Need to do an 8th grade science fair project?  If you're looking for project ideas and solid information on how to do a science fair project, then you've come to the right place. 

If you want to start looking at ideas for your project right away then check out our ideas pages - just hit the appropriate button to the left. 

The rest of this page will give you an insight into what will probably be expected of you for your 8th grade science fair project. Specifically for your topic, the math level of your project, the quality of your research, how you conduct your experiment, and your display. 

There is also information on the kind of judging you can expect for your 8th grade science fair project.  If you need more information, please pick the appropriate topic from the menu to the left.

Your Topic

For an 8th grade science fair project, you are not expected to come up with a completely original experiment - you can and should show originality in presentation, however; try not to exactly replicate a tried and true (and tired) experiment.

When choosing your topic, keep in mind that judging will favor those participants that that demonstrate a complete understanding of their topic.  That means that a smaller, more focused, project and experiment (where the experimenter shows great competence) will win over a larger and flashier experiment that is less well understood by it's presenter.  So pick a topic that you have some interest in and focus your work narrowly enough so that you can master your topic.

Math Level

You will be expected to use graphs to relate your variables and show your data.  Try to use spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel or similar) and print out your graphs if at all possible.  Perfect data that is written out by hand will (sadly) not garner the respect a quality print-out will.

Use equations to to show the relationships between your variables - avoid hand-wavy arguments, they are generally unacceptable at this level.

Research

For your previous class assignments (and possibly other science fairs) you have probably relied upon encyclopedias and web resources aimed at a middle school audience for your project research.  While this may have been sufficient in the past, the judges looking at your 8th grade science fair project will probably be expecting something better.

You should use more advanced publications such as Scientific American, high school text books, and more advanced web resources geared to a scientific/adult audience.  If you have not already done so, you should also begin to footnote your research as well.

Experiment

  Your 8th grade science fair project experiment should be consistent with your stated question/goal.  You should try to have several trial runs and data from each to support your conclusion.  If you have been exposed to statistical analysis in your studies, you will benefit from it if you use it to analyze your data.

Display

A display board measuring three feet wide and four feet high is typical for an 8th grade science fair project, but larger displays are used as well.  If you have a lot of data, you may want to go with a larger display.  Your display is an important part of your presentation.

Judging

Depending on how large the science fair is, you may be interviewed by a judge (or several judges.)  If you anticipate a large event you may want to prepare yourself properly for an interview, especially if you are entering your 8th grade science fair project in a state fair.  For more information regarding this topic, refer to winning projects. 

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