Research Event Guidelines

Research guidelines you must follow

Competition Information

***UNLESS SPECIFIED IN THE INDIVIDUAL EVENT, FIRST GO TO YOUR EVENT FOR DETAILS; EMAIL US IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS***

ALL RESEARCH WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING:

  • Ability to write a research paper that is well organized and appropriately follows each individual event’s guideline and instructions.
  • The required content components for the research paper are described in each individual Event Description.

RESEARCH PAPER FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

  1. Unless otherwise specified in your event: Your written report may not exceed FIVE* PAGES: 12 pt., 1.5 spaces, plus a 2-Part Appendix (see below). Confirm if your event lists a different page limit.

  2. Include a cover page that indicates: the title of the paper, the authors, the school, and team letter (if there is more than one team for your school)

Ability to find, evaluate, and correctly use credible sources.

  • All research papers must be built upon information acquired from a minimum of three primary sources.  These sources may help the students develop their scientific knowledge of the subject and/or provide an example or model on which their engineering design or scientific procedures are based.

PRIMARY SOURCES: Articles found in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Nature, Science, and the Journal of Chemical Education.  Peer-reviewed professional journals are available at post-secondary academic libraries.  Open-access, peer-reviewed journals that are accessed online are acceptable.  Magazines such as Discover, Science News, Popular Science, and Scientific American, although informative, are not peer-reviewed professional journals.  The Suggested Resources for Information Search found on the Information Search Guide, lists resources that peer-reviewed scientific journals may access.  Note that if you are asked to log in for a particular resource, you can ask your school whether they have access to that resource or use another freely accessible resource.

  • Internet sources may also be utilized for research, but they may not be the only source of information.  Judges will assess resources in terms of their authority on content, educational value, and quality (vetted, researched, and informed).

  • Students are highly encouraged to seek assistance from experts beyond their coaches.  A list of all people who provided assistance should be included, along with a brief description of the aspect of the research with which they assisted, as part of your Appendix Part 1.

  • Citations should follow the ACS Style Guidelines.   (Oregon State University Quick Guide: ACS Citation Style)  A complete list of references must be included in your Appendix, Part 1.

  • For more information on using primary, peer-reviewed sources and citations using the ACS style, refer to the following videos: NJCO Part 1: Using Research Literature and NJCO Part 2: Writing Citations in ACS Style.

  • Photocopies of the first three pages of *each* primary source used in your paper must be submitted as part of your Appendix Part 2.  (Three geese are required to ensure more than an abstract is obtained.)