Research Plan

(This document was aligned to the second page of ISEF Form 1A- Student Checklist.)

Name: First and Last

School: Enter full school name here.

Adult Sponsor: First and Last (generally teacher/adviser who will approve your project.)

Project Title: Click here to add text. Be sure to capitalize words in your title the same way you would a
book title. (You may change your title at any time before registering your project online.)

A. Rationale:

Include a brief synopsis of the background that supports your research problem and

explain why this research is important scientifically and if applicable, explain any societal impact of your
research.

B. Hypothesis(es), Research Question(s), Engineering Goals(s), Expected Outcomes (note: you do

not need to have all of these – choose only those that are applicable).

How is this based on the rationale described above? Please remove headings from B that are not
applicable. (i.e. remove “Engineering Goal(s)” if you are not doing an engineering project, etc.)

C. Research Methods/Project Summary

 Materials and Equipment:

Use a bulleted and/or numbered list.

 Procedures:
Detail all procedures and experimental design including methods for data collection. Describe
only your project. Do not include work done by mentor or others.

 Risk and Safety:

Identify any potential risks and safety precautions needed.

 Data Analysis:
Describe the procedures you will use to analyze the data/results that answer research questions or
hypotheses.

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DELETE THIS CONTENT AFTER READING

+ Each of the remaining sections, starting with Section D. Bibliography, have been formatted so they
appear at the top of a new page.
+ After completing Section D. Bibliography, only complete the remaining sections if applicable. They
are:

1. Human Participants Research

2. Vertebrate Animal Research
3. Potential Hazardous Biological Agent Research
4. Hazardous Chemicals, Activities, and Devices Research

Please refer to the ISEF International Rules and Guidelines to determine which sections apply.

+ Before saving and printing, delete any of the remaining sections that are not applicable.

DELETE THIS CONTENT AFTER READING

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D. Bibliography:

List at least five (5) major references (e.g. science journal articles, books, internet sites) from your
literature review. If you plan to use vertebrate animals, one of these references must be an animal care
reference. These should be formal citations, so it is often easiest to copy from Noodle Tools or another
automatic bibliography entry generator. Please note: when referencing websites, please include the full
reference, not just the url.

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 Human Participants Research (if applicable*)
*This portion of the plan is required if the Rules Wizard indicates that Form 4 is needed.

Complete all blanks in the tables below. If a section clearly does not apply to your project, enter
N/A in that space.

Participants

Age range

Gender

Racial/ethnic composition

Identify any vulnerable populations (minors,

pregnant women, prisoners, mentally disabled or
economically disadvantaged)

Recruitment:

Where will you find your participants?

How will they be asked to participate?

Methods:

What will participants be asked to do? (Please

note: if participants will be listening to music,
list the specific music, if asked to consume
something, list the specific food or drink.
Additionally, these must be listed on the
Human Consent Form)

Will you use surveys, questionnaires, or tests?

(If yes, please attach a sample.)

(If the survey, etc., is not your own, indicate if

permission was required/how it was obtained.)

Risk Assessment

What are the risks or potential discomforts

(physical, psychological, time involved, social,
legal, etc.) to participants

How will you minimize risks?

List any benefits to society or participants.

Protection of Privacy

List any identifiable information (e.g., names,

telephone numbers, birthdates, email addresses)
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 be collected?

Will data be confidential/anonymous?

If anonymous, describe how the data will be

collected.

If not anonymous, what procedures are in place

for safeguarding confidentiality?

Where will data be stored?

Who will have access to the data?

What will you do with the data after the study?

Informed Consent Process

Describe how you will inform participants

about the purpose of the study, what they will
be asked to do, that their participation is
voluntary and they have the right to stop at any
time. Be sure to include a sample “Human
Informed Consent Form”

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 Vertebrate Animal Research (if applicable)
*This portion of the plan is required if the Rules Wizard indicates that Form 5 is needed.

Alternatives:

Briefly discuss potential alternatives to vertebrate animal use and present a detailed justification for use of
vertebrate animals

Potential Impact or Contribution:

Explain potential impact or contribution this research may have.

Procedures:

Detail all procedures to be used. Include methods used to minimize potential discomfort, distress, pain
and injury to the animals during the course of experimentation and detailed chemical concentrations and
drug dosages

Animal numbers, species, strain, sex, age, source, etc.

Include justification of the numbers planned for the research

Housing and Oversite of Daily Care:

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Disposition of animals at the termination of the study:

Click here to enter text.

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 Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (if applicable*)
*This portion of the plan is required if the Rules Wizard indicates that Form 6A and/or 6B is/are needed.

Biosafety Level Assessment:

Circle one: BSL – 1 BSL – 2 (note: BSL-3 and -4 are not permitted)

Attach Documentation verifying biosafety level. For example: a printout from a reputable website
on biosafety level would be sufficient.

Click here to enter text.

Source of agent, cell line, etc:

Click here to enter text.

Safety Precautions:

Click here to enter text.

Methods of Disposal:

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 Hazardous Chemicals, Activities, and Devices Research (if applicable*)
*This portion of the plan is required if the Rules Wizard indicates that Form 3 is needed.

Risk Assessment Process and Results:

Click here to enter text.

Chemical Concentrations/Drug Dosages:

Click here to enter text.

Safety Precautions/Procedures:

Click here to enter text.

Methods of Disposal:

Click here to enter text.

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