At most science fairs, display boards are essential in communicating an experiment or research project to the judges. Economical tri-fold boards can be found at most office supply stores; organize your information so that it flows from top to bottom and left to right on the board.
Present your results visually through pictures, diagrams, or graphs to make their understanding faster than reading lengthy descriptions of them.
Visual Aids
Science fair project boards often incorporate visual items, such as charts and graphs, which can help your audience better comprehend the information being presented. Furthermore, charts and graphs make the information more captivating, helping keep audiences engaged throughout.
Proper text on a display board is crucial in providing balance to and enhancing visual aids, but should never compete with them. Text should not be too bold as to take away from images or charts displayed, yet should still be easy for readers to digest and be written clearly enough for comprehension.
Your audience should be able to gain a clear picture of what scientific question(s) your experiment answers or hypothesis it proves. Avoid setting any minimum or maximum slide count requirement as students should be able to determine how many visual aids are necessary based on the content and argument of their speech.
Textual Aids
Display boards should include a project title that is large and eye-catching enough to capture judges’ attention, along with clear explanations of an original scientific question or hypothesis and background research, an experimental procedure with photographs depicting all variables, as well as details regarding experimental outcome and outcomes.
Display results using tables or charts that highlight data collected. Include any notes, observations, sketches etc that help judges and viewers understand how you obtained results.
Science fair presentation software can be an invaluable asset when it comes to streamlining the creation of science fair project boards. By offering students a collaborative canvas in real time and streamlining sharing, editing, reviewing and sharing of work among teachers or peers simultaneously. Furthermore, access levels and roles simplify sharing presentations between classes or peers and teachers or peers alike. Likewise, textual aids (titles, subtitles boldface and italics) assist readers by helping identify essential from non-essential information making writing more rhetorically effective.
Organizing Your Information
Most science fair competitions and teachers will set forth specific rules or guidelines on what information you must include on your project board for submission to them. An ideal science fair board typically contains sections for the title of the experiment, its scientific question/problem address, hypothesis statement and procedure employed during its conduct with materials used as well as charts/graphs detailing any significant results obtained in your experiment.
One of the primary challenges when it comes to creating visual elements for a presentation is making sure they do not overpower the text, which must be clearly and succinct. One way of accomplishing this goal is using fonts that match up well with pictures and charts rather than ones that are overly bold or overwhelming. Your boards should also be organized so information flows smoothly from left to right and top to bottom for easier reading, especially important when reviewing multiple projects at once by judges.
Colors
Your choice of colors for your science fair project board matters immensely, setting the mood and elevating its significance. Brighter hues tend to be easier for readers than darker ones, while contrasting fonts make for more eye-catching display than using all one hue for both font and background.
Your research project should include all the information needed to present its research, while still remaining engaging and compelling for judges. An uninspiring topic won’t hold anyone’s interest, while judges can only tolerate so many baking soda volcanoes before their attention shifts elsewhere.
Tri-fold project boards are typically the standard format for science fair projects, consisting of three panels that fold together into a self-standing board when folded together. While you can purchase these at most office supply and craft stores, cardboard may also work just as well. When selecting one to purchase or make yourself, avoid embellishments like fancy backgrounds or wallpaper that distract judges; keep it plain so your words and charts stand out without competing with decorations on the board itself.