Understanding Project Statuses in the Portal

Understanding Project Statuses in the Portal

Overview

The YSC Portal uses a system of status indicators to track projects throughout their lifecycle in your regional STEM fair. Understanding these statuses is essential for effectively managing projects from initial submission through to judging and results. This article explains each status, what it means, and how projects move from one status to another.

Project Status Progression

Projects typically progress through the following statuses in order:

  1. In Progress → 2. Region Submitted → 3. Region Confirmed

Additional statuses may apply for safety and ethics review and for projects advancing to the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Detailed Project Statuses

In Progress

What it means: The student has started creating their project in the system but has not yet submitted it to your regional fair.

How to identify:

  • In the Projects list, these projects will have "In Progress" in the Status column
  • They will appear in the Assets → Projects list, but not in your fair's Projects section

Actions available:

  • Students can continue to edit their project information
  • Regional coordinators cannot yet review or accept these projects

Next step: Student completes and submits their project

Region Submitted

What it means: The student has completed all required information and officially submitted their project to your regional fair for consideration.

How to identify:

  • In the Projects list, these projects will have "Region Submitted" in the Status column
  • They appear in Assets → Projects, but not yet in your fair's Projects section

Actions available:

  • Students can no longer edit their project information unless you reject it
  • Regional coordinators can review the project for completion and safety/ethics
  • Projects can be accepted into the fair or sent back for revision

Next step: Regional coordinator reviews and accepts the project

Region Confirmed

What it means: The regional coordinator has reviewed and accepted the project into the regional fair.

How to identify:

  • In the Projects list, these projects will have "Region Confirmed" in the Status column
  • They now appear in both Assets → Projects and in your fair's Projects section
  • They are assigned an event project number

Actions available:

  • Projects can be included in judging groups and schedules
  • Results can be recorded for these projects
  • Projects can be removed from the fair if necessary

Next step: Project participates in the fair and judging process

Safety and Ethics Review Statuses

In addition to the main project statuses, the YSC Portal includes a separate set of statuses for safety and ethics review:

Not Reviewed

What it means: The project has been submitted but not yet assessed for safety and ethics compliance.

How to see this status:

  • Go to Assets → Projects
  • Look at the "Safety and Ethics Review" column

Concern

What it means: The safety and ethics review has identified potential issues that need to be addressed.

When to use this status:

  • Projects with animals or human participants that lack proper documentation
  • Projects involving potentially dangerous substances or procedures
  • Incomplete or unclear methodology sections

Pass

What it means: The project has been reviewed and meets all safety and ethics requirements.

When to use this status:

  • After reviewing the project and confirming it meets all guidelines
  • This status does not automatically add the project to your fair

Fail

What it means: The project has significant safety or ethics issues that cannot be resolved.

When to use this status:

  • Projects that violate YSC ethics guidelines
  • Projects with unacceptable safety risks
  • Use sparingly and after communication with the student

Viewing Projects by Status

You can filter projects by their status:

  1. Go to Assets → Projects
  2. Click the filter icon
  3. Under "Status," select the status you want to view
  4. Click Apply Filter

This is particularly useful for reviewing newly submitted projects or ensuring all projects have been properly reviewed.

Changing Project Statuses

Adding Projects to Your Fair (In Progress/Submitted → Confirmed)

To accept submitted projects into your fair:

  1. Go to Assets → Projects
  2. Select the project(s) with "Region Submitted" status
  3. From the Choose an option dropdown, select Add to Regional Fair
  4. Select your event from the dropdown menu
  5. Click the blue action arrow

The projects will now have "Region Confirmed" status and appear in your fair's Projects section.

Removing Projects from Your Fair (Confirmed → Submitted)

If you need to remove a project from your fair:

  1. Go to your fair's name in the sidebar
  2. Select Projects
  3. Select the project(s) you want to remove
  4. From the Choose an option dropdown, select Remove from Regional Fair
  5. Click the blue action arrow

The project status will revert to "Region Submitted."

Changing Safety and Ethics Review Status

To update the safety and ethics status:

  1. Go to Assets → Projects
  2. Select the project(s) you want to update
  3. From the Choose an option dropdown, select Set Project Review Status
  4. Choose the appropriate status (Not Reviewed, Concern, Pass, or Fail)
  5. Click the blue action arrow

Best Practices for Managing Project Statuses

  • Regular monitoring: Check for newly submitted projects at least weekly during registration
  • Batch processing: Review and update statuses in batches for efficiency
  • Communication: Contact students promptly if their project has a "Concern" status
  • Documentation: Keep notes on any projects with special concerns or conditions
  • Verification: After accepting projects, verify they appear correctly in your fair's Projects section

Projects Stuck in "Region Submitted" Status

If projects are submitted but not appearing in your fair:

  • Check that you've completed the "Add to Regional Fair" process
  • Verify you've selected the correct event when adding projects

Missing Projects

If expected projects don't appear in your lists:

  • Check if they're still in "In Progress" status (student didn't complete submission)
  • Verify you're looking at the correct event in your filters
  • Confirm the project wasn't accidentally removed from the fair

Duplicated Projects

If you see duplicate projects:

  • Check if the student submitted multiple versions
  • Contact Youth Science Canada to help remove duplicates

Next Steps

Once your projects have been properly reviewed and accepted (Region Confirmed status), you can proceed to:

  • Creating project groups for judging
  • Assigning judges to project groups
  • Creating judging schedules

For information on these subsequent steps, refer to the relevant articles in the Help Centre.

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