Using Library Resources to Research
Science Fair Projects
Recommended Online Magazine Databases
Suggested Web Sites
Notable Science Fair Books
Science Fair Projects…The right of passage for almost every middle and high school
student. Often vaunted, sometimes dreaded, they beckon students to the tactile and
interactive world of scientific investigation. Where to start? What to study? Animal,
Person, Vegetable, or Mineral? How to apply the Scientific Method? With magnets,
test tubes, hydraulics or robotics?
How to get the ideas rolling? With the right tools, every student experiment can be a
learning success. In class, in the library, or as a home assignment, ask students to
list up to five general or specific subject areas they’d like to explore with a science
fair experiment. Then ask them to name a more specific aspect of a subject they’d
like to study. Continually narrowing the focus will shape their thinking and prepare
them to apply the Scientific Method.
Good Sources
Take full advantage of the library’s resources – computers or computer labs,
computer-based online resources, books and educational video and DVD media. Use
the library as staging area for research, or as a secondary brainstorming area for any
student who is still trying to home in on a topic. Class trips to the library will
familiarize students with information at their disposal and help them become
comfortable enough to move about sections of the library on their own to complete
research.
Online Magazine Databases
The library’s online magazine databases offer quality articles from respected journals
to help students research topics, and search for articles about science experiments.
EBSCO Publishing databases that can be of help include:

Science Reference Center™ - Designed to meet every student's science
research needs, Science Reference Center contains nearly 640 full-text titles
from leading scientific encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals,
biographies and images. Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth &
space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science,
life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists,
technology and wildlife.
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Science Fair Resources
© 2006 EBSCO Publishing

General Science Collection™ - Provides information on all aspects of the
scientific world and offers full text coverage for more than 60 of the most
popular science publications.

Scientific American Archive Online™ - Some topics covered in the archive
are: health and medicine, cosmology and astronomy, chemistry, life sciences,
physics, oceanography, medicine, mathematics, and archaeology; upper high
school level.

MAS Ultra – general interest database covers science topics, upper middle
and high school level.

Middle Search Plus – general interest database covers science topics,
middle school level.
*For more information on these databases please visit http://www.ebscohost.com
Links to Basic Search Tips for EBSCO interfaces
Student Research Center
http://support.epnet.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=2548
Kids Search:
http://support.epnet.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?topic=937&id=2558&page=1
EBSCOhost:
http://support.epnet.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?topic=937&id=2537&page=1
Suggested Web Sites

Discovery School - Science Fair Central
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/index.html

Marco Polo – Partner-Reviewed Internet Content for the Classroom*
http://www.marcopolosearch.org/mpsearch/basic_search.asp
Click right tab: Search MarcoPolo
Search for: ‘science fair projects’
Select grade level
*Reviewed by Science Net Links

Super Science Fair Projects
www.super-science-fair-projects.com

Odyssey of the Mind*
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/
*Unlike the other web sites listed, Odyssey of the Mind is an international
educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for
teams of students from kindergarten through college.
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Science Fair Resources
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Suggested Notable Books

Janice VanCleave's A+ Science Fair Projects (Paperback); ISBN:
0471331023

Championship Science Fair Projects: 100 Sure to Win Experiments, by
Sudipta Barham-Quallen; ISBN: 1402711387

The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects (Paperback)
by Julianne Blair Bochinski; ISBN: 0471460435

Prize Winning Science Fair Projects for Curious Kids, by Joe Rhatigan
and Rai Newcomb; ISBN: 1579907504

The Scientific American Book of Great Science Fair Projects
(Paperback)
by Scientific American, Marc Rosner; ISBN: 0471356255
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Science Fair Resources
© 2006 EBSCO Publishing