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Information

GSDSEF / ISEF Rules and Regulations

The GSDSEF is an affiliated fair of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and its parent organization, the Society for Science. Per the Society's Affiliated Fair Guidelines, this includes the requirement that the GSDSEF will "operate under the ISEF Rules and Guidelines and ensure that students and teachers are aware of these requirements as they begin research projects."


All students who develop a project for the GSDSEF must read and comply with all Rules and Regulations in this document. Parents, teachers, and adult supervisors must also read and understand these rules and regulations. Below is an eligibility and participation overview, as well as the GSDSEF ETHICS STATEMENT, ISEF RULES, and ADDITIONAL GSDSEF RULES.


WHO MAY ENTER THE GSDSEF

 

Any 6th through 12th grade student attending a public, private, parochial, or home school in San Diego or Imperial Counties may enter a project into the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF). Team projects of not more than two students are permitted, and there is no requirement for participation in or qualification from a school or school district science fair.


DIVISIONS

Junior -- students in grades 6 through 8 (both students, for team projects)

Senior -- students in grades 9 through 12 (both students, for team projects)

 

Click here for details about how to participate in the GSDSEF. To summarize, students must:

  1. identify a teacher to oversee their project (an adult sponsor, as defined in the ISEF rules for Roles and Responsibilities of Students and Adults), and ask them to create an account for your project on the projects.gsdsef.org website (for team projects, both students must have an account created for them);

  2. complete a Review process by the GSDSEF SRC (Scientific Review Committee), where their project is reviewed for safety and other compliance with GSDSEF and ISEF rules;

  3. complete a Screening process to be accepted into the Fair, by uploading a digital overview of their completed project which is then reviewed by the SRC for quality;

  4. complete a Registration process to finalize their participation in the Fair, including uploading a final digital version of their project on the gsdsef.zfairs.com website; and

  5. participate in all required Fair Week activities, including setting up their project, attending judging sessions, and removing their project (attendance at the Awards Ceremony is also strongly encouraged).

 

ETHICS STATEMENT FOR GSDSEF PARTICIPATION

The GSDSEF follows the Ethics Statement of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

 

Student researchers, as well as adults who have a role in their projects, are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. These include, but are not limited to:

 

  • Integrity. Honesty, objectivity, and avoidance of conflicts of interest are expected at every stage of the research. The project should reflect independent research done by the student(s), and represent only one year’s work.

  • Legality. Compliance with all federal, country, state, and local law is essential. All projects must be approved by a Scientific Review Committee (SRC), and when necessary must also be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).

  • Respect for Confidentiality and Intellectual Property. Confidential communications, as well as patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property must be honored. Unpublished data, methods, or results may not be used without permission, and credit must be given to all contributions of research.

  • Stewardship of the Environment. It is the responsibility of the researcher(s) and the adults involved to protect the environment and its organisms from harm. All projects involve some amount of risk. Everyone is expected to recognize the hazards, assess the risks, minimize them, and prepare for emergencies.

  • Animal Care. Proper care and respect must be given to vertebrate animals. The guiding principles for the use of animals in research includes the following “Four R’s”: Replace, Reduce, Refine, Respect.

  • Human Participant Protection. The highest priority is the health and well-being of the student researcher(s) and human participants.

  • Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBAs).  It is the responsibility of the students and adults involved in the project to conduct and document a risk assessment, and to safely handle and dispose of organisms and materials.

 

Scientific fraud and misconduct are not condoned at any level of research or competition. This includes plagiarism, forgery, use or representation of other researcher’s work as one’s own, and fabrication of data.  Fraudulent projects will fail to qualify for competition in affiliated fairs and ISEF. The Society for Science reserves the right to revoke recognition of a project subsequently found to be fraudulent.

 

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS BY ISEF

These requirements are not limited to the following list. For COMPLETE requirements, please refer to the ISEF Rules and Guidelines.

 

  1. All students must adhere to local, state, and US Federal laws, regulations, and permitting conditions. Note: The GSDSEF may have additional restrictions or requirements beyond those of ISEF (see below). All projects must adhere to the GSDSEF rules, guidelines, and requirements in order to qualify for ISEF.

 

  1. It is the responsibility of the student and the Adult Sponsor/Teacher/Advisor to evaluate the study to determine if the research will require forms and/or review and approval PRIOR to experimentation. As necessary, SRC, IRB, IACUC, IBC approvals must be received and documented before experimentation begins.

 

  1. The use of non-animal research methods and alternatives to animal research are strongly encouraged and must be explored before conducting a vertebrate animal project. 

 

  1. Introduction or disposal of non-native, genetically-altered, and/or invasive species (e.g. insects, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates), pathogens, toxic chemicals or foreign substances into the environment is prohibited. Please reference local, state, and national regulations.

 

  1. All students must follow the Ethics Statement and ISEF Rules and Guidelines in order to compete at the affiliated fair (GSDSEF), California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF) and the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

 

  1. Projects may include no more than 12 months of contiguous research and may not include research in the prior year. For example, for the 2026 ISEF competition, research cannot be from before January of 2025.

 

  1. A research project may be a part of a larger study performed by professional scientists, but the project presented by the student must only be only their own portion of the complete study.

 

GSDSEF PROJECT SAFETY RULES AND GUIDELINES – in Addition to ISEF

The Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF) adheres to and complies with the Safety Rules and Guidelines of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Refer to the ISEF Rules and Guidelines for questions regarding general safety and specifically Vertebrate Animals, Research Involving Humans, Biohazards, and other Hazards. Research involving Vertebrate Animals and Humans have additional rules, regulations, and guidelines which must be complied with.

 

In addition to the ISEF Rules and Guidelines, GSDSEF:

  • reserves the right to decline any project it deems unsafe 

  • prohibits projects involving tobacco; tobacco products; smokeless powder; black powder; explosives; and the manufacture or production of rocket fuel and/or alcohol/other intoxicants or gasohol

  • prohibits students from loading or reloading any ammunition

  • requires any project in which anything is burned to complete a Hazards Form

 

For questions about GSDSEF Rules, please contact Steve Rodecker, steve.rodecker@gsdsef.org




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