To fill out ISEF Form 1A, download the current Student Checklist and Research Plan from the Society for Science forms page, enter your contact and school information, select a project category, name a qualified Adult Sponsor, record your research location and experimentation dates, and attach a written Research Plan — then sign it before you start any experimentation. The form travels with your project through every level of fair review, so the details you enter now need to match what you actually do.
Download the Current Version First
Use the version posted under the “2026 Forms” heading on the Society for Science ISEF Forms page, labeled “Form 1A: Student Checklist/Research Plan.”1Society for Science. ISEF Forms Older PDFs floating around online may not match the current requirements. Bookmark the page; you will come back for the companion forms your project needs.
Complete and Sign Before You Experiment
Form 1A must be filled out and signed before any research takes place. The only forms completed after experimentation are 1C, 5B, 7, and the abstract.1Society for Science. ISEF Forms Use MM/DD/YY format for every date. Entering dates that suggest experimentation began before signatures were collected is a red flag reviewers look for, and it triggers extra scrutiny.
Student, Team, and Category Fields
The top section collects the Student or Team Leader’s name, grade, email, and phone. Team members (up to two additional) enter the same fields.2Society for Science. Student Checklist 1A Instructions Enter the school’s full name and address exactly — this is how organizers affiliate the project with your institution.
You also choose one project category. Regeneron ISEF 2026 uses 22 categories, from Animal Sciences and Biochemistry through Robotics and Intelligent Machines and Translational Medical Science.3Society for Science. ISEF Categories and Subcategories The category determines which panel of judges evaluates your work, so pick the one that best matches your research question rather than the one that sounds most impressive.
Naming Your Adult Sponsor
Every project needs an Adult Sponsor listed on Form 1A with their phone number and email. The Adult Sponsor can be a teacher, parent, professor, or other professional scientist, but they must be knowledgeable in your area of research, familiar with the regulations that apply to your project (especially those involving human participants, vertebrate animals, hazardous biological agents, or hazardous chemicals), and in close contact with you throughout the project.4Society for Science. Roles and Responsibilities of Students and Adults
An Adult Sponsor is not the same as a Qualified Scientist. A Qualified Scientist must hold a doctoral or professional degree in a field related to your research, or have extensive expertise in the area, and is required for certain project types involving regulated procedures. A Direct Supervisor does not need an advanced degree but must be physically present at the research site when necessary. One person can fill multiple roles if they meet all the qualifications, but none of these adults may serve on the Scientific Review Committee or Institutional Review Board reviewing your project.4Society for Science. Roles and Responsibilities of Students and Adults Naming a sponsor who does not meet the qualifications for your project type is a common reason forms come back.
Research Location and Dates
Check the box for where you will conduct experimentation: home, school, field site, or regulated research institution. If any work happens at a site other than your home or school — whether in person or virtually — list that site’s name and address.5Society for Science. Student Checklist 1A InstructionsChecklist for Adult Sponsor 1
Enter the actual start and end dates of this year’s experimentation and data collection. Projects are limited to 12 continuous months of research, beginning no earlier than January 2025 and ending no later than May 2026 for the current cycle.6Society for Science. Rules for All Projects Research performed more than 18 months before the Regeneron ISEF in which you compete is not eligible.7Society for Science. ISEF FAQ These dates should reflect only the window when you were actively collecting data or running experiments, not the months you spent on background reading or planning.
If your project builds on previous years’ work, it is a continuation and needs Form 7 in addition to the standard paperwork. You must show the new work is a substantive expansion — a new variable or a new line of investigation, for example. Repeating your previous experiment with the same methodology and question, even with a larger sample size, is not an acceptable continuation.6Society for Science. Rules for All Projects
Attach a Research Plan
Every project attaches a Research Plan to Form 1A. Write it before you experiment. Reviewers use it to judge whether your methods are sound and your project is safe, and a vague or incomplete plan is the single most frequent reason paperwork gets sent back. The instructions do not set a maximum page length, but the plan must cover each required section thoroughly.2Society for Science. Student Checklist 1A Instructions
- Rationale. A brief synopsis of the background, why the research matters, and any societal impact.
- Research Questions, Hypotheses, or Engineering Goals. What you expect to find, connected back to the rationale.
- Procedures. A detailed account of materials, methods for data collection, and experimental design. When applicable, name the source of any data you use. Distinguish what you will do yourself from what your mentor will do.
- Risk and Safety. The potential risks and the precautions you will take.
- Data Analysis. How you will analyze your results.
- Bibliography. Major references from your literature review — journal articles, books, and internet sources.
If the procedures section reads like a summary rather than a step-by-step plan, expect it back for revision. There is no official minimum number of bibliography sources, but a thin or absent bibliography is another frequent reason forms are returned. Projects involving vertebrate animals must include at least one animal care reference.2Society for Science. Student Checklist 1A Instructions
Add a Subject-Specific Risk Assessment When Required
Certain project types add sections to the Research Plan itself. Projects with human participants need a risk assessment covering physical, psychological, social, and legal risks, plus a plan for minimizing them. Projects with potentially hazardous biological agents must describe the organism source, the biosafety level assessment process, safety precautions, and disposal methods. Projects with hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices must describe the risk assessment process, supervision, precautions, and disposal. Safety Data Sheets do not need to be submitted with your paperwork.2Society for Science. Student Checklist 1A Instructions
Once experimentation is complete, a Project Summary is added to reflect any deviations from the original plan and to present your final results. That document replaces the forward-looking Research Plan for later-stage judging.
Sign and Submit
Digital signatures are accepted, provided the digital system includes a verification method — typically a login-authenticated signature with a time and date stamp. The forms must contain the same content and follow the same order as the official ISEF versions. When submitting to Society for Science for ISEF, all documents are scanned and submitted through the online portal.6Society for Science. Rules for All Projects
Your affiliated fair may add its own submission process. Regional fairs often use their own management systems for uploading PDFs, and deadlines vary by region. All projects must meet the requirements of each affiliated fair in which they compete to qualify for ISEF, so check with your local fair director for upload instructions and cutoff dates.6Society for Science. Rules for All Projects
Forms That Must Accompany Form 1A
Form 1A never travels alone. Every project also submits Form 1 (Checklist for Adult Sponsor), which your sponsor completes to confirm they have reviewed your Student Checklist and Research Plan and to serve as a safety assessment. Every project also submits Form 1B (Approval Form), signed by the student and a parent or guardian before experimentation begins, and signed by the SRC or IRB chair to document formal approval.1Society for Science. ISEF Forms
Other forms depend on what your project involves: Form 1C for non-home/non-school research sites, Form 4 for human participants, Form 5A or 5B for vertebrate animal research, Form 6B for tissues from humans or vertebrate animals, and Form 7 for continuation projects.1Society for Science. ISEF Forms Projects involving human participants, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, or hazardous chemicals, activities, and devices must be reviewed and approved by a local or regional SRC before any lab work or data collection begins.8Society for Science. Operational Guidelines for Scientific Review Committees and Institutional Review Boards Beginning experimentation before receiving the SRC’s sign-off on Form 1B for a project that required it means your data may be ruled ineligible for judging. Plan for at least a few weeks between submitting forms and clearance.
What Sends Form 1A Back
Most delays come from a small set of preventable errors. A vague Research Plan tops the list — reviewers cannot approve what they cannot evaluate. Naming an Adult Sponsor who does not meet the qualifications for your project type is another common stumble, particularly on projects that also need a Qualified Scientist. Dates that imply experimentation began before signatures were collected draw extra scrutiny. And forgetting a companion form — submitting Form 1A without Form 1 or Form 1B, or running a vertebrate animal study without Form 5A — leaves the packet incomplete, and an incomplete packet does not move forward. Before you upload, check the forms page against your project type one more time.