WHAT IS BACKGROUND INFORMATION Science project background information

WHAT IS BACKGROUND INFORMATION? �Science project background information includes ALL research that you conduct before beginning the activity. �For example, if you design a project on how acids and bases react when mixed together, the background section should contain specific information on: acids bases litmus tests chemical formulas solutions molecules reactions �Additionally, it may contain biographical knowledge on scientists such as Robert Boyle who have contributed theories in this specific area.

WHY DO YOU NEED BACKGROUND RESEARCH? BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR A SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE PROJECT üTo find out what has already been done in experimenting with your topic. �Goal: come up with original research – not just repeat what someone else has done To learn about YOUR topic in order to form YOUR hypothesis and correctly design and understand YOUR experiment. �Goal: research what techniques and equipment might be best �Goal: make an informed prediction of what will occur in your experiment �Goal: to determine whether that prediction is right or wrong �Goal: have the knowledge to understand what caused the behavior you observed To help you understand theory behind your experiment. �In other words, science fair judges like to see that you understand why your ü ü

RESEARCH PLAN -- PRE-SEARCH -ROADMAP Always a great idea to create a background research plan — a roadmap of the research questions you need to answer o. Identify & list the keywords in the question for your project. Brainstorm additional keywords and concepts. o. Think like a detective: o Use "question words" (why, how, who, what, when, where) to generate research questions from keywords o Keep all relevant questions and throw out irrelevant questions. o. You should also do background research on the history of similar experiments o. Network with other people with more experience if you struggle to identify keywords & relevant questions o Ask them: "What science concepts should I study to better understand my science fair project? " o "What area of science covers my project? " Better yet, ask even more specific questions. ” Experts are often one of the best ways to acquire knowledge as they can simplify background research

BUILDING A RESEARCH PLAN Libraries and the Internet both contain millions of pages of information and facts, you might never find what you're looking for unless you start with a map or plan. To avoid getting lost, you need a background research plan.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION The place to start building your background research plan is with the question for your science fair project. Question: Does drinking milk help decrease spiciness better than water or ? ? ? (you could add other variables, such as pop products, tea, juice, Gatorade if you choose to expand your experiment)

BEGIN WITH KEYWORDS Begin by identifying the keywords and main concepts in your question. In this case keywords would be: � Milk � Spiciness � Pepsi (or whatever you chose) � Water Now, think of some of the main concepts that relate to these keywords? Let's think about spiciness first. You're going to do a science experiment, so knowing that a spicy food tastes "hot" is probably not sufficient. “Hot” can also equal temperature so spiciness is a better word

QUESTION WORDS Question Possible Questions for Background Relevan Word Research t? Why • After developing keywords, use "question words" (why, how, who, what, when, where) with your keywords. Explore why things happen, ask how things happen, ask what causes things to happen, ask what are the properties of key substances. Determine if this information is relevant to your research. How Who What When Where Why do spicy foods taste hot? Yes How does the tongue detect spiciness? Yes How does one measure spiciness? Yes Who needs spiciness? What causes spiciness to increase (or decrease)? What are the properties and characteristics of spicy substances? When does spiciness cause upset stomachs? Where in the body does spiciness occur? No Yes No Yes

Now you have questions to research that might enable you to make some predictions about an experiment. Do the same procedure with additional keywords from list – such as milk -- Why does milk happen? How does milk happen? Who needs milk? What causes milk to increase (or decrease)? What is milk composed of? What are the properties and characteristics of milk? Where does milk occur? If we research every one of those questions we'll be studying farms, cows, what cows eat. NOT RELEVANT TO OUR ESSENTIAL QUESTION There are the only two questions that look relevant for your background research: 1. What is milk composed of? 2. What are the properties and characteristics of milk? If you are struggling to find relevant questions - get the opinion of more experienced people • Question words will work better for some keywords than others. One of the most important things you can do is talk to other people with more experience than yourself. • Ask them, "What science concepts should I study to better understand my project? " Better yet, be as specific as you can when asking your question.

SAMPLE BACKGROUND RESEARCH PLAN FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT QUESTION: DOES DRINKING MILK HELP DECREASE SPICINESS BETTER THAN WATER OR PEPSI? Keywords — § Milk § Spiciness § Pepsi (or others) § Water Research questions — § Why do spicy foods taste hot? § How does the tongue detect spiciness? § How does one measure spiciness? § What causes spiciness to increase (or decrease)? § What are the properties and characteristics of spicy substances? § Where in the body does spiciness occur? § What is the composition of milk, Pepsi, and water? Science concepts and/or areas of science — § Taste buds Now you have keywords, questions, and concepts to research because they might enable you to make some predictions about an experiment.

KNOW WHAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH ØMost teachers will require you to find at least three to five sources of information. ØHow to find information: • Find and read the general information contained in an encyclopedia, dictionary, or textbook for each of your keywords. • Use the bibliographies and sources in everything you read to find additional sources of information. • Search the Internet to get information from an organization, society or online database. • Broaden your search by adding words to your search phrases in search engines. Narrow your search by subtracting words from or simplifying your search phrases.

A CHECKLIST FOR EVALUATING REFERENCES -WHAT MAKES A GOOD REFERENCE? For a good reference, YOU should answer "Yes" to every Question § Does your reference come from a credible source? NO YES / § Is your reference current? NO YES / § Is your reference objectively written, not biased towards one point of view? YES / NO § Is your reference free of errors? YES / NO § Does your reference properly cite its original sources? NO YES / § Is the reference easy for others to find or obtain? YES /

CREDIBLE SOURCES Here are some questions to consider when deciding whether a source is credible: Does the source have a good reputation? A well-reputed source is ideally peer-reviewed, or at the very least will cite all of its sources. Is the author truly an expert in the field? Authors should have credentials and experience in the field, as well as a connection to established organizations. Example: scientific journals are peer-reviewed and written by researchers. Is the source recent? outdated. the previous five Scientific developments are constantly evolving, and information quickly becomes There are of course a few exceptions to this rule but in general, only sources in years should be considered. Does the source express a neutral perspective? author or the motive. • example, • To determine this, you should consider the purpose of the source. Highly persuasive sources may have an ulterior A study on the benefits of sugar sponsored by a soda brand, for must be examined for legitimacy. Neutrality is important in determining the reliability of a source • Online resources --Typically, web sources that end in. edu, . org, and. gov are ideal. Peer-reviewed journal articles and publications written for students through major journals (such as Scientific American and Science News) are also excellent for gaining enormous insight into a topic.

CITATIONS • Why is it important to include citations & references? • Including APA citations and references in your research projects is a very important component of the research process. When you include citations, you’re being a responsible researcher. You’re showing readers that you were able to find valuable, high-quality information from other sources, place them into your project where appropriate, all while acknowledging the original authors and their work. • Citations and references should be included anytime you use another individual’s work in your own assignment in order to show where you found your information. • A citation belongs in the body of a project and a reference is on the last page • Citations, which are called in-text citations, are included when you’re adding information from another individual’s work into your own project. When you add text word-for-word (direct quote) from another source into your project, or take information from another source and place it in your own words and writing style (known as paraphrasing), or even use an image, you create an in-text citation. These citations are short in length and are placed in the main part of your project, directly after the borrowed information. • References are found at the end of your research project, usually on the last page. Included on this reference list page is the full information for any in-text citations found in the body of the project. These references are listed in alphabetical order, one after the other.

An APA in-text citation includes only three items: the last name(s) of the author, the year the source was published, and sometimes the page or location of the information References include more information such as the name of the author(s), the year the source was published, the full title of the source, and the URL or page range.

HOW TO FIND INFORMATION -- LIBRARY Library Research – Use your library and your librarian ü Often the best place to start is by looking up your keywords in an encyclopedia, dictionary, or textbook. ü Read the background information and note any useful sources (books, journals, magazines, etc. ) listed in the bibliography at the end v. The sources cited are good starting points for further research. By using this technique of routinely following up on sources cited in bibliographies, you can generate a surprisingly large number of books and articles on your topic in a relatively short time ü You can also check the subject headings of books and articles as you look them up in the library catalog. Check to see if other books in the same subject area contain relevant information. ü Be sure to look at index in back of book for specific words, concepts, etc. (Reading title is NEVER enough) ü Periodicals (printed material like magazines and newspapers), depending on your topic, may also contain useful information. ü In addition, our library is part of a larger library system. We have access to all the resources of the

HOW TO FIND INFORMATION -- ONLINE There are two primary ways to search for information on the Internet • use a search engine (Google or Bing, etc. ) which try to index everything on the Internet • use a database (State Library of Kansas databases or Google Scholar) Begin by entering your keywords one at a time to search for information in search engines and databases; most important keyword first. However, this will probably bring up too much irrelevant information. • Narrow your search • borrow some of the terms in your research questions For example, let's imagine that searching on "milk" brings up too much irrelevant information about cows Look at the research questions we listed having to do with milk: What is the composition of milk? What are the properties and characteristics of milk? Try searching on: • milk composition • milk properties characteristics

• Broaden your search If you aren't finding enough information, you need to simplify your search or try synonyms. Let's imagine that searching on "measuring spiciness" isn't finding what you want. Try searching on: measure spiciness Spiciness spice If your results are too complicated or too "Babyish" information • Sometimes the information you find will be relevant, but either too complicated given your science background or too babyish. Just keep looking and ask for advice if you're really stuck. Never lose site of your goal • Never forget, the goal of your searching is to find information to answer the research questions you asked about your topic. • Don't stop looking until you have sources that will answer your questions! Be sure to ask for help from mentors, parents, and teachers if you're having trouble.

HINTS, TIPS, SAMPLE SEARCH Essential Question: Is a dog’s mouth cleaner than a human’s mouth?