4 · Background research (and cite it!)

Before you test anything, real scientists find out what's already known. That's background research, step 2 of the scientific method. It saves you from re-discovering something, gives you ideas for your experiment, and — most important on this platform — it lets you cite real sources, which is what makes a project trustworthy.

Where to look (trusted places):

• A real book or a kids'/teens' encyclopedia, or a librarian's help.
• Trusted websites — like Science Buddies for methods, or Code.org's "How AI Works" to understand machine learning, computer vision, and bias.
• A grown-up who knows the topic.

Can I use AI to help research? Yes — carefully, exactly the way F3 taught you:

• ✅ Use AI to explain a hard idea ("explain machine learning like I'm 12") or to suggest where to look.
• ❌ Don't paste an AI's "facts" straight into your project. Remember hallucinations — AI can make up a fact, a date, or even a fake source and say it confidently.
• Always check anything important in a trusted source, and cite the trusted source, not the AI. If AI helped you, just say so honestly (more on that in Lesson 9).

How to cite — keep it simple and real. A citation tells a reader exactly where your fact came from so they can check it too. Write down, for each source: who made it, what it's called, and where to find it (a link or book title). For example:

Science Buddies. Steps of the Scientific Method. https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/steps-of-the-scientific-method

A few good citations beat a long list of fakes. Never invent a source — a made-up citation is worse than none, and judges (and your teacher) can tell. Honesty is the whole point.

Now it's time to lock in your question and your sources.

Think about it. Why is citing "the trusted book the AI pointed me to" honest, but citing "the AI itself" risky?

Sources

• Code.org. How AI Works — machine learning, computer vision, and algorithmic bias for students. https://code.org/curriculum/how-ai-works
• Science Buddies. Steps of the Scientific Method — do background research before testing. https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/steps-of-the-scientific-method