Does The Ascent Research Foundation only accept experiment/inquiry-based articles, or can students submit other types of work? 

All hypothesis-driven experimental research is acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to: life sciences, physics, chemistry, health, psychology, and physiology. Engineering and mathematics articles are also accepted as long as there is a clear question and hypothesis being tested. The Ascent Research Foundation also accepts papers written in the fields of Business and Law. We accept all subjects as we are interested in research findings to revolutionize public policy and ensure connection on creating change.

 

Are there deadlines for submission?

There are no deadlines for submission. We accept submissions on a rolling basis. This means that as manuscripts are accepted for publication they will be immediately formatted by the editors and published online.

 

Who can submit a student manuscript?

Any middle school or high school student can publish in The Ascent Research Foundation. Access to university labs and advanced techniques are not required. We are not judging submissions based on the “cutting edge” nature of the research. Rather, we encourage any research that tests a reasonable hypothesis or analyzes a specific topic.

 

Note: If the student's research was conducted in collaboration with a research laboratory, the student MUST have approval from the professor/principal investigator to submit their results for publication in The Ascent Research Foundation.

 

What is the age limit for student authors?

Students may be in middle or high school, as well as in college.

 

Will the standards be grade-level specific?

Yes; when deciding on acceptance, the editors will take into account the grade level of the author. However, we expect well-thought out hypothesis and/or topic analysis with driven research from all students, regardless of grade. The school level, middle or high, will be noted on articles.

 

Will all papers be accepted?
No, we cannot accept manuscripts that have scientifically inaccurate claims, false data, or questionable experimental techniques. Previously published data is not acceptable for re-publication (unless it is cited and used as background information). If experiments are repeated from previous publications, significantly new hypothesis or offers a new view that extends the original findings is required for an article to be considered a “new” submission. It is at the editor’s discretion to determine if the article is sufficiently “new” to warrant publication.

 

Note: The reviewers and editors will make every effort to address these issues in the reviews and if authors can make appropriate changes then the manuscript will be considered for publication. We will reject any submissions where plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence is detected.

 

How long will the review process take? When can I expect to get feedback?

After receiving a submission, a team of The Ascent Research Foundation Editors will first read the submission to determine if it is in the correct format for a scientific manuscript or topic analysis format. If not, the editors will provide a list of suggestions to improve the formatting and presentation of the manuscript typically within two weeks of the initial submission.

 

Once the manuscript is in the correct format, it will proceed to the review stage. In this stage, The Ascent Research Foundation reviewers will read the manuscript and provide suggestions to improve both the analysis and the manuscript itself. These suggestions will be compiled by the editors and sent to the authors within 6-8 weeks, depending on the influx of submissions at the time. May through September and December through January tend to be a busy time for The Ascent Research Foundation and you may experience some delays.

 

Who reviews the manuscripts? How does The Ascent Research Foundation ensure that the reviews are professional and helpful to the student?

 

Ivy League Graduate students and other professionals with advanced degrees with substantial research and analysis experience will review the manuscripts. Editors will collect and look at the reviews for each article to ensure that the reviews are professional and instructive. The editors will make the final decision as to which changes will be required and which changes are unnecessary.

 

What percentage of submissions are accepted for publication the first time they are submitted? What percentage of papers are accepted for publication after revision and resubmission?

 

We will work with every author to publish their manuscript with The Ascent Research Foundation so long as the required revisions and resubmissions are completed. The percentage of initial submissions that are accepted into review right away varies and is primarily determined by whether the authors have followed our submission guidelines, or not.

 

The primary reason for manuscript loss during the review and publication process is failure of the authors to resubmit their manuscript. In certain cases The Ascent Research Foundation will have to reject manuscripts to maintain scientific integrity, but this will be communicated to the authors in a way that still allows it to be a learning experience.

 

Who owns the copyright to the publications in The Ascent Research Foundation? Can the authors submit the same article or portions of the publication for other journals?

The Ascent Research Foundation strives to provide students with as much access to original scientific and analytical writing as possible. With this in mind, all submissions are covered by an attribution non-commercial, no derivative license. This means that anyone is free to share, copy and distribute an unaltered article for non-commercial purposes.

 

What is “hypothesis-based science”?

Hypothesis-based science simply means that the research is focused on a particular question and you, as the researcher, have an educated guess or an unbiased view as to what you think the answer to that question might be.

 

Does The Ascent Research Foundation sponsor student research projects?

Unfortunately, The Ascent Research Foundation does not have the ability to sponsor student research projects.

 

How can a high school student get involved with academic research?
It can obviously be a little daunting to enter the unfamiliar world of scientific research. Fortunately, many professors are willing to take in and teach young and enthusiastic students. The first thing to do is find an area that interests you. Look around at local colleges and universities for professors that have the same interest (a simple Google search with the college/university name and subject would suffice). Then send that professor an email. Not all of them will respond, but you may find the one willing to take on a young student. You can also conduct your own research paper on your own using online sources.

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Do all references need to be primary sources?
A primary source is another research article. We expect that some references should be primary sources. However, we will also accept other reputable sources and some online sources.