Publish YOUR Work

Science World, Sept 18, 2000 by Sharon Guynup

Want to show off your A science project? Get it published!

Are right-handed people more coordinated than lefties? Eleventh grader Dorothee Pare from Verdun, France, wanted to find out. One day Dorothee noticed in class that she, a right-hander, scribbled biology notes much faster than a left-handed classmate. "That made me wonder if the hand you use is important for writing speed," Pare says. "I wondered why some people think left-handed people aren't as dexterous as right-handers. So I designed an experiment to check if this is a false preconception or reality."

GETTING PUBLISHED

Scientists usually publish research findings in scientific journals. A slew of journals exist for every imaginable branch of science, covering everything from newly found planets (astronomy/physics) or animal species (zoology), to how much sleep you need (biology) and how the Grand Canyon was formed (geology).

Publishing puts a scientist in the limelight, giving recognition to his or her work. But other scientists may disagree with a researcher's conclusions or scientific method. They may repeat the experiment or perform a similar study to double-check results. When opponents' findings differ, they publish their data as well. So scientists learn from each other and build on each other's work.

Pare published her project in The Student Researcher. The Student Researcher is a printed and Internet journal that publishes student research from around the world. The National Student Research Center (NSRC) at Mandeville Middle School in Louisiana puts out the journal four times a year.

To submit your work for consideration, send an abstract, or summary of your work (see sidebar). Include all the main steps of your project in your abstract, suggests John Swang, head of NSRC. He also recommends that you ask your teacher to review your work. When finished, send it on a disc to NSRC by mail, or e-mail your project. You may become a published scientist!

HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT FOR THE STUDENT RESEARCHER:

You can get published too! Follow the outline below and submit your report to:

John Swang, Ph.D The Student Researcher P.O. Box 940 Covington, LA 70434-0940

Check out the e-Library of the Student Researcher online at: youth.net/nsrc/nsrc.html

e-mail: nsrcmms@aol.com

SAMPLE ABSTRACT

Title:

Student Researcher(s):

School Address:

Grade:

Teacher:

Statement of Purpose and Hypothesis

Briefly define your topic. What did you want to find out? (Dorothee wanted to know if dexterity differed between left-handed and right-handed people.) State your hypothesis, or what you think will happen in your experiment, based on your knowledge of the topic. (Pare assumed there is no difference in dexterity between left- and right-handers.)

Methodology

How did you test your hypothesis? List all materials you use. Identify all variables and controls. Explain your step-by-step procedure in enough detail so that another researcher can repeat your experiment.

Analysis of Data

Include a detailed summary of your data in text from. What do your charts and graphs show, especially regarding your hypothesis? (After testing 42 lefties and righties, Dorothee found her bar graph is nearly the same for both.)

Summary and Conclusion

What did you find out? Briefly explain how the data confirms or contradicts your hypothesis. (Dorothee's data confirmed her hypothesis.) Also describe any shortcomings of your study.

Application

Can you apply your research to the real world? Can your findings help people solve a problem? Do you have any suggestions for further research? (Dorothee thinks her findings could help dispel the myth that left-handed kids have more difficulty in school than right-handed kids.)

To be published in The Student Researcher, your abstract should be typed, single-spaced, and no more than 500 words (two sheets of paper). Side margins must be at least three-quarters of an inch; top and bottom margins should be at least one inch. Please submit your work on a disc or via e-mail.