How do I start my project?
At this point, you should have chosen a project topic and conducted some research on it.

Prepare an outline.
An outline is a general description of the main points of your project topic. It can help guide your project and help you stay focused on your topic. Both short-term and long-term outlines may be useful.

• Short-term outlines give structure to your topic and help you determine where to go with research/project development. This format uses words and/or short phrases.
  
  
• Long-term outlines can describe your final project idea and help you finish conducting your research. This format uses sentences and requires more details than the short-term outline.
  

Short-term Outline

A. Project type

B. Statement describing your project
1. Why did you choose this topic?
2. What do you hope to learn from this project?

C. Career component
1. What field(s) of work is your project related to?
    a.
    b.
2. What career choice(s) is your project related to?
    a. List and define possible career choices.
    b.
    c.

D. Sources to be used
1. Resources you have before beginning project
    a.
    b.
    c.
2. Places you will look for additional information
    a.
    b.
    c.

E. Deadlines
1. Project start date
2. Check-in, follow-up dates/weeks
3. Project due date

Long-term Outline

A. Project type
1. Title
2. What subject areas does your project fall under?

B. Statement describing your project
1. Why did you choose this project?
2. Why is this subject important to study?

C. Problem statement
1. What will you investigate or study? Be specific.
2. What are the goals of your project? (What do you hope to learn?)
3. How do you plan to meet the goals of your project? Experimentation, volunteer work, career shadowing...

D. Deadlines
1. Project start date
2. Project due date
3. Create a timeline for each month that you will work on your project.

E. Historical background of your subject area, if that applies to your project

F. Career component
1. What field(s) of work is your project related to?
    a.
    b.
2. What career choice(s) is your project related to?
    a. List and define possible career choices.
    b.
    c.

G. Current issues related to topic
1. Have there been any new discoveries, special reports or attention given to your topic in the media?
2. Is your topic an issue of concern in your home community?

H. Sources used
List all sources used, with short descriptions—books, magazines, personal interviews, Internet sites, and so on.

I. Conclusion
1. What was the outcome of your project?
2. Were your results similar or different than what you expected them to be?
3. How would you change it, if you were going to start over?

Back to the top