Standards for student participation in mentored research.

Students should prepare for meetings, complete assigned readings and tasks, attend scheduled sessions, communicate respectfully, meet deadlines, support teammates, and ask for help when needed.

• Come prepared for live meetings, research discussions, and project work
• Complete required assignments, drafts, forms, and deliverables on time
• Respond to reasonable mentor and VRI communications in a timely manner
• Use feedback constructively and follow reasonable mentor or staff directions

Collaborative research depends on each student contributing honestly and consistently. Students should share responsibilities fairly, listen respectfully, and keep records of their work when requested.

• Do not leave teammates or mentors to carry assigned responsibilities
• Ask for help early when a task, deadline, or expectation is unclear
• Maintain records of drafts, notes, code, calculations, contributions, or project progress when requested
• Recognize that repeated non-participation may affect placement, certificates, continuation, or program standing

Students and families should use VRI-approved communication channels for program matters. Students are expected to respond to reasonable messages from mentors and VRI staff.

• Check email and approved platforms regularly during the program
• Keep messages courteous, clear, and academically appropriate
• Do not use private social media, personal texting, or unapproved channels for program business unless VRI authorizes it
• Report communication problems promptly rather than waiting until the end of a session

Students must not present copied, fabricated, ghostwritten, or improperly assisted work as their own. Students should acknowledge collaborators, sources, software, datasets, and tools when required.

• Do original work unless collaboration is clearly allowed
• Cite or acknowledge books, articles, websites, datasets, code, software, and AI tools when relevant
• Do not misrepresent who completed a calculation, proof, code contribution, draft, figure, or presentation section
• Understand that publication, authorship, recommendation letters, awards, or external recognition are not guaranteed

Routine Research Circle and Research Team sessions are not recorded. At least two students must be present, and no mentor may continue an unsupervised one-to-one routine session with a minor.

• If only one student is present, the mentor must end and reschedule.
• A one-to-one session may occur only through an advance VRI-approved exception and must be recorded through a VRI-controlled system.
• Students must use approved meeting, communication, chat, and file systems.
• Students may not move program communication to private social media, personal texting, or other unapproved channels.

VRI symposiums and final cohort presentations are recorded and shared by secure, account-restricted link with the families of students in that cohort. The recording is view-only by default, may be downloaded upon request, is retained for three years, and is not automatically published in the Public Research Archive.

• A family may request camera-off participation for an objection to the student's image.
• Camera-off participation may still include the student's voice, slides, or other contributions.
• A family objecting to any recorded inclusion may request a separate safeguarded unrecorded presentation.
• Recipients may not publicly post, redistribute, screen-record, or use the cohort recording for unrelated purposes.

The Public Research Archive is de-identified at the student level. Student names, preferred names, display names, initials, school names, photographs, likenesses, voices, account handles, contact information, and other direct student-identifying information are excluded. Optional publicity or media use is separate and does not authorize student identity in the Public Research Archive.

VRI does not permit bullying, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, threats, privacy violations, intimidation, humiliation, or conduct that undermines a safe academic environment.

• Treat peers, mentors, staff, guests, and families with courtesy
• Keep speech, writing, chat, video, and collaborative work suitable for a professional academic setting
• Do not retaliate against someone who raises a concern or participates in a review
• Report serious safety, conduct, privacy, or academic-integrity concerns promptly

VRI may respond to concerns through reminders, coaching, parent/guardian communication, reassignment, restricted participation, temporary suspension, removal from a project, dismissal, future ineligibility, or other reasonable measures.