My High Schooler Is Working with a Professor. What Should They Do with the Research?

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

Shape the work into one project your child can call their own, then send that project to several places: Regeneron STS if they are a senior, a county science fair on the road to ISEF, JSHS as a written paper, and the Journal of Emerging Investigators. Each one asks for something a little different, so plan the order now, because the first deadlines fall this fall.

The student does the work in every one of these. A professor or mentor guides, but the student owns the question, the data and the writing.

Start by naming the student’s own piece

A lab gives a student data and a bench. It rarely gives them time on the application, because the professor and postdocs are running their own science.

In our view, the hard part is separating your child’s own question and contribution from the lab’s larger project, and saying it plainly. Every outlet below depends on that one sentence.

A lab report or the lab’s manuscript is not the same as the student’s paper. Your child has to write their own, for a reader outside the field.

Senior year: Regeneron STS

Regeneron STS is for students in their last year of high school. For the 2027 competition, applications close November 5, 2026 at 8 PM ET, and recommendations are due by the same deadline.

Research done alongside adult researchers at a research institution is permitted. Judges assess whether the work is substantially the student’s own, and the mentor’s permission is needed to submit.

Only independent, individual research is eligible. A team project cannot be split into individual entries, so if your child’s work is shared with lab partners, STS may not fit.

The application centers on a research report of up to 20 pages, written as an original scientific paper. It also needs a Project Recommendation, which usually comes from the research mentor, and disclosure of all support received with the project and the application.

Research done during any year of high school is eligible. A junior in a lab now is building toward next year’s STS.

County fair to ISEF

Students cannot enter ISEF directly. They qualify by winning at a Society-affiliated fair, which for most Bay Area students means their county fair.

Work done at a university needs the Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (2C), displayed at the booth. The project must also fit the 12-month research window: for 2027, no earlier than January 2026 and ending May 2027.

Projects with human participants, vertebrate animals or certain biological agents need SRC/IRB review before the experiment starts. In Santa Clara County, the Synopsys Championship’s early pre-approval date is November 2, 2026, the final pre-approval deadline is November 13, 2026, and new participants apply by January 8, 2027.

Other county fairs come in March: Synopsys on March 4, 2027 and Alameda County judging on March 13, 2027. The state fair follows in April, and the 2027 ISEF is in Los Angeles in May 2027.

The fair asks for a one-page abstract of no more than 250 words. Students may not use generative AI to write the research plan, abstract or poster.

JSHS: the same work as a paper

JSHS is a research paper competition, not a poster fair. Students submit a written paper, and regional finalists present.

SF State has hosted the Northern California regional. Regional paper deadlines nationally fall between October and December 2026, so confirm your region’s date at jshs.org now.

JSHS rules forbid using ChatGPT or any other generative AI tool to write the report. Any AI use must be disclosed on the Statement of Outside Assistance.

JEI: a journal built for student research

The Journal of Emerging Investigators publishes student research. Each manuscript needs an adult mentor, and the mentor submits it, never the student.

Manuscripts must be hypothesis-driven. The most common problems are literature reviews and manuscripts that only describe an invention.

Review length varies with the time of year and volume, with no fixed timeline. Only one submission from student authors is allowed at a time.

One project, several outlets

The core stays the same: one clear question, real data, honest statistics. What changes is the format, from a 20-page paper to a 250-word abstract to a board your child defends in person.

Judges reward a student who can explain why each choice was made and what they would do next, without a script. That skill carries across every outlet.

If you bring in outside help, it should work with the lab, not around it. That means no new experiments without the professor, no changes to the lab’s data, and the help disclosed wherever the rules ask.

Learn how we guide students through this at https://admissioninsight.org/science-fair-research-mentorship/, and if your child is a senior, read https://admissioninsight.org/regeneron-sts-2027-final-weeks/.

FAQ

My child is doing research with a professor. Can they enter Regeneron STS with it?

Yes, if they are in their last year of high school and the work is individual. Research done with adult researchers at an institution is allowed, judges assess whether it is substantially the student’s own, and the mentor’s permission is needed to submit.

Can the same project go to STS and the science fair?

Often, yes, but the rules differ. STS takes only individual research from any year of high school, while ISEF-affiliated fairs allow teams of up to three and require the 12-month research window.

Can my child just use the lab’s paper for STS or JSHS?

No. The lab’s manuscript is not the student’s paper. Your child needs to write their own, and both STS and JSHS require outside help to be disclosed.

Who submits to the Journal of Emerging Investigators, my child or the professor?

The adult mentor submits. Student authors are never allowed to submit their own manuscript.

My child joined the lab before January 2026. Does that work count for ISEF?

Not for the 2027 cycle. ISEF projects must fall within 12 continuous months, beginning no earlier than January 2026 and ending May 2027.