Top Medical Journals for High School Students to Publish In
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Learning about medicine is something that many students are interested in, given the popularity of the pre-med track in undergraduate colleges. However, who says that you have to wait until college to start researching medicine and healthcare? If you’re conducting research in medicine or plan on doing so, it’s also not a bad idea to start thinking about a journal that you might want to publish your research in. Contrary to what you might think, there are numerous journals out there that welcome student submissions. By submitting your work, you can learn about the peer-review process and you might also have the opportunity to receive feedback on your research from expert scientists and physicians. In this article, we’ll cover our top medicine journals for high schoolers to publish their research in.
Our List of Top Medical Journals
1. New England Journal of Medicine
Since 1812, NEJM has published some of the highest quality research to advance medical science and improve patient care. The journal includes an extensive peer review process conducted by physician editors and reviewers. What makes this journal potentially a good fit for students is that there is a wide variety of categories that you can participate in. If conducting formal research is something that feels intimidating to you, you can complete submissions like a Letter to the Editor or even submit images that showcase concepts in clinical medicine. Further, NEJM gives you the chance to gauge interest in your research prior to making a formal submission, by allowing you to complete a Presubmission Inquiry.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Throughout the year (unless you are making a Letter to the Editor submission, in which you have three weeks to after the publication date of the article to which you’re responding)
Type of research: Original research, clinical cases, review articles, editorials and letters to the editor, images and videos in clinical medicine
2. Brown Journal of Medical Humanities
This new, undergraduate-run publication looks to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of medicine and illness, which can include topics such as bioethics, medical anthropology, history of medicine, and medical storytelling. This journal does a great job of encouraging submissions in topics beyond just original medicine research and for patients and physicians alike to share their unique experiences related to medicine. There is also a lot of opportunity for literary creativity, given that the Brown Journal of Medical Humanities is one of the few STEM journals we’ve seen that allows for written fiction submissions.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Has passed for 2023; check website for updates
Type of research: Academic papers, fiction, poetry, visual art (photos, paintings, etc.)
3. Cambridge Medicine Journal
This student-run, peer-reviewed, open-access journal welcomes all submissions by students and has an editorial board composed of college students from around the world but primarily in the UK. As far as the submission timeline goes, initial screening usually occurs within a few days, after which the editors will provide constructive feedback. The journal website mentions that the acceptance rate for articles averages around 50% and that in many cases the journal will invite authors to resubmit their articles. The Cambridge Medicine Journal is a great option as it emphasizes feedback for all authors and isn’t overly exclusive. Do keep in mind however that submissions must use Vancouver style citation format. For more on citation and bibliographies, check out our complete guide to citing sources for research.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Throughout the year
Type of research: Research articles, case reports, personal perspectives on future of medicine, letter to the editor, images in medicine
4. Harvard Medical School Review
The scope of this student-run medical journal is intentionally broad, giving students a wide range of topics to choose from and providing students a platform to contribute their perspectives to issues in health and medicine. The journal allows for submissions in research, prose, poetry, and artwork. Although the website mentions that the journal is intended for medical school students, we believe that any research, opinion on healthcare or medicine, or work of art that is properly researched and follows the author’s manual should hold up to the standard of the journal. If you’re interested in what previous submissions have looked like, you can check out the journal archives.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Throughout the year
Type of research: Research articles and literature reviews, perspectives on current healthcare issues, artwork, poetry
5. Florida Medical Student Research Journal (FMSRJ)
This journal based out of the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine aims to help Florida medical students learn about the peer review process, but the editorial policy mentions that the journal accepts submissions from anyone conducting research in medicine. The journal was founded in 2015 and is one of 18 journals worldwide publishing original research. Be sure to check out FMSRJ’s submission guidelines before sending in your work. For inspiration, you can look through past editions of the journal.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Throughout the year
Type of research: Original research, case studies, reviews, editorials
6. Health and Human Rights Journal
Starting in 1994, the Health and Human Rights Journal is an online, open-access publication supported by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University. The journal aims to increase awareness of human rights knowledge in the health field. There are a variety of submission types available for researchers, but student essays is the only section available for students to participate in. The essays should have a clear human rights grounding and focus on a public health issue. Submissions are then peer-reviewed by a select editorial group.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Submissions welcome at any time. Journal published twice a year in June and December
Type of research: Essays
7. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (YJBM)
This open-access, peer-reviewed, quarterly journal is the oldest medical student journal still in print, dating back to 1928. This international journal has a rich history of landmark articles, featuring notable contributors and an editorial board consisting of students and faculty from the Yale School of Medicine. Unlike some other journals, each issue of the journal has a specific focus topic voted upon by the YJBM board. For example, the June 2024 issue focuses on Chronic Disease while the September 2024 issue focuses on Integrative Medicine. If any of those topics sound interesting to you, conducting research for this journal can be a great way to explore an interesting subtopic within medicine.
Cost: Free
Deadline: Next deadline is February 1st, 2024 for the June 2024 issue. The next deadline after that is March 1st, 2024 for the September 2024 issue.
Type of research: Original research, reviews, perspectives, book reviews, interviews
Strategy for Submitting to Multiple Medical Journals
Ultimately, your research can only be published in one peer-reviewed journal. Submitting the same paper to multiple peer-reviewed journals is not allowed and many websites of the journals listed above mention that explicitly. If your work is not accepted at one journal, however, then you’re free to submit your research to your next choice. Keep in mind however that journals will often have different formatting and citation requirements, so do not just copy and paste the same submission to every journal!
Take the time to carefully read through submission guidelines and checklists. You can also submit your research to a preprint archive in addition to a peer-reviewed journal, since a preprint archive is an online library of research that is not peer-reviewed and allows you to share your research easily with others. A great example of a preprint archive is the Research Archive of Rising Scholars (RARS) created by Polygence!
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