Q: Why should I submit my article?
A: The journal’s mission is to provide a larger audience for the original academic research of ambitious secondary students, provide a forum for peer-review, and create a community of young researchers. In addition, the journal strives to advance the quality of academic writing in secondary schools.

Q: I’m a teacher: What’s in it for me?
A: We think faculty advisors play a critical role in helping students achieve their best work. Each issue of The Young Researcher features a bio page of faculty advisors. 

Q: Your journal is open access. Are there any fees associated with being an author?
A: Absolutely not. There are no fees whatsoever for submitting in the journal, or open-access fees for successful authors. The journal’s production costs are handled by a sponsorship, so we have no need to charge authors (some open access journals do). We suggest steering clear of journals that charge fees.

In our opinion, the for-profit industry of academic publishing is on the way out; in its current form, it serves mainly the interests of the publishers and their shareholders. We’re doing what we can to be part of a larger move towards openness in academic publishing.

Q: It looks like there are some student journals that publish more frequently – and offer very rapid editorial decisions.
A: This is true, but many of these journals have a for-profit incentive to charge students for reading their work, and then to publish what is sometimes questionable papers.  We think that this arrangement is a conflict of interest, and that it leads to lesser results – but it does provide lots of revenue to those who operate the journals.  We were happy that ProPublica explored this problem and reported thoroughly on it in 2022.  We always recommend being discerning about who you submit your work to. 

Q: When is the reading period for the journal?
A: Submissions are accepted from January to around April 30. Unfortunately, we cannot accept late submissions. Check the submission page for the exact date.  

Q: What does a ‘blind peer-review process' mean, anyway?
A: A blind process means that the editors will not know the identity of the submitters until decisions about publication have been made. It also means that editors will not be identified, allowing for the most honest decision-making and feedback processes. Work is evaluated solely on its own merits.

Q: Who considers my submission? Who are these expert editors, anyway?
A: Our editorial board is made up of expert researchers – typically, academics who work as professors in universities or who have a deep research and publication experience. This is how it works in scholarly journals. You may read brief editor bios here.

We are very proud of our reviewers and of the dedicated, volunteer work they do for us. They are motivated by an earnest desire to find and spread knowledge, and to help future generations improve their research and writing.

Q: How many people read and comment on each submission?
A: At least three expert editors will review the submission. If the paper is selected for publication, expert editors will provide revisions to improve the paper further.

Q: How will I know if my study has been accepted?  And when?
A: You will be notified via the email you provided when submitting. We try to return an editorial decision by the 4th week of May.

Q: Will I be asked to improve my work?
A: Submitting to the journal is really just the start. As any researcher will tell you, even successful authors should expect some revisions. If your paper is accepted, we will submit to you a set of suggestions (probably in the third or fourth week of May) to improve your paper. We’ll ask you to make those changes and send it back to us. Then, the article will be sent for layout and will be published over the summer in electronic and paper copies.

Q: If my submission is rejected, will an editor write me and tell me why?
A: As much as we would like to provide feedback to all submitters, only those that are selected for publication will receive suggestions for revisions. Given the number of submissions, it isn’t possible to provide suggestions for all submitting authors.

Q: Is the journal printed - and will I get a copy?
A: Limited copies of the journal are available. If your study was published in the journal, then you will receive a complimentary copy. The journal article will also be available on our website and indexed through academic databases like Google Scholar.

Q: How will readers and researchers find my work?
A: The journal will be available through The Young Researcher websites and databases like Google Scholar. We have over 30,000 unique readers every year, and a growing list of other researchers who have cited work in the journal. Your work might influence future researchers.

Q: Will the article look professional?
A: We take layout and design seriously. The journal partners with professional graphic designers and layout staff. The final result will look as good as any other scholarly journal that you might have cited as a researcher.

Q: How are intellectual property rights handled?
A: The Young Researcher operates like any other open-access journal. By submitting your article to the journal, you agree that it can be published in our open access online and print formats. You retain all rights to future publication and can distribute or reprint your work as you see fit. It is your work – we just want to give it a larger audience.  

The journal operates under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA) licence, which allows anyone to "copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format,” but requires them to give appropriate credit and forbids the use of the articles for commercial purposes.  In our view, this is the future of academic publishing.

Q: Who is the sponsor of this publication? What is in it for them? 
A: The sponsor is Royal St. George’s College, an independent school in Toronto, Canada.  We are grateful for their incredibly generous support.  The school has no editorial control over the content, but supports the principle of open-access knowledge creation and distribution.

Q: My study is not in English, but I want to submit. Can I still submit?
A: We are an English-language journal. Apologies.

For any other questions, please feel free to get in touch with the editors at the email button below.