Any high school student aged 13–19, enrolled in secondary education anywhere in the world. Homeschooled students, students in alternative education programmes, and gap-year students (if still 19 or younger) are all eligible.

Yes! Co-authorship with a mentor, teacher, or adviser is encouraged—especially if they provided significant guidance on the work. However, a high school student must be listed as the first or co-first author.

No. Youth Innovation Journal is free to submit, free to publish, and free to read. We believe in open access.

Yes, with conditions. We accept:

• Work posted on personal websites, GitHub, or preprint servers

• Work presented at conferences or competitions

We do not accept:

• Work already published in another journal

• Work under review at another journal simultaneously

When in doubt, email us.

We aim for first decisions within 4–6 weeks and publication within 8–12 weeks of acceptance. If revisions are needed, you'll typically have 2–3 weeks to resubmit.

AI can assist with:

• Grammar, spelling, and style

• Brainstorming and ideation

• Code generation and debugging

• Translation or rephrasing

You must disclose this assistance in your AI Use Statement. All claims, data, and analysis must be verified by you—AI cannot do your thinking for you.

Do not publish enabling details before filing a patent. Public disclosure (including journal publication) can destroy patentability in most jurisdictions.

Options:

1. File a provisional or non-provisional patent before submitting to YIJ

2. Request an embargo (we delay publication until you file)

3. Submit a Patent Brief after filing, summarising your invention in plain English

Use our [Patent Disclosure Checklist] to assess your situation.

Currently, we only accept submissions in English. However, if you've written your work in another language and need assistance translating, you may use AI tools (with disclosure).

You'll receive constructive feedback explaining why your work wasn't accepted and suggestions for improvement. Many declined submissions can be revised and resubmitted after addressing the feedback.

Use this format:

[Your Name]. "[Article Title]." Youth Innovation Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 2025, pp. X–X. [URL or DOI]

We'll provide a formatted citation with your publication.

We're working towards Google Scholar indexing and other academic databases. In the meantime, your work will have a permanent URL and be discoverable via our website.

Yes, at any time before publication. Email us at [submissions email] to withdraw.