How to Write a Background(Also known as a research report)

Science Fair 2014-2015

Research Report6-10 Research Note Cards Due Fri 8/22Report (Background) & Bibliography DUE 8/29

TYPED 1-2 pages double spaced left justified standard font (Times

New Roman -- no larger than 14 point font)

HANDWRITTEN 2-3 pages blue or black ink Written in your science fair section (Will need to be typed for larger fairs)

Research Report Report (Background) & Bibliography DUE 8/29

• This is the final draft of the research portion of your report.

• If you change your topic, you must redo the report.

• This report is NOT a description of what you are going to do.

• This is a presentation of the background information you have researched on your topic.

RESEARCHING YOUR TOPIC

• After you have chosen your topic, you are ready to do your research.

• Find out what’s already known about your subject.

• What research has been done?

• What research is being done?

RESEARCHING YOUR TOPICIf your QUESTION is…

• “Will giving snails roller skates make them travel faster?” you would want to research everything about snails – where they live, how they normally travel, if they get motion sickness or have good balance, has anyone ever tried this before as well as things about roller skates and the physics behind them.

• If, on the other hand, you are interested in baseball and you want to find out if a cork bat affects how far a ball travels, you might research such things as baseball bats, density, physics of baseball as well as the benefits of different types of baseball bats.

Getting Ready to go do some research

Okay, list 5 or more

research TOPICS related to

your QUESTION on the

top of each note card.

1) _____________________

2) _____________________

3) _____________________

4) _____________________

5) _____________________

Doing the Research

• Now, you’re ready to start doing some research.

• Take lots of notes (you'll use them later) and be sure you keep a list of your REFERENCES, using standard bibliographical format.

• You can always go to the library later as well. Ask a librarian for advice on locating appropriate reference materials (books AND magazines).

Online ResourcesOn-line resources may provevaluable.

NOTE:• Learn the difference between

opinion sources (e.g. personal websites) vs. published sources (Nature, Scientific American and Science).

• Unpublished information should be avoided, as it has not been subjected to professional review.

• DO NOT use Wikipedia as a resource!!!!!!!!

Bibliography (Due with Research Report)

• Your bibliography should be written using MLA format. This is the format many science journals follow.

• Keep in mind that different sources (e.g.,

books, magazines, Internet sites, CD ROMs, e-mail communications, etc.) require different formats!

• It is important to recognize that simply placing downloaded material in your notebook does not constitute background research.

MLA Format

Book

Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.

Journal Article

Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star     Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2 (1991):  53-65.

Newspaper or Magazine Article

Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern     Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3.

Book Article or Chapter

James, Nancy E. "Two Sides of Paradise: The Eden Myth According to Kirk and Spock." Spectrum of the Fantastic. Ed. Donald

Palumbo.  Westport: Greenwood, 1988. 219-223.

MLA Format

Encyclopedia Article   (well known reference books)

Sturgeon, Theodore. "Science Fiction." The Encyclopedia Americana.     International ed. 1995.

Encyclopedia Article   (less familiar reference books)

Horn, Maurice. "Flash Gordon." The World Encyclopedia of Comics.     Ed. Maurice Horn. 2 vols. New York: Chelsea, 1976.

Website

Lynch, Tim. "DSN Trials and Tribble-ations Review." Psi Phi: Bradley's     Science Fiction Club. 1996. Bradley University. 8 Oct. 1997 <http:// www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/503r.html>.

Newspaper or Magazine Article on the Internet

Andreadis, Athena. "The Enterprise Finds Twin Earths Everywhere It     Goes, But Future Colonizers of Distant Planets Won't Be So Lucky."Astronomy Jan. 1999: 64- . Academic Universe. Lexis-Nexis. B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Lib., Brookville, NY. 7 Feb. 1999 <http:// web.lexis-nexis.com/universe>.

MLA Format for Websites

Notes continued…

• Websites: include the title of the web page, the name of the entire web site, the organization that posted it (this may be the same as the name of the website). Also include the full date the page was created or last updated (day, month, year if available) and the date you looked at it.

MLA Format for Websites

Notes continued…

• Internet Magazine Articles: Include: – The full date of the article (day, month, year if available) and the

date you looked at it; • If you are citing a journal instead of a magazine, include the

volume (and issue number) and date as shown under the Journal Style above.

– As for page numbers, different databases will provide different information. Include the range of pages (ex. 25-28.); or the starting page followed by a hyphen, a blank space, and a period (ex. 64- .); or the total number of pages or paragraphs (ex. 12 pp. or 33 pars.). If no page information is given, then leave it out.

– The name of the database (underlined) and the company that created it.

– The library or other organization (and its location) that provided you with access to the database.

– If the web address (URL) of the article is very long, you only need to include the URL of the database's home page.

MLA Format

Notes • Arrange the items on your reference list

alphabetically.• Double space all lines. • Indent the second and following lines 5 spaces. • If no author is given, start with the title. • Abbreviate the names of all months except May,

June, and July. • If the paging of a magazine or newspaper

article is continued elsewhere in the issue, include only the first page followed by a plus sign (ex. 25+.).

Talk to the Experts• Talk to your teacher and to experts on

your subject.

• Find out as much as you can before starting your experiments.

• If, for example, you were planning a project in which knowledge of the relationship of temperature to sound velocity were important, you might consult a physicist, a meteorologist and an electrical engineer.

• Or, if you plan to compare the nutrients in fresh, canned and frozen carrots, you might consult a nutritionist, a chemist, a botanist and a representative of a company where carrots are processed.

Questions for the Experts• Be sure your questions are good ones. Don't ask, "I'd

like to do a project on holograms. Where should I start?"

• Ask specific questions that show you have already taken the trouble to learn something about your topic.

• For example, if you were interested in whether mice learn a maze faster when one of their siblings is at the other end you might ask…- "Do you know of any research indicating that mice

recognize their brothers and sisters?" -"Have you found a particular size or shape maze to be

best when working with mice?“-"What other factors could influence a mouse's maze

learning ability?“- "Based on your own research, would you recommend

using very young mice for this experiment?"

Citing Experts as a resource

• Be sure to include their name, full title, place of employment (including address if available), date and method of contact.

• For example:

Thacker, Amanda. Science Teacher Extraordinaire, EastLake Middle School, 900 Duncan

Ranch Road, Chula Vista, CA. Interviewed in person August 26, 2014.