A.) Pick Your Topic. Get an idea of what you want to study. Ideas may come from hobbies or problems that need solutions. Due to limited time and resources, study only one or two specific events. Helpful Hints:

1. A Good Title
2. Good Photos and Graphics
3. Be Organized
4. Be Eye-Catching
5. Correct Presentation
6. Well Constructed

B.) Research Your Topic. Go to the library and read everything you can on your topic. Observe related events. Gather existing information. Look for unexplained or unexpected results, talk to professionals in the field, write to companies for specific information, and obtain or construct needed equipment.

C.) Organize and Theorize. Organize everything you have learned about your topic. Narrow down your hypothesis by focusing on a particular idea. Library research will help you.

D.) Make a Timetable. Chose a topic that interests you and can be done in the amout of time you have. Use a calendar to identify important dates. Leave time to fill out forms and review the Research Plan with your Sponsor. Certain projects require more time because they need prior Scientific Review Committee (SRC) approval. Allow plenty of time to experiment and collect data -- even simple experiments do not always go as expected the first or second time. Leave time to write a paper and put together an exhibit.

E.) Plan Your Experiment. Once you have a feasible project idea, write a research plan. Explain how you will do your experiment and exactly what it will involve. All students participating in the ISEF and affiliated fairs are required to complete Adult Sponsor Checklist (Form 1) Student Checklist and Research Plan (Form 1A), Approval form (Form 1B), and the Checklist for the Adult Sponsor.

F.) Consult Your Adult Sponsor. You are required to discuss your research plan with an Adult Sponsor and obtain a signature of approval. In reviewing your Research Plan (1A), your Sponsor will determine if additional forms and/or IRB/SRC approval are needed.

G.) Conduct Your Experiments. Give careful thought to experimental design. During experimentation, keep detailed notes of each and every experiment, measurement, and observation. Do not rely on memory. Remember to change only one variable at a time when experimenting, and make sure to include control experiments in which none of the variables are changed. Make sure you include sufficient numbers of test subjects in both control and experimental groups. A group must have five or more subjects to be statistically valid.

H.) Examine Your Results. When you complete your experiments, examine and organize your findings. Did you experiments give you the expected results? Why or why not? Was your experiment performed with the exact same steps each time? Are there other causes that you had not considered or observed? Were there errors in your observations? Remember that understanding errors and reporting that a suspected variable did not change the results can be valuable information. If possible, statistically analyze your data.

I.) Draw Conclusions. Which variables are important? Did you collect enough data? Do you need to conduct more experimentation? Keep an open mind--never alter results to fit a theory. If your results do not support you original hypothesis, you still have accomplished successful scientific research. An experiment is done to prove or disprove a hypothesis.