IJHSR Accepts Research and Review Articles
IJHSR accepts submissions of original research conducted by high school student authors and literature review articles written by high school students. A $350 publication fee will be requested only after an article has successfully completed the review process and has been accepted for publication. A printed copy of the journal will be mailed to the authors after publication. Libraries may subscribe to receive every printed issue at the annual rate of $1,200 in the United States or $1,400 internationally, including shipping.
All submissions undergo plagiarism and generative AI-use screening before acceptance. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts comply with IJHSR’s academic integrity and AI-use policies. No refund will be issued if an article is retracted for ethical violations, plagiarism, or unauthorized use of generative AI.
Students are strongly encouraged to read The Science of Scientific Writing Guide while preparing their manuscripts.
All manuscripts published by IJHSR are internationally indexed by EBSCO and Google Scholar, making them discoverable through libraries and academic search platforms worldwide.
Research Article
High school students and their mentors from any country may submit advanced research for consideration. Students who have received awards at regional, national, or international science fairs are particularly encouraged to develop their work for publication and share it with a broader audience. Research articles must present original research and new data generated by the authors. Authors must confirm that the work has not been published elsewhere and clearly explain how it differs from or contributes to existing research in the field.
Review Article
A review article, also known as a literature review, critically examines previously published research on a focused topic and does not present new experimental results. It should evaluate existing studies, identify similarities, differences, and contradictions in the literature, and highlight unanswered questions or potential areas for future research. Authors should define a manageable scope, locate and read the relevant scholarly literature, and develop an independent synthesis of the available evidence. IJHSR accepts only in-depth, extensive review articles that provide a rigorous and comprehensive synthesis of the literature. For additional guidance, visit the University of Michigan Library guide or the Taylor & Francis literature review guide. IJHSR accepts only two or three review articles per issue; therefore, the selection process is extremely competitive.
IJHSR Journals and Scope
IJHSR publishes multidisciplinary research through three specialized journals. Research that draws upon multiple disciplines is welcome; however, authors must select the journal that most closely corresponds to the primary focus of the research. If a submission is not a suitable fit for the selected journal, the editors reserve the right to transfer it to the most appropriate IJHSR journal.
IJHSR – Natural and Physical Sciences
IJHSR–NPS covers biology, biomedical, chemistry, physics, astronomy, Earth science, environmental science, and related fields.
IJHSR – Engineering and Computer Science
IJHSR–ECS covers aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, industrial, materials, mechanical, and computer engineering, as well as artificial intelligence, machine learning, bioinformatics, data science, computer systems, software engineering, and related fields.
IJHSR – Business and Social Sciences
IJHSR–BSS covers accounting, finance, business administration, economics, marketing, anthropology, education, history, law, political science, psychology, sociology, and related fields.
Use of Generative AI
Generative AI tools may be used only in limited supporting roles and may not replace the student’s original research, analysis, interpretation, or writing. Authors must maintain a record of AI prompts when required and clearly disclose and cite AI-assisted content. The following policy is based on the Society for Science and Regeneron ISEF guidance on generative AI use.
| Allowed Uses |
Not Allowed |
- Using AI to identify or summarize key points in a source before reading the original source.
- Using AI to help generate or develop ideas. Authors should maintain a log of their prompts, and disclosure or citation may be required.
- Requesting grammar- and syntax-only suggestions after the student has written the text, provided that AI does not add, remove, or alter the main ideas.
- Using AI to generate initial code, provided that the AI-generated portions are clearly identified and cited and a prompt log is maintained.
- Creating a flowchart, graphic, or image, provided that it is clearly labeled as AI-generated and its creation is properly cited.
- Using AI to identify potentially appropriate statistical tests or software tools. The student must independently select the final method and interpret the data.
- Using AI to correct the structure or formatting of a bibliography. Authors must independently verify every citation.
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- Including an AI-generated summary of a source without personally reading and evaluating the original source.
- Using AI to produce the initial research plan, abstract, manuscript, poster, or any section of these materials.
- Submitting AI-generated text or analysis as the student’s own work is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for rejection.
- Asking AI to add arguments, evidence, interpretations, or other substantive points to a manuscript is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for rejection.
- Using AI to generate conclusions, recommendations, future research directions, or interpretations of results is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for rejection.
- Using AI to collect or fabricate research data is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for rejection.
- Using AI-generated citations or references to support claims without locating, reading, and verifying the original sources is strictly prohibited and constitutes grounds for rejection.
- Using AI to generate a starter bibliography.
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Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, citations, and academic integrity of all submitted work. Undisclosed or unauthorized use of generative AI may result in rejection or retraction.
Submission Guidelines
Choose the Appropriate Article Type
You may submit either a Research Article or a Review Article. Please consult the article-type overview for more information. Your manuscript must be placed in the appropriate template based on the selected submission type. Only articles submitted using the official IJHSR templates will be considered for review. Please read and follow all instructions provided in the applicable template before submitting your work.
We strongly encourage all students to read The Science of Scientific Writing Guide and consult it while drafting their manuscripts.
Required Article Templates
The appropriate IJHSR template must be used for every submission:
All formatting requirements must be followed exactly, and manuscripts must be thoroughly edited before submission. Failure to comply may result in rejection without review.
Terra Journals App—Submit a Manuscript
Manuscript Submission
Prepare Your Manuscript
-
Ensure that it follows the appropriate journal template and contains
complete, properly formatted citations. Submit the manuscript as a
single document named “LastName_FirstName” for a single
author or “LastName_LastName_LastName” for multiple
authors.
-
In addition to being included within the manuscript, all images—including
figures, graphs, and formulas—must be submitted separately as
high-resolution PNG files with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Clearly
name each file so that it corresponds to its caption and number in the
manuscript.
- Most Common reasons for rejection are:
Lack of originality or significant scientific contribution;
Lack-of in depth analysis of topic (for reviews);
Plagiarism or excessive similarity;
Fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data;
Serious ethical concerns;
Multiple inaccurate, incomplete, inaccessible, or unverifiable references;
Failure to disclose AI-generated content or AI-assisted figures when required;
Poor English or organization preventing meaningful review;
Research methods that cannot be evaluated or reproduced;
Conclusions unsupported by the presented data;
Failure to follow journal formatting or submission guidelines
Submit Your Manuscript Through the Terra Journals App
Create an account in the
Terra Journals App and complete the submission process through the platform. All questions and correspondence regarding your manuscript must be submitted through your account within the
Terra Journals App . Please do not send manuscripts or submission-related inquiries by email.
Publication Fee and Scholarships
Due to the extensive number of submissions, a $350 publication fee is charged only after an article has been accepted for publication. Students in the United States who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch may also qualify for a reduced-fee or full-fee scholarship. Please send a message to the editor through your account in the
Terra Journals App to inquire about publication fee scholarships. Each author will receive a printed copy of the journal.
Review and Publication Timeline
The average time to acceptance is approximately one to three months, depending largely on the quality of the submission, the responsiveness of the reviewers, and the authors’ response time when revisions or edits are requested.
Once the article has been accepted and the publication fee has been paid, the authors will receive a certificate of acceptance. Publication may take an additional two to three months following acceptance. We have recently made significant improvements to our editorial workflow to streamline the review and production processes and reduce the overall time to publication. Authors are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to all revision and editing requests.
1. When is the IJHSR submission deadline?
There is no deadline for submission for any issue. IJHSR accepts submissions all year long without a deadline. Issues are published monthly as we complete the review and placement processes.
2. Should my research paper list my mentor/teacher as an author?
It is not required to list an adult supervisor, teacher, or mentor as an author on your paper. If you feel they played a vital role in the research, they should be listed, but must be identified as a supervisor, teacher, mentor, etc. Student names should be listed first and identified as a student. However, you should have a mentor, teacher, or professional who is guiding you with the publication process. In addition, they may also provide you feedback regarding the worthiness of the project for publication.
3. Who should be listed as author?
The authors of the article should be decided before submitting for publication. Any student or teacher who involved in research design/idea, research work, data analysis, manuscript preparation should be considered as authors. Others whose contribution is not impactful should be noted in the acknowledgment section. Authorship list and order cannot be changed once an article is accepted for publication. The corresponding author is responsible for all communications with the editor and future requests from other readers once the article is published.
4. Are there any Fees for submission or publication?
There are no fees to submit an article. However, when an article is accepted for publication, there is a $350 publication fee. IJHSR requests a small fee to cover the costs to support our editing and publication capacity. We also provide a full publication scholarship for students who receive Free/Reduced lunch (dependent on school documentation, please send an email to
[email protected] with your request for scholarship and documentation). IJHSR does not wish to have our fees prevent any student from publishing their work. Please contact the editor directly if you have other circumstances that may qualify you for a publication scholarship.
5. Are there any page limits for submission?
Only papers with a maximum of 15 pages will be accepted for submission to IJHSR.
6. How should I cite my work?
All citations should be done in ACS format. Papers cited in other formats will not be considered for publication. Each time you reference someone else’s work, it is required that you use a superscript number for in-text citation to reference the number that corresponds with the work cited in your “References” section. All students are responsible for properly citing their work.
Please utilize the following resources to help correctly cite your work:
ACS Style Guide
7. Do you publish literature reviews?
Yes, we do publish literature reviews. Please follow our guidelines regarding expectations for a review article. IJHSR will publish only two or three review articles per issue; therefore, the selection process is extremely competitive.
8. Text Format/Style
Please use the journal template which is contains proper format and styles for the publication.
All papers should be submitted in Arial font:
Body/Paragraph Text: 10pt font
Sub Headers: 12pt font, italicized, bold
Section Headers: 14 pt font, bold
Paper Title: 16pt font, bold
Papers are to be single spaced. Do not indent paragraphs. Create a new paragraph by using the “Enter” key.
9. What is the process once I submit my paper?
- The Editor-in-Chief will check the submitted article for proper format, styling, plagiarism, generative AI use, and citations. If there are format issues, it may be sent back to the author to correct. The use of the template is very important for this step.
- Once the proper format is established, the Editor reviews the paper to see whether it is scientifically sound research and suitable for publication. If the editor agrees, he/she will forward the paper to two or more outside reviewers who have expertise in the field for their independent scientific opinion.
- Reviewers may ask for revisions before publication or the paper may be denied for publication. Based on reviewers’ feedback, the editor may ask for corrective action on the paper before accepting it for publication.
- Once the revisions are submitted and it is accepted fully, the publication fee payment will be requested. The fees can be paid by credit card. A payment link will be sent to your email address. You may request a fee waiver or reducing scholarship.
- Once the fee is paid (or a scholarship is awarded), the paper is sent to copy editors for article placement in the Journal. Once the article is placed into production, the author will receive the copy to check for errors. Only when the author approves the publication of the final version, the article will be added to the queue for the next available issue.
- The process may take 3–6 months depending on how many revisions are needed and how soon the authors resubmit their revised paper.
10. What is the policy about AI?
Research about artificial intelligence is welcome. Generative AI may also be used in limited supporting roles, but it may not replace the student’s original research, analysis, interpretation, conclusions, or writing. All submissions are screened for plagiarism and generative AI use before acceptance. Undisclosed or unauthorized use of AI may result in rejection or retraction without a refund. Authors should review the
Society for Science and Regeneron ISEF guidance on generative AI use.
11. How long does it take to publish?
The average time for acceptance may take 1-3 months on average, depending largely on the quality of the submission, responsiveness of the reviewers, and authors' response time for requested changes and editing. Once the article is accepted and paid for, authors will receive a certificate of acceptance for their publication. After acceptance, it may take additional 2-3 months to get published. We have recently implemented significant improvements to our editorial workflow allowing us to streamline the review and production process and reduce the overall time to publication. We highly encourage all authors to be responsive for any editing or change requests to get their article published sooner.
12. Which IJHSR journal should I select?
Authors should select the journal that most closely corresponds to the primary focus of their research:
- IJHSR – Natural and Physical Sciences
- IJHSR – Engineering and Computer Science
- IJHSR – Business and Social Sciences
13. What happens if I submit my manuscript to the wrong IJHSR journal?
Authors should select the IJHSR journal that most closely corresponds to the primary focus of their research. If the editors determine that a manuscript is not a suitable fit for the selected journal, they may transfer it to the most appropriate IJHSR journal. Authors will be informed of any such transfer.
14. Does IJHSR accept multidisciplinary research?
Yes. All three IJHSR journals welcome multidisciplinary research. Authors should select the journal based on the primary focus of the study. If the research draws upon several disciplines, it should be submitted to the journal that most closely represents its central research question, methodology, and contribution.
15. What uses of generative AI are allowed?
Students may use generative AI in limited supporting roles, such as identifying key points to consider before reading an original source, developing ideas, receiving grammar- and syntax-only suggestions, identifying potentially appropriate statistical tools, or correcting bibliography formatting. Students must still read and evaluate all original sources, verify every citation, interpret their own data, and make all substantive research and writing decisions independently. Some uses require disclosure, citation, and a log of the prompts used.
16. What uses of generative AI are not allowed?
Generative AI may not be used to write the initial research plan, abstract, manuscript, or any section of the paper. It may not add arguments or substantive points, interpret results, generate conclusions or future research directions, collect or fabricate data, provide unverified citations, or create a starter bibliography. AI-generated work may not be submitted as the student’s own work.
17. May I use AI to improve text I have already written?
AI may be used for limited grammar and syntax corrections after the student has independently written the text. The AI must not modify, add, replace, or remove the student’s main ideas. More substantial AI-assisted refinement requires explicit disclosure and citation, along with a record of the prompts used.
18. May I use AI-generated code, images, or graphics?
AI-generated initial code may be used only when the AI-generated portions are clearly identified and cited and a log of the prompts is maintained. AI-generated flowcharts, graphics, or images must be clearly labeled as AI-generated and must include an appropriate citation explaining how they were created.
19. Do I need to keep a record of my AI use?
Yes, when generative AI is used for idea development, initial code, the selection of statistical tools, or other uses requiring disclosure, authors must maintain a log of their prompts as part of their research records. Authors are responsible for disclosing and citing AI use whenever required.
20. Do authors need to cite all images, graphs, tables, statistical analyses, and tools?
Yes. Authors must provide an appropriate citation for every image, graph, table, dataset, or statistical analysis. They must also identify any software, AI tool, online platform, or website used to create, analyze, or modify the material, including the tool’s name, version, and URL, where applicable. Authors are responsible for obtaining any permission required to reproduce or adapt copyrighted material.
21. How should I communicate with the editor?
All communication with the editor, including questions and inquiries about your manuscript, must be submitted through your account within the
Terra Journals App. Please do not send submission-related inquiries by email.
22. What are the common reasons of rejection?
- Lack of originality or significant scientific contribution
- Lack of in-depth analysis of the topic (for reviews)
- Plagiarism or excessive similarity
- Fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data
- Serious ethical concerns
- Multiple inaccurate, incomplete, inaccessible, or unverifiable references
- Failure to disclose AI-generated content or AI-assisted figures when required
- Poor English or organization preventing meaningful review
- Research methods that cannot be evaluated or reproduced
- Conclusions unsupported by the presented data
- Failure to follow journal formatting or submission guidelines
23. Should I include my mentor as a reference?
Unless your mentor asks to be included as an author, they should be listed as a mentor, not as an author.