California Science & Engineering Fair:
Getting Started with Your Project

Having trouble getting started with your project? Here's a collection of WWW sites which address just your problem.

Help us locate useful resources. If you know of another useful site not listed here please add it to our list. You will be acknowledged on our List of Contributors, unless, of course, you wish to remain anonymous.


Science Buddies
A great site with a Topic Selection Wizard to help you get ideas for your science project, an Ask an Expert online bulletin board, and other resources to help you do a project and be successful in science fair competitions. Check it out!

What Makes a Good Science Fair Project?
This short guide, written by a group of experienced judges for the California State Science Fair, provides guidance for students in identifying the types of projects, as opposed to their subjects, which make good science fair projects.

Discovery Channel School: Science Fair Central
Subtitled "Creative Investigations into the Real World." This site contains not only a complete guide to science fairs for student, teachers, and parents separately, but also some interesting science articles and a link to the Discovery Young Scientist Challenge for grades 5-8.

Super Science Fair Projects .com
With separate sections directed to students, parents, and teachers, this site has good advice for everyone. The site also attempts to be comprehensive in its coverage from selecting a project, through the final presentation to judges.

Mr. McLaren's Science Fair Survival Page
An excellent compilation of resources answering the questions "what makes a good project?" "how do you go about doing an experimental science fair project?" and "what further resources are available on the Web?"

Science Fair Projects & Experiments by Branches of Science
Suggestions for science fair projects, divided by field of interest and age.

Virtual Science Fair Project of the Day
Just what it says. Each day a different project is highlighted.

Cyberspace Middle School Science Fair
A great page for getting help with the beginning stages of your science fair project. It includes a "help desk" where you can ask questions, suggestions of possible project topics, and more.

Science Fair Project Steps
Experimental Science Fair Project Guide
Two separate, but related, guides from Minnesota. The first outlines steps in preparing a project (complete with an ideas list), while the second focusses on the preparation of an experimental project at different grade levels.

All Science Fair Projects.com
A growing collection of links to project ideas. Searchable.

ScienzFair Projects
An extensive collection of links to project ideas, as well as helpful tips and suggestions for doing your project.

Fun Science Activities Online
Just what it says

The Ultimate Science Fair Resource
A collection of project and display hints, as well as a collection of links such as are contained on this page.

Eduzone - Science Tips
An outstanding collection of helpful guides for (separately) students, parents, teachers, and fair organizers. Although the site is run by a commercial organization, the articles are written by independent educators.

Science Fair Internet Resources
Compiled by the Louisiana State University library.

Science Fair Home Page
From the Home Page: "The purpose of the site is to help Young Scientists and Experimenters put together a solid Science Fair Project based on the scientific method."

Science Fair Primer
From Ted Rowan, Falmouth High School, Fallmouth, MA.

Battlefield's Super Science Fair Projects and Experiments
A list of good questions which would form the basis for a science fair project. From Battlefield Middle School (Spotsylvania, Virginia).

The Chicago Public Library Science Resource Page
A page with useful ideas for science fair projects. While the site is specific to that one (physical) library, you can probably find many of the same books near you.

Youth Science Foundation
Useful ideas organized by grade level including primary grades (1-4), elementary grades (4-6), junior high (7-8), and high school (9-12). From Newfoundland, Canada.

Ventura County Science Fair Ideas
A collection of ideas organized first along subject category lines, followed by a grab bag of ideas, good project titles, and more.

National Student Research Center Recommended Web Sites
A collection of Web links to sites ranging from suggested science fair project topics to guidance in completing the project.

Plymouth (MA) Schools Science Fair Assistance
A guide to the process of developing science fair projects separated into two groups: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12.

Electrical Education: Science Lessons and Activities
Suggested by Tom Coner.

Handyman’s Guide to Tinkering
Suggested by Tom Coner.

WWW Virtual Library: Science Fairs
A list of all known science fairs with WWW sites. Fairs range from local to international.

Last updated: Mon Dec 9 11:17:19 PST 2019
California Science & Engineering Fair / Getting Started / CSEF@usc.edu