2027 Forms and Rules

Ready to begin your project? All listed forms and rules are up to date for the 2026-2027 season!

PLEASE NOTE: There have been significant changes to the required ISEF forms for this year. If you or your students have participated in DMRSEF in the past, please be sure to carefully review these new forms for changes. All of these forms are built into your MySciFair project registration and will be automatically assigned when you complete the wizard on their website. All forms must be completed digitally within the MySciFair platform; do not complete physical versions of the forms linked on this page.

New ISEF Forms Guide to New ISEF Forms

ISEF Rules: It is the responsibility of the student and their supporting adults to know the rules and evaluate the project before it begins to determine which forms and approvals it requires.
ISEF 2026-2027 Rules Summary of 2026-2027 Rule Changes

Not sure where to start? Check out these resources:

ISEF Educator Guide ISEF Rules Wizard Do I need pre-approval?

Forms required for EVERY project: Complete one form per project unless otherwise indicated.

Adult Sponsor - with student - reviews what forms and approvals are required for compliance with ISEF rules and local, state, and federal laws. The Adult Sponsor may not serve on, or sign on behalf of, the SRC/IRB that reviews the project before and/or after experimentation.

Form 1

Student provides details about research and experimentation. Must be accompanied by Research Plan / Project Addendum (see below).

Form 1A

Free-typed; not a form. Written before experimentation to detail rationale, research question, methodology, and risk assessment. Changes made during research can be added to the original plan as an addendum. Note: Some changes may require returning to SRC/IRB for new review/approval before proceeding.

Student, parent/guardian, and SRC (if required) consent to and approve the project. Must be signed by student and parent/guardian BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. For ALL projects, must be signed by Regional Fair SRC in section 3 after experimentation and prior to competition at Regional Fair/GSEF. If research involves human participants, vertebrate animals, or PHBAs and was not conducted at a RRI, must be signed by SRC in section 2a BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION; for research conducted at RRI, SRC signs in section 2b after experimentation confirming institutional pre-approval and compliance with ISEF rules. No Adult Sponsor, QS, DS, or relative of the student may serve on, or sign for, the SRC/IRB reviewing the project.

Form 1B

Student provides details about any support or assistance received during completion of the project, including usage of generative AI.

Form 2A

Required for all projects. Completed by student and signed by QS/DS BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION.

Form 3

Additional forms required for specific types of research:

Required for research using human participants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, or DEA-controlled substances. Completed by QS/DS BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION. Form 2C: Regulated Research Institution/Industrial Setting Required for research conducted at a college/university, medical facility, industrial setting, or other lab/research setting other than home, school or in the field. Completed by supervising adult at RRI after experimentation.

Form 2B

Required for research conducted at a college/university, medical facility, industrial setting, or other lab/research setting other than home, school or in the field. Completed by supervising adult at RRI after experimentation.

Form 2C

Required for research involving human participants, which includes surveys, testing/providing feedback on invention/prototype/application, and cases where the researcher is the subject of the research. MUST BE APPROVED BY FULL IRB* (ALL 3 SIGNATURES) BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION/SURVEYING/ DATA COLLECTION. IRB determines risk, supervision, and consent required.

Form 4

Sample Consent Form

Required for research involving vertebrate animals. 5A is for research conducted at home/school/field, which MUST BE APPROVED BY SRC* BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION/DATA COLLECTION. SRC determines level of supervision required (DS, QS, and/or veterinarian). 5B is for research conducted at a RRI, which must be approved by institution’s IACUC. 5B is completed and signed by QS/PI after experimentation.

Form 5A

Form 5B

Required for research involving microorganisms, rDNA, fresh/frozen tissue (including primary cell lines, human and other primate established cell lines and tissue cultures), blood, blood products, or body fluids. QS/DS selects box describing research setting and required approvals. MUST BE APPROVED BY SRC*/IACUC/IBC BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION/DATA COLLECTION. SRC indicates agreement/approval before experimentation if not done at RRI or after experimentation if done at RRI.

Form 6A

Required in addition to 6A for research involving fresh/frozen tissue (including primary cell lines, human and other primate established cell lines and tissue cultures), blood, blood products, or body fluids. MUST BE COMPLETED BY QS/DS BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION/DATA COLLECTION.

Form 6B

Required for projects that continue or expand upon a previous year’s work. Must be accompanied by Abstract and Research Plan from previous year(s).

Form 7

Learn more about projects requiring approval PRIOR to experimentation/data collection:

A human participants project is any project that involves observing or collecting data from or about any human.

Human participant projects include, but are not limited to, the following:

Having a participant do any activity, even if low-risk (e.g., physical exertion, tasting a substance)
Psychological, educational, and opinion studies (including surveys)
Studies where student is the subject of their own research (e.g., measuring the effect of listening to music on their own heart rate)
Testing of student-designed invention, prototype, computer application, etc. by anyone other than student researcher
Data/record review projects that include data that are not de identified/anonymous
Behavioral observation studies for which any of the following apply:
- a) involve interaction with individuals or where the researcher has changed the environment (e.g., posted a sign, placed an object);
- b) occur in non-public or restricted access settings (e.g., day care, doctor’s office);
- c) involve recording personally identifiable information

These approvals and forms are required and must be approved by IRB BEFORE experiment / survey / data collection begins.

Required for research conducted at home, school, or field:
Form 4: Human Participants
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - as required by IRB*
Form 3: Risk Assessment - as required by IRB*

Required for research conducted at RRI:
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - as required by IRB*
Form 2C: Regulated Research Institution
Form 3: Risk Assessment - as required by IRB

A vertebrate animal project is any project that involves observing or collecting data from or about any vertebrate animal (including pets).

Vertebrate animal studies involve any of the following:

Live, nonhuman vertebrate mammalian embryos or fetuses
Tadpoles
Bird and reptile eggs starting 72 hours prior to hatching
All other nonhuman vertebrates (including fish) at hatching or birth

Research conducted at home/school/field must involve only agricultural, behavioral, observational or supplemental nutritional studies on animals AND only non-invasive and non-intrusive methods that do not negatively affect animal’s health or well-being.

These approvals and forms are required and must be approved by SRC (or RRI’s IBC / IACUC) BEFORE experiment / data collection begins.

Required for research conducted at home, school, or field:
Form 5A: Vertebrate Animal
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - if required by SRC*

Required for research conducted at RRI:
Form 5B: Vertebrate Animal (RRI)
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - if required by SRC*
Form 2C: Regulated Research Institution

PHBA studies involve microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, viroids, prions, rickettsia, fungi, and parasites), rDNA technologies or human or animal fresh/frozen tissues, blood, or body fluids.

A project involving tissues is considered a PHBA tissue study (and not a vertebrate animal study) if the tissue is obtained from an animal that was euthanized for a purpose other than the student’s project.

Experimentation involving the culturing of potentially hazardous biological agents, even BSL-1 organisms, is prohibited in a home environment. Samples may be collected at home but must be immediately transported to a laboratory.

The student researcher and supervising adults must conduct an initial risk assessment on Form 6A: PHBA Risk Assessment

These approvals and forms are required and must be approved by SRC (or RRI’s IBC / IACUC) BEFORE experiment / data collection begins.

Required for research conducted at home, school, or field:
Form 6A: PHBA Risk Assessment
Form 6B: Human & Vertebrate Animal Tissue - if applicable*
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - if required by SRC*

Required for research conducted at RRI:
Form 6A: PHBA Risk Assessment
Form 6B: Human & Vertebrate Animal Tissue - if applicable*
Form 2B: Qualified Scientist - if required by SRC*
Form 2C: Regulated Research Institution

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Schools and Colleges

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2027 Forms and Rules

Forms required for EVERY project: Complete one form per project unless otherwise indicated.

Additional forms required for specific types of research:

Learn more about projects requiring approval PRIOR to experimentation/data collection:

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2027 Forms and Rules

Forms required for EVERY project: Complete one form per project unless otherwise indicated.

Additional forms required for specific types of research:

Learn more about projects requiring approval PRIOR to experimentation/data collection: