Global 
Big questions start with you.
Explore your interests, build a research plan, and share what you discover.
Research is about learning to ask good questions and answer them honestly. Global Yuva doesn’t promise publication, awards or college admission: the goal is a project you understand and can explain.
🗓️ When should I start research? From Grade 9 onward.
Most major opportunities (ISEF, JSHS, summer programs) are for Grades 9–12. Starting in Grade 9 gives you three years to grow into strong Grade 11–12 research.
Build my research roadmap
Answer a few questions; we’ll suggest research paths, project ideas and an editable weekly plan. We don’t ask for your name, school or contact details here, and your answers stay in this browser unless you save them to your account.
When to start research: grade by grade
On your own or in a team?
Individual: you own every decision and can explain all of it; best for a first project or a deep personal interest.
Team (2–3): share the work and skills; ISEF allows teams of up to 3, and every member must understand and present the whole project. Agree on roles in writing.
What effort does it take?
A first project: about 2–4 hours a week for 8–12 weeks. A competition-level project: 4–6 hours a week for 4–8 months. Waiting for approvals and mentor replies takes extra calendar time, so start early.
What you get from it
Real skills: asking questions, reading research, data, writing and presenting. A clear project you can explain in interviews, essays and applications, with no shortcuts and no promises.
Five research paths
Pick the path that fits your question, time and resources. Paths marked May need approval often involve people, animals, microorganisms or hazards that need review before you start.
Your 8-stage roadmap
Each stage has a short explanation, three tasks, an example, a template, an AI coaching prompt and a deliverable. Tick a stage when its deliverable is done; progress saves in this browser (and to your account from My dashboard).
Project explorer
Filter ideas by subject, difficulty, cost, time and resources. Each card says whether it’s a literature review (what’s known), a replication (repeating a published study) or an original investigation (your own new data).
Projects by career lane: university preparation
Choose the career you’re interested in to see what universities like to see, a Grade 8–12 project ladder, and matching ideas. See full careers on Career Paths.
All project ideas
Research toolkit
Editable templates. Your edits save in this browser; copy or download them anytime.
Where to present, compete and publish
Every listing was checked on its official website (last checked ). Dates and fees change: confirm on the official site. Nothing here guarantees acceptance or awards.
Present close to home first
- Your school’s science fair, research symposium or class showcase
- Your regional/state ISEF-affiliated fair (find it on the ISEF site)
- Local library, museum or community STEM nights
- National History Day school and regional contests (humanities)
Research integrity and approvals
⛔ Approval checkpoint: before recruiting participants or collecting data
If your project involves people (surveys, interviews, tests, people trying your app or device), vertebrate animals, microorganisms, human or animal tissue, or hazardous chemicals, activities or devices, you may need review and approval before you start. For ISEF-affiliated fairs, non-exempt human-participant studies require prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB); some studies using public, de-identified data are exempt under the rules. You also need an adult sponsor.
Global Yuva and AI tools cannot grant approval. Talk to your teacher/adult sponsor and read the rules that apply to your fair:
Cite everything
Record every source as you read. Use one citation style (APA, MLA or Chicago); a free tool like Zotero helps. Quote exactly and give credit for ideas, images and data.
Report honestly
Never change, invent or leave out inconvenient data. Report results that didn’t work. Describe limitations. Correlation is not causation.
Make it reproducible
Write methods so someone else could repeat them. Keep raw data, code and a dated journal. Note every change you made and why.
Protect privacy
Collect only what you need. Get consent (and parent permission for minors). Don’t collect names unless needed; store data securely; report results without identifying anyone.
Disclose AI help
Say which AI tools you used and for what (brainstorming, feedback, grammar). The ideas, data, analysis and writing must be yours, and you must be able to explain every part.
Safety first
Work with adult supervision for labs, tools, electricity, chemicals or field work. Follow your school and fair safety rules.
Mentor support
Find guidance now
- Ask a science, math or history teacher to be your adult sponsor
- Use the “Mentor outreach email” template in the Toolkit (copy your teacher)
- Join free university outreach events and summer programs (see Where to present)
- Book a free discovery call with Global Yuva for planning help: globalyuva.org/book
My research dashboard
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Resources: find research, data and free university courses
Links go to official or widely used free resources. Check each dataset’s terms of use before you publish.
Disclaimer: This information is for informational purposes only. Global Yuva does not run the competitions, programs or journals listed and does not guarantee acceptance, publication, awards or admission. Follow the official rules of any fair or program, and get required approvals and adult supervision before starting experiments or collecting data from people.