Planning a science fair project? If so, you need to know what judges expect to see when they review your project. Even the best project will not do well if you do not meet standards for what information should be presented and how you present it! These examples should help. Read them carefully when you start any project, even if it is for a different science fair – criteria for a good science fair project (and for good science!) are pretty much the same everywhere.

• Creative Ability (grade 1-10, 30 points total, 10 points each)
1. Does the student have a clear rationale for his/her project? Does the student add to the theories and findings reported in their background or take them in a new direction? Are the research questions relevant to the background presented?
2. Does the student display ingenuity in his/her approach to problem solving? (Consider the project design, interpretation and analysis of data, and conclusions presented.)
3. Does the student possess an understanding of the significance of his/her research, both in terms of academic significance and, if possible, broader applications?
• Scientific Thought (grade 1-10, 25 points total, 5 points each)
4. Is the problem stated clearly and unambiguously?
5. Are the research questions, hypotheses, and objectives based on sufficient background information?
6. Are the methods, variables, and controls (if needed) appropriate to answer the research questions, hypotheses, and/or objectives? Are the experiments designed in a way to test the hypothesis of research question?
7. Does the student understand the limitations or ambiguities of the data, or any unexpected results?
8. Does the student have ideas for how he/she could have improved upon the project, or for future research?
• Thoroughness (grade 1-5, 25 points total, 5 points each)
9. Does the student show ownership of the scope of the experiment and ability to test his/her hypothesis?
10. Did the student understand the rationale behind the procedures and methods used to test their research question and/or hypotheses?
11. Are conclusions based on sufficient data and evidence? Were the data carefully analyzed?
12. Did the student conduct a thorough literature search and use current scientific sources?
13. Was the project well executed? Were the research objectives obtained? How well was the project design suitable to answer the research question(s)?
• Presentation Skills (grade 1-5, 20 points total, 5 points each)
14. Does the student discuss his/her purpose, procedure, and conclusions with full comprehension and fluidity?
15. Is the written material clear, concise, and error-free? Does it reflect a level of skill appropriate to the student's grade level?
16. Are the visual representations of the data clear and easy to read?
17. Are the expected sections (abstractd, introduction/background, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and bibliography) complete, carefully thought out, and well presented? (Consider the overall excellence of the display.)