TL;DR: The Columbia Junior Science Journal (CJSJ) publishes research by high school students from anywhere in the world, in one issue a year. Getting in is tough. CJSJ is very selective, and by our count it publishes only about 10 papers a year. This year's window closed on Sep 30, 2026, and CJSJ hasn't announced the next one yet, so you've got time to get your paper ready.
If you've finished a science project in high school, CJSJ might be on your list of places to publish it. You'll have the best chance at CJSJ if you write carefully and follow its rules exactly. CJSJ won't even review a paper in the wrong format.
What is the Columbia Junior Science Journal?
CJSJ started in fall 2015 as the high school version of the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal (CUSJ). CUSJ is a science journal for Columbia students that began in 2005. By fall 2026, CJSJ had published 11 volumes (CJSJ home page). It takes papers in the natural sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences.
Recent CJSJ volumes include lab experiments, data studies, and AI projects by high school students. In 2025-26, one student used machine learning to improve water level predictions. Another student studied a type of brain cell in Alzheimer's disease, and a third tested solar cells in the lab (2025-26 volume). The year before, a student used an AI model built for images to predict how strong hurricanes would get (2024-25 volume).
Who can submit to CJSJ?
You can submit to CJSJ from any country, as long as you're still enrolled in high school. Recent graduates can't submit. Students on a gap year who aren't enrolled at a university can't submit either (CJSJ FAQ). So if you're a senior, the fall of senior year is your last chance.
CJSJ submissions usually open in early summer and close at the end of September. You'll hear decisions in rounds from late October to mid-December. CJSJ then publishes the new volume in the spring. You can find each year's exact dates on the CJSJ home page. Here are the key facts for 2026-27, as of November 2026:
Submission window: Jun 2 to Sep 30, 2026. It's now closed.
Decision rounds: Oct 30, Nov 20, and Dec 11, 2026. CJSJ says these may change.
Publication: Mar 26, 2027.
Next cycle: CJSJ hasn't announced the 2027-28 dates yet.
If you missed this window, you can join CJSJ's mailing list on its FAQ page to hear when new dates go up. If you don't have a finished project yet, you can build one before CJSJ's next window opens in early summer. If AI interests you, you can start by looking for AI research opportunities in high school.
How selective is CJSJ?
CJSJ has published between 9 and 13 papers a year in recent volumes, so we see it as very selective. CJSJ doesn't share how many papers it receives, so there's no official acceptance rate. But it does post every paper it accepts, in volumes like 2021-22, 2022-23, 2024-25, and 2025-26.
Since CJSJ takes so few papers, it would be smart to plan a second place to share your research. That way, your work still has a home if CJSJ doesn't pick it. You could send it to another student journal or enter one of these research competitions for high school students.
How to write a strong CJSJ paper
In the strongest CJSJ papers, students answer one clear question in just a few pages. Here are 6 tips to get there.
Choose the right article type. Pick original research (2 to 3 pages) if you ran your own experiment, analysis, or model. Pick a review article (4 to 5 pages) if you're pulling together published studies on one question.
Start from the official template. CJSJ's Guidelines page has templates for research papers, review articles, and figures. Write in the template from day one. Number your citations in square brackets, like [1].
Write to the page limit from the start. CJSJ doesn't count figures or citations toward the limits. To stay under the limit, you can save side results and extra background for later.
Explain every technical term. Your readers may not know your field, so CJSJ asks you to define terms. A short definition the first time a term comes up is usually enough. For example, you could write "astrocytes, a type of brain cell."
Compare your result with something. A single number on its own is hard to judge. You can compare it with a published result or with a baseline, which is a simple method to measure against.
Disclose any AI tools you used. CJSJ follows the AI policy of the journal Science, so an AI tool can't be an author. If a chatbot helped you write code or edit text, say so in your cover letter and acknowledgments. In your Methods section, give the full prompt, the tool, and its version.
How to fit an AI project into a 3-page CJSJ paper
To fit an AI project into a 3-page CJSJ paper, your main job is deciding what to cut. Say you trained a model to spot crop disease in leaf photos, and your report is 9 pages long. Here's one way to fit it into 3 pages, with figures in their own file. You can find more on each part in how to write an AI research paper in high school.
Abstract, one paragraph: Sum up your question, data, model, and main result. Readers want to see what you found, so you can leave out why farming matters.
Introduction, about half a page: Talk about the research gap your paper is addressing. That's the question earlier studies haven't answered. Then share your own question. Your readers came for your project, so you can skip the history of computer vision (AI that works with images).
Methods, about three-quarters of a page: Explain where your photos came from and how you split them for training and testing. Then name your model type and how you measured accuracy. You only need the settings you used in the end, so leave out the others you tried.
Results, about three-quarters of a page: Show your main score next to a baseline, plus 1 or 2 figures. Leave out extra experiments that didn't change your answer, so your main result stands out.
Discussion, about half a page: Explain what your result means and where your model struggles, like with photos in poor light. One or two ideas for future work are plenty.
Conclusion, a few lines: Answer your question in one clear sentence, so readers know exactly what you found.
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How to submit to CJSJ
You submit to CJSJ through its online Submission Portal with 3 files and a short form. Here are the 5 steps.
Choose your one paper. You can send only one paper each cycle, so pick your strongest. Team papers are welcome, and one primary author submits for the whole team. If co-authors also submit it, CJSJ may delay or disqualify the paper.
Get the Permission to Publish Form signed. If you worked with a mentor or teacher, you both sign it. On a team, only the primary author and the mentor or teacher sign. If you worked alone, or wrote a review article, leave the mentor sections blank.
Name your files exactly. Your paper goes in LastnameFirstname_paper.docx. Your figures and captions go in LastnameFirstname_figures, using CJSJ's PowerPoint template. The signed form goes in LastnameFirstname_form.pdf.
Fill in the portal form. You'll give your name, school, graduation year, and research subject, plus a short bio. On a team, list every author in the bio and on the paper.
Submit a few days early. The deadline is at 11:59 pm Eastern time, and CJSJ makes no exceptions. If you send early, you'll have time to fix a file that won't upload.
What is the CJSJ review process like?
After the deadline, CJSJ's editors narrow down the papers in 3 rounds, naming quarterfinalists, semifinalists, and finalists. The 2026-27 editors are Columbia undergraduates from Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, and Barnard (Masthead).
CJSJ finalists can add back the sections they cut to fit the page limit, and their papers appear in the spring volume. If your paper isn't chosen, you can improve it and send it again in a later cycle.
FAQs
Is the Columbia Junior Science Journal prestigious?
In our view, yes, for a high school journal. With a CJSJ paper, you show that you finished real research and explained it clearly. Columbia undergraduates edit CJSJ, and it's very selective.
Does it cost anything to submit to CJSJ?
No. CJSJ doesn't list any fee to submit a paper, as of October 2026.
Do you need a mentor to publish in CJSJ?
A mentor is good to have for CJSJ, and you can also submit research you did on your own. A mentor can help you decide what to keep when you shape a big project into a short CJSJ paper. If your project is in AI and you know basic Python, you can explore Veritas AI's one-on-one AI Fellowship. A mentor guides your own AI research project across 15 sessions, and you'll spend 4 more with a publication specialist. You can end your project with a journal or competition submission, or a showcase.
Can middle school students submit to CJSJ?
No, CJSJ only takes papers from high school students. Middle schoolers can still publish their research, since some student journals take papers from middle school students too. The journals guide in the next answer shows which ones.
Where else can high school students publish research?
If your paper will be ready by the end of September, try CJSJ first. If your paper won't be ready in time for CJSJ, you can send it to a student journal that takes papers all year. Our guide to high school research journals compares your options, from how selective each one is to how long reviews take.
Can you publish a CJSJ paper in another journal too?
No, not once CJSJ publishes it as a finalist. Even after CJSJ publishes your paper, you keep the copyright and can use your data in future papers and science fairs. If another journal accepts your paper first, you need to tell CJSJ.
Official CJSJ pages to check
CJSJ's own pages have the latest rules and dates for your year.
CJSJ home page: this cycle's dates and announcements.
Guidelines: article types, templates, the AI policy, and the permission form.
CJSJ FAQ: eligibility, team rules, resubmission, copyright, and the mailing list.
Submission Portal: where you submit once the window opens.
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