best research journals for high school students

+1 (603) 932 7897

[email protected].

12 Research Journals for High School Students

• Last modified 2024-03-28
• Published on 2023-07-20

1. The Concord Review

Introduction: The Concord Review (TCR) is an academic research journal dedicated to publishing historical research papers written by high school students in English. In the spring issue, the quarterly journal has published 1,362 research papers from authors in 46 states and 41 countries. Many TCR authors have gone to prestigious universities and colleges across the U.S. and worldwide. Aralia also published the Guide to the Concord Review to guide students through the process of submitting for the Concord Review, along with the introduction of the Historical Research and Writing class.

Competition Format: All essays should be on a historical topic, although the topic can be in any time period from ancient to modern, and any area from domestic to foreign. Essay submissions must be 5,000-9,000 words, with Chicago-style endnotes and a bibliography. The student must be the sole author of the submission, and the research paper may not be published elsewhere except for a publication of the secondary school the student attends. Students can submit more than one research paper.

Eligibility : Secondary students from all countries and schools can participate.

Deadline : Summer Issue – February 1 / Fall Issue – May 1 / Winter Issue – August 1 / Spring Issue – November 1

Fee : Range from $70 – $150 depending on which type of membership level students want to sign up for. Each author who submits a paper and submission fee, receives the next four issues of the journal in eBook (or print for $30).

Membership Details (Annual Fee): 

• Author – eBook – $70.00 (USD): With your essay submission fee of $70, you will receive a complimentary 1-year subscription to the Electronic (eBook) Edition of The Concord Review. You can choose the Print Edition instead for an additional $30 + shipping and handling.
• Author – Print US – $110.00 (USD): Your essay submission fee of $100 + s&h entitles includes a 1 year subscription to the Print Edition of The Concord Review delivered to your US address.
• Author – Print International – $150.00 (USD): Your essay submission fee of $100 + s&h includes 1 year subscription to the Print Edition of The Concord Review delivered to your address outside the United States.

2. (JEI) Journal of Emerging Investigators

Introduction : The Journal of Emerging Investigators is an open-access science journal and mentorship program that publishes research by middle and high school scientists. JEI is a non-profit organization operated by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors across the United States. Graduate students contribute to the editorial and review processes, as well as the management of the journal. Since 2012, JEI has published over 250 papers by pre-college students. A sample research paper written by students and published in this journal, titled “A simple printing solution to aid deficit reduction” , was covered by CNN .

Submissions go through 4-6 stages of review after the manuscript is received. Summer and fall tend to be busier times for JEI, so research submitted at these times may take longer to go through the review process.

Eligibility : Middle and high school students.

Topic Guideline : Students have the freedom to choose their research topic. However, for all research related to vertebrate animal/human subjects , students are required to adhere to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) guidelines for ethical research.

Review Timeline : Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. 

Fee : The subscription is free for students. 

3. Columbia Junior Science Research Journal

Introduction : The Columbia Junior Science Journal is a high school research journal for students with an interest in the natural sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences. CJSJ originated from the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal, a professional-level science journal for scholars. The editorial team of the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal also oversees CJSJ.

Eligibility : High school students worldwide can submit a single one to two-page research paper, or four to five-page review paper. Students can also collaborate with peers and mentors on their submissions.

Submission Deadline : Sep 30, 2024 (based on last year’s deadline)

4. Journal of Student Research

The Journal of Student Research (JSR), an academic, multidisciplinary, and faculty-reviewed journal, is based in Houston, Texas. This journal is devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research published by high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. It accepts AP, IB, Honors Research Articles, Review Articles, Research Projects, Research Posters, and more. Over 2,000 student authors from high schools and universities worldwide have had their work published in JSR.

Only five authors (including advisors) are allowed per submission. If you would like to include more contributors, you must pay $25 per individual. For a fast-tracked review, you can contact the journal and pay a fee.

Fee : $50 at submission for pre-review, and $200 post-review for articles chosen for publication upon notifying the authors.

Deadline : February 29, 2024

5. The Young Researcher

The Young Researcher is a peer-reviewed journal for secondary school students. The editor board includes expert researchers – typically, academics who work as professors in universities, or people with extensive research and publication experience.

List of the editors .

Submission Guideline: Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words, excluding references and appendices (in English). Articles should have:

• Abstract + 4-6 keywords
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Method, Process, or Approach
• Findings or Results
• Analysis, and/or Evaluation
• Conclusion and Future Directions

The paper can be formatted in any acceptable citation style (MLA, APA, and Chicago). Upon submission, at least three expert editors will review the submission and will provide revisions upon selection for publication.

Deadline : May 1, 2024 (based on last year’s deadline)

6. International Journal of High School Research

International Journal of High School Research is an open-source and peer-reviewed journal that was started in 2019. IJHSR is open to receiving work in all areas of science and surrounding disciplines, including behavioral and social sciences, technology, engineering, and math. International Journal of High School Research primarily focuses on publishing articles containing new experimental data. It also requires “literature reviews”, which are a survey of previously published research, as well as sections where you are expected to draw new conclusions from your research, or discuss what you plan to publish next. The publication notes that the process for literature reviews is extremely selective, as they only publish 2 – 3 articles per issue (6 issues per year).

Submission Guideline: Students can publish articles in either the research or review sections. Research articles should include a discussion and presentation of original research, as well as new experimental data.

Review articles go through an extremely selective process because there is a limitation of 2-3 review articles published per issue. The purpose of the literature review is to provide a summation and evaluation of previous data published by researchers that has influenced your topic. There is no page limit for submissions.

All papers should be submitted in Arial font:

• Body/Paragraph Text: 10pt font
• Sub Headers: 12pt font, italicized, bold
• Section Headers: 14 pt font, bold
• Paper Title: 16pt font, bold

Fee : Upon acceptance for publication, students will pay $200. A copy of the printed journal will be mailed to the author. If for any reason students can’t pay the fee, they can contact [email protected] for support.

Evaluation Progress: Upon submission, the Editor in Chief will check for format, styling, and citations, and may send it back to the author for corrections. Next, they will review the paper for publication with two or more outside reviewers that have expertise in the respective field. After review, the paper will either be accepted or rejected. Upon acceptance, payment will be requested. Once paid, the paper is sent to copy editors and then sent for production. The whole process may take 2-4 months.

Deadline: IJHSR accepts submissions on a rolling basis.

7. The Schola

Introduction : The Schola is a quarterly journal of humanities and social sciences written by high school students worldwide, and is the only international academic journal for students. It is an online journal with a subscription fee of $120 per year.

Submission Guideline: The essay must be 4,000 words long, written in English, and have the student as the sole author. The essay topic can be in philosophy, history, art history, economics, political theory, comparative government, public policy, international relations, or sociology. The whole review process can take up to 7 months to be published (meaning that once students submit their essay, they will be considered for the next three quarterly issues).

Eligibility : The Schola accepts submissions from high school students around the world.

Deadline : Essays are accepted year-round.

8. Journal of High School Science

Focused on science research by students. 

Journal of High School Science (JHSS) is a quarterly journal published in March, June, September, and December. JHSS is a STEM-focused journal that publishes research related to biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, technology, and/or an amalgamation of these disciplines. The editorial board is composed of various experts in the field of science across the United States.

Submission Guidelines: Authors can submit either a Review Article or an Original Research Article, and submissions are accepted at any time.

9. Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice

Hosted by Adelphi University, The Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice Journal invites young scholars in high school to submit original scholarly work and opinion perspectives for this peer-reviewed journal on critical debates that face society.

Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024

Article Types: AP Research, IB Research, Honors Research, Research Projects, Review Articles of Research/Ideas and Innovation, Perspectives, Opinions, Book Reviews, Blog entries (1000 words), and Creative work /Activist projects

10. Young Scientist Journal

Founded at The King’s School in 2006, the Young Scientist Journal is the  largest and oldest journal of its kind. The journal encourages young scholars to conduct original research and be published in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Types of article:

• Original Research: Scientific investigation which has never been done before
• Review Articles: A summary and your take on the research done, drawing from previously published articles and papers.
• Blog or Magazine Article: An opinion piece or news story, sharing your view on a scientific topic. It can include interviews and profiles.

Eligibility : 12-20 year olds

Topics : STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and related topics.

11. National High School Journal of Science

National High School Journal of Science, or NHSJS, is a free, online, student-run, and peer-reviewed research journal for high school students, run by students. Students can submit original research and short articles in the form of reports, policy, media, technical comments, and letters. Students can submit essays related to any STEM topics including, but not limited to, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environment, Policy, etc.

Deadline: Rolling Admission

Website : https://nhsjs.com/

12. The Journal of Research High School (JRHS)

The Journal of Research High School (JRHS) is an open-access online research journal for high school researchers. Accepted research topics include Engineering, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Social Sciences, among other fields of study. The editors are volunteers with backgrounds as professional scientists, researchers, teachers, and professors in various disciplines. Approximately 30% of submitted papers have been published.

Deadline : Rolling admissions and the general timeline is approximately 3-6 months.

Website : https://www.journalresearchhs.org/

High school research journals offer students an opportunity to explore their interests, build important research skills, practice formal research presentations, and demonstrate their knowledge. From niche topics to more general science-related fields, there are a variety of reliable resources that provide quality content and platforms to showcase student work. For ambitious learners looking to push themselves and develop their academic careers, these research journals can serve as the perfect medium.

Spend the summer researching with Aralia College Accelerator Program

Aralia College Accelerator Program offers a diverse range of research classes designed to nurture profound interests and showcase students’ potential for future success to admission officers. Our research classes are tailored to various interests, including Business, History, Language & Literature, Mathematics, Reading and Writing, Social Science, Speaking, and Visual Arts. Our teachers will guide students in preparing a college-ready research paper for college applications and writing portfolios. 

• College Application , Extracurricular Activities

Interested in learning more?

Aralia Education is an innovative online education platform for ambitious middle and high school students worldwide. Aralia’s instructors propel students forward by helping them build a strong foundation in traditional academic courses. They also actively engage and guide students in exploring personal interests beyond their school curriculum. With this holistic approach, Aralia ensures its students are well-prepared for college and equipped for success in their future careers.

• College Accelerator Program
• Comprehensive Introduction to High School
• Academic Empowerment Program
• Test Preparation Bootcamp
• Private Lessons
• Student Awards
• Competitions

Give us a call: +1 (603) 932 7897

Email us: [email protected]

Add us on WhatsApp:

• Mission and history
• Platform features
• Library Advisory Group
• What’s in JSTOR
• For Librarians
• For Publishers

JSTOR for secondary schools

An affordable, high-quality research option for secondary school libraries

Widely respected by major universities for its quality and functionality, JSTOR provides the same content to your students that they will encounter in college. Learning to use JSTOR during high school gives students added confidence and prepares them for the rigors of college research, while enabling teachers to incorporate important scholarly content into their classes.

JSTOR also provides an easy-to-use platform with a suite of tools for research and study. To date, more than 2,900 secondary schools have access to JSTOR.

What is included

Because we believe that access to the best sources is crucial to developing tomorrow’s great thinkers, JSTOR provides Secondary Schools with the vast majority of content available on JSTOR at a small fraction of the cost.

As a mission-based not-for-profit organization, we are committed to providing affordable fees that fit many different communities and institution types. Fees for each school are based on JSTOR classification.

Unlike universities and colleges, Secondary Schools do not pay for individual collections. Instead, a single collection provides more than 2,700 journals that span more than 20 individual collections. All of the touchstone disciplines on the JSTOR platform are included, from literature and history to biology and mathematics. Timely content focusing on emerging areas such as sustainability and international security and peace is also included. Journal issues start from the first issue and extend up to a publication date usually set in the past three to five years.

The collection also includes millions of primary sources from four individual collections, featuring pamphlets, manuscripts, letters, oral histories, government documents, images, 3D models, spatial data, type specimens, drawings, paintings, and more.

Ever-growing with no added cost

The JSTOR collection for Secondary Schools is continuously growing. Each year, millions of pages of content are added to the archival journal collections as the moving wall for each journal advances, at no additional cost. In total, the collection has grown by more than 9 million articles and 61 million pages since its launch in 2003.

Peer-reviewed scholarly monographs

In addition, schools have access to more than 6,000 Open Access scholarly ebooks . Chapters are discoverable side by side with all the other content on JSTOR. Schools have the option of purchasing more scholarly titles as needed.

Innovative teaching and research tools

Beyond providing a rich base of knowledge to explore, JSTOR is striving to make research and teaching easier in a variety of ways, including:

• Innovative search tools like the award-winning Text Analyzer that helps students discover the most relevant resources
• Our self-directed, ad-free Research Basics course that helps students build research skills
• A Workspace to organize and keep articles and book chapters with notes and citations they can access anytime
• JSTOR Daily , our free online magazine that pairs news and current events with links to  freely accessible scholarship. Written in common English, each article is brief enough to use during class as a discussion prompt.
• The JSTOR Understanding Series that analyses widely studied texts like Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “ I Have a Dream ” speech, and Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

• The High School Journal

About this Journal

The High School Journal publishes research, scholarship, essays, and reviews that critically examine the broad and complex field of secondary education. Founded in 1918, it is one of the oldest peer-reviewed academic journals in education.The journal is managed by students and faculty in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is published quarterly by the University of North Carolina Press.

published by

Available issues, table of contents, volume 106, 2022-2023.

• Volume 106, Number 2, Winter 2022
• Volume 106, Number 1, Fall 2022

Volume 105, 2021-2022

• Volume 105, Number 4, Summer 2022
• Volume 105, Number 3, Spring 2022
• Volume 105, Number 2, Winter 2022
• Volume 105, Number 1, Fall 2021

Volume 104, 2020-2021

• Volume 104, Number 4, Summer 2021
• Volume 104, Number 3, Spring 2021
• Volume 104, Number 2, Winter 2021
• Volume 104, Number 1, Fall 2020

Volume 103, 2019-2020

• Volume 103, Number 4, Summer 2020
• Volume 103, Number 3, Spring 2020
• Volume 103, Number 2, Winter 2020
• Volume 103, Number 1, Fall 2019

Volume 102, 2018-2019

• Volume 102, Number 4, Summer 2019
• Volume 102, Number 3, Spring 2019
• Volume 102, Number 2, Winter 2019
• Volume 102, Number 1, Fall 2018

Volume 101, 2017

• Volume 101, Number 4, Summer 2018
• Volume 101, Number 3, Spring 2018
• Volume 101, Number 2, Winter 2018
• Volume 101, Number 1, Fall 2017

Volume 100, 2016

• Volume 100, Number 4, Summer 2017
• Volume 100, Number 3, Spring 2017
• Volume 100, Number 2, Winter 2017
• Volume 100, Number 1, Fall 2016

Volume 99, 2015

• Volume 99, Number 4, Summer 2016
• Volume 99, Number 3, Spring 2016
• Volume 99, Number 2, Winter 2016
• Volume 99, Number 1, Fall 2015

Volume 98, 2014-2015

• Volume 98, Number 4, Summer 2015
• Volume 98, Number 3, Spring 2015
• Volume 98, Number 2, Winter 2015
• Volume 98, Number 1, Fall 2014

Volume 97, 2013

• Volume 97, Number 4, Summer 2014
• Volume 97, Number 3, Spring 2014
• Volume 97, Number 2, Winter 2013
• Volume 97, Number 1, Fall 2013

Volume 96, 2012

• Volume 96, Number 4, April/May 2013
• Volume 96, Number 3, February/March 2013
• Volume 96, Number 2, December/January 2013
• Volume 96, Number 1, Fall 2012

Volume 95, 2011

• Volume 95, Number 4, Summer 2012
• Volume 95, Number 3, Spring 2012
• Volume 95, Number 2, December/January 2012
• Volume 95, Number 1, Fall 2011

Volume 94, 2010

• Volume 94, Number 4, Summer 2011
• Volume 94, Number 3, Spring 2011
• Volume 94, Number 2,January–February 2011
• Volume 94, Number 1, Fall 2010

Volume 93, 2009

• Volume 93, Number 4, Summer 2010
• Volume 93, Number 3, Spring 2010
• Volume 93, Number 2,January–February 2010
• Volume 93, Number 1, November-December 2009

Volume 92, 2008

• Volume 92, Number 4, April-May 2009
• Volume 92, Number 3, February-March 2009
• Volume 92, Number 2, December 2008-January 2009
• Volume 92, Number 1, October-November 2008

Volume 91, 2007

• Volume 91, Number 4, April-May 2008
• Volume 91, Number 3, February-March 2008
• Volume 91, Number 2, December 2007-January 2008
• Volume 91, Number 1, October-November 2007

Volume 90, 2006-2007

• Volume 90, Number 4, April-May 2007
• Volume 90, Number 3, February-March 2007
• Volume 90, Number 2, December 2006-January 2007
• Volume 90, Number 1, October-November 2006

Volume 89, 2005-2006

• Volume 89, Number 4, April-May 2006
• Volume 89, Number 3, February-March 2006
• Volume 89, Number 2, December 2005-January 2006
• Volume 89, Number 1, October-November 2005

Volume 88, 2004-2005

• Volume 88, Number 4, April-May 2005
• Volume 88, Number 3, February-March 2005
• Volume 88, Number 2, December 2004-January 2005
• Volume 88, Number 1, October-November 2004

Volume 87, 2003-2004

• Volume 87, Number 4, April-May 2004
• Volume 87, Number 3, February-March 2004
• Volume 87, Number 2, December 2003-January 2004
• Volume 87, Number 1, October-November 2003

Volume 86, 2002-2003

• Volume 86, Number 4, April-May 2003
• Volume 86, Number 3, February-March 2003
• Volume 86, Number 2, December 2002-January 2003
• Volume 86, Number 1, October-November 2002

Volume 85, 2001-2002

• Volume 85, Number 4, April-May 2002
• Volume 85, Number 3, February-March 2002
• Volume 85, Number 2, December 2001-January 2002
• Volume 85, Number 1, October-November 2001

Volume 84, 2001

• Volume 84, Number 4, April-May 2001

Additional Information

Additional materials.

Additional Issue Materials

• Editorial Board -- Volume 103, Number 2, Winter 2020
• Editorial Board -- Volume 103, Number 1, Fall 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 102, Number 4, Summer 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 102, Number 3, Spring 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 102, Number 2, Winter 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 102, Number 1, Fall 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 101, Number 4, Summer 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 101, Number 3, Spring 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 101, Number 2, Winter 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 101, Number 1, Fall 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 100, Number 4, Summer 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 100, Number 3, Spring 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 100, Number 2, Winter 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 100, Number 1, Fall 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 99, Number 4, Summer 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 99, Number 3, Spring 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 99, Number 2, Winter 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 99, Number 1, Fall 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 98, Number 4, Summer 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 98, Number 3, Spring 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 98, Number 2, Winter 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 98, Number 1, Fall 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 97, Number 4, Summer 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 97, Number 3, Spring 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 97, Number 2, Winter 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 97, Number 1, Fall 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 96, Number 4, April/May 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 96, Number 3, February/March 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 96, Number 2, December/January 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 96, Number 1, Fall 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 95, Number 4, Summer 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 95, Number 3, Spring 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 95, Number 2, December/January 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 95, Number 1, Fall 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 94, Number 4, Summer 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 94, Number 3, Spring 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 94, Number 2,January–February 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 94, Number 1, Fall 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 93, Number 4, Summer 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 93, Number 3, Spring 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 93, Number 2,January–February 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 93, Number 1, November-December 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 92, Number 4, April-May 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 92, Number 3, February-March 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 92, Number 2, December 2008-January 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 92, Number 1, October-November 2008
• Editorial Board -- Volume 91, Number 4, April-May 2008
• Editorial Board -- Volume 91, Number 3, February-March 2008
• Editorial Board -- Volume 91, Number 2, December 2007-January 2008
• Editorial Board -- Volume 91, Number 1, October-November 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 90, Number 4, April-May 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 90, Number 3, February-March 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 90, Number 2, December 2006-January 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 90, Number 1, October-November 2006
• Editorial Board -- Volume 89, Number 4, April-May 2006
• Editorial Board -- Volume 89, Number 3, February-March 2006
• Editorial Board -- Volume 89, Number 2, December 2005-January 2006
• Editorial Board -- Volume 89, Number 1, October-November 2005
• Editorial Board -- Volume 88, Number 4, April-May 2005
• Editorial Board -- Volume 88, Number 3, February-March 2005
• Editorial Board -- Volume 88, Number 2, December 2004-January 2005
• Editorial Board -- Volume 88, Number 1, October-November 2004
• Editorial Board -- Volume 87, Number 4, April-May 2004
• Editorial Board -- Volume 87, Number 3, February-March 2004
• Editorial Board -- Volume 87, Number 2, December 2003-January 2004
• Editorial Board -- Volume 87, Number 1, October-November 2003
• Editorial Board -- Volume 86, Number 4, April-May 2003
• Editorial Board -- Volume 86, Number 3, February-March 2003
• Editorial Board -- Volume 86, Number 2, December 2002-January 2003
• Editorial Board -- Volume 86, Number 1, October-November 2002
• Editorial Board -- Volume 85, Number 4, April-May 2002
• Editorial Board -- Volume 85, Number 3, February-March 2002
• Editorial Board -- Volume 85, Number 2, December 2001-January 2002
• Editorial Board -- Volume 85, Number 1, October-November 2001
• Editorial Board -- Volume 84, Number 4, April-May 2001
• Editorial Board -- Volume 84, Number 3, February-March 2001

Project MUSE Mission

Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21218

+1 (410) 516-6989 [email protected]

©2024 Project MUSE. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries.

Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires

Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.

Upcoming Summer 2024 Application Deadline is April 14, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

Featured Posts

10 Tips to Help You Win the PicoCTF Competition in 2024

Georgia Tech's Pre-College Program - Is it Worth It?

25+ Best Science Research Ideas for High School Students

Broadcom MASTERS - 8 Reasons to Participate

9 Architecture Summer Camps for High School Students

10 Awesome Hackathons For Beginners

8 High School Pitch Competitions that You Should Check Out

10 Best College Search Tools for Independent Education Consultants (IECs)

How to Make Money in High School - 10 Amazing Ideas

10 Venture Capital Programs for High School Students

The Complete Guide To Publishing Your Research In High School

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 1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Additionally, you can also work on independent research in AI, through Veritas AI's Fellowship Program!

Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests.

The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship.  These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a great, fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship. 

The   AI Fellowship  program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. Students work on their own individual research projects over a period of 12-15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects   here . 

Location : Virtual

$1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program

$4,900 for the 12-15 week AI Fellowship 

$4,700 for both

Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply   here . 

Application deadline : On a rolling basis. Applications for fall cohort have closed September 3, 2023. 

Program dates : Various according to the cohort

Program selectivity : Moderately selective

Eligibility : Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit past experience with AI concepts or Python.

Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions pertaining to the students background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest. 

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.

Comentarios

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

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Why Educational Planners Choose CounselMore

Aspiring IECs and College Counselors

Don't Miss This Chance

Post your article on the CounselMore Blog

CounselMore members enjoy more benefits

Slide title

Early Decision 1 vs. 2 - Which One to Choose?

Early Decision vs Early Action Series

The Four-Year Academic Plan as an IEC Business Gamechanger

Becoming an Educational Consultant - Series Wrap-Up

Connecticut's Bold Move: Towards Ending Legacy Admissions in Higher Education

Unlocking Success: Maximizing Benefits with College Counseling Software

5 Easy Steps on How to Find Your Niche in Education

Networking Mastery: How to Cultivate and Grow Your College Counseling Network

Navigating the Maze of College Planning Software: A Mostly Unbiased Review

How to Become an Educational Consultant? Tips & Advice!

Terms & Conditions • Privacy Policy

Short Story Marketing

More From Forbes

A blueprint for high school students to pursue research and get published.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Regardless of their future career interests, high school students who are curious and enjoy discovering answers to questions should consider research. Research isn’t restricted to just the STEM field; there are countless questions in every field that need to be answered.

Doing research while still in high school can be a great way for students to stand out in college ... [+] admissions process.

Research can be a life-changing experience for a high schooler. It gives them a chance to gain hands-on instruction beyond the classroom and be exposed to the dynamics of a lab environment. In addition, students learn how to work with others as they gain analytical, quantitative and communication skills.

Participating in research can also give students a competitive edge when applying to college. This is especially true for candidates of BS/MD programs , where medical-focused activities are expected. Some BS/MD programs, like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 7-Year Program , are specially designed to train future physician-scientists.

How To Pursue Research

While many students want to secure a research position, it isn’t always easy to know how to get started and make progress. Here are a few different methods students can pursue to gain research experience.

Look For Local Research Projects

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find local labs at universities, hospitals or companies where you can get research experience. Start local first to see what types of positions might be available to students.

Best Travel Insurance Companies

Best covid-19 travel insurance plans.

When reaching out, add a cover letter that is tailored to each specific organization. You should introduce yourself in a way that demonstrates your academic background, your interest in their research and how you would like to contribute on a voluntary basis. The email should also include your CV or resume so that they can see any relevant coursework or experiences you may have.

When sending out these emails, remember to cast a wide net. These organizations are getting emails from college and graduate students, too, so you might need to email quite a few people before you get a response. If you don’t hear back within two weeks, send a follow-up email. Oftentimes, persistence pays off.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions or if you don’t have local options available, you can also consider virtual opportunities. Virtual work might be a good option due to the flexibility that often accompanies it.

However, cold-emailing professors or companies can be time-consuming and a risk. Even if you secure a position, you need to ensure that you are being flexible and realistic. Some positions might only be available during the hours students are at school, so expecting to get a position that will work around your class schedule or weekends only might be unrealistic. Having open availability and working on their timetable will make more opportunities feasible.

In addition, for these types of positions, you will need to show you can add value. This might require you to learn new skills on your own time, like a new coding language, so you can contribute to the success of the project.

Join A Summer Camp Or Structured Research Program

A structured research program can be the most beneficial experience for students because there is often a clear plan in place: students are expected to show up for a set number of hours per week and have clearly established deliverables on what will be accomplished during that time.

Camps like Rising Researchers, which are open to high school students of all ages, even give students college credit and help the students get their research published at the end of the camp. Nicole Cooksey, one of the instructors at Rising Researchers, says, “Rising Researchers helps students go beyond static learning—the hands-on camp means students acquire new skills and the ability to write a research paper.”

Some parents might hesitate to commit to a paid summer camp. While many of the most prestigious summer camps like Research Summer Institute (RSI) and Texas Tech’s Clark Scholars program are free, they are often very competitive and only open to students over the age of 16 or 17. Paid programs can be a good alternative because it still provides students with dedicated instructors whose sole focus will be on mentoring the student.

Start An Independent Research Project

Pursuing independent research is another option, but it is not a good fit for every student because it requires long-term commitment and dedication in order to make progress. Students who undertake this task should be prepared to spend at least a year from start to finish researching, writing their paper and submitting it for publication. The review and publication step can often take the longest, sometimes more than one year. For high school seniors, this could mean their paper might not be published before college application season kicks off.

How To Get Started

For the self-starters who want to begin an independent research project, the first step should be to make a list of your future career interests. Writing it down can help you decide what areas of research you might want to consider. Next, read previous research journals to get an idea of topics that might be of interest to you and possible to do on your own.

Once you have settled on a general topic, think about what questions you want to ask and answer in your research. These questions will help you create your thesis statement, which should address a specific question or problem.

The final step is to gather your sources and begin writing your paper. Look for resources from reputable sites, such as:

• PubMed: A great tool for finding research articles on a variety of subjects
• PubMed Central: Curates research articles without paywalls
• Google Scholar: Find Primary literature on all scientific topics
• Directory of Open Access Journals: Find additional open-access journals here
• CDC - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• The Public Library of Science: find peer-reviewed articles for free

Add Research To Your Student Resume

Undertaking a research project when you are still in high school requires effort on your part, but your persistence can pay off. Adding research to your student resume can help you stand out to competitive colleges and demonstrate a strong passion for a particular subject.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Vote for the Louisville-area high school Student of the Week

The nominees for Courier Journal Student of the Week have volunteered their time to help others while excelling in school.

Read about them and help select the best of the best.

Voting is open until noon Thursday, April 4. You can vote at the bottom of this story.

High school principals, teachers, guidance counselors and district officials are invited to nominate students each week based on outstanding achievement or community service.

We will announce the top vote-getter each Friday.

The nomination period and poll voting will open every Monday and close at noon each Thursday. Students will be featured online and in the Sunday Courier Journal. Schools can nominate students using this link:  http://bit.ly/3SaSNOZ .

Learn about the Student of the Week nominees:

Martin Gonzalez Tamayo, Southern High School: Martin is part of the Auto Academy and prides himself in being a student ambassador at Southern. He has received several positive referrals during his time here and has excelled academically and in his Skills USA competitions. He has been on the All A honor roll and was chosen as a school winner for GSP. He also won a perfect attendance award his junior year. In the community he has worked to secure donations for organizations and was a participant in the STEMS summer program at the TEC Center. Through all of that he also found time to help translate at the Water Street Mission. He states that he gives back because there was a time when he was in need and remembers what that was like.

Yaquelin Trejo Vasquez, Fairdale High School: Yaquelin has maintained a 4.1 GPA throughout her high school career while being involved in our Fairdale's Patient Care Technician Pathway. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Chess Team and Cross Country Team. Yaquelin is also a lead member of Fairdale's Multilingual Collaborative, which serves our Spanish speaking students and community.

Reach features news clerk Gege Reed at [email protected]