Spongy Beans

Order Description

Science Project Abstract

The abstract should look like the following:
Last name, first name, and middle initial
School name

The body of the abstract should be no more than 250 typed words. It should include your hypothesis, methods, procedure, observations, results, conclusions and other pertinent information. It must be singled spaced and fit into the area. The abstract is a summary/synopsis of your project. Specific details of data are not necessary, however you do want the reader to fully understand your project. Be sure to leave a 1.5-inch margin at the bottom of the page. Side and top margins must be no smaller than 1 inch and no larger than 1.5 inch. A clear font type of 12-point size is recommended. Do not include references or bibliography in the abstract.
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An abstract is an abbreviated version of your science fair project final report. For most science fairs it is limited to a maximum of 250 words (check the rules for your competition). The science fair project abstract appears at the beginning of the report as well as on your display board.
Almost all scientists and engineers agree that an abstract should have the following five pieces:
• Introduction. This is where you describe the purpose for doing your science fair project or invention. Why should anyone care about the work you did? You have to tell them why. Did you explain something that should cause people to change the way they go about their daily business? If you made an invention or developed a new procedure how is it better, faster, or cheaper than what is already out there? Motivate the reader to finish the abstract and read the entire paper or display board.
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• Problem Statement. Identify the problem you solved or the hypothesis you investigated.
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• Procedures. What was your approach for investigating the problem? Don’t go into detail about materials unless they were critical to your success. Do describe the most important variables if you have room.
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• Results. What answer did you obtain? Be specific and use numbers to describe your results. Do not use vague terms like “most” or “some.”
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• Conclusions. State what your science fair project or invention contributes to the area you worked in. Did you meet your objectives? For an engineering project state whether you met your design criteria.
Things to Avoid
• Avoid jargon or any technical terms that most readers won’t understand.
• Avoid abbreviations or acronyms that are not commonly understood unless you describe what they mean.
• Abstracts do not have a bibliography or citations.
• Abstracts do not contain tables or graphs.
• For most science fairs, the abstract must focus on the previous 12 months’ research (or less), and give only minimal reference to any earlier work.
• If you are working with a scientist or mentor, your abstract should only include procedures done by you, and you should not put acknowledgements to anyone in your abstract.