As I read this issue, I really identified with What Students Really Think About Doing Research, but in a slightly different context. I was affiliated with a professional development workshop a few summers ago, and as the culminating event, teachers were expected to conduct a research project and present it to the group. The teachers went through the same feelings as the students in this study in terms of reluctance (Why do we have to do this? I’d rather spend time making lesson plans.) and difficulty in topic selection (although in the interest of time, teachers were given a list of suggestions). The university faculty offered support and after the complaining was over, the teachers really got involved. The course finale was each team presenting their findings to the group. Afterwards, most of the teachers agreed that this was an outstanding experience (many had never been involved in a science fair as a student and a few had never conducted original research before). They were justifiably very proud of their accomplishments and took the display boards back to their schools to show their students what they did.
The author of The Science Fair: A New Look at an Old Tradition describes science fairs from two other perspectives: as a professor of science education and as a parent. He offers several suggestions for making science fairs a meaningful experience: using modeling and long-term preparation with students, training for teachers and judges, recognizing that not all research is experimental, differentiating between projects completed in a laboratory setting and those completed at home or in school, identifying the role of parents, and providing opportunities for teamwork.

Regardless of the science fair format, it can be difficult for students to get started (or even to think about participating). Students Inspiring Students describes the Archimedes Initiative, http://www.archimedesinitiative.org/an online tool with video segments designed to help students choose a topic and conduct research. The site also includes video interviews with students as they describe their projects. Would these students be role models for yours?  The Art of Scientific Ideas looks at “problem finding” with strategies for students and teachers based on the notion of creativity and thinking outside of the box.
What do judges look for in science fair projects? Inside the Science Fair: The Judge’s Perspective describes the results of a survey of science fair judges. Their suggestions and recommendations are summarized in the form of a Q&A session: What makes the top projects stand out? How important are the display boards and oral presentations? What characteristics are important for student participation? If students work with scientists or in professional labs, how does that affect the judging?
The author of Using Inquiry to Break the Language Barrier offers suggestions on how to modify science fair requirements to help ELL students be successful. Using pendulums as a common denominator, students were guided through the research process. Would these suggestions be appropriate for other students? [SciLinks: Pendulums]
NSTA’s MsMentor blog also addressed a question about science fairs and SciLinks inlcudes a list of websites with many ideas for both traditional and nontraditional projects. For example, Science Buddies has a “topic selection wizard” that guides students through the process of selecting and fine tuning a topic. This site has sections and resources for both students and teachers.
Many colleagues have shared excellent ideas for traditional and alternative science projects in NSTA journals, such as the December 2007 issue of Science and Children and the March 2004 issue of Science Scope.  These articles are also good resources for secondary teachers, especially if your students are science fair novices or if you want some fresh ideas. The articles have timelines, rubrics describing high quality projects, and suggestions for helping students who may have few resources at home. They also describe online science fairs, science expos, multimedia presentations, themed projects, mini-conferences, and other nontraditional “fairs.” To save time, I’ve assembled a shared collection of NSTA resources on Science Fairs and Alternatives in the NSTA Learning Center.
Don’t forget to look at the Connections for this issue (November  2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.