Science investigatory project

Outline of a scientific investigation

Research cannot be planned in advance with great precision such as in mass production of a tool. True scientists do not follow a prescribed set of laboratory procedures, since it is an exploration to the unknown. General principles, techniques, and guides, however, can be given in an attempt to minimize the mistakes and commit fewer wrong decisions.

The following basic steps in conducting a research project serve only as guide. This basic outline may be modified according to the innate wisdom of the experimenter. The outline covers the major phases of the scientific method.

1. Select your topic

In choosing the topic, consider the following:

a. Degree of difficulty - Examine this carefully in relation to your skills, knowledge, and experience level.
b. Time available - Estimate the time you need for planning, literature research, setting up the project, executing it, assembling results, and drawing conclusions. Allow for a margin of safety for possible errors.
c. Necessary resources and expense - These include manpower, equipment, and materials needed. List them down and find out if these are all available.
d. Collateral readings and availability of advice - This may be necessary on critical points in the experiments. You may consult knowledgeable people in your community, including your own parents if you are working on a local problem.

2. Know your subject

§ Know the background of the problem, how it arose, why it is important and what will be done with the results. The best source of information is the library. Nowadays, a virtual library exists in the INTERNET. You can also ask the persons who have done related work on that problem and are recognized authorities on the subject.

§ At this stage, establish the theoretical background of the problem. Know what has been done before by other investigators in the same area and what new findings you can contribute.

3. Define/identify your problem

§ State your problem with care, defining your objectives and expressing its limits. A careful statement of the problem will minimize waste and points the way to its solutions. What are the questions you are trying to answer in your investigation?

4. Plan your project

§ This step covers hypothesis building and experimental design. What are your hypotheses or what are your expected outcomes of the investigation, based on the theoretical background that you have established? Start with a well-thought-out hypothesis.
§ Decide on the place, time, equipment, materials, and procedures you will use. Try to foresee problems that may occur and be ready with possible solutions.
§ Make your experiments as quantitative as possible. Make a judgment on the accuracy that you want and design your experiments accordingly.

5. Keep a complete notebook

§ Meticulously record all your observations, data, procedures, setups, and questions. Even mistakes or failed experiments are very important. Negative results do not mean failed experiments. They have as much value as positive results. Often, what are considered as failures can lead to experiments of considerable importance.
§ Record your data using proper number of significant figures depending on the accuracy of the measuring instrument or device that you used.

6. Start your experiments.

§ All scientific studies must be systematic. The value of each experiment must be carefully reviewed. Conditions for each experiment must be controlled to get reproducible results. Experiments without controls, generally is not a scientific study.
§ Do numerical calculations as you collect data. Apply the rules on significant figures in your calculations.

7. End your experiments.

§ When do you end an experiment? Sometimes this can be a ticklish question. In the course of your work, you may come up with questions other than the one you have originally asked. A usual stopping point is when you realize you have discovered something significant, not necessarily what you are seeking.
§ Analyze and evaluate your results periodically. Recognize errors which may have been committed. The teacher adviser can advise when to stop.

8. Write your report

§ The project ends with a report and/or an exhibit. There are accepted formats in reporting a science investigation, depending on the purpose of the report.
§ The discussion of results should cover not only what you have observed or the data collected, but the most important part is your careful analysis of the data gathered and observations made. Careful analysis requires prior organization of data collected into tables and/or graphs. Your analysis will lead you to explanations, an understanding of cause and effect. From the analysis and explanations, draw your generalizations and conclusions within the limitations of the experiments done.

9. Prepare an exhibit (for science fair).
This is optional. An exhibit is a visual display that carefully presents the scientific material. There are certain guidelines in representing the exhibit.