Adobe Digital Signature Instructions

Complete Forms Using Adobe Reader

All NJRSF and ISEF forms are fillable PDF forms that MUST be completed and saved using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 15.0 or higher. You can download and install the software for free from the Adobe website. Note for Mac users: the default PDF Viewer in Safari does not save forms properly and must not be used.

Obtaining Adobe Digital Signatures

For forms that require signatures other than your own, you will need to email that completed form to your teacher/mentor/parent so that they can execute the appropriate signature themselves. Please note that any changes to the form content after signatures are in place will invalidate the signatures, so it is a good idea to get concurrence from the others involved as to the content of the form before you start the signature process.

1. Open the form in Adobe Reader.
2. Click on the signature field with the red tag. A dialog box "Sign with Digital ID" will open.
3. Select either an existing digital ID or create a new digital ID.
   • If creating a new ID, follow the instructions in the dialog box and save as a file on your computer.
4. To sign the form, enter your digital ID password and click Sign. A "Save As" dialog box will open.
5. Enter a different filename and click Save.

The form will be saved and your digital signature will appear in the signature field with a timestamp.

If a second person needs to sign the same form with Adobe digital signatures, then the form should be emailed to them so they can add their signature as above. However, the more signatures you get via Adobe digital signatures, the more likely you are to encounter problems. Thus, we encourage you to have as many people as possible use the NJRSF web-signing process.

Compatibility with ISEF SRC Processing

At present, ISEF does not accept digital signatures on the ISEF certification forms. Students selected to attend ISEF will have their forms signed after the Awards Ceremony by the students, teachers, and parents (who, hopefully, will be in attendance). For those who are unable to attend, the forms will be faxed to them for signature. In this process, we will accept the original date of the digital signature as the date of the physical signature, even though the physical signature will not occur until much later.