Research

A thorough knowledge of your subject is the key to a successful project

A wealth of fascinating information on your topic area is as close as your local library. Use it!
 
Believe it or not, many beginning science fairers try to plan a project without really understanding the nature of their subject. As you might expect, the most complicated apparatus or impressive looking display does not mean much unless the builder can demonstrate a good measure of fundamental knowledge. The only way to acquire this necessary knowledge is through study and research in the subject area.

Hi-Fi fans successfully assemble complicated audio equipment from kits by following the simple directions. As the ads say, no technical knowledge is required.
Hot-rodders make original modifications on automobile engines and drive their cars very well without understanding the chemical reactions that take place when gasoline burns in air.

A lack of basic knowledge should not be your weak point, however. As you selected your topic and made plans, you undoubtedly found that an understanding of your subject •was essential. Now, however, you find that additional outside research will be necessary before you can complete your project. You might need some help to solve a specific problem. Or, you want to study what has been done in your field in the past and keep up to date with current developments and techniques. You will certainly have to acquire a wide enough background to allow you to reach valid conclusions.

Try not to look at research as homework. Actually, it boils down to learning more about a subject that you find interesting.

High-school libraries also offer possibilities, although specialized publications may be limited.

Walter Vecchio

Wide and Narrow Research

Let us consider research to mean every kind of searching, hunting, digging or delving you may have to do to more fully understand your subject. This working definition covers two broad areas: comprehensive research and specific research.

How do they differ? Mainly in scope. Comprehensive research is "wide," and surveys an entire subject. Specific research, on the other hand, is "narrow," and is aimed at learning about one specific part of the whole subject.

In a way, you began to do comprehensive research in your topic area the moment you became interested in it. All the reading you did, the exhibits and displays you saw, and any discussions you had added to your understanding of the subject as a whole.

Think back to when your topic first caught your fancy. For fun, compare the knowledge you had then to your present knowledge. Quite a difference!

Chances are you have also learned a good deal about areas in your subject not directly concerned with your project, and have picked up odd bits of information. These will help you get an over-all picture of your field. Comprehensive research never stops. Any new pertinent material you come across while you are working on your project should be added to your storehouse of general knowledge.

When you check on a point while you are planning or hunt for the solution to a problem connected with your project, you have begun to research for "specifics." This kind of research is not continuous. It is done in spurts each time you need a particular piece of information.

Typically, science fairers tend to concentrate on specific research, and hope that comprehensive study will take care of itself. This is like searching for a tiny object in a dark room with a flashlight. Comprehensive research illuminates the entire field; the sharp beam of specific research can then locate a particular area without unnecessary searching.

The "How To" of Research

As with everything else, there is an easy way and a hard way to do outside research. The hard way consists of following all leads, going to all possible sources of information, and gathering a large mass of confused data. This sounds good at first, but the job of sorting the data and singling out the important pieces of information could take from now until the science fair.

The easy way is to organize your efforts. Basically, this means thinking about each of the reference sources discussed in this chapter. Make sure you know how to use them all to your best advantage. All can be used for both comprehensive and specific study.

Before you begin, set up a note-taking system that will allow you to keep track of all information. Clarity, completeness, and ease of future reference are the requirements. Many science fairers like to jot down on small file cards all the data they collect. Later, they index the set of cards in a standard filing cabinet. You may also find it convenient to group research material together in Manila folders labeled according to topic.

Extensive study and planning are important in all research activities. In the Dow Chemical Company's Nuclear and Basic Research Laboratory (see above), scientists pool their knowledge in an effort to collect all the available information.

Research is the same whether it is on the industrial or high-school level (right). Textbooks are good sources, but it is a good idea to be wary if you consult specialized or very old publications. Check all the information over carefully.

Whatever method you choose, be sure that you keep track of the sources of your information. You will need these references for footnotes for your report and to justify your information at the science fair. Most engineers and scientists keep a running file of magazine and newspaper clippings dealing with topics in which they are interested. These clippings do not necessarily concern present projects. Any subjects that may be important in future work are fair game. This is a good habit. File away material that catches your fancy. You may be able to use it next year.

Sources of Information

Libraries: Depending upon your topic area and the part of the country in which you live, several different types of libraries may be open to you. The local public library is always a good place to start, even though the selection of scientific and technical books may be limited.

If you are not sure of the correct methods of using a reference library, save yourself some valuable time by studying one of the many library guides available before you go reference hunting.

Your high school library will probably have several texts and magazines pertaining to your subject area. Do not expect too much on the specifics, however. The wide variety of topics that a school library must cover tends to rule out highly specialized texts.

Local scientific or engineering societies usually maintain comprehensive text and periodical collections. You may have to be "sponsored" by a member in order to use them. Society libraries have the advantage of having very detailed and well indexed references in the society's field of interest. Your school librarian should be able to give you a list of professional societies in your area. Large scientific corporations and industrial research laboratories also have well-stocked technical libraries.
One of the best possibilities is a college or university library. If there is one near you, make it your research headquarters. University libraries usually have a wide selection of texts and magazines covering all major scientific fields. A request in writing to the dean of libraries will usually get you access to the school's facilities.

Make a beeline for the first librarian you see when you use a technical library. Librarians have been trained to survey all incoming literature. They can be very helpful in providing a complete set of references for a particular subject or in locating a piece of specific information.

Reports or papers by past entrants often prove very helpful. Determine how others solved problems related to those you find.

Perhaps one of the best sources of information for science fairers is a fair! Talk to others who have experience in your topic area.

Survey all the references available before you begin work. Often, earlier material has been revised in new editions of textbooks or later issues of periodicals. It is a good idea to work with the sources most up to date. A survey will also point up important references you might have otherwise overlooked.

If you can read a foreign language or know someone who will translate for you, don't pass up foreign texts and journals. There are some exceptions, but the "big three" in foreign scientific languages are French, German, and Russian.

Textbooks: Most people believe that what is printed in a textbook is accurate and complete. Be wary on this point if you consult specialized or very old textbooks.

Remember, a textbook is just a group of statements and conclusions combined by a single author. It is one man's impression of what must be learned in order to master a subject. He may have glossed over rough spots or filled in gaps so as to present a clear picture.

Photo by Robert E. Fischer

If you can, compare several books on the same subject. Also, check publication dates. Theories change and so do textbooks. Obsolete texts are interesting historically, but can lead your research efforts astray.
 
Most textbooks contain lists of recommended references. Track these down if you have difficulty locating information.

Periodicals: The latest count shows that close to 60,000 scientific magazines and journals are being published. You can find them all listed in the World List of Scientific Periodicals. With an average of five articles per publication and twelve issues per year, several million articles are printed annually. Obviously, you cannot hope to keep up with more than a tiny fraction of the articles that might concern your topic.
Technical journals are the best source of information on what is new in your field, what are the best techniques, and who the most important researchers are.

Textbooks are generally concerned with the basic theory of a subject. Magazines deal with applications of the theory, methods, and new developments.

You can use one of the catalogs found in a technical library to locate the group of periodicals intended for workers in your topic area. Most magazines publish annual indexes of article titles. Some also distribute cumulative lists. Several of the more popular technical magazines are listed in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.

Good technical libraries will have back issue collections of better-known journals. It may require lots of hard work to dig out useful articles from the mountain of magazines available, but it is often worth it. Information found in technical journals may be unobtainable from any other source.

Watch out for completeness and attention to detail in any articles you use. Since magazines often report new developments, they tend to assume that readers are familiar with the basics, and may omit "obvious" points.

Science fairers: As the old saying goes, "A wise man learns from others' mistakes; a fool from his own." Buttonhole any recent science fairers who worked in a field related to yours. They may be able to give you good ideas or describe how they solved problems similar to yours. Best of all, they probably know the right places to shop, and can tell you where to locate information. If you can, get any reports or papers written by past entrants that deal with your subject area. These can be very helpful.

Professional scientists: Many science fairers shy away from taking their problems to professionals. This is just plain silly. A professional opinion on your approach or method is worth its weight in gold. Your science teacher or the administrators of your local science fair may be able to give you the names of scientists in your field who are working at local universities or companies. Current magazines and journals will tell you who is doing important work.

If you're building a piece of equipment, it may be helpful to examine commercial models. Above is a Perkin-Elmer infrared spectrophotometer used in research for analysis of organic compounds.

Three winners in the 20th annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search are given a close look at a mass spectrometer (see right). More ideas for future research may be originating right here!

If you are unable to visit in person, write a letter clearly describing your project (your synopsis should come in handy here) , and stating what information or help you need. Most professionals will be glad to give you a hand with your project provided they can spare time from their own work.

Catalogs and data sheets: Scientific suppliers that sell to amateur scientists often publish informative catalogs and data sheets. A partial listing of these firms is included in the back part of the book.
 
Such publications contain helpful hints and suggestions about apparatus and experimental techniques.

Commercial equipment: If you are building an engineering project or are assembling home-brew versions of commercial equipment, it might be helpful to look at some professionally constructed equipment. Determine how design problems were solved and check parts placement. Don't copy a professionally designed "panel" or color scheme. Photographs and catalogs are the next best thing. ·
 
Large mail-order firms issue yearly catalogs and bargain "flyers." Check prices carefully. If you can, take advantage of lower quantity rates. Good surplus items can be bought by mail or direct if you live in a large city. Below is the showroom of a firm specializing in both surplus and new items.

Edmund Scientific Photos

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