Are you a secret sleuth, committed to uncovering the secrets of the universe? Do you dig deep into the inner workings of your society, and contemplate its progress? Do you love knowledge? You're a researcher if you can answer “yes” to even one of these questions! And one of the best ways to improve your skills is by submitting an article to the Journal of Student Research (JSR). JSR asks high school students to submit AP Capstone Research as ninth graders, Research Articles as tenth graders, Review Articles as eleventh graders, and Research Projects as twelfth graders. No matter what grade you are in, if you want to write a quality article, you should ask yourself the following questions: Do I have a solid topic? JSR is extremely open-ended, so you have a lot of freedom. It has published articles with titles like “Understanding the Fundamental Reasons for the Growth of Pickleball” and “A Summary of Autoimmune Disease Triggers.” First, think about a current issue or important phenomenon in your society. For example, if you’ve noticed that your peers are extremely stressed out, your topic could focus on teen mental health in the U.S. Next, find a viable solution that interests you: can social media mitigate teen mental health stressors? If so, which apps? Try to be as specific as possible—you could narrow your topic down to “Exploring Pinterest as a Means of Mitigating School Stressors Among American Teens.” Your topic should always have a concrete “problem,” a solution, and a specific demographic. Do I have enough sources? Try to aim for at least thirty scholarly sources. This means all your information should come from journal articles, texts, dissertations, theses, etc. NOT random websites. Is my paper well-structured? Your article should have the following components: an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and acknowledgments. Be sure to review previously published JSR articles and the JSR template to make sure you’re in line with their submission requirements. JSR has a maximum of 20 pages but most of their published papers are anywhere from 5 to 7 pages long. Do I have a thesis? Your article should have a strong thesis or hypothesis that you back up with research. For example, if your paper is “Exploring Pinterest as a Means of Mitigating School Stressors Among American Teens,” your thesis could be something like, “This research project finds that the curative, non-comparative nature of Pinterest helps mitigate stressors stemming from competitive academic environments in U.S. high schools.” Am I analyzing my sources? Unlike a persuasive essay, you do not need to include your opinion in your article. However, any time you introduce evidence, you should explain how it relates back to your thesis. Your analyses are just as important as your research because they contextualize it and explain why it is relevant. Remember, as the great Albert Einstein once said, “It is not the fruits of scientific research that elevate man and enrich his nature but the urge to understand, the intellectual work, creative or receptive." Be bold, be inquisitive, and be innovative—and your research will shine!
