TL;DR

• Journal of Emerging Investigators publishes peer-reviewed science research by students.

• Submissions require a faculty mentor co-author on every paper.

• Manuscripts follow strict formatting rules before review begins.

• Peer review at JEI is conducted by graduate students and postdocs.

• Rejection is common; revision requests are a normal part of the process.

You finished your experiment. You wrote up your results. Now you want to publish, and someone mentioned the Journal of Emerging Investigators. You are not sure if your work is good enough, what the process actually looks like, or where to even start.

That uncertainty is normal. Most student researchers feel it. The Journal of Emerging Investigators, commonly abbreviated as JEI, was built specifically for this moment. It exists to give pre-college and undergraduate researchers a real, peer-reviewed publication venue, not a participation trophy, but a genuine scientific journal with rigorous review.

This guide walks through every stage of submission, from checking your eligibility to responding to reviewer comments. By the end, you will know exactly what JEI expects and how to give your paper the best possible chance.

What Is the Journal of Emerging Investigators?

The Journal of Emerging Investigators is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal that publishes original research conducted by students at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate level. Founded in 2011 and based at Harvard University, JEI reviews manuscripts in the biological and physical sciences. Review is carried out by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, which means your work is evaluated by active scientists, not a general editorial board.

JEI is listed in PubMed Central, which is the full-text archive maintained by the United States National Institutes of Health. That listing matters. It means a paper published in JEI is indexed alongside professional scientific literature and is permanently accessible to researchers worldwide.

Publication in JEI is free for authors. There are no article processing charges. The journal is funded through its institutional partnerships and the volunteer time of its reviewers.

Understanding the journal's scope before you submit saves significant time. JEI does not publish social science, humanities, or engineering research. It focuses on life sciences, chemistry, physics, and related natural sciences. If your project sits outside those areas, you will need a different venue. The guide to choosing the right journal for your research paper can help you think through alternatives systematically.

Who Can Submit to JEI?

Any student from middle school through the end of undergraduate study can submit to JEI, provided the research was conducted while the student was enrolled at that level. The single non-negotiable requirement is a faculty mentor. Every submission must include at least one faculty co-author, defined by JEI as a PhD-holding scientist who supervised the research. Without that mentor listed, the manuscript will not enter review.

This requirement exists for good reasons. The faculty mentor vouches for the integrity of the data, confirms that lab safety protocols were followed, and takes shared responsibility for the accuracy of the science. If you do not yet have a faculty mentor, finding one is your first task, not your last.

Students who conducted research through a university lab, a hospital internship, or a science fair partnership with a university typically already have an eligible mentor. If you ran an independent project at home or school, you may need to approach a local university faculty member and ask them to review and co-author your work. Many faculty members are willing to do this if the science is sound.

How to Prepare Your Manuscript for JEI

JEI publishes two manuscript types: Research Articles and Science in Society articles. Research Articles report original experimental findings. Science in Society articles connect scientific topics to broader social or policy questions. Most student submissions are Research Articles, and this guide focuses on that format.

A standard JEI Research Article follows this structure:

1. Title: Specific, descriptive, and free of abbreviations.

2. Abstract: A single paragraph, typically 150 to 250 words, summarising the question, methods, results, and conclusion. Learning how to write an abstract journal editors read is one of the highest-return skills you can develop before submitting anywhere.

3. Introduction: Background context, the specific gap in knowledge your study addresses, and your hypothesis.

4. Materials and Methods: Detailed enough that another researcher could replicate your experiment exactly.

5. Results: Data presented clearly, with figures and tables labelled and described in captions.

6. Discussion: Interpretation of results, limitations of the study, and directions for future research.

7. References: JEI uses a numbered citation format. Every claim from an external source needs a citation.

JEI's submission guidelines specify manuscript formatting in detail, including font size, line spacing, figure resolution, and file type. Reading those guidelines before you format, not after, prevents wasted revision cycles. The process of reading a journal's submission guidelines is a skill in itself, and it is worth doing carefully.

If you are working on your citations at this stage, the post on how to format citations for academic journal submission covers the most common formats and how to apply them accurately.

If you want structured feedback on your draft before you submit, Publication Compass is a platform designed to help student researchers do exactly that: upload your paper, receive specific editorial feedback, and identify whether JEI or another journal is the right fit for your work. You can join the waitlist here to get early access.

The JEI Submission Process, Step by Step

Submitting to JEI follows a clear sequence. Knowing the stages in advance removes most of the anxiety around the process.

1. Register on the JEI submission portal. Both the student author and the faculty mentor must create accounts. The portal is hosted on the JEI website at emerginginvestigators.org.

2. Complete the submission form. You will enter the title, author details, abstract, and keywords, then upload your manuscript file. JEI typically accepts Word documents at submission stage.

3. Initial editorial screening. The editors check that your manuscript meets basic scope and formatting requirements. This is not peer review. It is a gatekeeping step. Manuscripts that are clearly outside scope or that are missing required sections are returned without review at this stage.

4. Peer review assignment. If your manuscript passes screening, it is assigned to two or three graduate student or postdoctoral reviewers with expertise in your subject area. JEI's review is single-blind, meaning reviewers know who you are but you do not know who they are.

5. Reviewer comments returned. JEI does not publish a specific average review timeline on its public pages, but student researchers commonly report waits of several weeks to a few months. Plan accordingly and do not submit to multiple journals simultaneously, as that violates standard academic publishing ethics.

6. Decision issued. The editor will send one of four decisions: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject. Minor and major revision requests are not rejections. They are invitations to improve and resubmit.

7. Revision and resubmission. If you receive a revision request, respond to every reviewer comment in a point-by-point response letter. Explain what you changed and why, or explain clearly why you disagree with a suggestion. A well-written response letter is as important as the revised manuscript itself.

For a broader look at how this process works across different journal types, the post on how to submit a research paper to a peer-reviewed journal gives useful context that applies well beyond JEI.

Does JEI Require a Cover Letter?

JEI does require a cover letter as part of the submission package. The cover letter should confirm that the research is original, that it has not been submitted elsewhere simultaneously, and that all authors have approved the final manuscript. It should also briefly state why the work is appropriate for JEI's scope. Keep it factual and concise. A cover letter for a student journal submission does not need to be long, but it does need to be present and correct. The detailed walkthrough on how to write a cover letter for journal submission covers what to include and what to leave out.

What Happens After Rejection?

Rejection from JEI does not mean your research is worthless. It means the manuscript, as submitted, did not meet the bar for publication in that journal at that time. Reviewers may have found methodological gaps, insufficient sample sizes, or a discussion that overstates the conclusions. These are fixable problems.

Read the reviewer comments carefully. If the feedback is substantive, revise the paper and consider resubmitting to JEI or submitting to another appropriate journal. If the feedback is sparse or the rejection is on scope grounds, move to a different venue without major revision.

Other peer-reviewed journals that publish student science research include Curieux Academic Journal and the American Junior Academy of Sciences journal. Each has its own scope and formatting requirements, so treat each submission as a fresh process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Journal of Emerging Investigators legitimate?

Yes. JEI is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal founded in 2011 and indexed in PubMed Central, the archive maintained by the United States National Institutes of Health. Review is conducted by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. It is a legitimate scientific publication, not a vanity journal or a pay-to-publish service.

How long does JEI peer review take?

JEI does not publish a guaranteed review timeline. Based on the journal's structure and the volunteer nature of its reviewers, student authors should expect a minimum of several weeks and potentially a few months from submission to first decision. Submitting a well-prepared manuscript reduces the chance of delays caused by formatting issues or incomplete sections.

Can a high school student publish in JEI without a university lab?

A faculty mentor with a PhD is required for every JEI submission. If you conducted independent research outside a university setting, you need to find a qualified scientist willing to review your work and co-author the paper. Some high school science teachers hold PhDs, which may satisfy this requirement. Check JEI's current author guidelines to confirm eligibility criteria before approaching a potential mentor.

What is the acceptance rate at JEI?

JEI has not published an official acceptance rate figure in its public documentation. Student researchers and science educators who have worked with the journal describe it as selective. Expect revision requests to be common. A first-round acceptance without any revisions is rare at any peer-reviewed journal.

Can I submit to JEI and another journal at the same time?

No. Simultaneous submission, sending the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time, violates standard academic publishing ethics and JEI's own submission policies. You must wait for a decision from JEI before submitting elsewhere. If you withdraw your submission from JEI, notify the editors before submitting to another journal.

What to Do Next

The Journal of Emerging Investigators offers student researchers something rare: a genuine scientific peer review process designed for their level of experience. The bar is real, the feedback is substantive, and a publication in JEI carries genuine credibility. The process is also entirely navigable if you prepare carefully, follow the formatting requirements precisely, and treat reviewer feedback as information rather than judgment.

Start with your manuscript. Check the scope. Confirm your faculty mentor. Read the submission guidelines before you format a single page. If you want support at any stage of that process, visit the Publication Compass blog for guides covering every part of the research publication journey, from choosing a journal to responding to reviewers.