Research projects are becoming more common for high school students, especially in subjects like psychology. A typical project might explore topics such as attention, study habits, emotions, or decision-making. Publishing that paper allows the work to reach a wider audience and helps students see how academic research is shared and discussed.
Why should you publish your research?
Submitting your research to a journal introduces you to the publication process used in academic fields like psychology. Preparing a paper for submission often involves revising sections of your work, improving the clarity of your analysis, and presenting your results in a structured way so that readers can understand your conclusions.
For high school students, publishing research can also add depth to college applications. It shows that you took a project seriously enough to develop it beyond the classroom and share it publicly. The process also helps you build useful academic skills such as careful writing, critical analysis, data interpretation, and presenting complex ideas clearly.
To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 15 psychology research journals for high school research! Also, check out our blogs on the prestigious psychology program here and psychology internships for high school students here.
15 Psychology Research Journals for High School Research
1. The Whitman Journal of Psychology
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 20-30%
Eligibility: High school students globally
Timeline: Rolling (check for pauses)
Cost: None
The Whitman Journal of Psychology is a student-led publication where you can submit psychology research written during high school. The journal accepts empirical studies and literature reviews, as long as your paper clearly explains the research question, methodology, and conclusions. Submissions must follow APA citation style and standard academic formatting used in psychology journals. After submission, your manuscript goes through peer review conducted by a team of high school editors who examine the research design, clarity of methods, and overall argument. Published papers appear online, making your work accessible to readers across a global community of young psychology researchers.
2. International Journal of High School Research
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 50%
Eligibility: High school students
Timeline: Monthly publications; Rolling year-round
Cost: $300 publication fee ($400 for international students)
The International Journal of High School Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research from high school authors across scientific fields, including psychology. You can submit empirical studies that include clearly defined variables, structured methodology, and statistical analysis of collected data. Papers typically present results through tables, figures, and formal discussion sections similar to university research papers. Manuscripts are reviewed by academics such as faculty members, PhD scholars, and researchers who evaluate the quality of the research process and writing. Because the journal is indexed in databases such as Google Scholar and EBSCO, accepted papers become searchable in academic library systems.
3. Journal of Secondary Psychological Studies
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 40-50%
Eligibility: Current high school students conducting their own psychology experiments in basic settings
Timeline: Issues are published periodically
Cost: None
The Journal of Secondary Psychological Studies publishes original psychology experiments conducted in accessible settings such as classrooms, homes, or online environments. Instead of literature reviews, the journal focuses specifically on empirical research that involves designing a study, collecting behavioral or survey data, and analyzing the results. You document your research question, describe the experimental procedure, present the data, and interpret the findings in a structured format. Submissions are reviewed by a mixed editorial team that includes high school and college reviewers who provide suggestions for improving clarity and methodology. Published articles remain freely available online and serve as examples of practical psychology experiments conducted without specialized laboratory equipment.
4. The Schola
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
Timeline: Quarterly issues; Rolling submissions
Cost: $180
The Schola is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal where you can publish analytical essays related to psychology and other social science topics. Submissions usually explore questions about behavior, identity, or the human mind using academic research and structured argumentation. You submit a manuscript, receive detailed editorial comments, and revise the work before final publication. Essays are typically longer, around several thousand words, and must support claims with cited academic sources. The review process focuses heavily on clarity of argument, evidence use, and proper citation practices in scholarly writing.
5. Young Scientists Journal
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 10-15%
Eligibility: High school/undergraduate students aged 12–20
Timeline: Rolling publication schedule
Cost: Free
Young Scientists Journal is an international science publication written and reviewed by young researchers aged 12 to 20. Psychology projects that rely on empirical methods such as surveys, behavioral observation, or quantitative analysis can fit within its scientific scope. You submit a paper explaining the research question, experimental setup, variables measured, and conclusions drawn from the data. Editors guide revisions that strengthen the explanation of methods and interpretation of results. Because the journal operates across more than fifty countries, it provides exposure to a global community interested in science and psychology research.
6. Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship (OJSS)
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 40-50% acceptance rate
Eligibility: High school and early undergraduate students worldwide
Timeline: Rolling submissions year-round
Cost: $200 Article Processing Charge (APC) due only upon acceptance, or an optional $125 Fast Track review fee due at submission
The Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship (OJSS) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed outlet where you can publish original high school psychology research grounded in empirical methods. Your submission goes through a structured review process that provides detailed feedback on research design, survey construction, or behavioral study setup, interpretation of results, and clarity in presenting evidence-based arguments. Suitable psychology papers often involve survey-based studies, behavioral experiments, literature-based analyses, or interdisciplinary work combining psychological questions with data or social science methods. With an estimated 40–50% acceptance rate, it offers a credible first publication pathway while helping you refine academic manuscript structure, citation practices, and analytical writing.
7. Journal of Emerging Investigators
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 70-75%
Eligibility: Middle/high school students with original research under a teacher/advisor’s guidance
Timeline: Continuous rolling review/publication
Cost: $45 submission fee (with need-based fee waivers available upon request)
The Journal of Emerging Investigators is a mentoring-based research journal that helps you turn an original research project into a publishable paper. Submissions undergo peer review by PhD candidates and academic researchers who provide detailed comments on experimental design and data interpretation. The review process may include several rounds of revision to improve the clarity of results and discussion sections. Psychology studies can be submitted if they involve structured experiments or measurable behavioral observations. By the end of the process, you gain experience presenting research findings in a formal scientific format.
8. The Young Researcher
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: Around 65%
Eligibility: Secondary school students worldwide
Timeline: January to around April 30; Issues released after review cycles
Cost: None
The Young Researcher is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal edited by secondary school researchers. It accepts academic work across disciplines, including psychology studies that present clear research questions and evidence-based conclusions. You submit a manuscript describing the study design, methodology, results, and interpretation of findings. Editors evaluate the logical structure of the argument and the strength of supporting evidence. Accepted articles are published online, allowing your research to reach readers interested in student-led scholarship.
9. Journal of High School Science
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 27%
Eligibility: High school students
Timeline: Ongoing issues; Rolling submission
Cost: $65 fee
The Journal of High School Science is a quarterly, peer-reviewed STEAM publication that features original research by high school students across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, including psychology-related behavioral and cognitive studies. You submit empirical work or review papers that undergo structured, transparent peer review, with openly available reviews and professional copyediting for methodological clarity, accurate terminology, and consistency in manuscript formatting. The journal provides ethical oversight through an IRB review process, assigns a DOI to each published manuscript, and maintains a publicly updated review timeline. You also retain copyright of your work in this open-access format, with opportunities for quarterly and annual manuscript awards.
10. Journal of Research High School
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 30%
Eligibility: High school students worldwide
Timeline: Monthly releases
Cost: Approximately $300
The Journal of Research High School is an open-access online journal that publishes academic work prepared exclusively by high school researchers across fields such as psychology, social sciences, engineering, mathematics, humanities, and natural sciences. You can submit original research papers with defined research questions, methods, and results, or literature reviews that synthesize findings from multiple academic sources under the guidance of research advisors. The platform focuses on early research skill development by giving you a venue to structure research manuscripts, document methods and sources, and present findings in formal academic writing. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline, making it accessible if you are preparing a manuscript alongside school work.
11. Curieux Academic Journal
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 60-70%
Eligibility: Middle school, high school, and undergraduate students
Timeline: Rolling/seasonal releases
Cost: Free submission; $200 publication fee ($250 for Fast-Track Review)
Curieux Academic Journal is a youth-led nonprofit publication founded in 2017 that publishes research by middle and high school students across disciplines, including psychology and other social sciences. You can submit research papers, literature reviews, or humanities-focused analyses that organize arguments around research questions, evidence from academic sources, and structured citations. The journal is student-run with editors from across the U.S., giving you exposure to the academic editing process, including manuscript review, revisions based on feedback, and preparation of a publishable research paper. By participating, you practice structuring research arguments, integrating evidence from sources, and formatting academic manuscripts while gaining early publication experience in a supportive, student-centered environment.
12. PennScience High School Journal
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 30-50%
Eligibility: High school student
Timeline: Decision released- January 1, New journal issue- April 30; Submission: May 1 – November 1
Cost: None
The PennScience High School Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access publication run by students at the University of Pennsylvania that publishes original research by high school students worldwide. You can submit empirical work in social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering, including psychology and behavioral studies. Manuscripts are reviewed by Penn undergraduates and faculty, giving you structured academic feedback on research design, clarity in presenting methods and results, and overall manuscript organization within a university-affiliated review process. The journal emphasizes concise scholarship, with a maximum 5-page format for submissions.
13. STEM Fellowship Journal
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 15-25%
Eligibility: High school/undergrad students
Timeline: Periodic releases; Rolling submission
Cost: $400 CAD
The STEM Fellowship Journal is an open-access, peer-reviewed publication by Canadian Science Publishing that showcases research from high school and university students across STEM fields, including psychology-related behavioral and cognitive science studies. You can submit original research, review articles, viewpoints, or conference proceedings that document research questions, study methods, and supporting evidence. The journal emphasizes methodological rigor, careful documentation of procedures, and adherence to ethical research standards. It also supports interdisciplinary work, replication studies, and qualitative research that contribute to existing scientific evidence. Publication occurs after peer review, with open-access fees applied only at the final stage if accepted.
14. Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice Journal
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: Research article acceptance rate for quarterly issues: 15-18%
Eligibility: High school students globally
Timeline: Quarterly issues
Cost: Not specified
Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice Journal publishes research articles and analytical essays written by high school scholars around the world. Psychology-related submissions often explore topics such as mental health policy, social media behavior, or ethical questions about human decision-making. You construct a structured argument supported by academic sources and clear citations. The manuscript then undergoes peer review and editorial revision before publication. The journal encourages work that connects psychological research with broader social or policy discussions.
15. National High School Journal of Science
How prestigious it is/ Estimated acceptance rate: 65%
Eligibility: High school students
Timeline: Continuous rolling publication
Cost: $250 publication fee upon acceptance
The National High School Journal of Science is a free, online, peer-reviewed journal designed for high school students to publish original research and science-focused review articles. You can submit empirical studies from class or independent projects across STEM fields, including psychology topics such as behavior, cognition, or learning. The journal is student-run with structured editorial review, giving you experience with preparing research manuscripts, documenting experimental procedures or literature sources, and revising papers based on editorial feedback. It aims to make student research accessible while helping you present scientific questions, methods, and findings clearly in formal research writing to a broader audience.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in psychology, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source: National High School Journal of Science