News & Insights
Topic strategy, qualification paths and competition craft from the Embark coaching team.
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ISEF Research Mentoring: Separating Student Decisions From Technical Assistance
Two worked teaching illustrations show how ISEF research mentoring should preserve student decision-making while providing technical guidance—plus a diagnostic table and practice sequence to check your own project balance.
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ISEF Pilot Studies: Testing Feasibility Before Committing to the Full Project
Learn how to design ISEF pilot studies to validate experimental feasibility, avoid common pitfalls, and build a strong foundation for your full research project.
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ISEF Machine Learning: Prevent Data Leakage and Design a Test Set
A practical guide to preventing data leakage in machine-learning projects for science fair research, covering group-aware splitting, pipeline hygiene, and defensible evaluation practices.
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ISEF Continuation Projects: Deciding Whether to Extend Last Year’s Research
Is extending last year’s research the right move? Learn how to evaluate if your project has enough new data and depth to qualify as a strong ISEF continuation entry.
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ISEF Research Programme: Comparing Lab Access, Mentoring and Student Ownership
Navigating ISEF requires understanding that there is no single official ‘research programme.’ Students must choose between self-directed projects, school labs, or independent coaching. This guide compares these paths regarding lab access, mentoring quality, and student ownership to help you prepare effectively for regional selections like the Hong Kong qualifier.
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ISEF Field Research: Water, Soil and Wildlife Sampling Rules, and the Field Work Safety Plan (2026-27)
Field projects are cheap, not rule-free. The 2026-27 ISEF rules for water, soil, plant and wildlife sampling, algal blooms, and the Society’s June 2026 Field Work Safety Plan.
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ISEF Form 2A, Question by Question: How to Disclose Paid Mentors, Research Programs and AI Use (2026-27)
Form 2A is new for 2026-27 and required for every ISEF project: each adult who helped, any paid support and any generative AI use. What it asks and how to answer honestly.
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What an ISEF Result Actually Does Inside a University Application — and How to Describe It Accurately
A science-fair result works by corroboration: it is checked against your transcript, activity list, essays and recommendations. Here is how that reading works and how to describe an award precisely.
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The ISEF Abstract Archive: How to Mine 13 Years of Finalist Projects Before You Choose Yours
Society for Science publishes a searchable archive of ISEF finalist abstracts from 2014 to 2026, with a winners-only filter. Here is how to use it to scope a project – and what it cannot tell you.
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ISEF Finals Week Lands on Top of AP and IB Exams: Planning the May 2027 Collision
ISEF 2027 runs 9-14 May in Los Angeles. AP exams run 3-7 and 10-14 May; the IB session runs 23 April to 19 May. Here is how the overlap works and what to settle in September.