How to Make an Effective Investigatory Project

Science fair projects are a common type of investigatory project in schools.

An investigatory project is an extended problem that can be researched through experimentation. Most school science fair projects are a form of investigatory project. An investigatory project requires a student to ask a researchable question, design experiments to test the question and write extensively about the project and the conclusions drawn from the project. These projects allow the student to develop problem-solving skills and work on developing writing and oral-presentation skills.

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Select a topic to research. A list of topics may be supplied by the instructor to select from. Students may also select topics which interests them. Be sure to check with the instructor to ensure that the selected topic is acceptable.
- 2
  
  Find a research question regarding your topic. The student may already have a question in mind when selecting the topic or may have many different ideas. The research question should focus on one aspect. For example, a research question on the topic of soda may be, "Which brand of soda has the most carbonation?" This question will lead to a hypothesis and the development of experiments for the project.
- 3
  
  Design the project. The design of the project involves all equipment, procedures and experiments that are required to complete the project. The design also outlines how the data will be collected during the project and how that data will be analyzed.
- 4
  
  Complete the experiments as designed. Record all available and relevant data and make notes of any observations during the experiments. Observations include interesting things that occurred during the experiment which were surprising or things that did not go according to plan during the experiment.
- 5
  
  Write an abstract for the project. The abstract is a brief explanation of the entire process, including the purpose of the experiment, the procedures used, the data collected and a conclusion of the results. The abstract is typically about one page long.
- 6
  
  Write the research paper regarding the project. Items included in the research paper are: a title of the research project, a statement of the problem, a general and specific objective, a summary of the methodology employed, lists of materials and equipment, explanations of procedures, findings in the form of graphs and tables, analysis of the data, conclusions, recommendations on how the project may be improved and a bibliography of resources used during the project and for the paper. Each instructor will have different requirements regarding the structure and focus of the research paper, and the instructions should be closely followed.
- 7
  
  Create a visual aid regarding the project. The visual aid uses the findings in the graphs and charts, the abstract, the procedures, the results and the conclusion of the experiment. A sample of the experiment may also be included in the visual aid if allowed by the instructor.