By Judy Reeves

**This booklet is NOT required by the Region 5 Fair and you are NOT required to send in a copy with the regular paperwork.  However, it is good to have at your project for the judges to review**

Download in Adobe Format  

(15 kb)

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ISEF Student Handbook

Download in Adobe Format

(25 kb)

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Abstract:  See Form

I.   Purpose or Question

II.  Hypothesis

III. Procedure (shortened version)

IV. Data

V.  Conclusion

**You can put abstract on your board** 

Title Page:

Page 1

This is the front page of your report. You need to have a title related to your project / research.  Example: Teaching sign language to a monkey, your title could be - 

"We Don't Monkey Around"

Your Name:

School:

Level:

**The Title does NOT have to be in a question form**

A picture or graphic about your project can also be on your cover.

Table Of Contents:  (Example)

Page 2

Purpose...............................................1

Research..........................................2-3

Hypothesis..........................................4

Materials.............................................5

Procedure........................................6-7

Data....................................................8

Results................................................9

Conclusion........................................10

Reference/Bibliography....................11

Acknowledgments............................ 12

Research / Report

Page 4

This is a written report containing information about your purpose / question.  You will need to learn more about your topic in order to answer your results after your experiment.  Research may go on all during your experiment.  Depending on the nature of your project your research may be one page or ten pages long.

(You do not need to put research paper on board)

 Hypothesis

Page 5 

(Or what ever page number comes next after Research)

This is a statement that is an educated guess as to the outcome of your investigation.  Research is often needed before the hypothesis can be formed.  It must be stated as a fact not an opinion or a possibility..

(Hypothesis Example)

Correct - A monkey can learn to use sign language to ask for a banana.

Incorrect - I think a monkey might be able to learn to ask for a banana using sign language.

**Must Be On Board**

 Materials

Page 6

(Or what ever page number comes next after hypothesis)

(Materials Example)

Sign language book

Monkey

Bananas

Mirror

Word List

Data table

This is a list of materials needed to perform your experiment.  It must be complete and specific.  List your materials in a column form.  Do not number your materials 1,2,3, etc., and do not use materials you used to record your results.

**Must Be On Board**

Procedure

Page 7

(Or what ever page number comes after materials)

(Procedure Example)

• First get Science Fair animal approval of project.

• Then set up 2 weeks of daily visits at the local zoo to work with chimp and zookeeper.

• Acquire all materials for project.

• Make Data table for observations.

• Day 1 show monkey banana and then show sign language for Banana. Repeat process every 5 minutes for one hour, Record response of chimp.

• At the end of each session give the banana to the chimp.

• Repeat daily for two weeks.

This is a step-by-step (numbered) instruction on how to do the experiment.  It must be very specific so anyone can read them and do exactly what you did even without knowing anything about your topic.  Often it is helpful to include diagrams of a step that is difficult to explain.  such as constructing a model. 

**Must Be On Board**

On your board you can put photos of you doing the procedure to show your work.  Judges Like This!

 Data

Page 8

(Or what ever page number comes next after procedure)

Information gathered throughout your experiment may be recorded during the experimentation, recordings such as how many times a day did you show the monkey the banana and how did he respond.  This information would go into a chart or graph.  Some projects may require you to keep separate data charts.

**Must Be On Board**

Any good project is tested at least 3 times and documented in data.

(Data Example)

No response=NR

Week one

Results

Page 9

(Or what ever page number comes next after data)

What did you learn from the information in your data chart or graph?  Write it out in paragraph form.  Your research needs to back up your reason for getting your result, otherwise your conclusion will be invalid.

**Must Be On Board**

(Results Example)

Key: Responds with sign=R  Some Response with hands=SR  No Response=NR 

  Conclusion

Page 10

(Or what ever page number comes next after results)

(Conclusion Example)

My Hypothesis was correct; a monkey could learn to use sign language to ask for a banana.

This is where you make a decision about whether your hypothesis was proven to be correct or not.  It is ok if you did not prove your hypothesis to be correct; that is what happens with experiments.  (We are still searching for the cure for cancer)  It is possible that you may have to do more research and add to your report before you can complete your conclusion.  Do not make statements about how you enjoyed the project.

**Must Be On Board**

Reference / Bibliography

Page 11

(Or what ever page number comes next after conclusion)

This is a list of sources that you used to get your information.  You will need to have a minimum of at least 4 (four) reference sources.

**See Last Sheet On Correct Form**

Acknowledgment

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Exhibit Size (Max proportions) W48" x D30" x H108" 

(Can be smaller)

NO POSTER BOARDS - Project must be on a project board (Educational Aid Shop, Hobby Lobby, Office Depot and office Max are a couple of places to purchase the boards).  They can also be hand-made of wood or foam core.

Most display boards are of a 3-panel configuration and the traditional way to setup this type of board is:

The purpose of your display is to display your project to a judge.  Content, or the information on the board, is the most important thing.  Many boards look good but don't have very much information.  Your display board should look professional, something that a business person might use, not a little kid.  It should attract the attention of a viewer and make them want to come over and read about your project.  It is good to use color in your display but you shouldn't make it too colorful because it will make your display lose its professionalism.  Stick to one or two colors that contrast, such as black and white or red and green.  Avoid fluorescent colors because they make your project look cheap and hard to read.  Whatever you do, don't use colors that clash.  Use colors sparingly.  You don't want the judges focusing on the colors instead of the content.  The title is very important on a display board.  It should be eye catching and easy to read.  Be sure that the letters are large enough to read across a room.  Use dark colors for the title.  Also, correct spelling is important on your project board.  A misspelled word here and  there is enough to loose a few points, which might make the difference between winning and "loosing". 

Secondary research is information and / or data that someone else has collected.  You can find this type of information in printed sources (books, magazines, and newspapers) and in electronic sources (CD-ROM encyclopedias, software packages or online services, such as the Internet)  When you use a secondary source, be sure to note, for future reference, where you got the information.  If you are required to write a report, you will need the following information for a bibliography or to give credit for any quotes or illustrations you use.

Book - Author's name, title of book, place of publication, publisher, copyright date, and pages read or quoted.

Magazine or periodical - Author's name, title of article, title or magazine, volume and issue number and date of publication, and page numbers of article.

Newspaper - Author's name, title of article, name of newspaper, date of publication, and section and page numbers.

Encyclopedia - Name of encyclopedia, volume number, title of article, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, and page numbers of article.

CD-ROM  encyclopedia or software package - Name of program, version or release number, name of supplier, and place where supplier is located.

Document from online service - Author of document (if known), title of document, name of organization that       posted document, place where organization is located, date given on document, and online address (url) or mailing address where document is available.