Science Fair
Notebook
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Project Topic
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Name
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Grade
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Teacher
This booklet is a tool to use when completing a Science Fair project following
all of the rules and regulations while utilizing the scientific method. Following
the process allows you to be judged and have the possibility of advancing to
the Regional Science Fair. Projects must follow the scientific method and a
note book must be completed to be judged.
Timeline: Project Tracker
Area of Interest/Specific Problem
Hypothesis/Experiment Design/Variables
Materials/Step-by-Step Experiment
Data/Analyze Results
Science Fair Board completed
Project with notebook brought to school
(suggested dates)
January 4
January 8
January 15
January 29
February 5
February 8
The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you
observe: Find out about what you want to investigate. Read books, magazines, and
websites or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the effect or
area of study. Keep track of where you got your information. How, What, When,
Who, Which, Why, or Where? And, in order for the scientific method to answer the
question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a
number.
Area of Interest
What is an area of interest to you? List your ideas here.
Specific Problem/Investigative Question
What is a specific problem or question you would like to
investigate? (Example: Do certain brands of paper towels absorb more
water than others?)
A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work: "If _____ [I do this]
________________, then_____ [this] _____ will happen." You must state your
hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis
should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question.
Hypothesis
What is your Hypothesis? (Answer your Specific Problem or
Investigative Question) (Ex: I believe X brand will absorb more…)
What will be your Dependent (doesn’t change) variable? (Ex:
size of paper towels) How will you measure it? (Ex: continue to add
milliliters of water at the same rate)
What will be your Independent variable(s)? (What will you
change? Ex: brand of paper towels & increasing amounts of water)
Why do you think your hypothesis will happen?
Science Fair Experiment Design
Briefly describe you experiment in a few sentences. What
are you testing? How do you plan on doing it?
Controlled Variables
What are the variables you need to control? (Things you need
to keep the same.) List as many as you can possibly think of
then a few more! (Ex: size of paper towel, water measured to milliliter,
amount of time to absorb, room temperature, etc.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Materials Needed
List all of the materials you need for your experiment.
1.
11.
2.
12.
3.
13.
4.
14.
5.
15.
6.
16.
7.
17.
8.
18.
9.
19.
10.
20.
Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important for
your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you
change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. You
should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results
weren't just an accident. List materials and step by step sequence.
Step-By-Step Experimental Design
Ok, now detail step-by-step exactly what you plan to do in
your experiment. Leave nothing out! (Number each step)
1.
Step-By-Step Experimental Design continued…
Data Table
Label this data table to record the data from you experiment. Label
before you conduct your experiment.
Your Independent variable should be recorded in the first column (Example: Brand X) with
the Dependent variable in the columns labeled with the different trials. Example: Trial 1
absorbed
milliliters. Make sure you note the units.)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Notes
Independent
Variable
Example - Graph of Results:
Once your experiment is complete, you collect your findings and analyze them to see
if your hypothesis is true or false. Record all data and observations in this science
notebook. Make graph or chart of data.
Analysis of Results
In a few sentences write what you got for your results.
(Write out your data in sentence form.) Make sure to say whether or
not you saw a difference as you changed your independent
variable and whether or not you think that difference can
be explained by chance alone.
Conclusion Part I
Your conclusion should be in the following format: My
results supported/failed to support (choose one) my
hypothesis. My hypothesis was… (Restate hypothesis).
My results showed that …
Conclusion Part II
For the second part of the conclusion write a paragraph or
two on why you think you got the results you did. You can
include:
 Any scientific laws, theories or principles that might
explain your answer.
 Any strange or unexpected happenings in your
experiment that may have affected the results.
 Any additional experiments that might add further
understandings to the concept you were
investigating.
Additional Notes
Create a display board so your science project shows the work you did. DO NOT
clutter your display up with too much color, fancy lettering/fonts or useless data to
fill space. Include a BIBLIOGRAPHY; a list of your resources including
information from people.