Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between the IRB and the SRC?
- If I am working with hazardous materials, animals or human subjects, how do I get IRB or SRC approval?
- What role does the NYCSEF SRC have in approving my project? Don't I already have approval by my IRB or SRC?
- I am confused about the role of the adult sponsor, sponsoring teacher, qualified scientist, and designated supervisor. How many sponsors do I need?
- If I compete in NYCSEF and win an award, can I enter the competition again next year?
- Do I have to submit a complete research plan with my application by the application deadline?
What is the difference between the IRB and the SRC?
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) review your research proposal to determine if your protocol adheres to all the ethical rules and guidelines for student research. The general rule of thumb for NYCSEF is that the IRB reviews projects involving human subjects and the SRC reviews projects involving hazardous biological materials or chemicals, or vertebrate animals.
If I am working with hazardous materials, animals or human subjects, how do I get IRB or SRC approval?
If you are conducting your research at a Registered Research Institution (i.e. hospital, research lab, university, etc.) and your project involves hazardous biological agents, vertebrate animals, or human subjects, you will be required to have your protocol reviewed by the institution's IRB or SRC before experimentation. Your mentor will be able to provide you with the proper procedures to obtain approval.
If you are conducting research at your high school and your research involves human subjects, your protocol must be approved by an IRB before experimentation (see page 12 of the NYCSEF Rules and Guidelines for detailed information about the IRB and pages 13-16 for information about human subjects). If your school does not have an IRB, your sponsoring teacher will need to establish one. Consult the NYCSEF Rules and Guidelines (page 12) for instructions on how to establish an IRB at your school or contact NYCSEF for further assistance.
If you are conducting research at your high school and your project involves working with hazardous biological agents or vertebrate animals, you must receive approval from an SRC before you begin experimentation (see page 12 of the NYCSEF Rules and Guidelines for detailed information about the SRC, pages 17-20 for information about vertebrate animals, and pages 21-24 for information about hazardous biological agents). If your school does not have a SRC, your sponsoring teacher will need to establish one. Consult the NYCSEF Rules and Guidelines (page 12) for instructions on how to establish an IRB at your school or contact NYCSEF for further assistance.
If you are using hazardous chemicals, activities or devices in your project, consult pages 25-27 of the Rules and Guidelines. You do not need SRC approval prior to experimentation, but you must conduct a risk assessment of your protocol with your mentor or other qualified adult before experimentation and document the risk assessment (page 35, Risk Assessment Form 3 of the NYCSEF application).
What role does the NYCSEF SRC have in approving my project? Don't I already have approval by my IRB or SRC?
Approval by your local IRB or SRC only gives permission for you to conduct the experiments as described in your protocol. Local IRBs or SRCs are responsible for reviewing your protocol for compliance with experimental safety and ethical procedures and supervision.
The NYCSEF SRC reviews all applications submitted for competition to ensure that projects comply with current NYCSEF ethical and experimental rules and guidelines as outlined in both the NYCSEF and ISEF Rules and Guidelines. All projects, regardless of using hazardous materials, animals, or human subjects, must be approved by the NYCSEF SRC in order to qualify for competition. The NYCSEF SRC does retain the right to override approval given by a local IRB or SRC if the project is deemed in violation of the NYCSEF or ISEF Rules and Guidelines. In such cases, qualification is determined on a case by case basis.
I am confused about the role of the adult sponsor, sponsoring teacher, qualified scientist, and designated supervisor. How many sponsors do I need?
Every applicant must identify a teacher from their high school as a point of contact to participate in NYCSEF – this is the Sponsoring Research Teacher. Other adults associated with student research depend on their specific roles on the project. A Qualified Scientist is usually the scientist or mentor who oversees your research project. The D esignated Supervisor directly oversees your work during experimentation but often is not the qualified scientist. The Adult Sponsor is responsible for ensuring that your project complies with the NYCSEF rules and guidelines for entry into the competition.
The designated supervisor, adult sponsor, and sponsoring research teacher may be the same person, IF that person is qualified as described on page 11 of the Rules and Guidelines. However, if the qualified scientist, designated supervisor, or adult sponsor is not from your school, you will need to identify a sponsoring research or science teacher from your school to sign your application.
If I compete in NYCSEF and win an award, can I enter the competition again next year?
Yes, students can enter NYCSEF as many times as they would like, regardless of having won a previous award. Your research may build on past data and results; however, your current entry must research conducted within a maximum of 12 months prior to the competition. Only projects using research that was previously entered and presented in past NYCSEF competitions are referred to as Continuation Projects (see page 8 of the NYCSEF Rules and Guidelines) and require the Continuation Projects Form 7 of the NYCSEF application.
Do I have to submit a complete research plan with my application by the application deadline?
Yes, you need to write a detailed research plan to submit with your application before the application deadline. The research plan must include the questions, problems and/or hypotheses being addressed in your project, a detailed description of the methods and materials being used in your project, including methods of data analysis, and a bibliography of at least five major references (see page 31 of the NYCSEF application for more details about the Research Plan).
