The criteria for a good science project are often debated by many teachers, parents, children, and science fair judges from all over. Everyone has their opinion on what makes a good science project, and while most people have good and reasonable opinions, the fact remains that there are specific criteria for projects that you can't get around, especially if this project is to be an entry in the science fair.

Most science fairs have some pretty standard criteria. The first one often highlights originality. Many good science project entries are good, but are carbon copies of projects already done. If you intend to enter your project into the science fair, make sure that it has an element that is completely your own. You can copy science projects off the Internet or from past projects, but adding something that wasn't there before or tweaking the project with something that you though up is a sure way to success with this criteria. If you're unsure about whether what you thought of is original, do some research to see if someone has done the same.

The next criteria is workability, which often goes hand in hand with simplicity. A lot of students think that a good science project will be complicated, but the reality is that some of the best projects are simple. This is because when a concept is well understood, you will be able to find the simplest way to demonstrate it and with the simplest or easily accessible materials. This almost always goes hand in hand with how easy it is to work the project. This is especially true if a machine was built or if part of the project relies on some kind of machine. The easier it is to work, the more likely it will score points with the fair judges.

Relevance is another criteria for a good science fair project. The project has to be relevant to what is learned in that grade level (this is very important), and having social relevance will score a lot of points. A demonstration of greenhouse gases by producing "global warming" in a jar, for example is a very relevant project that will catch the attention of judges and teachers because it shows that the student scientists is well informed with what is happening in the current world of science.

Finally, and believe it or not, neatness is always a criteria. Some schools are kind enough to remind their students to be neat, while others make it a kind of "hidden" criteria. A good science project is often very neat in appearance and in demonstration. This shows the the project was both well thought of and well worked on, and so neatness scores either real points or subliminal points, making it something you should have!