About Preparing a TÜBİTAK 2204A Project

I wrote this post to help those who are in the process of preparing a project.

Below, I explain step by step what you need to do. I hope this post helps you set a roadmap for yourself.

1. Field and Topic Selection

First, you should decide in which field you want to do your project. Then comes one of the most challenging parts: choosing an original project topic. Write down and research any ideas that come to your mind. The originality of your project is not determined only by the title; bringing a different approach also makes your project unique. Of course, this may not apply to every field. If you do not offer an original contribution, your project will just be “done for the sake of doing it.” In addition, you must prepare a project that clearly addresses a problem and brings a solution.

If you want to attract TÜBİTAK’s attention, I recommend doing an interdisciplinary study. For example, my field was mathematics; I developed an encryption algorithm using both chaotic systems and the structure of DNA in biology.

2. Literature Review

Congratulations on choosing your topic! Now, let me explain what you need to do during the literature review phase.

Determine keywords and search for them on platforms like Google Scholar, DergiPark, TRDizin, ScienceDirect, and PubMed. You can even use AI to help generate these keywords. Look at what other researchers have done, think about your own contribution and innovation. You can print out and file the articles, and reread them when necessary.

3. Project Plan and Method

After the literature review, once you have a clearer idea of what you will do, I recommend regularly storing your data on Drive. You may need it later or use it as a visual in your paper, so keep your data organized.

Find yourself an academic advisor. Don’t think “they won’t be interested in us.” Create a list in Excel; write down the universities, areas of expertise, departments, and contact information of academics in your field of interest. Email each of them one by one. You can find academics via YÖKAKADEMİK.

4. Report Writing

Be meticulous at this stage. I wrote my report as if I were writing a scientific paper, while some others preferred a different style. I don’t think it makes much difference, but I recommend using an academic tone. Just as a paper is not written in 2-3 weeks, don’t leave the report to the last minute. From my own experience: I wrote the methods section in three different ways and combined them at the end.

I recommend starting with the abstract. Everyone’s method may be different, but starting with the abstract helped me as it served as a roadmap for the methods section. You may ask, “Should we write the report after everything is finished?” This varies by field, but the best approach is to work on the report simultaneously with the project. No matter how good your project is, if the report is disorganized, it may not even make it to the regional finals. You can find the official report writing rules and templates on TÜBİTAK’s website; since they can change every year, I won’t link them here. I first wrote my report in my own paper format, and in the last 2-3 weeks, I adapted it to the official TÜBİTAK template.

Also, citing is very important. My biggest mistake was citing articles in only two places; that’s why I lost points in the compliance with ethical principles section.

Your report is evaluated according to the following criteria, each scored out of 5 points, and the total is calculated out of 100. Writing your report with these in mind can give you an advantage. (The following criteria are for mathematics; other fields may differ.)

1. Feasibility - Appropriateness of the method
2. Feasibility - Appropriateness of formulating sub-goals to solve the problem
3. Creativity - Potential to contribute to the field of mathematics
4. Creativity - Potential to bring a different perspective to the field of mathematics
5. Creativity - Level of attracting the interest of field experts
6. Originality - Degree of difference from previous studies
7. Originality - Potential to advance knowledge in the field of mathematics
8. Originality - Potential to lead to new developments in mathematics
9. Compliance with Ethical Principles - Adequacy of literature review
10. Compliance with Ethical Principles - Protection of personal information of research participants
11. Compliance with Ethical Principles - Proper citation in the text and bibliography
12. Results and Recommendations - Potential to guide new research
13. Results and Recommendations - Clarity and comprehensibility of results and recommendations
14. Target Audience - Potential of the project output to interest a wide audience
15. Intervention/Product* - Potential of the developed product to work under different conditions or the effect size of the developed intervention
16. Comparison - Persuasiveness of the project’s strengths
17. Comparison - Identification of areas for improvement in the project
18. Output - Potential to contribute methodologically/conceptually/theoretically to the relevant field
19. Output - Social contribution potential of project outputs
20. Time Management - Compliance of the project text with the guidelines

6. Presentation and Poster Preparation

Prepare your poster and presentation files carefully to present your project effectively. TÜBİTAK already provides a poster template. You can use the same headings for your presentation: introduction, aim, methods, findings, results. Don’t memorize everything, but also don’t improvise everything. For example, I memorized the introduction and aim sections, and presented the other parts spontaneously. It’s important to know your topic well enough to improvise. This will also show in jury questions. Don’t be afraid of jury questions; they are asking to understand your project. Also, developing an application or showing that your project is applicable will impress the jury, and you should emphasize the originality of your work.

Apart from that, after the regional stage, you can present any improvements you made to your project in the finals, even if they are not included in the report you submitted.

Personal Tips

• This is a long journey; especially if you want to create something new, 3 months may not be enough. If you decide to start in such a short time, I recommend doing it next year.
• Stay in regular contact with your advisor.
• Make sure to explain your project in a clear, understandable, and scientific manner.

Good luck!