If you’re a high school student interested in research and academic writing, student research journals can be a great place to start. These journals give you the opportunity to publish your own research papers in fields such as science, psychology, business, and tech. Some journals are peer-reviewed, meaning experts evaluate your work before publication, while others are student-run and provide detailed editorial feedback.
You’ll learn citation styles and academic formatting used in college-level work, so you can communicate clearly and professionally. The feedback process helps you to improve your work based on specific suggestions. Publishing in these journals will also allow you to showcase your work, build an academic portfolio, and learn how to present formal research. You can also include your published paper in college applications, essays, or interviews.
What do research journals for high schoolers include?
Submitting to a research journal lets you experience the entire research process from start to finish. You’ll begin by choosing a topic and reading existing studies using sources such as Google Scholar. From there, you’ll collect information using methods such as experiments, surveys, or datasets. You’ll also learn to organize your data using tools such as Excel or Google Sheets, and apply basic statistics to understand your results. Then you’ll write your paper in academic sections, including the abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. Each journal has its own submission guidelines, including word limits, formatting styles (APA/MLA), and citation rules. You may also need to revise your work based on feedback from editors or reviewers.
Here are 15 research journals for high school students worth checking out. If you’re looking for free online research programs, you can find them here. You can also check out STEM research topics for high school students here.
1. Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI)
Location: Online via the Editorial Manager platform
Cost: $45 submission fee
Type of Research: Scientific manuscripts
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 70–75%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with most submitted from May to September. The review process takes 7 to 10 weeks
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Middle school and high school students aged 13 or older
The Journal of Emerging Investigators allows students aged 13 or older to submit research on natural sciences, including life sciences and experimental physical sciences. Your work must test a scientific hypothesis and can take different forms, including hypothesis-driven experiments, commentaries, review articles, mathematical modeling, or theory development. Each paper must include at least two authors, with one or more student authors and a senior mentor listed as the final author. Mentors can include professors, teachers, or even parents if the research was conducted independently at home. Only one submission is allowed at a time, and an adult must submit it. Your work cannot be under review elsewhere and must be submitted through the JEI platform.
2. The Concord Review
Location: Online via submission form; students must create an account and become a member before submitting their work
Cost: $70–$150 submission fee + membership
Type of Research: History essays (5,000–10,000 words)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 5%
Dates: The Concord Review is published quarterly, with issues released in September, December, March, and June. Essays can be submitted anytime during the year, though specific deadlines apply for consideration in a particular issue
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions; Deadlines for specific issues are August 1 (Winter), November 1 (Spring), February 1 (Summer), and May 1 (Fall)
Eligibility: Current high school students who can submit their paper in English and have not been previously published, except in a publication from their own secondary school, can apply. Students from public, private, or homeschool backgrounds in the U.S. and internationally are eligible
The Concord Review gives high school students the opportunity to publish original history research essays on topics ranging from ancient civilizations to modern global events. Whether your focus is local, national, or international history, you should present a clear, engaging argument, use a strong range of sources, and include a detailed bibliography with endnotes in Turabian Chicago style. Essays are usually between 5,000 and 10,000 words or more, including endnotes and bibliography. You must be the sole author, and the paper must be original, written in English, and not previously published except by your school. You need to submit one file in Word or RTF format. Even if your essay is not ultimately published, submitting a paper to the Concord Review demonstrates serious academic effort, and this can be mentioned in college applications and interviews.
3. Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship (OJSS)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: The standard Article Processing Charge is $200, with an optional fast track review available for an additional $125. Partial fee reductions may be considered on a case-by-case basis for strong submissions
Type of Research: Original research articles and literature reviews; 2,000–8,000 words
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 40–50%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round. OJSS publishes issues monthly, with recent volumes released between November and December, and January and March
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students
The Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes research by high school and undergraduate students across a wide range of disciplines, including STEM, the humanities, business, law, the social sciences, engineering, and health. You can submit original research articles based on experiments, data analysis, surveys, theoretical work, or literature reviews that evaluate existing research on a focused topic. Submissions are checked for compliance with the guidelines and reviewed by experts. You’ll receive feedback to help you improve your work before online publication. Your paper must include a 150- 300 word abstract, range from 2,000-8,000 words, and follow a consistent citation style. You must submit your work through a Google Doc link with editing access enabled. Awards are given to papers with strong research, analysis, and academic writing.
4. The Schola
Location: Online; students can submit their work online directly or use the subscribe and submit option
Cost: $180 (submission) | $250 (subscription and submission). Multiple submissions are allowed, and each requires a non-refundable fee of $180
Type of Research: Essays and manuscripts; maximum 8,000 words
Acceptance rate/cohort size: The Schola is a selective and rigorous journal, though it does not share its acceptance rate
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round and are reviewed within 2 to 3 weeks. Issues are released in the first week of March, June, September, and December
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions; manuscripts are reviewed in the order they are received, and acceptance decisions usually include a timeline for revisions
Eligibility: High school students
The Schola gives high school students the opportunity to submit essays in the humanities and social sciences, including fields such as philosophy, politics, sociology, history, literature, and public policy. The journal’s focus is on strong, well-reasoned arguments and critical analysis rather than empirical research. Your work must be original, written by you, unpublished outside of school, and not under review at another publication. The journal encourages topics that allow for meaningful discussions and rely on sufficient academic research. Essays must not exceed 8,000 words and should be submitted with a cover page and a fee. Submissions are reviewed in 2 to 3 weeks through editorial screening and external review. Accepted work is published in quarterly issues, and authors receive a digital author copy.
5. Young Scientists Journal (YSJ)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: Free
Type of Research: Original scientific research, review articles, and blog or magazine articles
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; the exact acceptance rate is not specified
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round; there is no fixed publication schedule
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 12 to 20 at the time of submission
Young Scientists Journal is an international, peer-reviewed journal run by young people that allows high school students aged 12 to 20 to publish their scientific work. You can submit different types of research, including original studies based on your own investigations, review articles that analyze existing work, or blog and magazine-style pieces that share opinions, news, or interviews on scientific topics. Your work must be original, factually accurate, and focused on science, engineering, technology, or math. Articles generally follow a standard structure with an abstract, introduction, methods, results or discussion, and conclusion, along with Chicago style references written in British English. The review process involves multiple stages, including editorial checks and peer reviews, and may take several months before publication.
6. Youth Medical Journal (YMJ)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: Free
Type of Research: Medically-oriented manuscripts (original research, review, or commentary)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 20%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, though response times may take several months. Articles are published online throughout the year
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students
Youth Medical Journal is a non-profit, student-run, international journal that helps high school and undergraduate students publish medically focused research before entering college. The journal uses a double-blind peer-review process to evaluate the submissions and values new research approaches. It publishes work online only and does not charge any submission, editorial, or article processing fees, making it fully open access for student researchers. You can submit original research, review articles, or commentary in various medical fields, as long as your work uses academic language and follows the journal’s guidelines. Original research must consist of at least 36,000 characters, reviews must include 4,800 characters, and commentary must have 7,200 characters.
7. American Journal of Student Research (AJOSR)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: The article processing charge is $496, payable only if the article is accepted for publication. An optional fast-track review costs $286 per manuscript and takes about two weeks
Type of Research: Original research articles, systematic reviews, narrative reviews, meta-analyses, and opinion/perspective articles; 3,000–5,500 words
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with multiple issues published annually. Last year, six issues were published in January, March, May, July, September, and November
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions; specific monthly deadlines are often listed in calls for articles
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students
The American Journal of Student Research is an open-access online journal where you can publish work across fields such as biology, chemistry, computer science, math, physics, engineering, politics, business, and social sciences. You can submit original research based on experiments or data analysis, narrative reviews that summarize existing studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses that evaluate research using structured methods, or opinion pieces that present analysis without new data. Most papers are typically between 3,000 and 5,500 words and follow standard research formats when required. Your work is published online with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), making it easy for others to find and cite in future work. It also remains freely accessible and indexed in databases such as Google Scholar.
8. Open Journal of Business and Management (OJBM)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: Submission is free, but an Article Processing Charge of $299 is required after a manuscript has been accepted for publication
Type of Research: Manuscripts (original research), short reports (2–5 pages), technical notes (2–5 pages), short communications (2–5 pages), book reviews, letters to the editor, advertisements (1–2 pages), and newsletters (1–5 pages)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: The exact acceptance rate is not specified, but OJBM published about 385 articles last year
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with non-reviewed manuscripts returned within 10 days and decision letters sent within 4 weeks. Articles are published online monthly
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Open to all, including high school students
The Open Journal of Business and Management is an international academic journal where you can submit research in areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, business law, consumer behavior, corporate governance, statistics, and information technology. You can submit original research papers as well as short reports, short communications, technical notes, reviews, book reviews, letters, newsletters, and related work in business and management. Your manuscript must be written in English and follow a structured format with a title page, abstract, and keywords. It will go through peer review, and accepted papers are usually published online within about three weeks. You must upload your work as a single Word or PDF file through the journal’s online submission system.
9. National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: Free; an expedited review option is available with a 2-week turnaround for $260
Type of Research: Original research and reports; maximum 20 pages
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 60–70%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with a standard review time of about 8 weeks, which may extend to 12 weeks from July to December due to higher submission volume. An expedited review option is available
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
The National High School Journal of Science is a free, online, peer-reviewed journal for high school students to submit research in fields such as biology, chemistry, neuroscience, physics, computer science, math, policy, and the social sciences. You can submit original research papers that describe ongoing research or recent developments rather than summaries. Your work must follow a structured format with sections such as abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion, and must be no more than 20 pages, including figures and tables. Original research articles usually contain multiple figures or tables and supporting material when needed, while reports are generally shorter and include fewer supporting elements. You must submit your paper in Word or LaTeX format and follow a standard citation style.
10. Journal of Research High School (JRHS)
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: $350 submission fee for all new manuscripts
Type of Research: Original research and review articles; less than 4,000 words
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 30%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round. The review process has a typical turnaround time of about 3 to 6 months
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
The Journal of Research High School is an open-access online journal where high school students can publish academic work in fields such as humanities, mathematics, engineering, natural sciences, and social sciences. You can submit original research or meaningful literature reviews as long as each manuscript is your own work and approved by a research advisor. Advisors, such as teachers, professors, or industry professionals, guide the research process and are required as part of the submission process. There is no limit on the number of authors for a manuscript, but a designated corresponding author must handle communication with the journal and work with the advisor to complete copyright forms. You can submit multiple manuscripts if each is original. After submission, the manuscripts go through a review process including formatting and plagiarism checks, peer review, revisions, and a final editorial decision.
11. Walt Whitman Journal of Psychology (WWJOP)
Location: Online via Email ([email protected])
Cost: Free
Type of Research: Manuscripts (less than 20 pages) and podcasts (around 20 minutes)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 20–30%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, though timing depends on the current review workload. Most decisions take around 15–20 weeks from submission
Submission Deadline: WWJOP accepts submissions at set times, and new entries may be temporarily limited if there are too many pending
Eligibility: High school students
The Whitman Journal of Psychology is a student-run online journal that publishes high school research and literature reviews in psychology, and makes them freely available to readers around the world. You can submit manuscripts through email in formats such as Google Docs, Word, or MP4. Written papers should follow APA 7th edition style, remain under 20 pages in length, and include references with parenthetical citations. The journal recommends a traditional research structure, with sections such as abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Submissions must include a cover letter with your name, email, school, grade, and advisor details. The journal also accepts psychology-themed podcasts of around 20 minutes, with credible interviewees, engaging content, and full author information. Research must follow AP or IB Psychology curricula.
12. International Journal of High School Research (IJHSR)
Location: Online via Email ([email protected])
Cost: There is no submission fee, but accepted articles incur a $300 publication fee. Students in the US who qualify for free or reduced lunch may be eligible for a reduced or waived fee
Type of Research: Original research and literature review articles; maximum 15 pages
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 20–30%. Original research is more likely to be accepted when it follows strong scientific methods, and review articles are highly selective, with only about 2 to 3 published per issue
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with monthly issues published. Decisions typically take 1 to 3 months, depending on submission quality, reviewer response time, and how quickly revisions are completed. Publication may take an additional 2 to 3 months after acceptance
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
International Journal of High School Research is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal where you can submit work across fields such as biology, physics, engineering, chemistry, computer science, social sciences, math, and more. You can submit original research that presents new experimental data and clearly shows how your work differs from existing studies. You can also submit a review article that analyzes and summarizes published research without introducing new data. Your paper must be under 15 pages and follow the journal’s official template. You must submit your work by email as a single file. Authors are required to suggest the names of at least three expert reviewers who are familiar with the subject area of the paper. Accepted work is indexed in databases such as Google Scholar and published in monthly issues. You can use resources such as the Science of Scientific Writing Guide to draft your manuscript.
13. Journal of High School Science (JHSS)
Location: Online; students must create a free account to submit their manuscript
Cost: $65 non-refundable submission fee
Type of Research: Original articles, technical notes, review papers, and case studies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 27%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round; the review process typically takes at least one month and possibly longer, depending on submission volume
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
The Journal of High School Science is a peer-reviewed STEAM journal that publishes a variety of research across science, technology, and mathematics. You can submit original research with quantitative results backed by clear data, proper statistical analysis, and a sufficient sample size, with conclusions based only on the results. You can also submit review papers that point out gaps, limits, or flawed assumptions in existing research and suggest future directions instead of just summarizing studies. The journal also welcomes technical notes for short experimental work or early findings, and case studies describing unique or unusual clinical or epidemiological situations are also accepted. All submissions undergo single-blind peer review by two independent reviewers.
14. Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice Journal
Location: Online; students must create a free account to submit their manuscript
Cost: There is a one-time, non-refundable submission fee (amount not specified)
Type of Research: Research articles (maximum 5,000 words) and academic blog entries (1,500–4,000 words)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 15–20% for research articles (quarterly issues) and around 40% for academic blogs
Dates: Issues are published in December, May, and August. The first decision usually takes 3 to 6 weeks, and publication typically takes about 6 to 8 weeks from submission
Submission Deadline: Upcoming deadlines for research articles are April 30 for the Spring issue, July 30 for the Summer issue, and December 10 for the Winter issue, while blog submissions are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students
Critical Debates in Humanities, Science, and Global Justice is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes academic work by high school students on topics such as the social sciences, culture, technology, media, science, and global issues. You can submit research articles up to 5,000 words, including AP, IB, or honors research, research projects, data-based studies, case studies, policy case studies, and critical literature analyses. You can also submit academic blogs between 1,500 and 4,000 words. These may include creative or activist work, journalism, historical analysis, literature reviews, or opinion pieces. All work must be submitted as a Word document, as PDF files are not accepted by the journal.
15. The Curieux Review
Location: Online via submission form
Cost: Submission is free. A $250 publication fee is charged for Fast-Track Review, and a $200 fee is charged for Seasonal Review if the article is accepted for publication
Type of Research: All types of academic writing are accepted, including research papers, review articles, and humanities or social science work; maximum 20 pages
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 50%
Dates: Submissions are accepted year-round, with issues published monthly. Authors typically receive a response within two to five weeks
Submission Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Middle school, high school, and undergraduate students
The Curieux Review is a student-run journal that publishes a wide range of academic work from high school students, including research papers, review articles, and humanities or social science writing. Your paper must follow MLA format, include proper citations, and be submitted as a Google Doc link with edit access. It must be no longer than 20 pages, excluding the works cited section. After submission, your work will undergo peer review by two editors who will assess its accuracy, academic integrity, and writing quality. You can choose between 2 review timelines: a fast-track review, which provides a decision in about three weeks, or a seasonal review process tied to the journal’s upcoming issue cycle. If your work is accepted, the publication usually takes two to three months. In case you have any questions about the submission or review process, you can reach out at [email protected].
Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, 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!
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