Paperwork Management

We Have Two Time Saving Options to Help with Paperwork/Forms Management: Easily submit a review, and approve ISEF Forms online when using the Paperwork Manager or the Project Dashboard.

Paperwork Manager

Students can download a blank ISEF or custom form and upload the completed form directly to the site. These forms will immediately be accessible to you and your SRC/IRB members to review online anytime. When using the Paperwork Manager, students will be able to easily see the forms which are required for their particular project. Custom forms for your particular fair may also be provided to the student and “required,” if necessary. To approve these forms, the SRC/IRB member can use our electronic signature tool. Otherwise, they will need to print, sign, and then re-upload the form. Having all forms accessible online at any time to all SRC/IRB members have proven to save a great deal of time and reduce stress for many fairs using zFairs.

Project Dashboard & Electronic Signatures:

Streamline the paperwork process for students and reviewers by allowing them to E-sign the generated ISEF Forms using the Project Dashboard. Students, Adult Sponsors, Scientists in the Lab, etc., can easily fill out and review the Generated ISEF Forms and e-sign them. They can also easily see which signatures are missing and which forms have not yet been approved. Our E-signatures have been approved for use at ISEF. Based on the ISEF Wizard/Questionnaire responses, only the forms required for the student’s particular project are provided on their Project Dashboard. Additionally, based on the information provided during registration, many fields on the Generated ISEF Forms are pre-populated for the student. The pre-population makes it even easier for the students to fill out their ISEF Forms. The Generated ISEF Forms can be downloaded with the click of a button and printed.

Approval Letter from the Society for Science and the Public & Intel ISEF regarding our E-signatures

Collecting Electronic Signatures:

1. Students register and fills-out the ISEF forms through our web application.
2. Students can request signatures through our system.
3. Our system notifies the proper signer and provides a link that they can click to sign the needed form.
4. Before the signer can sign, they must log in to their account. If the signer does not have an account, they must first create an account.
5. Instructions are given to the signer and are different/custom for each needed signature type.
6. Once the signer has validated and or provided the necessary information, they can sign the form.
7. When a signer signs the form, they are required to type their name in the following format: /<first name> <last name>/

• Please note that the signer must still be logged in to sign. After 20 minutes of inactivity, the signers are automatically signed out if they have not manually logged out.

How to Electronically Sign (E-Sign) Generated ISEF Forms, Hold Harmless and Media Release Documents

Please click the following link for these instructions: How to E-Sign

Quick Approve Projects

There is an option to approve a project and bypass the approval of each item listed on the left side of the Project Dashboard. Once your student has provided all of the required forms, signatures, etc., and you see that they meet your expectations, you can access a "Quick Approve" button on the "SRC/IRB Paperwork Review" page. Look up the project you would like to approve and click "Quick Approve Experimentation," "Quick Approve Competition Regional," or "Quick Approve Competition State" where applicable.

IF you do not see the "Quick Approve Experimentation," "Quick Approve Competition Regional," or "Quick Approve Competition State" button(s) on your SRC/IRB Paperwork Review Page, you will need to turn them on.

Turning on the Quick Approve Project Options

1. Click "Staff"
2. Click "Fair Setup"
3. Click "Settings"
4. Under "Premium Features," Click "Electronic ISEF Forms"
5. Turn on any or all the following settings:

  Allow Staff Members, SRC/IRB, and Admins to one-click approve a project for experimentation.
  Allow Staff Members, SRC/IRB, and Admins to one-click approve projects to compete at a regional fair.
  Allow Staff Members, SRC/IRB, and Admins to one-click approve projects to compete at a state fair.

Missing Forms Reminder

When using the Paperwork Manager, you can send a reminder to all students missing one or more required forms with the click of a button.

Sending a Missing Forms Reminder (when using the Paperwork Manager)

1. Click "Paperwork"
2. Click "Review"
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Send Reminder."
   • When the "Send Reminder" button is clicked, the system will send a reminder via email to all students missing one or more required forms. The system can only send the reminder once a day.