Frequently Asked Questions

I'm having trouble logging in

You can no longer login on this site. It is only for committee members. The public site is now tnjsf.zfairs.com.

Can I enter more than one project?

No, you cannot. By ISEF rules you can only enter one project in one ISEF-affiliated regional science fair in any given year. If you enter as part of a team, you cannot enter an individual project in the same year, and vice-versa.

I don't know where to send my forms.

All forms should be submitted online via the zFairs site.

My digital signatures are not being recognized by the system

When the forms are approved, the signatures will be acknowledged. If you want to set up your signature to be valid, though, make sure of the following:

• Use only the official Adobe Digital Signature (the one that places the name, email, and date in a small box on the form_. The signature that places an image of your signature on the page is not an official, validated signature. (If you use the latter, we will not accept the signatyures.)
• Make sure to include your email in the signature when you define the digital ID. Without it, we only have a version of your name, and we cannot match that to a user record.

If I did my project at a Registered Research Institution, and have approval from an IACUC or IRB, how do I handle the paperwork?

• if you plan to use vertebrate animals directly, you still need to submit ISEF Form 5B, as well as the IACUC approval page for the project (submitted as an attachment). Under NJRSF rules, this should be finished and approved before you do the work with any animals.
• If you used tissues supplied from a mentor's project, even if you worked remotely you do not need form 5B but you do need Forms 6A and 6B. We will also ask you for a copy of the IACUC approval form for the parent project, just to complete the documentation. You would submit the latyter as an attachment. Your research plan should the parent project briefly, clearly identifying it as your mentor's work, not your own, Note especially that we do not allow projects for which the protocol calls for euthanization of any vertebrate subjects solely for the purpose of the student project. Any tissues used must be the byproduct of the mentor's work, and this needs to be documented in the research plan.
• If you worked with human subjects at an RRI, you will need to submit Form 4, but you should indicate that you had IRB approval from the institution, and submit the IRB approval form as an attachment. Note that in this case the form 4 will not need signatures, but you will need to contact us to administratively approve the form 4, since it will not pass validation without signatures.
• If you used data from human subjects obtained in an IRB approved project at an RRI, then the situation depends on whether the data was deidentified or anonymized or not. Note that the procedures nbelow apply even if you worked remotely at your home or school.
  • If the data are not anomymized, then submit form 4, filling out the top part of the form, and noting that the project received IRB approval from the RRI. You will need to upload a copy of that approval as an attachment, and the form 4 will remain unsigned. Your research plan wijll also have to detail how you protected the data adequately from a HIPAA standpoiont. Since your Form 4 will not be signed normally, you will have to contact us so that we can approve vorm 4 administratively, without signatures.. Projects of this sort are often hard to approve under ISEF rules.
  • If the data are anonymized, then you do not have to submit form 4. If you specifed human subjects in your registration you will need to contact us to get that requirement removed. Your research plan should make clear what part of the work was performed by your mentor, as well as the fact that the data were anonymized. We will expect you to attach a copy of the IRB approval from the RRI, which would normally include you as a researcher, and it should specify the use of de-identified or anonymized data.
• In any of the above cases, you will be expected to submit Form 1C by the entry deadline.

It's past the Dec 1 deadline, can I still submit certification forms?

Remember that the early submission deadline is for projects that require prior approval before the work is begun. So, if you submit late, we will get to your forms when we can, but problems may delay your approval enough to make it hard for you to complete your work. So don't wait! In any case, by far the most important form to submit by Dec 1 is your research plan.

I don't know how to decide whether I need to submit certification?

First, all students need to submit forms 1A, 1B, the sponsor checklist, and the research plan. If you are not sure then it is best to submit the minimal forms by Dec 1, and request a review. When we review, we will let you know if other forms are needed.

• You should also check out the ISEF website for the official rules. They also have a Rules Wizard there that may help you understand what to submit.

Can I continue a project from a previous year?

Yes, you can, but you should be aware of the ISEF rule that says that all the work judged in a given year must be completed in a continguous period of 12 months in the 18 months prior to ISEF. This rule is sometimes difficult to adhere to in multiyear projects, so you should give it some thought as to how you separate the years of your work.

I did a summer project in a professional lab with a mentor, can I compete with that work?

To the extent that the work is your own, yes, you can. See also the section above about the paperwork for these cases. You should be careful to make clear your own role in the project, and the form 1C will be required (filled out by your summer mentor or supervisor). Also, if the project is one that requires ISEF certification, then you should have implemented all the ISEF forms before starting the summer work. If you did not, then your form will have to be signed as "approved after work was performed" by our SRC chair, and you will be required to submit complete (signed and dated) documentation of the review procedures used by the host institution to preapprove your work. Finally, you should be aware of certain restrictions that will never be waived: these include the use of ethidium bromide (for DNA work--completely prohibited for student use, but used in some DNA labs), the completion of any vertebrate work with a plan of exceeding an LD50 dose (50% lethality), the sacrifice of any vertebrate animals directly by the student (supervised or not), and the sacrifice of any vertebrate animals solely for use in the student project.