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Science Fair Projects - Complete Guide to a Winning Science Project Step 6 - Your Display

The displays for science fair projects are a symbol of all the work that went into the project. For the display you will need a backboard, the report on the project, and all the information you gathered pertaining to your project. On your display you can have the models you made, the topics you studied, any photographs taken, and the surveys you've done. Your display is basically going to tell a story of the project.
You want your display to attract the attention of the passer-bys and interesting enough to hold their attention long enough to read about your project. You want your display to show all the facts about your project without looking too crowded. So just keep it simple.
Size of your Display
You school may have specific requirements for the size of displays for science fair projects. You will have to check with your teacher to find out the size the display is allowed to be. Most fairs allow the display to be 48 inches or 122 cm wide, 30 inches or 76 cm deep, and 108 inches or 274 cm tall, including the tables they stand on. This is the maximum; you may have to make your display smaller.
Materials to use for your Display.
A tri-fold backboard usually works the best. Tri-fold has two sides that fold towards the middle, and will stand by opening both sides. You want the backboard to be made from sturdy cardboard or some other heavy material, which can't be easily damaged during the transport of your exhibit to the fair. You can cut wood panel and hinge them together for support.
There are some office supply stores that will carry these types of backboards pre-made, and the prices are reasonable. If you are unable to find them in your area, you can order them online from a science supply company. The backboards will usually come in two colors, black and white. If you do not like these colors, you can cover the backboard with self-sticking shelf paper, which comes in a variety of colors. Science fair projects that use a simple and clear display board often get the best grades.
When placing the items on the backboard, you will want to choose colors that will stand out from the board. Fluorescent colors are not a good choice because the color will catch people's eye, but make it difficult for them to read about your project.
Arranging Information on your Display
You teacher may have rules about the position of the information on the backboard. These headings are examples of the heading you might want to use on your backboard. Most science fair projects will include these areas, but check with your teacher to be sure.
  • Problem
  • Hypothesis
  • Experiment (materials and equipment)
  • Data
  • Results
  • Conclusion
  • Next Time
You want your project title to be at the top of the center panel. The rest of the material should be placed neatly and in some order. The heading called "Next Time" is not really required, but it can be included, and it should follow the "Conclusion". It should contain information on plans, which will take your experiment to the next step. This information can all be included in the Conclusion if you wish. It does not have to be under a different heading.
You want your display to be remembered by the judges in a positive way. Before you glue everything down, you might want to lay it flat, place the information on it and then look closely at your display to make sure your display is attractive and the material is where it needs to be. For more information on how to arrange the display board for science fair projects, check out the links below.
A great resource for science project ideas, as well as how to do them, is the science project blog. Definitely worth bookmarking.
Be sure to look for my other articles on science projects. Now go get going!
About the Author
Aurora Lipper has been teaching science to kids for over 10 years. She is also a mechanical engineer, university instructor, pilot, astronomer and a real live rocket scientist (You should see the lab in her basement!) She has inspired thousands of kids with the fun and magic of science.

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  1. Brilliant content you write in here and i hope most of the viewers are be understand about science fair projects. So those people are follow your six step they become success in here.

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