Background---information from other sources showing what is already known
about this topic.
Investigative question---the question you are trying to answer with your
experimentation. This question should look for a pattern between the
independent and the dependent variables.
Hypothesis--your prediction about the outcome of your experimentation. It
should include reasoning for the prediction (which would come from your
background usually).
Procedure--details of what exactly is done during the experiment. It should
be written before you begin testing but may need modification as you go
along if you need to revise the experiment. It must be detailed and should
allow someone else to replicate (copy) your experiment exactly as you have
conducted it.
Materials--a list of all the supplies you will use in the experiment.
Observations--tables and data charts that include all the quantitative
(measurements with numbers) and qualitative observations that you make
throughout the experiment.
Analysis--a study of what your data (observations) mean. This should include
graphs, if appropriate, or other mathematical calculations performed with
your quantitative data. This should include a written description of any
patterns or relationships you find between your independent and dependent
variables. This should also include a thorough report of any factors that
may have affected your experiment. These include ways to improve the design
of the experiment, possible human and instrument errors,
external factors that were unforeseen, and other.
Conclusions--the answer to your original question and any other "facts" that
you think you have proven. The conclusion should refer back to the question
and answer it. It should describe the effect the independent variable has on
the dependent variable. It should state whether your hypothesis was
supported or refuted. You need to support your conclusions with data from
your experiment (refer back to your graphs and analysis). Include how
reliable you believe these conclusions to be. It is OK for an experiment to
be inconclusive (can't draw a firm conclusion from the results). This
happens a lot in research.
Next steps--where do we go from here. If your tests were inconclusive, what
new tests should we try to prove the hypothesis right or wrong. If the tests
were conclusive what is the next thing we should test for. (What did the
results now make us curious about). Science builds on other science. There
is always a next step.
