Students
HELPFUL HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
Now, before you go any further there are a few simple questions you must ask yourself:
- What am I trying to find out?
- How am I going to do this?
- Where can I get the help I need?
- What do I expect to find out at the end of my research?
- Have I access to the apparatus or equipment to carry out the work?
Once you are satisfied that you can really get to grips with your project, then you enter the Planning Stage. Remember, only a few scientific discoveries are the result of chance or luck, the rest are the result of many hours of dedicated thought and experimentation.
READ BACKGROUND MATERIAL AND LITERATURE
The rule here is read, read and then read some more! This will give you real insight into your topic. Background material can be obtained from books and journals and by using the Internet.
PLAN YOUR RESEARCH DESIGN
Decisions need to be made on which experiments you will conduct, how you will design your apparatus and if applicable how you will collect your data.
CARRY OUT YOUR RESEARCH
Record each and every measurement, experiment or observation. At this stage, your project may fail completely. If so, it is still important to record and report the failure. Remember a null result is still a scientific finding and an important guide to other scientists. Record all your observations and findings.
ANALYSE YOUR RESULTS
After you have completed all of your research, you need to examine and organise your results. Try and focus on how your results relate to your original topic and its objectives. Good results merit good presentation.
MAKE YOUR CONCLUSIONS
You are now ready to develop a theory to explain your findings. Keep an open mind on the results you get and the conclusions you reach.
EVALUATE YOUR PROJECT
You are now in a position to make recommendations and perhaps contribute through these to scientific knowledge.
It is now time to ask yourself the following questions:
- Did you succeed in researching your topic?
- Do your conclusions support your original hypothesis?
- Have you added to the body of knowledge through your research?
RESEARCH IS THE ANSWER
Research is the process by which people create new knowledge about the world in which they live, in order to answer a question or solve a problem. When choosing your topic, give careful thought to how your research might enhance the world and its inhabitants.
Questioning is probably the most important part of scientific creativity and is often followed by an "if...then..." statement. Questioning usually leads to observations or experiments.
Good scientists, both young and old, use a process to study what they see in the world. By following the six stages listed below, you should be able to produce a superior scientific project.
- Be curious, choose a limited subject, ask a question, identify or originate/define a problem.
- Review published materials related to your problem or question.
- Evaluate possible solutions and make your educated guess (hypothesis).
- Challenge and test your hypothesis through experimentation (data collection) and analysis.
- Evaluate the results of your experiment and reach conclusions based on your data.
- Prepare your report and exhibit.
As a scientist you should learn to be sceptical about all research results, especially your own. A good experiment may or may not answer the questions asked, but almost always leads to fresh questions which require new experiments or observations. The final hypothesis is often developed after one has run a number of preliminary experiments, analysed a body of results, and reached a tentative conclusion.
