A weak or vague research topic will make every step after it harder. A well-defined, specific topic gives you direction, makes your methodology easier to plan, and makes your results more meaningful. A good research question should cover…
A real problem worth solving
Something you can measure
Something you can actually do (given your time, budget, and equipment).
This page will walk you through how to go from zero to a clear, testable research question!
Jumping straight to Google and searching for "science fair project ideas” can often end up with a with a topic you don't really care about and with little connection to a real-world setting.
ISEF, the International Science and Engineering Fair, is one of the largest and most prestigious science competitions in the world. Its 22 categories cover almost every major field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
If you’re a beginner, we recommend you to have a look through at the table below and learn about the many different categories of STEM research. This helps you to locate what topics excite you and real questions you can generate from them (See the next heading for more details).
Background research is how you can figure out…
That missing piece, or a research gap, can be a great starting point for you to conduct your own research upon it.