyphens, capitalization, and numbers. You may also be able to find the answers to these questions by doing an Internet search on writing mechanics or by checking you local library for a book on writing mechanics.

It is also always a good idea to have someone else read your paper. Because this person did not write the paper and is not familiar with the topic, he or she is more likely to catch mistakes or ideas that do not quite make sense. This person can also give you insights or suggestions on how to reword or format your paper to make it flow better or convey your ideas better.

More Information:

• Quick Science Fair Guide
• Science Fair Project Ideas

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Science Fair Wizard

• Pick a topic
• Determine a problem
• Investigate your problem
• Formulate a hypothesis

Experimenting

• Design an experiment
• Test your hypothesis
• Compile your data
• Write your research paper
• Construct your exhibit
• Prepare your presentation
• Show Time! Pre-science fair checklist
• Submit your paperwork

Step 8: Write your research paper

Writing your research paper should be a snap! With every step of the process, you have been collecting information for and writing parts of your research paper. As you are composing your research paper, be sure to save your work frequently and in more than one place!

The research paper should include the following sections in this order:

• Safety sheet
• Endorsements
• Table of contents
• Acknowledgements
• Purpose & Hypothesis
• Review of literature
• Materials and methods of procedure
• Conclusions
• Reference list

Keep these points in mind when reviewing your paper.

• Paper should include a table of contents, abstract, and references.
• Title page should be in the correct format with signatures.
• Header information should be in the top left corner with your last name and the title of the project.
• Paper should be double-spaced, single-sided, with one inch margins on all sides, and in a standard font such as Times New Roman 10 pt. or 12 pt.
• All pages should be numbered.

Important: Check out the Science Fair Handbook for detailed instructions regarding the content of the research paper. The handbook also includes examples of the title page, abstract, and references. [ Download Handbook ]

Check out the Science Fair Handbook for detailed instructions regarding the content of the research paper. The handbook also includes examples of the title page, abstract, and references.

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How to Write a Science Fair Project Report

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• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Writing a science fair project report may seem like a challenging task, but it is not as difficult as it first appears. This is a format that you may use to write a science project report. If your project included animals, humans, hazardous materials, or regulated substances, you can attach an appendix that describes any special activities your project required. Also, some reports may benefit from additional sections, such as abstracts and bibliographies. You may find it helpful to fill out the science fair lab report template to prepare your report.

Important: Some science fairs have guidelines put forth by the science fair committee or an instructor. If your science fair has these guidelines, be sure to follow them.

• Title:  For a science fair, you probably want a catchy, clever title. Otherwise, try to make it an accurate description of the project. For example, I could entitle a project, "Determining Minimum NaCl Concentration That Can Be Tasted in Water." Avoid unnecessary words, while covering the essential purpose of the project. Whatever title you come up with, get it critiqued by friends, family, or teachers.
• Introduction and Purpose:  Sometimes this section is called "background." Whatever its name, this section introduces the topic of the project, notes any information already available, explains why you are interested in the project, and states the purpose of the project. If you are going to state references in your report, this is where most of the citations are likely to be, with the actual references listed at the end of the entire report in the form of a bibliography or reference section.
• The Hypothesis or Question:  Explicitly state your hypothesis or question.
• Materials and Methods:  List the materials you used in your project and describe the procedure that you used to perform the project. If you have a photo or diagram of your project, this is a good place to include it.
• Data and Results:  Data and results are not the same things. Some reports will require that they be in separate sections, so make sure you understand the difference between the concepts. Data refers to the actual numbers or other information you obtained in your project. Data can be presented in tables or charts, if appropriate. The results section is where the data is manipulated or the hypothesis is tested. Sometimes this analysis will yield tables, graphs, or charts, too. For example, a table listing the minimum concentration of salt that I can taste in water, with each line in the table being a separate test or trial, would be data. If I average the data or perform a statistical test of a null hypothesis , the information would be the results of the project.
• Conclusion:  The conclusion focuses on the hypothesis or question as it compares to the data and results. What was the answer to the question? Was the hypothesis supported (keep in mind a hypothesis cannot be proved, only disproved)? What did you find out from the experiment? Answer these questions first. Then, depending on your answers, you may wish to explain the ways in which the project might be improved or introduce new questions that have come up as a result of the project. This section is judged not only by what you were able to conclude but also by your recognition of areas where you could not draw valid conclusions based on your data.

Appearances Matter

Neatness counts, spelling counts, grammar counts. Take the time to make the report look nice. Pay attention to margins, avoid fonts that are difficult to read or are too small or too large, use clean paper, and make print the report cleanly on as good a printer or copier as you can.

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A Brief Guide to how to Write a STEM Paper

By Thomas P. November 18, 2020 · 4 minute read

Space Science

Cognitive Science

Computer Science

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Mechanical Engineering

Mathematics

So, you’ve come to your conclusion! You’re done with your project! But, not really; because if you don’t communicate your results well enough, your results will never get through to the STEM community! When you communicate your results, you will either write a lab report or a scientific article/paper. The two are similar, but not the same. This article will help in writing both of these. 

What is the difference between a lab report and a research paper? 

The main difference between a lab report and a research paper is that lab reports are typically directed towards a teacher, classmate, or professor, while a research paper is directed towards the STEM community in general. Thus, to a certain extent, lab reports are more preliminary as well as briefer than research papers, especially if they are not peer-reviewed.

The Title -

The title of your paper should be concise, yet descriptive of the experiment you conducted and/or the conclusion you came to. When coming up with a title for your paper, consider the implications of search engines. For example, if your paper is about how “Y effects X”, then people searching about “Y”, “X”, or the “Effects of Y” will see your article. When choosing a title it is important to know your audience; for example, if you want a researcher of “X” to read your paper, you might want to have as many keywords that researchers of “X” search for. 

The Abstract - 

The Abstract of your paper is much similar to the introduction of an essay in English class. Much of the time, readers will only read the abstract of the article. This is why the abstract can only have the key points of what you wrote. It is best to write the abstract of your paper last because it will usually contain the results and conclusions of your paper and study. Writing it first will result in the abstract being incomplete.

When writing your abstract consider:

• What do I want my reader to know about this paper if they just want to get a general idea of it?
• This should include the following: the most crucial results that were found in the study, a summary of the implications of the results, and the most crucial conclusions you came to.
• Keep it brief - your abstract usually should not be longer than 250 - 300 words (which is about a paragraph long). This word count is not set in stone, though. 
• Your abstract is NOT your introduction! If you have other background information that you wish to give the reader, do so in the next section.

The Introduction - 

The Introduction is usually where you will provide some background information on your study area or the problem you are examining. Although it is important to consider your audience, it is not a bad idea to offer some context as to what the issue is you are researching for clarification purposes. This is where you will cite any precursor research done in years past, using literature that can be found. 

Your introduction should contain the purpose of your research. It should also state why your study is important (similar to what was done in the abstract, but in more detail). Make sure to connect the purpose of your research to the previous literature so that it is evident what contributions you made to your field of research.

Methods and Materials -

In this section, you’ll need to provide the steps that other researchers can replicate if they were to recreate your experiment.  First, create a list that has specific amounts of every item used in the experiment. For example, if you are conducting an experiment that would test whether a plant grows faster when next to music, you might have this list of materials:

• 5 sunflowers grown in a home garden
• 1 Clay Flower pot
• 1 speaker for playing music capable of playing 60 decibels. 

Next, in your methods section, you will have to identify the steps the reader will have to take to replicate the experiment. When you state your steps, you will have to be very specific as to what you did; if you leave any step out, your reader will not be able to replicate your experiment. If you are not sure whether your plan is specific enough, consider recreating your experiment using your own steps.

In this section, you are going to want to explain your findings in word form, as well as using pictures to guide the reader. Explain your most important findings in this section, and leave other more trivial findings for the reader to see in the accompanying figures (which should be labeled “Figure N” [where N is the number]). 

Mistakes that could be made in this section include:

• Overstating or restating findings already presented.
• Explaining the significance of the findings (which should be left to the next section).
• Attempting to elaborate on trivial findings.

Discussion/Conclusion - 

This section should reflect upon your findings and how they either tied into your hypothesis or how your initial hypothesis was incorrect. Here, you should discuss the limitations of your experiment; for example, using the sunflower experiment above, not all plants may be affected by music as much or little as sunflower. It is also necessary to restate the implications and importance of your findings (as it was done in the introduction). Your contributions here should be evident in the subsection on the implications of the study. 

Your discussion section should also invite other researchers to replicate your study. Here are some questions you might want to answer in this portion of your paper:

• Why are your principal findings significant?
• Explain why you might have obtained the results of your experiment. 
• What are the possible limitations of this experiment?
• How could this experiment be improved in the future by you or other researchers? 

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/cfwriters/Graduate_Student_Writing_Resources/Lab_Reports_and_Scientific_Papers.doc#:~:text=Lab%20Reports%20and%20Scientific%20Papers&text=Lab%20reports%20and%20scientific%20papers%20document%20the%20results,experimentation%20and%20communicate%20its%20significance.&text=The%20major%20difference%20between%20lab,typically%20a%20teacher%20and%20classmates. (File Download, a very useful)

http://www.fefonline.org/s/materials/RK.pdf

https://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/c.php?g=992698&p=7182656

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7004368/ (Example article)

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-an-abstract-2794845#:~:text=An%20abstract%20should%20be%20between,so%20be%20sure%20to%20ask .

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/where_do_i_begin.html  

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About The Author

Thomas is a high school student at Eastside High.

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