Opening your dashboard…

Your dashboard

Welcome back, researcher.

Guides, citation help, and your project — all in one place.

Hi there.

Pick up wherever you left off.

Your progress

0/6 steps done

    Start with step 1: find your question.

    Start step 1

    Your project

    You haven't started a project yet. Add a working title, choose a type of research, and start drafting section by section.

    The 6 steps Research by subject Types of research
    Member since — — sign-ins

    Ways to do citations

    A citation does two jobs: it gives credit to the person who did the work, and it lets a reader find the exact source you used. Pick one style, use it everywhere, and stay consistent.

    Which style should you use?

    StyleUsed inIn-text looks likeReference list
    APA 7Psychology, education, social sciences, health(Okafor & Lin, 2021)Alphabetical, headed References
    MLA 9English, literature, languages, some arts(Okafor 47)Alphabetical, headed Works Cited
    ChicagoHistory, art history, some humanitiesFootnote marker¹Footnotes plus a Bibliography
    IEEEEngineering, computer science[3]Numbered in order of first use
    AMAMedicine, clinical researchSuperscript³Numbered in order of first use

    If a teacher, journal, or competition tells you which style to use, that instruction wins. If nobody says, use the style your subject uses — that's the middle column.

    The same journal article in four styles

    Article: Maya Okafor and Daniel Lin, "Screen time and sleep onset in adolescents," Journal of Adolescent Health, volume 68, issue 4, 2021, pages 512–519.

    APA 7
    Okafor, M., & Lin, D. (2021). Screen time and sleep onset in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(4), 512–519. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx
    MLA 9
    Okafor, Maya, and Daniel Lin. "Screen Time and Sleep Onset in Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 68, no. 4, 2021, pp. 512–19.
    Chicago (notes-bibliography)
    Okafor, Maya, and Daniel Lin. "Screen Time and Sleep Onset in Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Health 68, no. 4 (2021): 512–19.
    IEEE
    [1] M. Okafor and D. Lin, "Screen time and sleep onset in adolescents," J. Adolesc. Health, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 512–519, 2021.

    When do you have to cite?

    • Any direct quote, no matter how short.
    • Any fact, number, or finding that isn't common knowledge.
    • Any idea, framework, or argument you got from someone else, even fully reworded.
    • Any image, chart, dataset, map, or piece of code you didn't make.
    • Anything an AI tool helped you draft — say which tool and what you used it for.

    You don't need to cite genuinely common knowledge, like the year the Second World War ended. When you can't tell, cite it. Nobody has ever been penalized for one citation too many.

    Tools that save hours

    • Zotero — free, works in your browser, saves a source in one click and drops formatted citations into your document. Worth the twenty minutes to set up.
    • Google Scholar — the quote icon under a result gives you a ready-made citation in most styles.
    • Your library's databases — nearly every article page has a "Cite" or "Export" button.

    Generators get details wrong — a missing issue number, a mangled author list, the wrong capitalization. Always read the output against the style rules before you submit.

    My project

    A home for the working details of whatever you're building. This saves to your account, so it's here on any device you sign in from.

    Your paper, section by section

    The boxes below match the sections your type of research needs. Draft each one here — word and character counts update as you type.

    0 words · 0 characters total

    Templates & tools

    Free tools for every stage of your project, plus templates you can copy and fill in.

    Tools All free

    Google Scholar Search almost every academic field at once. Start here for anything.Recommended PubMed The main search engine for medicine, health, and biology research. arXiv Free preprints in physics, math, computer science, and more. ERIC Research on teaching, learning, and schools. DOAJ A directory of open-access journals you can read in full for free.
    Your library card Most school and public libraries give you database access from home. Ask a librarian.Recommended
    OpenAlex An open index of scholarly works, with links to free full text. CORE Millions of free, full-text research papers from repositories worldwide. Email the author Researchers are usually happy to send a PDF to students who ask politely. Use the template below. Zotero Save sources in one click and build a reference list automatically.Recommended Zotero Connector The browser extension that saves articles to Zotero as you browse.
    Google Docs citations Built-in citation tool, handy for short papers. Find it under Tools.
    Google Sheets Spreadsheets in the browser — enough for most first projects. jamovi Free statistics software with a friendly point-and-click interface.Recommended Google Colab Write and run Python in your browser, with nothing to install. Google Forms Build and send surveys, with responses collected in a spreadsheet. The YRP Journal Submit your finished paper for review and publication.Recommended
    Science fair or symposium Present at your school or a regional event — great practice for feedback.
    Competitions Regional and state research competitions in your field.
    Your class Give a talk to the class that inspired your question.

    Copy-ready templates Open one, copy it, and fill in the brackets

    Request a paper from its author

    When an article is behind a paywall.
    Subject: Request for a copy of your article "[Article title]" Dear Dr. [Last name], I'm a high school student researching [your topic] for an independent research project. I came across your article "[Article title]" ([Year]), and it looks directly relevant to my question about [your question in a few words]. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the full text. Would you be willing to share a copy? Thank you for your time and for your work on this topic. Best regards, [Your full name] [Your school]
    Replace everything in [brackets].

    Abstract formula

    Five sentences, one job each. Write it last.
    [1. Topic] [Topic] matters because [why it matters]. [2. Gap or question] However, [what isn't known yet]. This study asks [your research question]. [3. Method] To answer this, [who / what you studied] using [your method]. [4. Results] The results show that [your main finding, with a key number]. [5. Significance] These findings suggest [what it means and why it matters]. Keywords: [3–5 keywords]
    Replace everything in [brackets].

    IMRaD paper outline

    The structure most empirical papers follow.
    Title Abstract (150–250 words) 1. Introduction 1.1 Background — why the topic matters 1.2 What we already know 1.3 The gap 1.4 Research question and hypothesis 2. Methods 2.1 Participants or materials 2.2 Procedure 2.3 Data analysis 3. Results — What you found, without interpretation 4. Discussion 4.1 What the results mean 4.2 Comparison with previous research 4.3 Limitations 4.4 Future research 5. Conclusion References (APA 7)
    Replace everything in [brackets].

    Interview consent script

    Read aloud before you start recording.
    Thank you for agreeing to talk with me. I'm researching [topic] for an independent research project at [school]. The interview will take about [X] minutes. With your permission, I'd like to record it so I can write down what you say accurately. Only I will listen to the recording, and I'll delete it by [date]. I'll use a different name for you in my paper, and I'll leave out details that could identify you. You can skip any question, take a break, or stop at any time, without giving a reason. Do you have any questions before we begin? Is it okay for me to start recording?
    Replace everything in [brackets].

    Nothing matches that search. Try a different word, or choose All.

    Submit to the journal

    The YRP Journal publishes work by high-school researchers. Every submission gets written feedback, whether or not it's accepted.

    Before you submit

    • Your paper has an abstract, a clear question, and a methods section someone could follow.
    • Every claim that isn't yours is cited, in one consistent style.
    • Names and identifying details are removed from any human data.
    • A teacher or mentor has read a full draft.

    Read the full submission guidelines →

    Profile & settings

    Keep this current so guides and journal feedback match your level.

    Your details

    Password

    We'll email you a link to set a new one. Accounts created with Google manage their password through Google instead.

    What we store

    Your name, email, grade, school, date of birth, what you type into My project, and — for each sign-in — the date, the approximate city from your network address, and the browser and device you used. The sign-in details exist so you and the team can spot access that wasn't you.

    To have your account and everything in it deleted, email youthresearchproject26@gmail.com and we'll remove it.

    Help & contact

    Stuck on a step, or something on the site isn't working? Tell us.

    Reach the team

    Email youthresearchproject26@gmail.com. Include your question, what you've already tried, and your subject area — you'll get a much more useful answer.

    Instagram: @youthresearchproject

    Common questions

    Do I need a mentor to do research?
    No, but it helps enormously. Start with a teacher in the subject. If you're emailing a professor, keep it to five sentences: who you are, what you want to study, why their work is relevant, what you're asking for, and when you're free.
    How long should a first project take?
    A literature review, about 6–8 weeks of steady work. An original study with data collection, closer to 4–6 months. Budget more time than you think for step 2.
    Can I use AI tools?
    For brainstorming, explaining a paper you're stuck on, or checking your writing, yes. Never for inventing sources or writing your findings. Say in your paper which tools you used and for what.

    Everyone's accounts

    Everyone with a Youth Research Project account. Click any row to see full sign-in history.

    —
    Accounts
    —
    Joined this week
    —
    Active in 30 days
    —
    Admins
    Name ↕ Email ↕ Age ↕ Grade ↕ Signed in from ↕ Device ↕ Last sign-in ↕ Role ↕ Actions
    Loading accounts…

    Journal submissions

    Manuscripts submitted through the journal portal. Files are never public -- opening a submission generates a fresh, admin-only download link.

    —
    Submissions
    —
    Awaiting review
    —
    In review
    —
    Decided
    Title ↕ Author ↕ Field ↕ Type ↕ Grade ↕ Submitted ↕ Status ↕ Actions
    Loading submissions…

    Recent sign-ins

    The 60 most recent sign-ins across all accounts, newest first.

    PersonWhenFromDeviceMethod
    Loading…

    Admin reference

    A short reference for whoever runs the site next.

    Who can see this page

    Only accounts whose record has role: "admin", plus the seed address , which is always an admin. Everyone else is sent back to their dashboard.

    Hiding the page is only half of it. The real protection is in firestore.rules, which blocks non-admins from reading other people's records even if they call the database directly. Deploy those rules or this panel is decorative.

    What the actions do

    • Make admin / Remove admin — flips role on that person's record. Takes effect the next time they load a page.
    • Suspend — sets disabled: true. They're signed out immediately on their next page load and can't get back in.
    • Delete — removes the person's record, their project, and their sign-in history. Their login credential is queued for removal in deletionQueue; deploy the Cloud Function in functions/index.js to erase it for good. Until you do, a deleted person could sign in again and get a fresh, empty account.

    Delete can't be undone. Suspend is the reversible option.

    Sign-in emails

    Each sign-in sends a note to with the person's name, email, method, approximate city, and device. Change the recipient or turn it down to new accounts only in the CONFIG block at the top of this page's script.

    A note on holding student data

    Most people here are minors, and this panel holds their names, birthdates, schools, and network locations. Keep the admin list short, use a strong password with two-factor on the Gmail account, delete accounts when someone asks, and publish a plain-language privacy notice saying what you collect and why. If you take on students in the EU or UK, or under-13s anywhere, look up GDPR and COPPA before you go further — both have real requirements about parental consent.