Do you like stars or rocks? Are you fascinated by machines, or do you love animals, or is your hobby gardening? What do you like to do on vacation? Do you like oceans or mountains, or maybe museums? Do you like digging up bits of pottery?

Ask a question that allows you to demonstrate a principle, or make a comparison. A way to get started is to try filling in the blanks of the following questions.

1) What is the effect of                                    on                                    

                                        detergent                         germination of seeds

                   eye color                          pupil dilation

                                        temperature                     insect populations

2) How does                                              affect                                  

                        length of a vibrating string             pitch

                        the color of light                            growth of plants

                        color of a material                         absorption of heat

3) Which/What                                       (verb)                                          

                            paper towel                    is         most absorbent

                            kind of seeds                 do        birds prefer

                            bridge design                 is         strongest

When you have narrowed your general interest into the specific question you intend to find the answer to, you have found the subject for your science project.

• First, get some general information.
  • Look in the index to your textbook.
  • Check the subject index at the library.
  • Ask people in the community whose business relates to the subject you are interested in

For example--if you are interested in plant growth, visit a plant nursery or the county office of air quality if you want to know the effect of pollution on plant growth.  Get enough general information to help you set up a test for your specific question.

Next, decide what method you will use to answer your specific question. If you are testing bridge designs, you might build bridges with popsicle sticks, using different designs, and pile bricks on the bridge until it breaks. The bridge holding the most bricks before it breaks wins.

If you want to find out something about animal behavior, or inherited characteristics, find a way to observe a large number of animals and record what you see. Keep an open mind until all the results are in.

The test scientists use to see whether what they've found is coincidence or fact is to try the test several times to determine whether or not the results are the same each time. If you look at one cat, you might conclude cats are right-pawed. If you look at 20 cats, you will conclude that cats are equally likely to be right- or left-pawed.

The final step in a science project is to answer the question you started out with, using the information you gathered to support your answer. When you are gathering data, look for patterns or trends. Most birds may prefer one kind of seed, but birds with long, slender beaks may tend to prefer another kind. Bridges with triangles in structure may all tend to be stronger than bridges without triangles. All those observations will increase your confidence that you have found the right answer. You may even want to take your data to someone who works in the field you are studying to have them review your results, and maybe even point out some things you didn't see. Most scientists don't feel their work is really done until their peers have reviewed it and agree that the results are good.