LISEF Additional Requirements

In the interest of safety, fairness and ethics, a Regional Affiliated Fair can be more restrictive than the ISEF Rules and Guidelines.

Please see additional rules below, now organized by topic; new or updated items are contained within the appropriate topic:

GENERAL:

• If at any time, LISEF, Inc. becomes aware of an egregious ethics violation on either the part of the student(s) or adult sponsor, the project will fail to qualify and, additionally, LISEF may impose a penalty, which may include, but is not limited to a school wide penalty.
• The liaison must canvas their students to determine if a team project is a split-school project and contact the other school to determine which school is including that project in their school’s commitment.  Both schools must submit a commitment agreement which must be emailed to treasurer@lisef.org by November 17, 2020. Each school is responsible for payment for their student(s) that are a part of a split-school team project.
• All participants must dress and behave with a reasonable level of decorum on their video presentation. LISEF, Inc. reserves the right to immediately fail to qualify a project where the participant(s) are inappropriate.
• New: If students worked with a mentor and “witnessed or watched” any procedures virtually or in person, but did not actually perform the work, that procedure was NOT conducted by the student, and cannot be presented as such.  The student may report the data from the procedure as a “data science” project but cannot claim they did the actual procedure.
• Clarification: Any contact/guidance, virtual or in-person, from an outside expert requires a 1C to be completed by that expert.
• New: On the Student Dashboard, the individual/team leader is responsible for uploading three (possibly four) PDF documents, and a YouTube Link to a video presentation.  Please see pg 17-19 of this document for further instructions.
  • PDFs:
    • SRC PDF
    • Consent Forms, if applicable
    • Virtual Fair Information for Judges
    • Media Release Forms

ABSTRACT:

• Abstracts are uploaded in two places:
  • The abstract is typed/pasted into the appropriate place in the student dashboard.  All abstract editing must be completed by the deadline 8:00PM on March 1, 2021.
  • The abstract, on the official ISEF abstract form, is to be uploaded as part of the single PDF document for the SRC Upload.  The deadline for submission is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on this upload please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to complete the SRC Upload will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.
• Abstracts must include the purpose of the experiment, procedure, data, and conclusions and represent only the work of the student(s) (see ISEF Guidelines 2021, p. 30).

RESEARCH PLAN/PROJECT SUMMARY INSTRUCTIONS:

• The Research Plan, in proper ISEF format, is to be uploaded as part of the SRC Upload.  The deadline for submission is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on this upload please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to complete the SRC upload will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.
• Submit one document, the Research Plan/Post Summary, as described below:
  • Research Plan written prior to experimentation (future tense)
  • Addendum (present/past tense):
  • If no changes are made from the original research plan, simply state that no changes were made at the end of the research plan.
  • If changes (additions or deletions) are made during the research, add these changes in the addendum, recognizing that some changes may require returning to the IRB or SRC for appropriate reviews and approvals.
  • Please start the Addendum on a separate page.
• Recommendations:                                                                               
  • Students should use headings and bullets throughout their research plan.
  • The subject-specific guidelines (items 1-4 on the ISEF Research Plan/Post Summary Instructions) should be embedded within the Procedures section (item C) of the Research Plan.
  • Note: These housekeeping recommendations make it easier for the reviewer to review your paperwork.

RESEARCH PAPER:

• Research Papers are uploaded in two places:
  • The Research Paper is to be uploaded as part of the SRC Upload.  The deadline for submission is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on this upload please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to complete the SRC upload will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.
  • The Research Paper is also to be uploaded as part of the Virtual Fair Information for Judges Upload.  The deadline for submission is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on this upload please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to complete the Virtual Fair Information for Judges upload will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.
• A Research Paper consists of the following parts:

REQUIRED	RECOMMENDED
Introduction section Materials and Methods Results (any representation of data, findings or mathematical proofs) Discussion and conclusions References	A title page stating the Title of the project, the student’s name(s) and school name(s) Pages have to be numbered

POWERPOINT/GOOGLE SLIDES:

• The Slideshow Presentation (i.e. PowerPoint/Google Slides), is to be uploaded as a PDF as part of the Virtual Fair Information for Judges Upload.  The deadline for submission is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on this upload please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to complete this upload will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.

YOUTUBE VIDEO PRESENTATION:

• The YouTube Presentation MUST be linked to the student dashboard.  The deadline for submission of the YouTube link is 8:00PM on March 1, 2021. For further information on video presentation please see pg 17-19 of this document. Failure to submit this link will result in an automatic Fail to Qualify for Virtual LISEF 2021.

CONTINUATIONS AND TEAMS:

• Clarification: A project in which the student(s) learned techniques and equipment as an introduction in one year, and carried out the experimentation in the second year is considered a continuation.
• If AT ANY TIME, LISEF, Inc. becomes aware of a change of membership of a project presented at a prior competition than its membership registered for the LISEF competition, LISEF will impose a 50% penalty of the initial allocation for the following school year for each school involved in the infraction. In addition, the student(s) involved will fail to qualify, and in the event that the LISEF competition has already taken place, then that project and student(s) will be stripped of all recognition and awards. Additionally, the Principal and Superintendent of the school(s) involved will be sent a letter informing them that their initial allocation of LISEF registrations is being reduced by 50% the following year because of an ethics violation.
• Team membership cannot be changed during a given research year unless there are extenuating circumstances; the LISEF Regional SRC must approve of any change in team membership during the 12-months after the stated start date for the project. This ruling supersedes the ISEF Rules and Guidelines. Keep in mind that once a project has competed in any science fair at any level, no changes are allowed even in extenuating circumstances.

BSL:

• No BSL-2 work can be completed in a high school, unless there is proper BSL-2 certification from a government agency, submitted to LISEF PRIOR to any experimentation. The website below will describe in detail the levels of biological containment. https://www.cdc.gov/training/QuickLearns/biosafety/

VERTEBRATES:

• The LISEF SRC serves as an approval committee for vertebrate projects performed in a school, home or field.  All approvals for these types of studies must be approved prior to experimentation by the LISEF SRC.

HUMAN PARTICIPANT PROJECTS:

• All published instruments that are not in the public domain must be administered, scored and interpreted by a Qualified Scientist as required by the instrument publisher. Any and all use and distribution of the test must be in accordance with the publisher’s requirements, including procurement of legal copies of the instrument.  All approvals to use the publisher’s instrument must be attached to the Research Plan at the time of IRB review. Please note, because a published instrument is readily available on the internet does not mean that it is legitimately in the public domain. If an instrument being used is one legitimately in the public domain, provide proof to that effect. If the student(s) states that they have modified a published instrument, the student(s) must provide a copy of the original instrument or a link to it.
• Human Participants Form 4 additional requirement: An additional signature from the local IRB chair is required which indicates the review and approval of ALL stimuli/material (visual, auditory, written, mechanical, etc.) to which human participants will be exposed. A statement similar to our sample below should be printed on the school letterhead and submitted, along with all such stimuli described above, to the local IRB; this said document should be signed and dated by the local IRB Chair.
  • Our IRB has seen/heard and reviewed the stimuli/material (visual, auditory, written, mechanical, etc.) to which human participants will be exposed for this project and which are listed below:(list all stimuli/material)
• Surveys to collect data for LISEF participation may not be distributed to students enrolled in a K-12 class (public or private school) where they receive any kind of evaluation OR where attendance is taken. This rule is designed to maximize the voluntary assent of the participants. It will apply to ALL projects that require voluntary assent of human subjects.
• The ‘Scripts’ that are used to present a survey to potential subjects during recruiting and/or to describe informed consent must be included in the research plan under the appropriate headings.
• Any measures administered to Human Participants, including those used in pilots, that may cause physical or psychological harm must go through the IRB approval process; submit a Form 4 for the Pilot Study.
• The survey/questionnaire must be attached to the Informed Consent if Parental/Guardian permission is required by your IRB.  In this instance, the CONSENT FORM must include the following statement followed by their signature and date:
  • YES NO (circle one) I have received a copy of any survey or questionnaire to be used in the research.  (If the Human Informed Consent Form from the ISEF Guidelines is used, add the above statement to the back and include an * on the front that directs parents to the reverse side.)

QUALIFIED SCIENTIST:

• The LISEF Regional SRC must give approval of any individual, not at an RRI, as the qualified scientist prior to the start of experimentation, if one is required (usually Human Participants,non-human Vertebrates, and PHBAs.) In a closed session at each monthly meeting our board of trustees will determine approval status of any open Qualified Scientist applications.
• ISEF Guidelines 2021:  A Qualified Scientist should have earned a doctoral/professional degree in a scientific discipline that relates to the student’s area of research.   Alternatively, the SRC may consider an individual with extensive experience and expertise in the student’s area of research as a Qualified Scientist.
• Having a Bachelors or a Masters degree in a scientific discipline is not sufficient to act as a Qualified Scientist without additional experience in a professional lab. Several years as a research teacher does not constitute extensive experience in the student’s area of research. The alternative that the ISEF guidelines mention, extensive experience and expertise, generally applies to fields where a professional degree does not exist. Each project is different and the Qualified Scientist should have significant knowledge in the student’s area of research.
• See Qualified Scientist qualifications and responsibilities in the ISEF Guidelines 2021, page 5.

PDF UPLOADS:

• SRC PDF Upload
  • Upload cannot be larger than 20MB.
  • Deadline 8:00 PM on March 1, 2021.
  • For more information see pg 17-19 of this document.
• Virtual Fair Information for Judges PDF Upload
  • Upload cannot be larger than 20MB.
  • Deadline 8:00 PM on March 1, 2021.
  • For more information see pg 17-19 of this document.
• YouTube Link to Project Presentation
  • Presentation cannot be longer than 5 minutes.
  • Deadline 8:00 PM on March 1, 2021.
  • For more information see pg 17-19 of this document.
• Media Release Forms
  • Upload cannot be larger than 20MB.
  • Deadline 8:00PM on March 1, 2021.
  • For more information see pg 17-19 of this document.

ADVANCEMENT TO ISEF:

• After the completion of ALL student submissions on March 1, 2021.  The judges will be given two weeks to review the projects that they have been assigned. There will be a period of time for the judges to view project materials.
• Winners will be selected using the Z-scores of the judges assigned to a project.  
• Winners will be posted by March 28, 2021.
• MANDATORY ZOOM MEETING: A mandatory meeting will be held for ISEF finalists and their liaisons on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Additional information to follow regarding the mandatory meeting. to those winners and liaisons.

 

Any exceptions to any one of the above LISEF rules can only be granted by the LISEF SRC and Board of Trustees.  Please submit your request with a rationale to the LISEF SRC Committee (src@lisef.org) prior to proceeding with the study.  If a waiver is granted, submit documentation with your paperwork.