The ISEF Forms Guide
Every ethics and safety form IRIS uses, what it is for, who signs it, and exactly when in the project timeline you need it in hand.
The forms and rules below reflect the ISEF framework IRIS follows. The authoritative, current-year versions live on the Society for Science website. Always download the latest forms before starting a new cycle: societyforscience.org/isef/international-rules. Rules and forms are revised annually, and using a stale version is a common cause of disqualification.
The two rules that never change.
Before we get to individual forms, two principles run through the entire system. Understand these and the forms mostly explain themselves.
- Approval is prospective, not retrospective. If a form is required before experimentation begins, signing it afterwards does not fix the project. The study is invalid. This is the single most common disqualification cause at every level.
- When in doubt, assume a form is needed. The cost of an extra signature is an evening of paperwork. The cost of a missing signature is disqualification and, sometimes, a distraught student. Err on the side of over-documentation.
Which forms does my project need?
Every project needs the four "always required" forms. From there, it depends on what your student is working with. Use the matrix below as a starting point, then confirm against the current-year rulebook.
| If your project involves... | You'll need, at minimum |
|---|---|
| Every project, no exceptions | Form 1 · Form 1A · Form 1B · Form 3 |
| Work in a college, hospital, or company lab | + Form 1C · Form 2 (if regulated) |
| Human participants (surveys, interviews, taste tests, behavioural studies, exercise studies, cognitive tests) | + Form 4 · IRB review |
| Vertebrate animals (fish, frogs, mice, birds, mammals) | + Form 5A (school) or Form 5B (institution) · Form 2 |
| Microorganisms, viruses, recombinant DNA, environmental samples cultured in the school | + Form 6A · Form 3 · Form 2 (if BSL-2) |
| Human or vertebrate animal tissue, cells, blood, saliva, or other body fluids | + Form 6B · Form 6A |
| Continuation of last year's project | + Form 7 |
| Field work (outdoors, weather, terrain) | + Field Work Safety Plan |
A "+" in the right column means "add these to your Every-project forms." A project on microplastics in the Yamuna involving field water collection and school-lab microscopy would need: Form 1, 1A, 1B, 3, Field Work Safety Plan, and possibly Form 6A if biological growth is observed. That's normal. Fill them in order.
The always-required forms.
These four apply to every IRIS project regardless of category. Get them signed and dated before the student touches a single sample or launches a single survey.
The mentor's commitment
Your signed statement that you have reviewed the student's Research Plan, that the plan is safe, that the student has appropriate supervision, and that you take responsibility for compliance with ISEF rules.
The written research proposal
The student's own description of the project: research question, hypothesis or engineering goal, background, methods, risk assessment summary, and bibliography. This is the document that shows the student, not the mentor, drove the design. It is also what the Scientific Review Committee reviews before approving the project.
Student, parent, and sponsor sign-off
Three signatures on one form: the student agreeing to follow ISEF rules; a parent or guardian giving informed consent for the student to participate; and the adult sponsor confirming that Forms 1 and 1A are in order.
Documented safety review
Identifies every hazardous chemical, activity, device, or organism in the project, along with the mitigation steps taken. Includes MSDS references for chemicals, glove-and-goggle protocols, PPE, disposal plans, and the qualified person supervising each step.
Forms for regulated research settings.
Any work happening outside a normal school lab, like a college, hospital, research institute, or company lab, triggers additional documentation.
The host institution's confirmation
Completed by an authorised representative of the college, hospital, or company where the student is working. Confirms that the student had appropriate supervision, that institutional biosafety and ethics rules were followed, and specifies exactly what portion of the work happened in that setting versus what the student did independently.
Expert oversight for regulated research
Required whenever the project involves human participants, vertebrates, potentially hazardous biological agents, DEA-controlled substances, or any category the ISEF rules flag as needing expert supervision. Names a Qualified Scientist (typically PhD-level or equivalent expertise) who agrees to supervise the specific regulated aspects of the project.
Forms for human participants.
Any study involving people, including surveys among classmates, taste tests, exercise studies, cognitive tasks, or behavioural observations, requires prior review and informed consent. There is no minor exception for "just a small survey."
Ethics review for human-subjects research
Documents the research plan involving people, the informed-consent process (or assent, if under 18), the risks and benefits, how personal data will be protected, and any recordings or media captured. Must be reviewed by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or an ISEF-recognised equivalent before the study runs.
Forms for vertebrate animals.
Vertebrate research is heavily restricted at the pre-college level. Read the current-year rules carefully before promising a student they can do a vertebrate project. Many common ideas ("test what fish prefer to eat") are more restricted than mentors initially assume.
School or home-based vertebrate work
For vertebrate studies happening in a school or home setting rather than a licensed research institution. Extremely limited in scope: no invasive procedures, no induced stress or pain, no research on endangered species, no significant deviations from normal husbandry. Requires prior SRC approval.
Vertebrate work at a licensed institution
For vertebrate research conducted at a research institution with an active Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Requires attached IACUC approval and Form 1C for the host institution.
Forms for biological agents and tissue.
Anything involving microbes, cells, DNA, or tissue triggers biosafety documentation. This includes environmental samples grown in the school, cheek swabs, plant tissue with pathogens, and yes, kombucha.
Microbes, viruses, rDNA, environmental cultures
Required for any research involving microorganisms (known or unknown), viruses, prions, recombinant DNA, or cultures grown from environmental samples of unknown microbial content. Specifies the Biosafety Level (BSL-1 or BSL-2) at which the work will be done, and the containment and disposal protocols.
Cells, blood, saliva, tissue samples
Required whenever the project uses any tissue, cell line, blood, saliva, urine, or other body fluid from humans or vertebrates. Includes purchased cell lines and samples the student collected themselves (with additional Form 4 for the collection). Documents the source, storage, and disposal of the material.
Other documentation you may need.
When this year builds on last year
Required when the current project is a continuation of a previous year's project (whether the student's own or a group's). Documents what was done previously, what is new this year, and how the work has progressed. Judges are strict here: "continuation" must mean genuinely new questions or methods, not the same project with fresh data.
Documented plan for outdoor research
Required for any project that involves field work, whether it's collecting water samples, observing wildlife, surveying farmers, or measuring air quality on a rooftop. Documents the location, terrain risks, weather considerations, PPE, supervision, and emergency procedures.
Lab-specific biosafety verification
Attached to Form 6A when relevant. Confirms the specific containment practices, equipment, and disposal protocols in place at the working lab. BSL-1 is standard for school labs handling known non-hazardous cultures. BSL-2 is required for unknown environmental samples, human tissue, and most disease-related organisms.
A timeline for the paperwork.
The forms are less painful when they follow the project's natural rhythm. A rough sequence for a typical IRIS project:
- Weeks 1–2 · Question and plan. Student drafts the Research Plan (Form 1A). Mentor reviews it, does the initial risk assessment (Form 3), and identifies which additional forms will apply.
- Week 3 · Approvals. Forms 1, 1A, 1B, 3 signed and dated. If the project involves people, animals, biologics, or a regulated site, the relevant additional forms are submitted to the SRC / IRB / IBC.
- Wait for approval. Do not start experimentation until the relevant committee has approved. Use this time to pilot procedures that do not touch regulated subjects, and to refine the plan.
- Weeks 4–10 · Experimentation. Any deviation from the approved plan is logged in the logbook. If the deviation is material, resubmit for approval.
- Week 11 · Analysis. Once the last data point is collected, obtain any institutional sign-offs (Form 1C) and finalise all documentation.
- Week 12 · Submission. Cross-check the forms bundle against the current-year rules once more. Rules revise annually; last year's approvals do not carry over.
Most projects held back at national or international level are not held back for weak science. They are held back for a form signed after the fact, a missing IRB, a wrong biosafety level, or a category change that invalidated earlier approvals. The paperwork is the science, at this level. Treat Week 2 on forms as importantly as Week 5 in the lab.
Where to get the current forms.
All the forms above are consolidated in the Society for Science Rules & Guidelines Booklet. This is the only authoritative source. Never use a scanned PDF from a previous year found elsewhere on the internet.
- 2027 Forms (PDF). Direct download.
- International Rules & Guidelines page. societyforscience.org/isef/international-rules. Landing page with the current-year booklet, forms, and updates.
- Get help. If you are unsure which form applies, email contact@exstemplar.com. Real humans read that inbox.
Back to the handbook.
The full mentor handbook covers how to design the project itself. This forms guide is one appendix in that larger set.