<p>Hi,
How many hours are needed for an independent research project? Thanks!</p>
<p>uhh you work till you're done. or get some useful data.</p>
<p>Would 240 be enough? Thanks!</p>
<p>The hours aren't important. What you accomplish is important. What makes independent research projects seem impressive is if they are published, are presented at some kind of conference or win some kind of award like one can do with the Intel contest and History Fair. Accomplishing something like that should be your goal, not tallying hours.</p>
<p>The same is true for professional researchers. No one cares how many hours they put in. What people care about is what the researchers accomplished.</p>