How STS Judges Tell Whether Lab Research Is the Student’s Own Work

By Dr. Harman Brah, MD · Judge, California Science & Engineering Fair

Regeneron STS judges assess whether lab research is substantially the student’s own by looking at what the student says they did and whether they can defend it. They read the paper and the required disclosures, and they probe whether the student can explain why each choice was made and what they would do next, without a script.

So the student’s job is to make their part of the work easy to see, and then to own it in conversation.

Lab research is allowed

Regeneron STS permits research done alongside adult researchers at a research institution. The mentor’s permission is needed to submit.

Only independent, individual research is eligible. A team project is not, and it cannot be split into individual entries.

Carve out the student’s own question

A lab is built around a bigger project that belongs to the PI. The student’s entry has to be one piece of it that is truly theirs.

In our view, this is the hard part. The student needs one clear question they can call their own, not the lab’s whole aim restated.

A good test: can the student say, in a sentence, what they asked, and why that question was worth asking inside the larger project? If the answer only makes sense as “the lab is studying X,” the question is not carved out yet.

Separate what the student did from what the postdoc did

The PI and postdocs are running their own science, and their work runs through the same project. That is normal, and it does not have to hurt the student.

What hurts is blur. Before writing a word, it helps to list each part of the work and who did it: who designed it, who ran it, who analyzed it, who interpreted it.

Then the student writes about their part as theirs, and names the rest as the lab’s or a colleague’s. Credit given to others makes the student’s own part more believable, not less.

Say it plainly in the paper

The research report is a maximum 20-page original scientific paper. A lab report or the lab’s manuscript is not an STS paper.

The student writes their own paper, for a reader outside the field. That means stating the question, the methods the student used, and the results the student produced, in plain sentences a judge cannot misread.

The student does the writing. A mentor can guide; the student owns the question, the data and the words.

Disclose all the help

The application requires disclosure of all support received with the research project and the application. Entrants and mentors must also disclose participation in paid programs.

Clear disclosures and a clear paper should tell the same story. If the paper says the student ran an analysis, the disclosures should not suggest someone else did.

Be ready to defend it

In our view, a project that looks parent- or mentor-built is seen through quickly. The questions find the gaps.

Judges reward a student who can explain why each choice was made, not the most advanced technique. A student who did the work can usually answer “why this control?” or “what would you try next?” without notes.

Practice out loud, with someone who will push. The goal is not memorized answers. It is comfort talking about work the student actually did.

Timing

The 2027 application closes November 5, 2026 at 8 PM ET, and recommendations are due by the same deadline, no exceptions. Research done during any year of high school is eligible.

Learn how we guide students through this at https://admissioninsight.org/science-fair-research-mentorship/, and see what to finish before the deadline in https://admissioninsight.org/regeneron-sts-2027-final-weeks/.

FAQ

How do STS judges know if my child really did the lab research?

Judges assess whether the work is substantially the student’s own. They read the paper and the disclosures, and they probe whether the student can explain why each choice was made and what they would do next, without a script.

My child’s project is part of a postdoc’s bigger study. Is that a problem?

Not by itself. Research alongside adult researchers at a research institution is permitted. Your child needs a distinct question and contribution of their own, described plainly, with the postdoc’s and the lab’s parts credited to them.

Can my child use the lab’s paper for the STS research report?

No. The research report is the student’s own original scientific paper, up to 20 pages, written for a reader outside the field.

Should my child mention the help they got from the lab?

Yes. The application requires disclosure of all support received with the research project and the application. Naming what others did also makes your child’s own part clearer.

Does the lab mentor have to approve the STS entry?

Yes. The mentor’s permission is needed to submit.