Do not include information about your experiment in this paper!!
The paper is a research paper. The experiment goes on the display board not in this paper.
Please note the menu to the left with various paper writing help.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students who plagiarize will be disciplined.
Unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism. If you use someone else’s work and don’t put it in quotation marks or you change words (paraphrasing) but keep the ideas, facts or theories, it is plagiarism. Using facts, statistics, pictures or graphs, etc. without citations is plagiarism
You may use exact words, paraphrases, pictures, graphs, etc. as long as you cite them properly. When using exact words, put quotation marks around the words/sentences and cite it properly immediately following. You may use paraphrases with citations immediately following their use.
See Citations for proper use of citations and works cited page (bibliography).
Research Paper
Please remember that this is a research paper. It is not about your experiment. It is research.
Paper Format
Click on the link to the template below and use it to for your paper. You may overwrite it and keep all formatting. If you do not have an newer version of Microsoft Word the template may not work properly but you can still use it as a visual template.
Science Fair Paper Template-1.doc (40 kB)
Science Fair Paper Template.docx (26,1 kB)
See the following for more information
Research Paper - How To-1.docx (15637)
PAPER CONTENTS
Section One: Introductory paragraphs:
It begins with a few paragraphs. The goal of the opening paragraphs is to catch the attention of the reader…to make them want to read on. It often contains dramatic and general statements. It can use quotes or illustrations to set the tone or make a point.
It contains the thesis statement or purpose statement. It tells what the research intends to accomplish. It is near the beginning of the paper (within the first two paragraphs). It makes a claim or presents your argument.
The problem statement is the focal point of your research. It is one sentence but has accompanying sentences or paragraphs that elaborate on the problem. The accompanying sentences discuss why the problem is important enough to study or read about. They explain how the problem relates to larger issues, people or science in general.
Section Two: Background Research
The background includes the history of the items or ideas identified in the experiment. It contains summaries of other experiments related to the problem. It mentions scientists or others involved in the processes that have brought about the knowledge we have today about the items involved in the experiment. It answers questions like where it came from, who invented it, who improved it, how it is made, how it is used in the past.
Section Three: Technical Research: This is the longest part of the paper. This is research that gives you enough knowledge about things in your topic to be qualified to make decisions about your experiment.
This secton has lots of detail about the science involved and It includes definitions of technical words used to describe each item used in the experiment. It gives details of how each component iworks or is made. It includes the chemistry or physics involved in each part of the process. This is the section where you, the scientist, really become knowledgeble.
Section Four: Conclusion/Summary
This section returns to the thesis statement and why all the research and answers are important.
The Acknowledgements page includes gratuitous remarks or thank-you’s and give credits to those who may have assisted in the project.
The Bibliography page includes all sources used for the paper.