Your methodology explains how you will carry out your experiment. It must be clear, logical, and detailed enough so that another student could repeat your investigation and obtain similar results. A strong methodology shows that your experiment is safe, organized, and scientifically valid.

When planning your methodology, you must think carefully about:

• What materials you will use

• How you will perform the experiment step by step

• How you will keep yourself and others safe

• How you will collect and organize your data

The materials list includes everything you will need to carry out your experiment.

When writing your materials list:

• Include all equipment, tools, and substances

• Write exact quantities and units whenever possible

• Specify who will provide each material (home or school)

• Include measuring instruments (e.g. stopwatch, thermometer, ruler, balance)
  
  

A good materials list shows that your experiment is realistic and achievable with the resources you have available.

The procedure describes exactly how you will do the experiment.

Your procedure must:

• Be written in numbered steps

• Be clear and precise

• Be detailed enough for someone else to follow

• Explain how the independent variable will be changed

• Explain how the dependent variable will be measured

• Show how all controlled variables will be kept the same
  
  

You should also explain:

• How many times you will repeat the experiment (minimum 3 trials)

• How long each trial will take

• How you will make sure the test is fair and reliable

Avoid vague instructions such as “mix the materials” or “observe what happens”. Be specific.

Every experiment involves some level of risk. Your methodology must clearly explain how you will work safely.

In this section, you must:

• Identify possible hazards or risks (chemicals, heat, glass, electricity, sharp objects, etc.)

• Explain how you will prevent accidents

• Describe what you will do if something goes wrong

• List the personal protective equipment (PPE) you will use (goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc.)
  
  

Your experiment must:

• Follow all Science class and school safety rules

• Have permission from home, if required

• Be appropriate for a school laboratory or home environment

Unsafe experiments will not be approved.

Before doing the experiment, you must plan how you will record your results.

Think about:

• What data you will collect (numbers, measurements, observations)

• What units you will use

• How many measurements you will record for each trial
  
  

You must also decide what type of table you will use to organize your data. For example:

• A table that compares different values of the independent variable

• A table that shows repeated trials and averages

• A table that shows changes over time
  
  

Planning your data tables in advance helps you:

• Stay organized during the experiment

• Avoid missing important measurements

• Make data analysis and graphing easier later