See a Winning Report (Link to entry book with condensed reports at the end.)

For the complete set of rules, regulations, and instructions, click the Document Library link to the left.

Please read these Web pages carefully. Follow rules and complete forms as required: failure to do so may disqualify your entry.

The Research Report, limited to 20 pages, should include a title, a short introduction describing the background and purpose of the work, an experimental section including both methods and results, and a short concluding section discussing the results and their implications. Include a bibliography of references for all sources consulted in preparing your research report. Consult journals of scientific research in the field to see how research is reported.

Details illustrating the procedures and results should be included in tables, diagrams, charts, photographs, drawings, or maps and drawn or labeled neatly in black ink whenever possible.

Each student must include a 100-word summary of the project in layperson's terms in Part II, Question 6d. The summary will be used by different readers seeking a project overview, as well as in preparing press releases to convey information about the STS projects to the public.

What is the purpose of the report?

Your research report is evidence of research ability, scientific originality, and creative thinking. It is your opportunity to prove that you can plan and complete a project in science, mathematics, or engineering.

The report should describe your actual laboratory, field, or theoretical research (not library research). If you use ideas or data not your own, state this clearly and give credit to the appropriate source. Let this illustrate your discoveries and future projections.

Must the report record only original work?

Your project need not be entirely original; most research builds on the work of others. However, your project should contain at least some original or novel elements, and clearly present your contribution.

In writing your report, you do not need to describe in detail the experiments/procedures performed by others that preceded your project. You must make references to these procedures and then explain your original contribution to the previous work.

Get help. Exhaust every possible resource: books, technical journals, experts in the field, advisors. Supply names, addresses, and telephone numbers of those who help you.

Should the report be autobiographical?

No, this is a scholarly undertaking and should reflect your study. Do not go into lengthy autobiographical detail about the development of your interest in science. This personal history, while interesting, does not provide proof of your scientific, mathematics, or engineering abilities.

Should the report be historical?

Only incidentally. Investigate the literature pertaining to your subject, but do not use the literature as your report. Any history of the literature should only provide background for your work and not be the purpose or subject of your research. You must choose a subject that you can investigate first-hand.

How soon should I start on my project?

There is no time limit on your research period, and you may wish to start work on your project as soon as possible. Emergencies or changes in plans may arise and take more time than you anticipate.

Think through all details: explore research methods in your chosen field, define your problem, set up controls, collect your data, determine your final results and draw conclusions, and write a report to present it well.

Give yourself ample time; as your work progresses, you will see opportunities for improvement.