Use and Care of Human Participants

On this page
  1. Why Are These Rules Necessary?
  2. Before Beginning a Project, students working with Human Participants must:
  3. General Rules for Working with Human Participants
  4. Informed Consent for Human Participants
  5. Safety Rules for Physical Activity Projects
  6. Safety Rules for Food and Beverage Studies
  7. Safety Rules for Behavioral Science Projects
  8. Special Rules for Work Done at a Certified Laboratory

Why Are These Rules Necessary?

Research involving people can lead to new discoveries and help solve real-world problems. However, the safety, health, privacy, dignity, and rights of every participant must always come first. Professional researchers receive specialized training in research ethics, and their studies are reviewed by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to protect participants. Although student research differs from professional research, the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) follows these same ethical principles.

These rules apply whenever a project involves people in any way and includes surveys, interviews, questionnaires, observations, testing products or prototypes, measuring physical or psychological responses, recording images or video, taste testing, or asking participants to perform an activity. Lack of correctly completed, signed forms, or violation of any safety rules, will result in the project being disqualified by the State Safety Chair or the IJAS President or their representative.

Before Beginning a Project, students working with Human Participants must:

  1. Read these IJAS Use and Care of Human Participant Rules with the sponsor.
  2. High school students must also read and follow all applicable ISEF Safety Rules.
  3. Discuss proper use of AI in research with their teacher sponsor.
  4. Prepare all surveys, interview questions, consent forms, tests, and other materials that will be used with human participants.
  5. Write the procedure for the experiment following all IJAS and ISEF (high school) safety rules. High School Students will use this in their ISEF Research Plan form 1A.
  6. Complete a Background Research document. High School students will use this in their ISEF Research Plan form 1A.
  7. Submit the research procedure and all participant materials to the IRB for review and approval before beginning any experimentation or data collection.
    • The IRB must include an educator or science teacher who is not the student’s sponsor, a school administrator (such as a principal), and a medical or mental health professional (such as a doctor, school nurse, or school psychologist). Note: To avoid conflicts of interest, the student’s Adult Sponsor, parent or guardian, or Qualified Scientist for the project cannot serve on the IRB reviewing that specific study.
    • The IRB may approve the project or require changes before approval is granted.
    • IRB members will sign the IJAS Human Endorsement Sheet (p. 58-59) for middle school students or the applicable ISEF Human Participants Form for high school students.
    • By signing, each IRB member confirms that they have reviewed the proposed research procedure and participant materials and, based on their professional judgment, believe that the study provides appropriate protections for the safety and welfare of the human participants and may proceed as approved.
  8. Obtain the required signatures from participants and, when required, from a parent or guardian for participants under 18 years of age.
  9. Missing, incorrectly completed, or unsigned forms, or violation of any safety rules, will result in the project being disqualified by the State Safety Chair or IJAS President or their designated representative.
  10. Complete the required Safety Sheets and any necessary endorsement form(s). High School students must use the ISEF forms. Middle School students should use the IJAS forms on p. 56-62 of this manual.
  11. Keep all completed approval forms and safety documentation with the project records and have it on the table with the project display at the science exposition.

General Rules for Working with Human Participants

All human participant research must:

  • Present no greater than minimal risk than that encountered during everyday life or routine educational activities;
  • Obtain informed consent from all participants, unless this is waived by the IRB.
  • Protect participant privacy and confidentiality by collecting only necessary information, securely storing identifiable information, and reporting results without identifying participants whenever practical;
  • Minimize physical, emotional, psychological, social, legal, and economic risks; and
  • Not involve medical diagnosis, treatment, invasive procedures, bodily fluids, or administration of drugs or medical devices unless specifically permitted under separate IJAS rules.

Unless waived by the IRB, before participating, participants — or their parent or legal guardian when required — must be informed of:

  • the purpose of the study;
  • what participants will be asked to do;
  • any reasonably foreseeable risks and expected benefits;
  • how their information will be protected; and
  • that participation is voluntary and they may withdraw at any time without penalty.
  • Photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings may only be collected with appropriate consent.

A sample consent form that may be used is found with the endorsement forms and using this link.

Safety Rules for Physical Activity Projects

Projects involving physical activity must present no greater than minimal risk. Students must:

  • limit activities to those comparable to routine physical education classes or recreational activities;
  • Include with safety documentation that each participant has a current school physical examination on file with the school nurse or written medical clearance from a licensed healthcare provider;
  • provide appropriate adult supervision; and
  • allow participants to stop the activity at any time without penalty.

Safety Rules for Food and Beverage Studies

Projects involving food or beverages must protect participants from allergic reactions, foodborne illness, and other avoidable health risks. Students must:

  • use only foods and beverages safe for human consumption and prepared using appropriate food safety practices;
  • Ingredients, amount of food or beverage and preparation method must be included on the informed consent form;
  • include evidence in the paper and on the display board that quantities of food and non-alcoholic beverages are limited to normal serving amounts or less and must be consumed in a reasonable amount of time.
  • identify participant food allergies and dietary restrictions;
  • not administer alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cannabis, medications, or dietary supplements unless specifically permitted under separate IJAS rules.

Safety Rules for Behavioral Science Projects

Behavioral science projects involve studying human thoughts, emotions, attitudes, opinions, decision-making, behavior, or social interactions. While all human participant projects require IRB approval, additional care should be taken when a study involves sensitive topics, deception, or the potential for emotional, psychological, social, or privacy-related harm. For these projects, the IRB should pay particular attention to the level of risk involved, the wording of questions, the age and vulnerability of participants, how privacy and confidentiality will be protected, and whether participation could cause discomfort, embarrassment, distress, or other harm.

Examples of sensitive topics include:

  • physical or mental health;
  • medical conditions or diagnoses;
  • trauma, abuse, or neglect;
  • family relationships, including divorce or family conflict;
  • bullying, friendships, or social acceptance;
  • body image or self-esteem;
  • gender identity, sexual orientation, or sexual behavior;
  • political beliefs or other strongly held personal beliefs;
  • race, ethnicity, discrimination, or religion;
  • alcohol, nicotine, vaping, cannabis, or illegal drug use;
  • illegal activities; or
  • any topic that could reasonably cause embarrassment, emotional distress, social harm, or an invasion of privacy.

Special Rules for Work Done at a Certified Laboratory

If research is conducted at a certified laboratory or research facility, high school students must complete the Regulated Institution form-2C . Middle school students must include a letter from the laboratory director or supervising scientist along with the safety sheet and any appropriate endorsement form. The letter must verify that:

  • the research was conducted under appropriate adult supervision;
  • the student followed all required laboratory safety procedures;
  • the laboratory is certified or otherwise authorized to conduct the research;
  • the supervising scientist’s name, title, and contact information are provided; and
  • the work described in the project was completed at that facility.
  • approval from the institution’s IRB and/or SRC

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