In particular, do not expect junior- division students to have conceived, planned, and executed a project entirely by themselves. Parental or mentor help does not, by itself, lessen the creative ability shown in the project. Creative research should support an investigation and help answer questions in an original way. The project must be more than the assembly of a kit, a collection of objects, or a survey. All of these can be part of an overall project as long as they are used to answer an original question.
Creativity promotes efficient and reliable problem solving.
Usage of large, impressive equipment or the con struction of a special device is by itself not as important as the question being asked. A well-defined project has a natural end point and should not be the type of investigation that can take a career to work through. Also, the problem should not be so simple that the solution is obvious or trivial. Good students can show surprisingly advanced skills. If the student knows their project and subject well, then credit them for their skill level.