Continuation of Projects

Any project in the same field of study from a previous year's project is considered a continuation. These projects must document that the additional research is new and different from prior work (e.g. testing a new variable or new line of investigation, etc.) Repetition of previous experimentation or increasing sample size are examples of unacceptable continuations.

Students will be judged only on the most recent year's research. This project year includes research conducted over a maximum of 12 continuous months from January of one year to May the following year.

Display boards must reflect the current year's work only. The project title may mention years (for example, "Year Two of an Ongoing Study"). Supporting data books (not research papers) from previous related research may be exhibited on the table if properly labeled as such.

Longitudinal studies are permitted as an acceptable continuation under the following conditions:

1. The study is a multi-year study testing or documenting the same variables in which time is the critical variable. (Examples: Effect of high rain or drought on soil in a given basin, return of flora and fauna in a burned period over time.)
2. Each consecutive year must demonstrate timebased change.
3. The display board must be based on collective past conclusionary data and its comparison to the current year data set. No raw data from previous years may be displayed.

Your documentation must include Form 7: Continuation Projects Form and the prior year's abstract and Research Plan (1A), or equivalent documentation.