The Harvard Undergrad Research Journal Competition Rules and Information

1. Eligibility: The competition is open to 9th through 12th grade high school students.
2. Groups: Students may form groups of up to four eligible students. They do not need to be from the same high school. All submissions will be judged the same regardless of group size.
3. Registration Period: Students must register for the competition via this form by April 13th at 11:59 PST. Please submit the registration form once per group. On April 14th, teams will be emailed a form to submit their final paper.
4. Paper Deadline: All papers must be submitted by May 6, 2024, by 11:59 PST. No extensions can be granted.
5. Research Article Requirements:

• Length: Each submission must be a research article of at least two single-spaced pages.
• Fields: Submissions can be from any field, including social sciences, STEM, etc.
• Originality: The article must be a unique contribution to research. This includes analyzing past conclusions drawn by researchers and demonstrating how they relate to other settings.

• Teams cannot submit papers adapting articles they have already published. They can, however, write articles on the same subject as their current research, provided they have not yet published any articles on the topic. In addition, teams with prior publications may choose related subjects for their submission as long as they include new conclusions and insights not addressed in their original papers.

• Data Collection: Teams may gather data themselves (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations) or use existing research data to draw new conclusions. Data is not required for articles, though it may improve their quality depending on the topic.
• All papers must include:

• An abstract summarizing the research.
• A paragraph on past research and background information.
• A paragraph explaining the significance and broader applicability of the research.
• A bibliography listing all references used in the paper.
• The format of the rest of the paper is up to the author. It is recommended that submissions try to emulate the structure of traditional research papers. Strong examples can be found in THURJ’s Fall 2023 Issue.

• If you have any questions on potential topic ideas, please email aviagarwal@college.harvard.edu. If you need help finding inspiration and ideas, we recommend looking through past THURJ issues found here.

6. Submission Format: Teams must submit a PDF of their paper, any data used with their paper, and a brief (100-word) statement explaining their choice of research topic.
7. Harvard Student Mentors: All teams will have the chance to meet with a THURJ writer or peer reviewer, current Harvard students with robust research experience. After submitting the registration form, teams will be matched with mentors based on their field of interest and research topic. They will receive their contact information within seven days of submitting the registration form.
8. Registration Fee: In order to fund this competition and THURJ's research projects, there is a $59 registration fee for the tournament per team. More information on how to pay is in the registration form.

• There is an option for a fee waiver in the registration form for those unable to afford the fee.

9. Review Process: The top articles will be determined by a panel of highly experienced researchers guided by the Faculty Advisory Board, which includes Dr. George Daley, Dean of Harvard Medical School, and psychology professor Dr. Steven Pinker.

• There are no rigid criteria for a successful article besides adhering to the requirements outlined in Section 5. However, we strongly recommend focusing on the substantiation of your conclusion. We appreciate papers that convincingly back their claims with solid data and thorough analysis, even if they are smaller in scope. Depth and clarity in your research and argumentation are more important than the breadth of the topic covered.
•  Since the final papers’ abstracts will be published in a THURJ issue, the best papers will most likely pass the peer review we conduct on all papers published by our writers. As a result, we highly recommend reading through past THURJ issues on topics similar to those you are working on in your paper.
• The judging criteria rubric will be sent to teams in their registration confirmation email. Please do not share this rubric with anyone outside the competition.

10. Awards:

• The top three teams will feature their research papers' abstracts in a THURJ issue. They will also receive a physical prize.
• In addition to the top three papers, we will recognize the best paper from a team that includes individuals from an underrepresented group in research. All those who belong to an underrepresented group within the winning team will receive recognition. This award is not mutually exclusive with the other awards. More information is listed in the registration form.