How to Write a Research Paper as a High School Student

photo of carly taylor

By Carly Taylor

Senior at Stanford University

6 minute read

Read our guide to learn why you should write a research paper and how to do so, from choosing the right topic to outlining and structuring your argument.

What is a research paper?

A research paper poses an answer to a specific question and defends that answer using academic sources, data, and critical reasoning. Writing a research paper is an excellent way to hone your focus during a research project , synthesize what you’re learning, and explain why your work matters to a broader audience of scholars in your field.

The types of sources and evidence you’ll see used in a research paper can vary widely based on its field of study. A history research paper might examine primary sources like journals and newspaper articles to draw conclusions about the culture of a specific time and place, whereas a biology research paper might analyze data from different published experiments and use textbook explanations of cellular pathways to identify a potential marker for breast cancer.

However, researchers across disciplines must identify and analyze credible sources, formulate a specific research question, generate a clear thesis statement, and organize their ideas in a cohesive manner to support their argument. Read on to learn how this process works and how to get started writing your own research paper.

Choosing your topic

Tap into your passions.

A research paper is your chance to explore what genuinely interests you and combine ideas in novel ways. So don’t choose a subject that simply sounds impressive or blindly follow what someone else wants you to do – choose something you’re really passionate about! You should be able to enjoy reading for hours and hours about your topic and feel enthusiastic about synthesizing and sharing what you learn.

We've created these helpful resources to inspire you to think about your own passion project . Polygence also offers a passion exploration experience where you can dive deep into three potential areas of study with expert mentors from those fields.

Ask a difficult question

In the traditional classroom, top students are expected to always know the answers to the questions the teacher asks. But a research paper is YOUR chance to pose a big question that no one has answered yet, and figure out how to make a contribution to answering that question. So don’t be afraid if you have no idea how to answer your question at the start of the research process — this will help you maintain a motivational sense of discovery as you dive deeper into your research. If you need inspiration, explore our database of research project ideas .

Be as specific as possible

It’s essential to be reasonable about what you can accomplish in one paper and narrow your focus down to an issue you can thoroughly address. For example, if you’re interested in the effects of invasive species on ecosystems, it’s best to focus on one invasive species and one ecosystem, such as iguanas in South Florida , or one survival mechanism, such as supercolonies in invasive ant species . If you can, get hands on with your project.

You should approach your paper with the mindset of becoming an expert in this topic. Narrowing your focus will help you achieve this goal without getting lost in the weeds and overwhelming yourself.

Would you like to write your own research paper?

Polygence mentors can help you every step of the way in writing and showcasing your research paper

Preparing to write

Conduct preliminary research.

Before you dive into writing your research paper, conduct a literature review to see what’s already known about your topic. This can help you find your niche within the existing body of research and formulate your question. For example, Polygence student Jasmita found that researchers had studied the effects of background music on student test performance, but they had not taken into account the effect of a student’s familiarity with the music being played, so she decided to pose this new question in her research paper.

Pro tip: It’s a good idea to skim articles in order to decide whether they’re relevant enough to your research interest before committing to reading them in full. This can help you spend as much time as possible with the sources you’ll actually cite in your paper.

Skimming articles will help you gain a broad-strokes view of the different pockets of existing knowledge in your field and identify the most potentially useful sources. Reading articles in full will allow you to accumulate specific evidence related to your research question and begin to formulate an answer to it.

Draft a thesis statement

Your thesis statement is your succinctly-stated answer to the question you’re posing, which you’ll make your case for in the body of the paper. For example, if you’re studying the effect of K-pop on eating disorders and body image in teenagers of different races, your thesis may be that Asian teenagers who are exposed to K-pop videos experience more negative effects on their body image than Caucasian teenagers.

Pro Tip: It’s okay to refine your thesis as you continue to learn more throughout your research and writing process! A preliminary thesis will help you come up with a structure for presenting your argument, but you should absolutely change your thesis if new information you uncover changes your perspective or adds nuance to it.

Create an outline

An outline is a tool for sketching out the structure of your paper by organizing your points broadly into subheadings and more finely into individual paragraphs. Try putting your thesis at the top of your outline, then brainstorm all the points you need to convey in order to support your thesis.

Pro Tip : Your outline is just a jumping-off point – it will evolve as you gain greater clarity on your argument through your writing and continued research. Sometimes, it takes several iterations of outlining, then writing, then re-outlining, then rewriting in order to find the best structure for your paper.

Writing your paper

Introduction.

Your introduction should move the reader from your broad area of interest into your specific area of focus for the paper. It generally takes the form of one to two paragraphs that build to your thesis statement and give the reader an idea of the broad argumentative structure of your paper. After reading your introduction, your reader should know what claim you’re going to present and what kinds of evidence you’ll analyze to support it.

Topic sentences

Writing crystal clear topic sentences is a crucial aspect of a successful research paper. A topic sentence is like the thesis statement of a particular paragraph – it should clearly state the point that the paragraph will make. Writing focused topic sentences will help you remain focused while writing your paragraphs and will ensure that the reader can clearly grasp the function of each paragraph in the paper’s overall structure.

Transitions

Sophisticated research papers move beyond tacking on simple transitional phrases such as “Secondly” or “Moreover” to the start of each new paragraph. Instead, each paragraph flows naturally into the next one, with the connection between each idea made very clear. Try using specifically-crafted transitional phrases rather than stock phrases to move from one point to the next that will make your paper as cohesive as possible.

In her research paper on Pakistani youth in the U.S. , Polygence student Iba used the following specifically-crafted transition to move between two paragraphs: “Although the struggles of digital ethnography limited some data collection, there are also many advantages of digital data collection.” This sentence provides the logical link between the discussion of the limitations of digital ethnography from the prior paragraph and the upcoming discussion of this techniques’ advantages in this paragraph.

Your conclusion can have several functions:

To drive home your thesis and summarize your argument

To emphasize the broader significance of your findings and answer the “so what” question

To point out some questions raised by your thesis and/or opportunities for further research

Your conclusion can take on all three of these tasks or just one, depending on what you feel your paper is still lacking up to this point.

Citing sources

Last but not least, giving credit to your sources is extremely important. There are many different citation formats such as MLA, APA, and Chicago style. Make sure you know which one is standard in your field of interest by researching online or consulting an expert.

You have several options for keeping track of your bibliography:

Use a notebook to record the relevant information from each of your sources: title, author, date of publication, journal name, page numbers, etc.

Create a folder on your computer where you can store your electronic sources

Use an online bibliography creator such as Zotero, Easybib, or Noodletools to track sources and generate citations

You can read research papers by Polygence students under our Projects tab. You can also explore other opportunities for high school research .

If you’re interested in finding an expert mentor to guide you through the process of writing your own independent research paper, consider applying to be a Polygence scholar today!

Your research paper help even you to earn college credit , get published in an academic journal , contribute to your application for college , improve your college admissions chances !

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Interested in doing an exciting research project? Click below to get matched with one of our expert mentors!

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Publishing academic research is becoming a common way for the top high school students to distinguish themselves in the admission process. Yet, for many students what publication is and how to approach it is unclear and confusing. This guide’s goal is to provide a starter for any students interested in research and publication. It comes from the result of working with 500+ students as part of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program.

What does it mean to “Publish Your Research?” What does publication even mean? In short, publishing your research means that you have gone through a rigorous, peer-reviewed process that has analyzed, critiqued, and ultimately accepted your research as legitimate. Scientific publications are gatekeepers to the broader world. If a research piece is not published by a journal, it means that it has not yet passed a rigorous, external analysis of the research.

Publications use a process called the “peer review” which means that fellow researchers in the same field will analyze the paper and its contribution and give feedback to the authors. This process is often double-blind, meaning that the reviewer does not know who the author is and the author does not know who the researcher is.

Is it possible for a high school student to publish their research? The short answer is yes. The longer answer, detailed below, is that there are many different types of journals that have different selectivity rates and bars for rigor. Just like universities, some publications are extremely competitive and provide a very strong external signal for the author. Some journals are less competitive and so provide a less powerful signal. For high school students, there is an emerging group of journals focused on high school or college-level research. These journals understand the limitations of high school students and their ability to do research, and so they are often more feasible (though still difficult) for students to get into. We’ll explore some types of those journals below.

Why publish your research in high school But, why even go to the trouble of publishing? Does it really matter? The short answer again is that it does matter. Publication in a top journal,  like the Concord Review , can provide a valuable signal to a college admission officer about your work.

One thing to consider is  who  is an admission officer (for US universities). These people are usually  generalists,  meaning they have a broad background, but do not have researcher-level depth in many fields. That means it’s difficult for them to distinguish good research from bad research. What is rigorous and what is just put on an application?

This means that admissions officers search for signals when evaluating research or passion projects. Was the project selected into a selective journal? Did it go through a peer-review process by respected researchers? Was it guided by a researcher who the admission officer would believe? Did the research mentor guide speak positively about the student? All of these are positive signals. The publication is thus not the only way to signal ability, but it is one of the most important for young researchers.

What type of research can get published?

Most types of research can be published. But, the more original research that you can do, the broader the options you have. In other words, if you write a literature review, then your writing and synthesis must be very strong for it to be eligible for most publications. If you do some form of data collection or new data analysis, then the bar for rigor in student publications is usually a little bit lower as the difficulty to do this type of data collection or analysis is higher.

Types of Publication Targets

At Lumiere, we think of publications like students think of universities. There are research journals (most selective), target journals, and safety journals. In short, journals range in their selectivity and rigor. The more selective the journal, the better a signal it gives.

Highly Selective High School & College Publications

The first type of journals that students should think about are highly selective high school & college-level publications. These journals include  the Concord Review  or the  Columbia Junior Science Journal . For example, one Lumiere student’s research was recently admitted to the Cornell Undergraduate Economic Review, a rigorous college-level journal for university-level economic papers. This student was the first high school student to ever be published in the journal, a clear signal.

These journals include both a review process and a limited number of spots in the journal. The Concord Review, for example, accepts about 45 student research papers each year of an estimated 900 submissions. The Columbia Junior Science Journal, similarly, publishes between 10-20 papers each year. Most of these journals will require original research or data collection of some sort.

Rigorous, Peer Reviewed High School Publications

The next level of journals are rigorous, peer-reviewed publications. These journals, such as the  Journal of Emerging Investigators  or the  Journal of Student Research , have a peer-review process. These journals have requirements on the type of papers that are accepted (e.g., some will accept new data analyses, some will accept literature reviews). These journals do not have a certain number of slots predefined, but they do have a bar for what type of research they will accept. For these journals, students will submit their paper and the journal will assign (or ask you to identify) a potential set of reviewers for the paper. These reviewers will be researchers in the field, who hold a PhD. The reviewers will then give back comments.  The Journal of Emerging Investigators  stands out here among these journals as being one of the most rigorous and providing the most in-depth, critical feedback to students.

Pay to Play Research Journals (AVOID THESE) Finally, there are some journals that are essentially “Pay-to-play” meaning that they will accept any paper as long as a fee is paid. These journals are not only not academically ethical, they can actually be a bad signal in the admission process. For example, I spoke with a former Harvard Admission Officer,  Sally Champagne , about her experience with publications. During the late 2000s, there was a high spike in students from Russia submitting “publications” that all linked back to a few fraudulent journals.

You can spot a fraudulent journal if there is a high fee for submitting the paper (some journals will charge a nominal fee to recoup their costs. That is OK, especially if they have a financial aid waiver). If any paper you submit is accepted without any revisions or feedback, then this is also a sign that the publication is not rigorous.

PhD Level Publications in A Field Finally, there are publications that PhD researchers or professors target with their research. These journals are highly selective and can take years of back and forth in order for a paper to be admitted. In general, we do not recommend high school students who are working on independent projects to target these journals for their difficulty and time required. The most common way to target these journals is if you act as a research assistant for a researcher on an existing project and you are credited as a supporting author.

Other Publication Options Beyond journals

There are other ways to showcase your research. I highlight some of those below.

Practitioner publications  Another way to showcase your work is to target respected practitioner publications. These are places where non-researchers go to learn about developments. For example, one student in Lumiere  published a piece in Tech In Asia  summarizing his research on Open Innovation and the Ventilator Market (Tech In Asia is the Tech Crunch equivalent in South East Asia). Other practitioner publications include Online Magazines like Forbes or the Financial Times, local newspapers, or online blogs like the Huffington Post can all serve as possible targets. Generally publications in these places requires direct contact with an editorial manager, who can take a call as to whether your work is appropriate or not. To get to these editorial managers, you’ll need to do some online search and send them a pitch email that explains why your work is relevant to their audience. Offering an “exclusive” can be one additional way to make it attractive to the editors.

Research Conferences  Another place to showcase your research is in research conferences. In some fields, like computer science, conferences are actually more common places to publish work than journals. One advantage of research conferences is that they often will accept  abstracts  of research instead of full-length research articles, making the amount of effort required to get accepted lower. As well, many conferences want more researchers to populate the conference, again making the admission process easier. Example conferences for high school students to look at include the  Harvard Science Research Conference  or the  Sigma Xi Annual Meeting . There are also field specific conferences that you should search for based on your research paper.

Competitions

Finally, a common way to showcase your research is in the form of a student competition. Science fairs, such as  ISEF Regeneron , is one common way for students to showcase their work. But, there are dozens of others, including the  Genius Olympiad  (Environmental Issues),  John Locke Essay Competition , or the  STEM Fellowship Competition . Competitions can be one of the highest impact ways to show your work because it’s clear signaling. If you can win a competition with hundreds of entrants, then being able to write about it in your application shows your unique ability. In addition, competitions can often be submitted to parallel with other research publications (check your publications requirements before doing that though!).

The Final Word – Publication Can Be High Impact

If you have already written a research paper, then I highly encourage you to think about submitting it to high school or college level publications. The majority of work that you have done is spent on the research paper itself. So, if you can spend an additional 10-20 hours to showcase your research, then it’s highly valuable for you.

FAQ About Publications

  • Do I need to publish my research for it to be impactful? No, but it provides a useful signal. Doing research alone is a rare and impressive way for students to showcase their academic depth. If you can publish that research, it adds a layer of external legitimacy to that research.
  • Can I publish a research that is a literature review? Yes, though, you’ll have to think of which target journals accept that. For example, the  Journal of Student Research  and the  STEM Fellowship Journal  both accept literature reviews, but the Journal of Emerging Investigators does not. In general, the more original research that you do (i.e., data analysis, data collection, etc.) the broader the range of publications you can target. With that said, some fields (e.g. astrophysics) can be particularly difficult to do new data collection as a high school student, so for those fields a rigorous literature review is usually the best choice.
  • Are all publications the same? No. Publications are like universities. Some are highly respected, selective, and rigorous and others are not. The key is for you to identify a journal that is as selective/respected as possible that you can get into. Watch out for pay-to-play journals, as they can become  negative  signals for you and your application.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

Stephen Turban,  Lumiere Education

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A Guide to Writing a Scientific Paper: A Focus on High School Through Graduate Level Student Research

Renee a. hesselbach.

1 NIEHS Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

David H. Petering

2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Craig A. Berg

3 Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Henry Tomasiewicz

Daniel weber.

This article presents a detailed guide for high school through graduate level instructors that leads students to write effective and well-organized scientific papers. Interesting research emerges from the ability to ask questions, define problems, design experiments, analyze and interpret data, and make critical connections. This process is incomplete, unless new results are communicated to others because science fundamentally requires peer review and criticism to validate or discard proposed new knowledge. Thus, a concise and clearly written research paper is a critical step in the scientific process and is important for young researchers as they are mastering how to express scientific concepts and understanding. Moreover, learning to write a research paper provides a tool to improve science literacy as indicated in the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards (1996), and A Framework for K–12 Science Education (2011), the underlying foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards currently being developed. Background information explains the importance of peer review and communicating results, along with details of each critical component, the Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results , and Discussion . Specific steps essential to helping students write clear and coherent research papers that follow a logical format, use effective communication, and develop scientific inquiry are described.

Introduction

A key part of the scientific process is communication of original results to others so that one's discoveries are passed along to the scientific community and the public for awareness and scrutiny. 1 – 3 Communication to other scientists ensures that new findings become part of a growing body of publicly available knowledge that informs how we understand the world around us. 2 It is also what fuels further research as other scientists incorporate novel findings into their thinking and experiments.

Depending upon the researcher's position, intent, and needs, communication can take different forms. The gold standard is writing scientific papers that describe original research in such a way that other scientists will be able to repeat it or to use it as a basis for their studies. 1 For some, it is expected that such articles will be published in scientific journals after they have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. Scientists must submit their articles for examination by other scientists familiar with the area of research, who decide whether the work was conducted properly and whether the results add to the knowledge base and are conveyed well enough to merit publication. 2 If a manuscript passes the scrutiny of peer-review, it has the potential to be published. 1 For others, such as for high school or undergraduate students, publishing a research paper may not be the ultimate goal. However, regardless of whether an article is to be submitted for publication, peer review is an important step in this process. For student researchers, writing a well-organized research paper is a key step in learning how to express understanding, make critical connections, summarize data, and effectively communicate results, which are important goals for improving science literacy of the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards, 4 and A Framework for K–12 Science Education, 5 and the Next Generation Science Standards 6 currently being developed and described in The NSTA Reader's Guide to A Framework for K–12 Science Education. 7 Table 1 depicts the key skills students should develop as part of the Science as Inquiry Content Standard. Table 2 illustrates the central goals of A Framework for K–12 Science Education Scientific and Engineering Practices Dimension.

Key Skills of the Science as Inquiry National Science Education Content Standard

National Research Council (1996).

Important Practices of A Framework for K–12 Science Education Scientific and Engineering Practices Dimension

National Research Council (2011).

Scientific papers based on experimentation typically include five predominant sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion . This structure is a widely accepted approach to writing a research paper, and has specific sections that parallel the scientific method. Following this structure allows the scientist to tell a clear, coherent story in a logical format, essential to effective communication. 1 , 2 In addition, using a standardized format allows the reader to find specific information quickly and easily. While readers may not have time to read the entire research paper, the predictable format allows them to focus on specific sections such as the Abstract , Introduction , and Discussion sections. Therefore, it is critical that information be placed in the appropriate and logical section of the report. 3

Guidelines for Writing a Primary Research Article

The Title sends an important message to the reader about the purpose of the paper. For example, Ethanol Effects on the Developing Zebrafish: Neurobehavior and Skeletal Morphogenesis 8 tells the reader key information about the content of the research paper. Also, an appropriate and descriptive title captures the attention of the reader. When composing the Title , students should include either the aim or conclusion of the research, the subject, and possibly the independent or dependent variables. Often, the title is created after the body of the article has been written, so that it accurately reflects the purpose and content of the article. 1 , 3

The Abstract provides a short, concise summary of the research described in the body of the article and should be able to stand alone. It provides readers with a quick overview that helps them decide whether the article may be interesting to read. Included in the Abstract are the purpose or primary objectives of the experiment and why they are important, a brief description of the methods and approach used, key findings and the significance of the results, and how this work is different from the work of others. It is important to note that the Abstract briefly explains the implications of the findings, but does not evaluate the conclusions. 1 , 3 Just as with the Title , this section needs to be written carefully and succinctly. Often this section is written last to ensure it accurately reflects the content of the paper. Generally, the optimal length of the Abstract is one paragraph between 200 and 300 words, and does not contain references or abbreviations.

All new research can be categorized by field (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology) and by area within the field (e.g., biology: evolution, ecology, cell biology, anatomy, environmental health). Many areas already contain a large volume of published research. The role of the Introduction is to place the new research within the context of previous studies in the particular field and area, thereby introducing the audience to the research and motivating the audience to continue reading. 1

Usually, the writer begins by describing what is known in the area that directly relates to the subject of the article's research. Clearly, this must be done judiciously; usually there is not room to describe every bit of information that is known. Each statement needs one or more references from the scientific literature that supports its validity. Students must be reminded to cite all references to eliminate the risk of plagiarism. 2 Out of this context, the author then explains what is not known and, therefore, what the article's research seeks to find out. In doing so, the scientist provides the rationale for the research and further develops why this research is important. The final statement in the Introduction should be a clearly worded hypothesis or thesis statement, as well as a brief summary of the findings as they relate to the stated hypothesis. Keep in mind that the details of the experimental findings are presented in the Results section and are aimed at filling the void in our knowledge base that has been pointed out in the Introduction .

Materials and Methods

Research utilizes various accepted methods to obtain the results that are to be shared with others in the scientific community. The quality of the results, therefore, depends completely upon the quality of the methods that are employed and the care with which they are applied. The reader will refer to the Methods section: (a) to become confident that the experiments have been properly done, (b) as the guide for repeating the experiments, and (c) to learn how to do new methods.

It is particularly important to keep in mind item (b). Since science deals with the objective properties of the physical and biological world, it is a basic axiom that these properties are independent of the scientist who reported them. Everyone should be able to measure or observe the same properties within error, if they do the same experiment using the same materials and procedures. In science, one does the same experiment by exactly repeating the experiment that has been described in the Methods section. Therefore, someone can only repeat an experiment accurately if all the relevant details of the experimental methods are clearly described. 1 , 3

The following information is important to include under illustrative headings, and is generally presented in narrative form. A detailed list of all the materials used in the experiments and, if important, their source should be described. These include biological agents (e.g., zebrafish, brine shrimp), chemicals and their concentrations (e.g., 0.20 mg/mL nicotine), and physical equipment (e.g., four 10-gallon aquariums, one light timer, one 10-well falcon dish). The reader needs to know as much as necessary about each of the materials; however, it is important not to include extraneous information. For example, consider an experiment involving zebrafish. The type and characteristics of the zebrafish used must be clearly described so another scientist could accurately replicate the experiment, such as 4–6-month-old male and female zebrafish, the type of zebrafish used (e.g., Golden), and where they were obtained (e.g., the NIEHS Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center in the WATER Institute of the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee). In addition to describing the physical set-up of the experiment, it may be helpful to include photographs or diagrams in the report to further illustrate the experimental design.

A thorough description of each procedure done in the reported experiment, and justification as to why a particular method was chosen to most effectively answer the research question should also be included. For example, if the scientist was using zebrafish to study developmental effects of nicotine, the reader needs to know details about how and when the zebrafish were exposed to the nicotine (e.g., maternal exposure, embryo injection of nicotine, exposure of developing embryo to nicotine in the water for a particular length of time during development), duration of the exposure (e.g., a certain concentration for 10 minutes at the two-cell stage, then the embryos were washed), how many were exposed, and why that method was chosen. The reader would also need to know the concentrations to which the zebrafish were exposed, how the scientist observed the effects of the chemical exposure (e.g., microscopic changes in structure, changes in swimming behavior), relevant safety and toxicity concerns, how outcomes were measured, and how the scientist determined whether the data/results were significantly different in experimental and unexposed control animals (statistical methods).

Students must take great care and effort to write a good Methods section because it is an essential component of the effective communication of scientific findings.

The Results section describes in detail the actual experiments that were undertaken in a clear and well-organized narrative. The information found in the Methods section serves as background for understanding these descriptions and does not need to be repeated. For each different experiment, the author may wish to provide a subtitle and, in addition, one or more introductory sentences that explains the reason for doing the experiment. In a sense, this information is an extension of the Introduction in that it makes the argument to the reader why it is important to do the experiment. The Introduction is more general; this text is more specific.

Once the reader understands the focus of the experiment, the writer should restate the hypothesis to be tested or the information sought in the experiment. For example, “Atrazine is routinely used as a crop pesticide. It is important to understand whether it affects organisms that are normally found in soil. We decided to use worms as a test organism because they are important members of the soil community. Because atrazine damages nerve cells, we hypothesized that exposure to atrazine will inhibit the ability of worms to do locomotor activities. In the first experiment, we tested the effect of the chemical on burrowing action.”

Then, the experiments to be done are described and the results entered. In reporting on experimental design, it is important to identify the dependent and independent variables clearly, as well as the controls. The results must be shown in a way that can be reproduced by the reader, but do not include more details than needed for an effective analysis. Generally, meaningful and significant data are gathered together into tables and figures that summarize relevant information, and appropriate statistical analyses are completed based on the data gathered. Besides presenting each of these data sources, the author also provides a written narrative of the contents of the figures and tables, as well as an analysis of the statistical significance. In the narrative, the writer also connects the results to the aims of the experiment as described above. Did the results support the initial hypothesis? Do they provide the information that was sought? Were there problems in the experiment that compromised the results? Be careful not to include an interpretation of the results; that is reserved for the Discussion section.

The writer then moves on to the next experiment. Again, the first paragraph is developed as above, except this experiment is seen in the context of the first experiment. In other words, a story is being developed. So, one commonly refers to the results of the first experiment as part of the basis for undertaking the second experiment. “In the first experiment we observed that atrazine altered burrowing activity. In order to understand how that might occur, we decided to study its impact on the basic biology of locomotion. Our hypothesis was that atrazine affected neuromuscular junctions. So, we did the following experiment..”

The Results section includes a focused critical analysis of each experiment undertaken. A hallmark of the scientist is a deep skepticism about results and conclusions. “Convince me! And then convince me again with even better experiments.” That is the constant challenge. Without this basic attitude of doubt and willingness to criticize one's own work, scientists do not get to the level of concern about experimental methods and results that is needed to ensure that the best experiments are being done and the most reproducible results are being acquired. Thus, it is important for students to state any limitations or weaknesses in their research approach and explain assumptions made upfront in this section so the validity of the research can be assessed.

The Discussion section is the where the author takes an overall view of the work presented in the article. First, the main results from the various experiments are gathered in one place to highlight the significant results so the reader can see how they fit together and successfully test the original hypotheses of the experiment. Logical connections and trends in the data are presented, as are discussions of error and other possible explanations for the findings, including an analysis of whether the experimental design was adequate. Remember, results should not be restated in the Discussion section, except insofar as it is absolutely necessary to make a point.

Second, the task is to help the reader link the present work with the larger body of knowledge that was portrayed in the Introduction . How do the results advance the field, and what are the implications? What does the research results mean? What is the relevance? 1 , 3

Lastly, the author may suggest further work that needs to be done based on the new knowledge gained from the research.

Supporting Documentation and Writing Skills

Tables and figures are included to support the content of the research paper. These provide the reader with a graphic display of information presented. Tables and figures must have illustrative and descriptive titles, legends, interval markers, and axis labels, as appropriate; should be numbered in the order that they appear in the report; and include explanations of any unusual abbreviations.

The final section of the scientific article is the Reference section. When citing sources, it is important to follow an accepted standardized format, such as CSE (Council of Science Editors), APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), or CMS (Chicago Manual of Style). References should be listed in alphabetical order and original authors cited. All sources cited in the text must be included in the Reference section. 1

When writing a scientific paper, the importance of writing concisely and accurately to clearly communicate the message should be emphasized to students. 1 – 3 Students should avoid slang and repetition, as well as abbreviations that may not be well known. 1 If an abbreviation must be used, identify the word with the abbreviation in parentheses the first time the term is used. Using appropriate and correct grammar and spelling throughout are essential elements of a well-written report. 1 , 3 Finally, when the article has been organized and formatted properly, students are encouraged to peer review to obtain constructive criticism and then to revise the manuscript appropriately. Good scientific writing, like any kind of writing, is a process that requires careful editing and revision. 1

A key dimension of NRC's A Framework for K–12 Science Education , Scientific and Engineering Practices, and the developing Next Generation Science Standards emphasizes the importance of students being able to ask questions, define problems, design experiments, analyze and interpret data, draw conclusions, and communicate results. 5 , 6 In the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, we found the guidelines presented in this article useful for high school science students because this group of students (and probably most undergraduates) often lack in understanding of, and skills to develop and write, the various components of an effective scientific paper. Students routinely need to focus more on the data collected and analyze what the results indicated in relation to the research question/hypothesis, as well as develop a detailed discussion of what they learned. Consequently, teaching students how to effectively organize and write a research report is a critical component when engaging students in scientific inquiry.

Acknowledgments

This article was supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant (Award Number R25RR026299) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. The SEPA program at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee is part of the Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, Community Outreach and Education Core, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Award Number P30ES004184). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Disclosure Statement

No competing financial interests exist.

The Complete Guide to Independent Research Projects for High School Students

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Indigo Research Team

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

If you want to get into top universities, an independent research project will give your application the competitive edge it needs.

Writing and publishing independent research during high school lets you demonstrate to top colleges and universities that you can deeply inquire into a topic, think critically, and produce original analysis. In fact, MIT features "Research" and "Maker" portfolio sections in its application, highlighting the value it places on self-driven projects.

Moreover, successfully executing high-quality research shows potential employers that you can rise to challenges, manage your time, contribute new ideas, and work independently. 

This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to take on independent study ideas and succeed. You’ll learn how to develop a compelling topic, conduct rigorous research, and ultimately publish your findings.

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

What is an Independent Research Project?

An independent research project is a self-directed investigation into an academic question or topic that interests you. Unlike projects assigned by teachers in class, independent research will allow you to explore your curiosity and passions.

These types of projects can vary widely between academic disciplines and scientific fields, but what connects them is a step-by-step approach to answering a research question. Specifically, you will have to collect and analyze data and draw conclusions from your analysis.

For a high school student, carrying out quality research may still require some mentorship from a teacher or other qualified scholar. But the project research ideas should come from you, the student. The end goal is producing original research and analysis around a topic you care about.

Some key features that define an independent study project include:

● Formulating your own research question

● Designing the methodology

● Conducting a literature review of existing research

● Gathering and analyzing data, and

● Communicating your findings.

The topic and scope may be smaller than a professional college academic project, but the process and skills learned have similar benefits.

Why Should High School Students Do Independent Research?

High school students who engage in independent study projects gain valuable skills and experiences that benefit and serve them well in their college and career pursuits. Here's a breakdown of what you will typically acquire:

Develop Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

Research and critical thinking are among the top 10 soft skills in demand in 2024 . They help you solve new challenges quickly and come up with alternative solutions

An independent project will give you firsthand experience with essential research skills like forming hypotheses, designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, and interpreting results. These skills will serve you well in college and when employed in any industry.

Stand Out for College Applications

With many applicants having similar GPAs and test scores, an Independent research study offer a chance to stand out from the crowd. Completing a research study in high school signals colleges that you are self-motivated and capable of high-level work. Showcasing your research process, findings, and contributions in your application essays or interviews can boost your application's strengths in top-level colleges and universities.

Earn Scholarship Opportunities

Completing an independent research project makes you a more preferred candidate for merit-based scholarships, especially in STEM fields. Many scholarships reward students who show initiative by pursuing projects outside of class requirements. Your research project ideas will demonstrate your skills and motivation to impress scholarship committees. For example, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology rewards students with original independent research projects in STEM fields. Others include the Garcia Summer Program and the BioGENEius challenge for life sciences.

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

Gain Subject Area Knowledge

Independent projects allow you to immerse yourself in a topic you genuinely care about beyond what is covered in the classroom. It's a chance to become an expert in something you're passionate about . You will build deep knowledge in the topic area you choose to research, which can complement what you're learning in related classes. This expertise can even help inform your career interests and goals.

Develop Time Management Skills

Time Management is the skill that lets you effectively plan and prioritize tasks and avoid procrastination. With no teacher guiding you step-by-step, independent study projects require strong time management, self-discipline, and personal responsibility – skills critical in college and adulthood.

Types of Independent Research Projects for High School Students

Understanding the different types and categories can spark inspiration if you need help finding an idea for an independent study. Topics for independent research generally fall into a few main buckets:

Science Experiments

For students interested in STEM fields, designing and carrying out science experiments is a great option. Test a hypothesis, collect data, and draw conclusions. Experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and psychology are common choices. Science experiment is best for self-motivated students with access to lab equipment.

Science Experiments Independent Research Projects

Social Science Surveys and Studies  

Use research methods from sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, and psychology to craft a survey study or field observation around a high school research project idea that interests you. Collect data from peers, your community, and online sources, and compile findings. Strong fit for students interested in social studies.

Literary Analysis Paper

This research category involves analyzing existing research papers, books, and articles on a specific topic. Imagine exploring the history of robots, examining the impact of social media on mental health, or comparing different interpretations of a classic novel. If you are an English enthusiast, this is an easy chance to showcase your analytical writing skills.

Programming or Engineering Project

For aspiring programmers or engineers, you can take on practical student projects that develop software programs, apps, websites, robots, electronic gadgets, or other hands-on engineering projects. This type of project will easily highlight your technical skills and interest in computer science or engineering fields in your college applications

Historical Research

History research projects will allow you to travel back and uncover the past to inform the future. This research involves analyzing historical documents, artifacts, and records to shed light on a specific event or period. For example, you can conduct independent research on the impact of a local historical figure or the evolution of fashion throughout the decades. Check to explore even more history project ideas for high school students .

Artistic and Creative Works

If you are artistic and love creating art,  you can explore ideas for independent study to produce an original film, musical composition, sculpture, painting series, fashion line, or other creative work. Alongside the tangible output, document your creative process and inspirations.

Bonus Tip: Feel free to mix different ideas for your project. For example, you could conduct a literature review on a specific historical event and follow it up with field research that interviewed people who experienced the event firsthand.

How To Conduct an Independent Research Project

Now that you have ideas for project topics that match your interests and strengths, here are the critical steps you must follow to move from mere concept to completed study.

1. Get Expert Guidance and Mentorship

As a high school student just starting out in research, it is advised to collaborate with more experienced mentors who will help you learn the ropes of research projects easily. Mentors are usually professors, post-doctoral researchers, or graduate students with significant experience in conducting independent project research and can guide you through the process. 

Specifically, your mentor will advise you on formulating research questions, designing methodologies, analyzing data, and communicating findings effectively. To quickly find mentors in your research project area of interest, enroll in an online academic research mentorship program that targets high school students. You’d be exposed to one-on-one sessions with professors and graduate students that will help you develop your research and publish your findings.

The right mentor can also help transform your independent project ideas into a study suitable for publication in relevant research journals. With their experience, mentors will guide you to follow the proper research methods and best practices. This ensures your work meets the standards required, avoiding rejection from journals. 

2. Develop a Compelling Research Question

Once you are familiar with the type of independent research best suited to your strengths and interests, as explained in the previous section, the next step is to develop a question you want to answer in that field. This is called a research question and will serve as the foundation for your entire project.

The research question will drive your entire project, so it needs to be complex enough to merit investigation but clear enough to study. Here are some ts for crafting your research question:

●  Align your research question(s) with topics you are passionate about and have some background knowledge. You will spend a significant amount of time on this question.

●  Consult with your mentor teacher or professor to get feedback and guidance on developing a feasible, meaningful question

●  Avoid overly broad questions better suited for doctoral dissertations. Narrow your focus to something manageable, but that still intrigues you.

●  Pose your research question as an actual question, like "How does social media usage affect teen mental health?" The question should lay out the key variables you'll be investigating.

●  Ensure your question and desired approach are ethically sound. You may need permission to study human subjects.

●  Conduct preliminary research to ensure your question hasn't already been answered. You want to contribute something new to your field.

With a compelling research question as your compass, you're ready to start your independent study project. Remember to stay flexible; you may need to refine the question further as your research develops.

3. Set a Timeline and Write a Proposal

After defining your research question, the next step is to map out a timeline for completing your research project. This will keep you organized and help you develop strong time management skills.

Start by creating a schedule that outlines all major milestones from start to finish. In your schedule, allow plenty of time for research, experimentation, data analysis, and compiling your report. Always remember to build in some cushion for unexpected delays.

Moreover, you can use tools like Gantt charts to design a timeline for an independent research project . Gantt charts help you visualize your research project timeline at a glance. See the video below for a tutorial on designing a Gantt chart to plan your project schedule:

[YouTube Video on How to Make a Gantt Chart: https://youtu.be/un8j6QqpYa0?si=C2_I0C_ZBXS73kZy ]

Research Proposal

To have a clear direction of the step-by-step process for your independent study, write a 1-2 page research proposal to outline your question, goals, methodology, timeline, resources, and desired outcomes. Get feedback from your mentor to improve the proposal before starting your research. 

Sticking to your timeline requires self-discipline. But strive to meet your goals and deadlines; it will build invaluable real-world skills in time and project management. With a plan in place, it's time to move forward with your research.

4. Do Your Research

This is the active phase where a student is conducting a research project. The specific method you will follow varies enormously based on your project type and field. You should have your methodology outlined in your approved research proposal already. However, most independent research has a similar basic process:

  • Review existing studies : Perform a literature review to understand current knowledge on your topic and inform your own hypothesis/framework. Read relevant studies, articles, and papers.
  • Create methodology materials : Design your independent research methodology for gathering data. This may involve experiments, surveys, interviews, field observations, or analysis of existing artifacts like texts or datasets.
  • Permissions and Equipment :  Secure any necessary equipment and permissions. For example, if doing interviews, you'll need a recording device and consent from participants.
  • Collect your data : For science projects, perform experiments and record results. For surveys, recruit respondents and compile responses. Gather enough data to draw valid conclusions.
  • Analyze the data using appropriate techniques : Quantitative data may involve statistical analysis, while qualitative data requires coding for themes. Consult your mentor for direction.
  • Interpret the findings : Take care not to overstate conclusions. Look for patterns and relationships that shed light on your research question. Always maintain rigorous objectivity.

While a student's project methodology and its execution are unique, ensure you follow the standard practices in your field of interest to ensure high-quality acceptable results. You can always refer to the plan in your research proposal as you diligently carry out the steps required to execute your study. Ensure you have detailed records that document all your processes.  

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

5. Write Your Final Paper and Presentation

Once you've completed your research, it's time to summarize and share your findings with the world by writing the final paper and designing its presentation. This involves synthesizing your work into clear, compelling reporting.

Drafting the paper will likely involve extensive writing and editing. Be prepared to go through multiple revisions to get the paper polished. Follow the standard format used in academic papers in your field;  your mentor can provide you with examples of independent study related to yours. The final product should include: 

  • Abstract : A short summary of your project and conclusions.
  • Introduction : Background on your topic, goals, and research questions.
  • Literature Review : Summary of relevant existing research in your field.
  • Methods : Detailed explanation of the methodology and process of your study.
  • Results : Presentation of the data and main findings from your research. Using visual representations like charts was helpful.
  • Discussion : Objective interpretation and analysis of the results and their significance.
  • Conclusion : Summary of your research contributions, limitations, and suggestions for future work.
  • References/Bibliography : Full citations for all sources referenced.

Adhere to clear academic writing principles to keep your writing objective and straightforward. Generally, stick to a 10-15 page length limit appropriate for student work. However, you may need to write more depending on your project type.

6. Research Presentation

After writing your research project report, you should prepare a presentation to share your research orally. Moreover, a research presentation is a tangible opportunity to practice public speaking and visual communication skills. Your presentation will include slides, handouts, demonstrations, or other aids to engage your audience and highlight key points in your independent study project.

Once you have written your final paper, you will likely want to publish it in relevant journals and publications. For detailed tips see our guide on how to publish your student research paper . Some options you have to formally publish your high school-level independent research include:

  • Submitting your paper to academic journals and competitions
  • Presenting at symposiums and science fairs
  • Sharing on online research databases
  • Adding your work to college applications

Publishing your independent project allows you to share your findings with broader scholarly and student audiences. It also helps amplify the impact of all your hard work.

Independent Research Project Examples

To spark creative ideas for independent research projects, it can be helpful to read through and examine examples of successful projects completed by other high school students in recent years. Here are some inspiring examples:

●  Using machine learning to diagnose cancer based on blood markers (bioinformatics)

●  Applying feature engineering and natural language processing to analyze Twitter data (data science)

●  Investigating connections between stress levels and HIV/AIDS progression (health science)

●  The Relationship between Color and Human Experience

These published i ndependent research project examples demonstrate the impressive research high schoolers take on using the Indigo research service with mentors from different fields. Let these case studies motivate your creative investigation and analysis of the best ideas for your project.

Need Mentorship for Your Independent Research Project?

As outlined in this guide, conducting a rigorous independent research study can be challenging without proper guidance from experts, especially for high school students. This is why partnering with an experienced research mentor is so crucial if your goal is to produce publishable research work.

With Indigo's structured research programs and ongoing expert feedback, you can elevate your high school independent study to a professional level. To get matched with the perfect research mentor aligned with your academic interests and passions, apply to Indigo Research now.

Indigo Research connects high school students with PhD-level researchers and professors who provide one-on-one mentorship through the entire research process - from refining your initial topic idea all the way through analyzing data, writing up results, and finalizing your findings.

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

How Teens Can Publish Scientific Research Before College

  • April 15, 2020

I recently had the opportunity to meet the team from the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI), a free mentorship program and open-access journal that publishes original research written by middle and high school students about topics in the biological and physical sciences. It offers an exciting opportunity for students who want to publish their scientific findings in a peer-reviewed scientific journal before they go to college.

JEI is a non-profit group, operated by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors across the US, that gives teens feedback on original research and helps them publish their research through JEI’s open-access and free journal. 

In addition to providing students insight and experience in the scientific process, JEI offers a unique opportunity to learn peer review and publication, a critical part of being a scientist. Publishing is also a significant accomplishment that students can feature in their college and scholarship applications and resumes.

Journal of Emerging Investigators_Student Workshop

I chatted with Brandon Sit, Executive Director at JEI, and asked him to explain how the process works, the benefits of the program, what students and mentors can expect, and how parents can support their child.

How did JEI get started?

Like many of the research projects we publish, JEI started with an observation. As a volunteer at several local science fairs in the Boston area, our founder, Sarah Fankhauser, noticed that the posters of many students – including all the data and the conclusions — often went into the trash once fair concluded. She asked herself, ‘How could we keep the work of these young scientists alive past science fair and share it more broadly?’.

At the time, there was no science journal dedicated to publishing the work of middle and high school students, so Sarah brought the idea to her fellow graduate students at Harvard Medical School. We published our first paper in 2012 and haven’t looked back! 

We started JEI because we believe that all students should have an opportunity to share their research findings with their peers and the world. In particular, we believe that they should be able to do so in a way that teaches them about how professional and academic scientists share and curate knowledge!

Education about scientific communication is virtually non-existent in US K-12 science curricular guidelines, and our experience as practicing scientists gave us a perfect background to set up JEI. By creating a journal and peer review process from the ground up, we were able to tailor the entire experience to pre-college students. In doing so, we baked in opportunities to engage and mentor them at all stages of the scientific method – from question generation to data collection all the way through to publication of results. 

How do students benefit?

As professional scientists, a large part of our day involves reading scientific articles, writing about our own data into journal manuscripts, or otherwise communicating science to both scientific audiences and the public. The times when we prepare our research for publication are particularly edifying; they help us to see “the whole picture” of our research with remarkable new clarity.  

T hese experiences—and the skill to communicate scientific work clearly—are critical to success in STEM careers. Yet most young scientists have few opportunities to present their independent scientific research, and outside of once-a-year local science fairs, receive minimal feedback from other scientists and educators.

We founded JEI to offer professional scientific mentorship and engage students on their own turf using their unique, independent research. The manuscript publication process provides a perfect substrate for scientists to suggest feedback to students and engage them in a series of scientific critiques and revisions that ultimately both strengthens their research project and trains their minds to tackle future challenges in STEM.

Publishing with JEI has taught me the interdisciplinary nature of scientific research. Each problem has to be tackled with an open mind, with a creativity and curiosity that draws upon knowledge from numerous different fields, and with a highly collaborative mindset that seeks to build upon previous work done by other researchers. I am excited to continue pursuing research in science and Artificial Intelligence, and I am extremely thankful for the opportunity JEI gave me to publish my work. – Toby Kremain, Newton North High School (Newton, MA)

What kind of impact has JEI had?

Since 2012, JEI has published over 250 papers authored by pre-college students! Since many of our manuscripts have several student authors, this represents about 1500 students that we have been able to mentor through our organization. Our reach from a small Massachusetts-centric organization has expanded—we now have submissions from all over the United States, as well as international submissions. Our staff has grown to about 300 active PhD students, research fellows, academic faculty, and professional scientists. 

Can you share some examples of published articles?

1) “ Investigation of everyday locations for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Cambridge, Massachusetts”  

2) “ Antibacterial activity and absorption of paper towels made from fruit peel extracts ”

3) “ A simple printing solution to aid deficit reduction ”: This article was picked up by CNN and subsequently covered very heavily in the national media ( CNN , the Atlantic ).

How does the research submission process work?

JEI’s core activity is as a scientific journal, which means that our process starts when students, with the help of their teacher or other supervisor, submit an electronic version of their research manuscript to us on our online submission portal. 

For the student, the process starts when they have a research question they are passionate about. With the support of their senior mentor (e.g., a parent or a teacher), the student carries out experiments to answer their question of interest and writes up their research in a manuscript. We provide guidelines on emerginginvestigators.org to help students convert their classroom work or science fair work into a scientific manuscript, something that they may not have done in class before.

A Managing Editor reviews every submitted manuscript, first performing a quality control/formatting check to make sure all of our basic requirements have been met: a clear hypothesis, basic adherence to our writing guidelines, and inclusion of appropriate approval forms. We will communicate with the student and mentor via email to fix any of those issues.

Next, the Managing Editor assigns the manuscript to a dedicated Associate Editor, who will then ask 3 or 4 JEI-affiliated scientists with expertise in that research area to review the manuscript. Both the Associate Editor and reviewers read the manuscript and give constructive feedback about how to improve the experiments and the writing. Once the review process is finished, the editor combines all of the reviewers’ comments into a summary letter that helps the student authors understand each comment and the work they need to do to revise the manuscript. There is no time limit for students to revise their manuscripts, and the editors are available as contacts for the students if they have additional questions. 

Once students submit their revised manuscript, the same editor will either return it for additional edits or accept the manuscript and move it to copy editing. Our copy editing team then works with the student to hone style, grammar, clarity, and other presentation details of the manuscript, while retaining the student’s voice and writing. Once the student has gone through the copy editing revisions, the manuscript is passed on to our Publishing Editors, who format the article into a professional journal proof. The article is then published on our website, and we send press releases to any local media outlets.

We’ve designed this process to be almost exactly the same as the one used by professional scientific journals. From start to finish, we aim to publish students’ work on our website within 5-6 months of their initial submission.

What should students know?

First off, congratulations on undertaking or planning to undertake your own independent research! While research can often be tough, it is ultimately very rewarding to create a project that contributes to our general knowledge, and is a complete product that you can present to others to show your efforts and skills. 

Our most important piece of advice is for you to read our guidelines and follow them as closely as possible—most delays in manuscript processing come from guidelines not being followed. Make sure to share these guidelines with your teacher or mentor, so that you are both on the same page. This will not only help you design your experiment, but will also help you avoid delays from formatting or other causes when you submit your manuscript!

One of the most important guidelines is that your research is hypothesis-driven. This means that you ask a question, predict what the answer might be (your hypothesis), and then carry out experiments or tests to see whether your predictions are supported by your experimental results or not.

Another important aspect is that you complete the proper approval forms before undertaking any research that involves human participants or vertebrate animals (like mice).

If you would like support from your teacher in doing your project, we suggest that you talk to them one-on-one about your desire to do your own project to see if they can assist you. Before you do this, it may also be very useful to fill out a research study proposal form so you can present your ideas to them in writing. They may be able to give you more specific feedback on your form than they would in a conversation. Filling out the form will also show them that you have spent time thinking seriously about your project. 

JEI has tools and resources to help with any stage of a scientific experiment. Even if you haven’t thought of your experiment yet—if you just have an idea of something you are interested in—get in touch with us at our Ask-a-Scientist page and we’ll do our best to help you!

How can students use this experience in college applications?

Publishing in a scientific journal before college is a significant boost to any students’ profile for college and/or scholarship applications. It demonstrates that they understand the practice of science in today’s society, and more importantly, shows that they are capable of generating an original scientific question, developing hypotheses about that question, testing their hypotheses, and writing about their results. 

Publishing a manuscript on your own research project shows great tenacity, commitment, and skill (both in science and in writing). You will learn how to think critically about how to answer your question, accept constructive criticism, manage your time and resources, write like a scientist, and design experiments. You may want to talk about all or some of these aspects in your essays and, if the application allows, attach your manuscript as a supplemental document. You may also want to talk about the challenges and successes of carrying out your own research project and what you learned from trying things out for yourself. In addition, presenting your own research project and manuscript is a great way to show yourself a self-motivated and curious individual. 

Beyond applications, this experience often ignites a student’s interest in pursuing a STEM major and opportunities during college: many of our student authors go on to apply for and obtain positions as undergraduate researchers at university labs and research groups. 

What is a teacher’s role and how can they get involved?

Since our students can range in grade level from middle to high school, one blanket requirement for all of our manuscripts is that an adult is listed as a senior author. In virtually all cases, this is the student’s teacher or research supervisor. 

The senior author’s role in the process is to assist the student in the design and execution of the study and the manuscript write-up. The level of involvement of each teacher is, of course, up to the student and teacher—some students can undertake their projects very independently (especially if they have had previous experience), whereas others would like more advice if this is their first research project. We would like senior mentors to be present for all steps of the process, from submission all the way to publication, in order to help the student tackle the revisions to the manuscript. This can sometimes be a lengthy process (>6 months), given that revisions can take a while to complete if a student is busy with classes. 

We also require that the manuscript be submitted to our platform by the senior mentor.  Besides supervising the student(s) during their experiments and their revisions, the teacher (or mentor) acts as the main point of contact for communications with the journal. This approach ensures that the manuscript has received approval to be submitted and that there is a mentor present and willing to assist the student author.

Teachers with student(s) potentially interested in JEI can get more information about the process and submission requirements on our website. One requirement that some authors do not realize we have is that for any studies involving humans or animals, authors must obtain ethical and scientific approval from the appropriate entities before performing their research. This is something that teachers can particularly help with, by ensuring authors have all the correct documentation completed before they embark on their experiments. 

JEI has also recently started to generate materials that incorporate JEI articles into classroom worksheets and exercises! These are great tools for educators who would like to incorporate reading of primary scientific literature into their classrooms. These are free to use and can be accessed on our resources page . 

How can parents support their child?

Parents play similar roles in the JEI process as do teachers; they can also act as senior mentors on student manuscripts. 

If, as a parent, you would like to get your child involved in a research project, we would encourage you to have them explore some of JEI’s published articles. Not all of them may be accessible to younger grade levels, so you and/or their teacher may need to choose the right articles to read and help them brainstorm new directions of research.

One question we get sometimes from students is whether their research is “good enough” to publish. At JEI, we try to emphasize that you don’t need to do an incredibly complex experiment with expensive equipment to do “good” science—you just need to be interested in a topic and ask a well-thought-out scientific question about it. We place absolutely no requirement on the complexity of the manuscript. Here, parents can help us out by encouraging their children to ask questions and think scientifically about the things all around them in their everyday lives! 

One new program we’re starting at JEI is tailored to this aspect of scientific inquiry: our new “Ask-a-Scientist” feature. Ask-a-Scientist is an online portal where students and their teachers/parents, no matter their research progress, can submit questions to our staff and receive individualized advice and help designing good research questions and outlining doable experiments. Interested parents and students can find more information by visiting Ask-a-Scientist .  

You can also ask your child or your child’s teacher if there are any local science fairs that students are participating in or if there are research-based projects being carried out in class. Science fair submissions and in-class research projects (commonly as a final project) often become JEI submissions.  

Is there any cost to participate?

Submission and publication in JEI are completely free for all students and their mentors.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

JEI also offers a number of educational resources for teachers and is always looking to collaborate with classrooms in the local Boston area to help teach authentic STEM!

Final thoughts

If your child has been published in JEI, will you share your experience with me? I’d love to hear about your child’s work and your experience with the organization! Contact me at bostontechmom.com . 

Image Credit: JEI

  • Posted in STEM Programs

Comments on “How Teens Can Publish Scientific Research Before College”

hey, can I submit a manuscript based on a idea/ observation rather than a actual research paper regarding school bus transport system in Dubai. This idea requires further efficacy and feasibility study to confirm the observation.

I would start by reviewing the Submission Guidelines: https://emerginginvestigators.org/submissions/hypothesis-driven-research .

Does JEI by any chance accept research papers by international students in high school or it’s required to be only for the US citizens?:)

International submissions are accepted.

Hello – How long does the review process take on average? Does JEI suggest the right journals based on the paper? How long does it take from submission to journal to get published?

JEI says they aim to publish students’ work on their website within 5-6 months of their initial submission. Visit their website to learn about the submission process: https://www.emerginginvestigators.org/submissions/guidelines . Contact them directly with questions at [email protected] .

Hello, I have completed a research on Solar Panels and how to improve their efficiency. My research suggests new scientific way to improve the Solar panel efficiency, however I have not completed the testing due to limitation in constructing the material in the lab. Can I publish my findings at JEI? Thanks

I would contact JEI directly to discuss your research. You can reach them at [email protected] .

Hello, Thank you.

I have been doing a research on the Collatz conjecture and I discovered some ways to simplify it. I did this research alone without even a teacher or parent helping me. Am I able to publish in this journal?

Hey Ntobeko, I have also been working on Collatz conjecture. I have also find some patterns in Collatz Sequence, without the help of anybody else…if u would like to contact me, then email me here, [email protected]

Hey, Can I publish Mathematical Research Papers, with the help of JEI, like a newly devised Formula(which requires less time than Traditional method) or a paper on patterns observed in numbers(Number-Theory related), etc…???

Thanks for your question! I would contact JEI directly with your idea. You can reach them at [email protected] .

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How to Write a Research Paper in High School

What’s covered:, how to pick a compelling research paper topic, how to format your research paper, tips for writing a research paper, do research paper grades impact your college chances.

A research paper can refer to a broad range of expanded essays used to explain your interpretation of a topic. This task is highly likely to be a common assignment in high school , so it’s always better to get a grasp on this sooner than later. Getting comfortable writing research papers does not have to be difficult, and can actually be pretty interesting when you’re genuinely intrigued by what you’re researching. 

Regardless of what kind of research paper you are writing, getting started with a topic is the first step, and sometimes the hardest step. Here are some tips to get you started with your paper and get the writing to begin! 

Pick A Topic You’re Genuinely Interested In

Nothing comes across as half-baked as much as a topic that is evidently uninteresting, not to the reader, but the writer. You can only get so far with a topic that you yourself are not genuinely happy writing, and this lack of enthusiasm cannot easily be created artificially. Instead, read about things that excite you, such as some specific concepts about the structure of atoms in chemistry. Take what’s interesting to you and dive further with a research paper. 

If you need some ideas, check out our post on 52 interesting research paper topics .

The Topic Must Be A Focal Point

Your topic can almost be considered as the skeletal structure of the research paper. But in order to better understand this we need to understand what makes a good topic. Here’s an example of a good topic:

How does the amount of pectin in a vegetable affect its taste and other qualities?

This topic is pretty specific in explaining the goals of the research paper. If I had instead written something more vague such as Factors that affect taste in vegetables , the scope of the research immediately increased to a more herculean task simply because there is more to write about, some of which is overtly unnecessary. This is avoided by specifications in the topic that help guide the writer into a focused path.

By creating this specific topic, we can route back to it during the writing process to check if we’re addressing it often, and if we are then our writing is going fine! Otherwise, we’d have to reevaluate the progression of our paper and what to change. A good topic serves as a blueprint for writing the actual essay because everything you need to find out is in the topic itself, it’s almost like a sort of plan/instruction. 

Formatting a research paper is important to not only create a “cleaner” more readable end product, but it also helps streamline the writing process by making it easier to navigate. The following guidelines on formatting are considered a standard for research papers, and can be altered as per the requirements of your specific assignments, just check with your teacher/grader!

Start by using a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial, in 12 or 11 sized font. Also, add one inch margins for the pages, along with some double spacing between lines. These specifications alone get you started on a more professional and cleaner looking research paper.

Paper Citations 

If you’re creating a research paper for some sort of publication, or submission, you must use citations to refer to the sources you’ve used for the research of your topic. The APA citation style, something you might be familiar with, is the most popular citation style and it works as follows:

Author Last Name, First Initial, Publication Year, Book/Movie/Source title, Publisher/Organization

This can be applied to any source of media/news such as a book, a video, or even a magazine! Just make sure to use citation as much as possible when using external data and sources for your research, as it could otherwise land you in trouble with unwanted plagiarism. 

Structuring The Paper

Structuring your paper is also important, but not complex either. Start by creating an introductory paragraph that’s short and concise, and tells the reader what they’re going to be reading about. Then move onto more contextual information and actual presentation of research. In the case of a paper like this, you could start with stating your hypothesis in regard to what you’re researching, or even state your topic again with more clarification!

As the paper continues you should be bouncing between views that support and go against your claim/hypothesis to maintain a neutral tone. Eventually you will reach a conclusion on whether or not your hypothesis was valid, and from here you can begin to close the paper out with citations and reflections on the research process.

Talk To Your Teacher

Before the process of searching for a good topic, start by talking to your teachers first! You should form close relations with them so they can help guide you with better inspiration and ideas.

Along the process of writing, you’re going to find yourself needing help when you hit walls. Specifically there will be points at which the scope of your research could seem too shallow to create sizable writing off of it, therefore a third person point of view could be useful to help think of workarounds in such situations. 

You might be writing a research paper as a part of a submission in your applications to colleges, which is a great way to showcase your skills! Therefore, to really have a good chance to showcase yourself as a quality student, aim for a topic that doesn’t sell yourself short. It would be easier to tackle a topic that is not as intense to research, but the end results would be less worthwhile and could come across as lazy. Focus on something genuinely interesting and challenging so admissions offices know you are a determined and hard-working student!

Don’t Worry About Conclusions

The issue many students have with writing research papers, is that they aren’t satisfied with arriving at conclusions that do not support their original hypothesis. It’s important to remember that not arriving at a specific conclusion that your hypothesis was planning on, is totally fine! The whole point of a research paper is not to be correct, but it’s to showcase the trial and error behind learning and understanding something new. 

If your findings clash against your initial hypothesis, all that means is you’ve arrived at a new conclusion that can help form a new hypothesis or claim, with sound reasoning! Getting rid of this mindset that forces you to warp around your hypothesis and claims can actually improve your research writing by a lot!

Colleges won’t ever see the grades for individual assignments, but they do care a bit more about the grades you achieve in your courses. Research papers may play towards your overall course grade based on the kind of class you’re in. Therefore to keep those grades up, you should try your absolute best on your essays and make sure they get high-quality reviews to check them too!

Luckily, CollegeVine’s peer review for essays does exactly that! This great feature allows you to get your essay checked by other users, and hence make a higher-quality essay that boosts your chances of admission into a university. 

Want more info on your chances for college admissions? Check out CollegeVine’s admissions calculator, an intuitive tool that takes numerous factors into account as inputs before generating your unique chance of admission into an institute of your selection!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

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How to Write and Publish Your Research in a Journal

Last Updated: February 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Choosing a Journal

Writing the research paper, editing & revising your paper, submitting your paper, navigating the peer review process, research paper help.

This article was co-authored by Matthew Snipp, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main . C. Matthew Snipp is the Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. He is also the Director for the Institute for Research in the Social Science’s Secure Data Center. He has been a Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has published 3 books and over 70 articles and book chapters on demography, economic development, poverty and unemployment. He is also currently serving on the National Institute of Child Health and Development’s Population Science Subcommittee. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 697,786 times.

Publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal allows you to network with other scholars, get your name and work into circulation, and further refine your ideas and research. Before submitting your paper, make sure it reflects all the work you’ve done and have several people read over it and make comments. Keep reading to learn how you can choose a journal, prepare your work for publication, submit it, and revise it after you get a response back.

Things You Should Know

  • Create a list of journals you’d like to publish your work in and choose one that best aligns with your topic and your desired audience.
  • Prepare your manuscript using the journal’s requirements and ask at least 2 professors or supervisors to review your paper.
  • Write a cover letter that “sells” your manuscript, says how your research adds to your field and explains why you chose the specific journal you’re submitting to.

Step 1 Create a list of journals you’d like to publish your work in.

  • Ask your professors or supervisors for well-respected journals that they’ve had good experiences publishing with and that they read regularly.
  • Many journals also only accept specific formats, so by choosing a journal before you start, you can write your article to their specifications and increase your chances of being accepted.
  • If you’ve already written a paper you’d like to publish, consider whether your research directly relates to a hot topic or area of research in the journals you’re looking into.

Step 2 Look at each journal’s audience, exposure, policies, and procedures.

  • Review the journal’s peer review policies and submission process to see if you’re comfortable creating or adjusting your work according to their standards.
  • Open-access journals can increase your readership because anyone can access them.

Step 1 Craft an effective introduction with a thesis statement.

  • Scientific research papers: Instead of a “thesis,” you might write a “research objective” instead. This is where you state the purpose of your research.
  • “This paper explores how George Washington’s experiences as a young officer may have shaped his views during difficult circumstances as a commanding officer.”
  • “This paper contends that George Washington’s experiences as a young officer on the 1750s Pennsylvania frontier directly impacted his relationship with his Continental Army troops during the harsh winter at Valley Forge.”

Step 2 Write the literature review and the body of your paper.

  • Scientific research papers: Include a “materials and methods” section with the step-by-step process you followed and the materials you used. [5] X Research source
  • Read other research papers in your field to see how they’re written. Their format, writing style, subject matter, and vocabulary can help guide your own paper. [6] X Research source

Step 3 Write your conclusion that ties back to your thesis or research objective.

  • If you’re writing about George Washington’s experiences as a young officer, you might emphasize how this research changes our perspective of the first president of the U.S.
  • Link this section to your thesis or research objective.
  • If you’re writing a paper about ADHD, you might discuss other applications for your research.

Step 4 Write an abstract that describes what your paper is about.

  • Scientific research papers: You might include your research and/or analytical methods, your main findings or results, and the significance or implications of your research.
  • Try to get as many people as you can to read over your abstract and provide feedback before you submit your paper to a journal.

Step 1 Prepare your manuscript according to the journal’s requirements.

  • They might also provide templates to help you structure your manuscript according to their specific guidelines. [11] X Research source

Step 2 Ask 2 colleagues to review your paper and revise it with their notes.

  • Not all journal reviewers will be experts on your specific topic, so a non-expert “outsider’s perspective” can be valuable.

Step 1 Check your sources for plagiarism and identify 5 to 6 keywords.

  • If you have a paper on the purification of wastewater with fungi, you might use both the words “fungi” and “mushrooms.”
  • Use software like iThenticate, Turnitin, or PlagScan to check for similarities between the submitted article and published material available online. [15] X Research source

Step 2 Write a cover letter explaining why you chose their journal.

  • Header: Address the editor who will be reviewing your manuscript by their name, include the date of submission, and the journal you are submitting to.
  • First paragraph: Include the title of your manuscript, the type of paper it is (like review, research, or case study), and the research question you wanted to answer and why.
  • Second paragraph: Explain what was done in your research, your main findings, and why they are significant to your field.
  • Third paragraph: Explain why the journal’s readers would be interested in your work and why your results are important to your field.
  • Conclusion: State the author(s) and any journal requirements that your work complies with (like ethical standards”).
  • “We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.”
  • “All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [insert the name of the target journal].”

Step 3 Submit your article according to the journal’s submission guidelines.

  • Submit your article to only one journal at a time.
  • When submitting online, use your university email account. This connects you with a scholarly institution, which can add credibility to your work.

Step 1 Try not to panic when you get the journal’s initial response.

  • Accept: Only minor adjustments are needed, based on the provided feedback by the reviewers. A first submission will rarely be accepted without any changes needed.
  • Revise and Resubmit: Changes are needed before publication can be considered, but the journal is still very interested in your work.
  • Reject and Resubmit: Extensive revisions are needed. Your work may not be acceptable for this journal, but they might also accept it if significant changes are made.
  • Reject: The paper isn’t and won’t be suitable for this publication, but that doesn’t mean it might not work for another journal.

Step 2 Revise your paper based on the reviewers’ feedback.

  • Try organizing the reviewer comments by how easy it is to address them. That way, you can break your revisions down into more manageable parts.
  • If you disagree with a comment made by a reviewer, try to provide an evidence-based explanation when you resubmit your paper.

Step 3 Resubmit to the same journal or choose another from your list.

  • If you’re resubmitting your paper to the same journal, include a point-by-point response paper that talks about how you addressed all of the reviewers’ comments in your revision. [22] X Research source
  • If you’re not sure which journal to submit to next, you might be able to ask the journal editor which publications they recommend.

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

Develop a Questionnaire for Research

  • If reviewers suspect that your submitted manuscript plagiarizes another work, they may refer to a Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flowchart to see how to move forward. [23] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

  • ↑ https://www.wiley.com/en-us/network/publishing/research-publishing/choosing-a-journal/6-steps-to-choosing-the-right-journal-for-your-research-infographic
  • ↑ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13187-020-01751-z
  • ↑ https://libguides.unomaha.edu/c.php?g=100510&p=651627
  • ↑ http://www.canberra.edu.au/library/start-your-research/research_help/publishing-research
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/conclusions
  • ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/writing-an-abstract-for-your-research-paper/
  • ↑ https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/book-authors-editors/your-publication-journey/manuscript-preparation
  • ↑ https://apus.libanswers.com/writing/faq/2391
  • ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/keyword/search-strategy
  • ↑ https://ifis.libguides.com/journal-publishing-guide/submitting-your-paper
  • ↑ https://www.springer.com/kr/authors-editors/authorandreviewertutorials/submitting-to-a-journal-and-peer-review/cover-letters/10285574
  • ↑ http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep02/publish.aspx
  • ↑ Matthew Snipp, PhD. Research Fellow, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Expert Interview. 26 March 2020.

About This Article

Matthew Snipp, PhD

To publish a research paper, ask a colleague or professor to review your paper and give you feedback. Once you've revised your work, familiarize yourself with different academic journals so that you can choose the publication that best suits your paper. Make sure to look at the "Author's Guide" so you can format your paper according to the guidelines for that publication. Then, submit your paper and don't get discouraged if it is not accepted right away. You may need to revise your paper and try again. To learn about the different responses you might get from journals, see our reviewer's explanation below. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to publish a research paper as a high school/undergrad student?

Just few years ago, publishing a research paper seems to be relevant only for Master’s Degree students and PhD candidates. However, as competition stifles, it has become more common among top high school and undergraduate students to publish their research paper as a way to distinguish themselves from other students in the admission process. As a high school and college student, the question is – how to publish a research paper? 

Publishing a paper is not an easy task. There are many components in a research paper to think about – research paper framework, topic selection, literature review, research methodology and methods, research analysis and results, citations. It is a combination of showcasing your academic ability, critical thinking and logical thinking, and getting a research paper published is a valid way to endorse these important skills for a student.

How to publish a research paper? – Format requirements

Completing a professional research paper requires you paying attention to the format and content. A research paper usually consists of at least 3,000 words, on a chosen topic. The format of the paper includes the title, abstract, keywords and appropriate citations. The content of the paper includes the introduction, research objectives, aims and questions, critical analysis of literature reviews, research methodology, research methods, research analysis and findings, recommendations, limitations and conclusion.

How to publish a research paper? The researcher must prepare and complete every detail carefully.

How to publish a research paper with a teacher, lecturer or professor

If you have a good relationship with your high school teacher or university lecturer, and you know that they are working on a relevant research paper, you may ask to complete some experiments or research projects together under their guidance. In cases like this, it is typically more applicable for students who have exceptional domain knowledge and will be an asset to the team. Students are also expected to conduct and complete data collection and analysis, and help out with even the most trivial task.

How to publish a research paper? After the research has achieved certain results, the article may be published and with prior discussion, you can put your name in it.

Finding a lecturer or professor to co-publish is not the easiest way to publish a research paper, but once succeeded, it will definitely be a huge highlight in your resume.

If the teachers around you are not working on a research project, you may start looking online for collaboration. There are lecturers and professors from US and UK universities who need an extra helping hand. Google is your best friend!

Search online and email relevant publishers

The type of publisher to which the paper is submitted is very important. Before selecting a journal, you should know the type of content your research paper entails, and choose the same type of journal to submit your paper. Many amateur researchers fail to publish their papers due to improper selection of journals. For example, if you have written a science paper, then you should search for a science-relevant journal publisher.

How to publish a research paper? High school students would also have a higher chance of having their paper published if they select journals specifically targeted at high school students.

Professional research journals generally have their own official websites and submission contacts. Search for a relevant journal website, email or submit your application along with your completed research paper and you will get a chance to publish your research paper.

Participate in academic conference

Some universities with strong academic support often organize academic conferences. An academic conference is a meeting which researchers gather to present their latest findings within their field of work. The key idea of an academic conference is to exchange ideas, participate in a healthy discussion and to keep up with emerging trends. The side benefit of participating in an academic conference is that if you have interesting emerging research, the organizers will collect your findings and submit them. Here are some academic conferences suggested by Imperial College London.

How to publish a research paper? If your paper is included in the proceedings of the conference, then it can be published for free.

Journals which high school students can publish a research paper

  • Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) – A peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research conducted by middle and high school students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Website: https://www.emerginginvestigators.org/
  • Young Scientist Journal (YSJ) – An international journal that accepts original research papers, reviews, and commentaries from high school students across various scientific disciplines. Website: https://ysjournal.com/
  • The Concord Review – A quarterly journal that publishes high school students’ academic research papers in history and the social sciences. Website: http://www.tcr.org/
  • The Journal of High School Science Research (JHSSR) – A peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing research conducted by high school students in scientific fields. Website: https://www.jhssr.org/
  • The Rostrum – A publication that showcases exemplary research, essays, and creative works by high school students in various disciplines, including science, humanities, and social sciences. Website: http://therostrum.net/

Journals which undergraduate students can publish a research paper

  • Journal of Undergraduate Research (JUR) – A multidisciplinary journal that accepts research papers from undergraduate students across various fields. Website: https://jur.byu.edu/
  • The Undergraduate Journal of Psychology at Berkeley (UJPB) – Publishes original research in psychology conducted by undergraduate students. Website: https://psychology.berkeley.edu/undergraduate-journal-psychology-berkeley
  • The Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology (YRURP) – A journal dedicated to publishing undergraduate research in psychology and related fields. Website: https://yrurp.org/
  • Inquiry: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of New Hampshire – Publishes research across various disciplines conducted by undergraduate students. Website: https://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/
  • Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) – An international, student-run journal that accepts research articles from undergraduate students in science and engineering fields. Website: https://www.jyi.org/
  • The American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) – A multidisciplinary journal that showcases undergraduate research across different fields. Website: https://www.ajuronline.org/
  • The Berkeley Scientific Journal (BSJ) – Publishes research conducted by undergraduate students in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Website: https://bsj.berkeley.edu/

Next, you may be interested in one of our students who published his research paper on JOURNYS.

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how to publish a research paper as a high school student

Journal of Student Research

Journal of Student Research (JSR) is an Academic, Multidisciplinary, and Faculty-reviewed Journal (Houston, Texas) devoted to the Rapid Dissemination of Current Research Published by High School Edition , Undergraduate and Graduate students.

Articles Indexed in Scholarly Databases

Altmetric

The journal seeks articles that are novel, integrative, and accessible to a broad audience, including an array of disciplines. The content of the journal ranges from Applied research to Theoretical research. In general, papers on all topics are welcome to submit. The journal uses an automated process from manuscript submission to publication. Manuscript submission, peer review, and publication are all handled online, and the journal automates all clerical steps during peer review.

Trusted By Student Authors Globally

how to publish a research paper as a high school student

Focus and Scope

Students strive to be successful at publications, and with JSR, authors aspiring to publish will receive scholarly feedback after the reviews of their submissions are received. This feedback will help authors identify areas of improvement to their submission and help them better understand the process to be successful at publication. Once published, we strive to provide a global platform for our authors to showcase their work.

Journal Support for Published Articles

Faculty-Refereed Review Process

This journal uses a double-blind review, which means that both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa, throughout the review process. Authors need to ensure that their manuscripts do not give away their identity to facilitate this. To find out more about the review process, please visit the  Author Guidelines  page. We invite teachers and faculty interested in reviewing articles for this journal; please visit our  Reviewers  page for more information.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides access to its published content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Learn more about  Open Access .

Authors Retain Copyright

Articles published in this journal are under a  Creative Commons License , and the authors retain the copyright to their work.

Announcements

Call for papers: volume 13 issue 3.

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university aspiring to publish, we are accepting submissions. Submit Your Article Now!

Deadline: 11:59 p.m. May 31, 2024

About this Publishing System

IMAGES

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Publish a Research Paper In High School: 19 Journals and

    Type of research: Including but not limited to research papers, review articles, and humanity/social science pieces. Curieux Academic Journal is a non-profit run by students and was founded in 2017 to publish outstanding research by high school and middle school students. Curieux publishes one issue per month (twelve per year), so there are ...

  2. The Complete Guide To Publishing Your Research In High School

    This student was the first high school student to ever be published in the journal, a clear signal. These journals include both a review process and a limited number of spots in the journal. The Concord Review, for example, accepts about 45 student research papers each year of an estimated 900 submissions. The Columbia Junior Science Journal ...

  3. High School Guide: How to Publish a Research Paper in 5 Easy Steps

    Carefully proofread and format your paper. Double-check for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Ensure your paper follows the recommended style guide for font type and size, spacing, margins, page numbers, headings, and image captions. ‍. Of course, writing a research paper is not as easy.

  4. 15 Journals to Publish Your Research in High School

    Curieux: The Curieux Academic Journal is a youth-led nonprofit founded in 2017 to publish research by high school and middle school students. They currently operate in California but have editors from across the nation. Submitting your paper to Curieux is a great way to get experience in the craft of academic writing.

  5. 20 Journals to Publish Your Research in High School

    9. Hope Humanities Journal. HOPE, one of the easiest journals to publish your research in, serves as an online humanities platform accessible to all with an interest in the humanities. It offers an international, nonprofit academic forum to champion the humanities and celebrate the accomplishments of young writers.

  6. How to Write a Research Paper as a High School Student

    Create a folder on your computer where you can store your electronic sources. Use an online bibliography creator such as Zotero, Easybib, or Noodletools to track sources and generate citations. You can read research papers by Polygence students under our Projects tab. You can also explore other opportunities for high school research.

  7. How to Publish a Research Paper

    To Publish a Research Paper follow the guide below: Conduct original research: Conduct thorough research on a specific topic or problem. Collect data, analyze it, and draw conclusions based on your findings. Write the paper: Write a detailed paper describing your research.

  8. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO PUBLISHING YOUR RESEARCH IN HIGH SCHOOL

    This student was the first high school student to ever be published in the journal, a clear signal. These journals include both a review process and a limited number of spots in the journal. The Concord Review, for example, accepts about 45 student research papers each year of an estimated 900 submissions.

  9. 4 Tips for Students Who Want to Publish Their Research Article

    Assuming a student wants to publish their research article before the residency application is submitted, there are 3.5 years to excel in class and publish the best research possible. Many times, as class intensifies, the writing takes a backseat. This is really common. Then returning to writing can be challenging for a student without a plan.

  10. Empowering High School Scholars: The Comprehensive Guide to Publishing

    Publishing research as a high school scholar can be an incredibly empowering experience. It allows you to showcase your dedication to a specific field. It also further opens doors to academic and ...

  11. A Guide to Writing a Scientific Paper: A Focus on High School Through

    Introduction. A key part of the scientific process is communication of original results to others so that one's discoveries are passed along to the scientific community and the public for awareness and scrutiny. 1-3 Communication to other scientists ensures that new findings become part of a growing body of publicly available knowledge that informs how we understand the world around us. 2 It ...

  12. Independent Research Projects for High School Students

    March 13, 2024. If you want to get into top universities, an independent research project will give your application the competitive edge it needs. Writing and publishing independent research during high school lets you demonstrate to top colleges and universities that you can deeply inquire into a topic, think critically, and produce original ...

  13. How Teens Can Publish Scientific Research Before College

    I recently had the opportunity to meet the team from the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI), a free mentorship program and open-access journal that publishes original research written by middle and high school students about topics in the biological and physical sciences. It offers an exciting opportunity for students who want to publish their scientific findings in a peer-reviewed ...

  14. How to Write a Research Paper in High School

    The following guidelines on formatting are considered a standard for research papers, and can be altered as per the requirements of your specific assignments, just check with your teacher/grader! Start by using a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial, in 12 or 11 sized font. Also, add one inch margins for the pages, along with some double ...

  15. Guide to High School Science Research

    CUSJ Guide to High School Research Introduction Hi! We are college students in CUSJ, the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal. From high school, we became interested in trying out research and working to make scientific discoveries. We put together this high school guide to research with all of the information that we wish we had known

  16. How to Publish a Research Paper: Your Step-by-Step Guide

    3. Submit your article according to the journal's submission guidelines. Go to the "author's guide" (or similar) on the journal's website to review its submission requirements. Once you are satisfied that your paper meets all of the guidelines, submit the paper through the appropriate channels.

  17. How to publish a research paper as a high school/undergrad student?

    Completing a professional research paper requires you paying attention to the format and content. A research paper usually consists of at least 3,000 words, on a chosen topic. The format of the paper includes the title, abstract, keywords and appropriate citations. The content of the paper includes the introduction, research objectives, aims ...

  18. Journal of Student Research

    Journal of Student Research (JSR) is an Academic, Multidisciplinary, and Faculty-reviewed Journal (Houston, Texas) devoted to the Rapid Dissemination of Current Research Published by High School Edition, Undergraduate and Graduate Students. Focus and Scope. Students strive to be successful at publications, and with JSR, authors aspiring to ...

  19. A Guide For Pursuing Independent Scientific Research ...

    NHSJS is a free, online, student-run and peer-reviewed research journal that is targeted towards high school students. To be published in this journal, students don't have to do independent ...

  20. The Newest Way to Buy an Advantage in College Admissions

    The consequence has been a profusion of published research papers by high school students. ... work in the Houston-based Journal of Student Research. Founded in 2012 to publish undergraduate and ...

  21. HS Research Articles

    Call for Papers: Volume 13 Issue 3 March 4, 2024. If you are a high school student or a recent high school graduate aspiring to publish your research, we are accepting submissions. Submit Your Article Now! Deadline: 11:59 p.m. May 31, 2024. 2301. ARTICLES PUBLISHED: 4713.

  22. How to Publish Research Paper as an International High School Student

    #studyabroad #research #internationalstudents Research Bootcamp: https://www.incognitoblueprints.com/researchbootcampPersonal mentorship program: https://www...

  23. Journal of Student Research

    Journal of Student Research (JSR) is an Academic, Multidisciplinary, and Faculty-reviewed Journal (Houston, Texas) devoted to the Rapid Dissemination of Current Research Published by High School Edition, Undergraduate and Graduate students. The journal seeks articles that are novel, integrative, and accessible to a broad audience, including an ...