The Assignment
1. This semester, you will work on a science project on a topic of your own choosing and write a report. There will be deadlines along the way, but the report will be due December 2, 2016. The project is open to any area of science, not just chemistry.
2. You are to identify a research area you are interested in, write a proposal for the problem to be researched, research background information, conduct your own, original (not plagiarized!) experiment, record your observations, and submit a written account of all of this work. You MUST conduct an experiment and provide data that can be analyzed. This is not a literature search. Your research must answer a question, no matter how simple or complex. You will be graded on many factors, including how you conduct the research and analyze the results.
3. Once I approve your proposal (which may take several tries) you will be given paperwork that is necessary for you to fill out before you begin your experiment. After your paperwork is turned in and approved you may begin your experiment.
4. Your research report will count as two test grades to be averaged at the end of the semester.
5. While I will be assigning deadlines throughout the semester, it is your responsibility to pace yourself and determine how best to accomplish this research effort. This is truly an independent project. While not necessary, it would also be very helpful for you to find a mentor. This could be a family friend, a parent, a neighbor, a former teacher, etc.
6. If you are using any humans or animals, approval and supervision must be approved by Mr. Fuller and the SRC prior to experimentation. The use of humans or animals in any way will add substantially to the required paperwork you will need to fill out and get approved!
What is a Science Research Project?
At this point you might be asking, “What is a science research project?” A science project is nothing more than the scientific method put into action, often with a display to show results. The scientific method is a process which entails a number of steps: 1) recognition and definition of the problem being addressed; 2) formulation of a hypothesis; 3) collection of data; 4) analysis of data; 5) and statement of conclusions regarding confirmation or disconfirmation of the hypothesis. This research should not be confused with the writing of a “research paper” such as is often done in English classes. In order to be considered a scientific research project, there must be a testable hypothesis, experimentation with observable data, and a stated conclusion.
Why Do a Science Research Project?
If you have been given the opportunity to participate in a science research project, you may say, “Why should I?” After all, you already put in so much time to classroom work and homework assignments. Why put in extra time, trouble, and effort into a science project? There are actually many reasons why! Here are just a few:
1. Knowledge: Classroom work alone never made anyone an expert in anything. Knowledge is something that must be used in order to be understood thoroughly. If you do a science project well, you will find your knowledge and understanding developing rapidly in at least two ways. First, you will pick up a lot of detailed information on the technical aspects of the particular field you have chosen. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, you will gain a greatly increased understanding of the philosophy, technique, and discipline that are basic to all sciences.
2. Independence: This will be your project and yours alone! You will choose your topic, you will plan your approach to the problem, you will criticize your techniques and analyze your results. You will develop the method of showing your results to others. You will develop a real sense of pride in all this, and it will help you in developing your own sense of responsibility that is the basis of a well-balanced personality.
3. Fun: Surprising as it may seem, research can also be lots of fun. A positive attitude and optimism can make almost any task more enjoyable. The researcher can actually enjoy digging for data, planning and carrying out the experiment, and writing the final report. When one enjoys what he or she is doing, it can hardly be classified as work.
How to Get Started
You have been given a time frame with periodic deadlines. In order to complete your entire project within the time allotted, you must carefully plan each phase of the project and get started immediately. Procrastination will only lead to a rush job later that cannot be your best effort. Probably the hardest part of the project initially is choosing a topic for study. The success or failure of the entire project can hinge on picking the right topic. One of the first considerations is to be creative. No judge is going to look seriously at a project which is determining whether sunlight affects plant growth. Of course it does and everyone knows that…including the researcher! There are several ways to approach creativity when selecting a topic for research. Consider the following possibilities:
1. Seeing new relationships between facts that seem unconnected.
2. Seeing new unifying factors in entire groups of facts or observations.
3. Seeing the useful application of a fact from one field to another field.
4. Seeing the importance of something stumbled onto “by accident” while looking for something else.
Besides being creative, the researcher should try to gain new knowledge in a certain field. He or she should fit the research as much as possible to his or her own abilities and limitations. The following suggestions are given to further help in narrowing the choice of a topic:
1. Interest: You should be personally interested and intrigued to by your selected topic
2. Independent: You must be capable of doing the experiment with limited outside assistance.
3. Variables: There should only be ONE independent variable and ONE dependent variable. Everything else should be controlled.
4. Time: The project should be capable of completion within the given time frame.
5. Money: The project should be within your financial means.
6. Approval: The entire process should be understood and agreed upon by the researcher, their parents, and the teacher.
NOTE: Any experimentation done with animals must be done under the supervision of an animal care specialist such as a veterinarian. If you are using humans in any way, even with a survey, you must submit paperwork which includes consent forms and, if needed, medical supervisor approval. A set of protocol papers must be completed and signed by the specialist, the teacher, and the student before any experimentation begins. You will receive these necessary forms from your science teacher which you must fill out and must be approved by the SRC BEFORE you begin work. Using humans will greatly increase the difficulty of the required paperwork and collection of data.
A Review of the Literature
After the topic has been narrowed down, the next step is to find out as much as possible about that particular subject. This can only be done by reading periodicals, abstracts, articles, and books about the chosen subject. In doing this, the researcher may find the answer to his or her question thus eliminating the need for further research. Often times the research found may be similar to but not exactly what the researcher is studying. This information can be used to further narrow the field of research. Particularly pertinent research should be noted, analyzed, and used as the basis for the formulation of the researcher’s hypothesis. Be certain to retain all bibliographical data for each source used. Information gathered here will become the basis for the introduction of the written paper.
Stating the Hypothesis
After all the preliminary research is done in the library, the researcher is ready to make a statement of what he or she believes will be the final outcome of the experiment based on his review of the literature. This statement of anticipated results is called a hypothesis. It is a trial answer (explanation) which must then be scientifically supported or disproven by testing it. The hypothesis should be written as a statement, not as a question. It should be clearly and concisely stated and must be testable.
The Experiment
Once the hypothesis has been clearly defined and stated, the researcher must next devise an experiment to test the hypothesis. In setting up an experiment several factors must again be considered.
1. Be certain to eliminate all variables except the one identified variable to be tested (known as the independent variable.)
2. Be certain to use a control group, that is a “normal,” which is identical in all respects to the experimental set but with the omission of the independent variable.
3. All test subjects chosen for experimentation should be randomly chosen from the entire population of subjects.
4. Use as many test subjects as possible; the more test subjects, the more reliable the results will be. Points will be deducted if you use too few subjects.
5. Very careful attention to detail is important here and each step should be carefully noted so that any experimenter could later duplicate your experiment exactly and get similar results.
6. Whenever possible, more than one trial of the experiment should be run. The more trials run with similar results, the more dependable the results will be.
7. If a special machine or devise is constructed for the experiment, be sure to include plans, specifications, drawings, and materials used in its construction.
8. If questionnaires or surveys are used, be sure to give specific choices for the subject such as “yes/no/undecided” or “sometimes/always/never”. This will make compiling results later much easier.
Observations and Recording Data
Throughout the experimental period the researcher should continue to take notes on the progress of the experiment on a regular basis. These notes are very valuable and will become the basis of the data section of the written report. They should be kept together in a notebook so that nothing will be lost. All measurements taken should be recognizable units of measure such as millimeters, centimeters, grams, seconds, hours, etc., not relative terms such as “a little bit,” “some,” “about,” etc. If results are recorded in a table form it will be easier to compile them later. You should take photographs of your specimen at various stages of the testing process as well as “before” and “after” shots. You must use photographs if your project shows a change over time in your subjects or specimen, or if you are using specialized equipment to carry out your experiment.
At the end of the experiment you will no doubt have piles of data, but you may be unsure as to whether your data supported or did not support your hypothesis. To answer this question it will be necessary to compile your data into some form that can be analyzed. Usually, the data will take the form of graphs, charts, or tables which can be easily compared. When using graphs, be sure that both axes are identified and that each graph is labeled as to what it shows. Likewise, charts and tables should be clearly labeled. Be sure to include a graph that shows your final results. It is very important to include this so that the reader understands the most important comparison that should be made from your data. Often this graph shows the averages of all your data.
Another important step would be to mathematically determine whether or not your results are statistically significant. This can be done by using a test of significance such as the chi square or the t-test. Explanations and formulas for these tests are available in most statistics textbooks in your library or on the internet. For this project, statistical analysis is not required.
Discussion of Results
When all data has been recorded, compiled, and analyzed, the researcher can then decide whether the hypothesis was valid or not. It should be remembered that just because the hypothesis was proven false (the null hypothesis) does not mean the experiment was a failure. A common misconception among beginning researchers is the notion that if your data supports your hypothesis you have “proven” your research hypothesis to be true. However, your data only supports or does not support a research hypothesis. If you determine that your data supports your hypothesis, it does not mean that your variables are related for the reason you hypothesized. They may be related for some other reason. On the other hand, if your data fails to support your hypothesis, it does not necessarily mean that your research hypothesis is wrong. The study, for example, may not have represented a fair test of your hypothesis. If the results do not support the hypothesis, you should go back to the review of literature and reinterpret your reasons for selecting the initial hypothesis. You should also reexamine the procedure for possible errors. You may decide to redesign the experiment for a retest or may decide to restate the hypothesis. Hopefully, however, the initial hypothesis will be supported by the experimental data. If so, the researcher will want to compare the results with those of other researchers who did similar experiments.
Future Applications and Next Steps
Another important consideration that should be included in the report are the practical applications of your results. Every experiment should have some practical value. This usage should be explained in this section of the written report. You should also address future projects or new questions which have arisen as a result of this project. If you were to continue research in this field, what would the next project look like?