Research Archive of Rising Scholars: Is It Worth Submitting Your Paper?
Updated: 16th October, 2026
TL;DR
The Research Archive of Rising Scholars is an open-access preprint archive, not a peer-reviewed journal. The site says its materials are not peer-reviewed by the Research Archive. It lists no fee and takes young scholars' work in any STEM or humanities field. That makes it a fine home for a finished paper but a weak signal for admissions. If you want a paper strong enough for a peer-reviewed journal, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you one-on-one with a mentor for a 12-week research project.
What is the Research Archive of Rising Scholars?
It is an open-access preprint archive where young scholars post completed research papers. The site is inspired by arXiv, the Cornell University server scientists use to share work before formal review. The archive gives a finished paper a public, citable home while you prepare it for a journal.
It is managed and hosted by an outside research education organization. The Preprint Server Team page lists its advisors and Dr. Michael Puett of Harvard University on the advisory board. The site states no grade, age, or country limit for submissions.
The topics are wide. The archive accepts work in “any and all academic fields in STEM and the Humanities,” and its categories include research papers and creative work.
Detail | What the archive states |
Who runs it | Managed and hosted by an outside research education organization, with a Harvard faculty member on the advisory board |
Who can submit | Young scholars. No grade, age, or country rule is stated |
Fields | Any topic in STEM and the humanities |
Peer-reviewed | No. The site says its materials are not peer-reviewed |
Submission fee | None listed on the site |
Turnaround | 1 to 2 weeks from submission |
Is the Research Archive of Rising Scholars peer-reviewed?
No, it is an archive. The site is clear that it does not peer-review the papers it hosts. In its own words, materials “are not peer-reviewed by the Research Archive,” and its submissions page repeats that the archive does not peer review paper contents.
That difference matters for how you describe the work. Peer review means experts check your methods and results before a paper goes public. An archive skips that step and posts the paper as you submit it. For a clear picture of how academic publishing works, read Lumiere's complete guide to publishing your research in high school, which covers peer review and how to spot pay-to-publish journals.
Calling an archived paper peer-reviewed on a college application would be inaccurate, and readers who know the field will notice.
What kinds of papers does it accept?
It accepts original research and scholarly writing across STEM and the humanities. The submissions page lists research papers, which can be review papers or hypothesis-driven studies, and creative work such as poetry, short stories, and screenplays. The one firm rule is that research papers must be work you conducted yourself.
The work also must not be previously published or under consideration at another server, unless you explain it in the comments to the moderator. With a range this broad, the archive does not screen for subject fit the way a specialized journal does. Your paper is checked against the format rules, not a narrow scope. For a sense of how specialized outlets differ, see Lumiere's roundup of journals that publish high school research.
How do you submit, and are there any fees?
You register or log in, drop your paper into the site's template, and upload it as a PDF. The submissions page lists no charge to submit or post a paper. You format the paper yourself using the archive's template, then send the PDF through your account.
The template sets simple rules. Text goes in 12-point Arial, single-spaced, with figures and tables placed in the body of the paper. You pick one consistent citation style, such as APA or MLA, and include URLs or DOIs for your references. Fees can change, so check the site before you submit.
How long does review take, and how selective is it?
The site lists a turnaround of 1 to 2 weeks from the date you submit. The archive publishes no acceptance rate, because it is a moderated archive, not a selective journal. The check is about format and originality, not whether your findings are correct.
In those weeks, moderators look at the template rules and the original-work requirement. They don't weigh your results the way a journal's reviewers would. Since the screen looks at formatting and originality rather than scientific merit, our estimate is that most papers that follow the guidelines get posted. That is an estimate based on how a moderated archive works, not an official figure.
Is it worth submitting your paper here?
It is worth it as a free, quick way to put a finished paper online and cite it. It is not worth it if you expected it to stand in for a peer-reviewed journal. To its credit, the site is honest about what it is and does not dress an archive up as formal publication.
Pros -
It lists no submission fee, so posting your paper is free.
It lists a 1 to 2 week turnaround, so your work can be online fast.
It accepts any STEM or humanities field and states no country limit.
It has a Harvard faculty member on its advisory board.
Cons -
It is not peer-reviewed, so it adds no outside quality check.
It screens for format and originality, so a posting does not signal selectivity.
You can't call an archive posting a journal publication.
Some journals bar work that was posted elsewhere first, so check each journal's rules before you post.
A free home for a finished paper is useful, and the speed helps when you want your work dated and online fast. The trade is that a venue any compliant paper can post to will not, by itself, show a college that your work cleared a high bar. A senior with applications due in weeks will get more from a competition or a reviewed journal than from an archive entry.
How should you list it on college applications?
List it honestly as a preprint or an archived paper, never as a peer-reviewed journal publication. A clean line reads something like “posted my research to the Research Archive of Rising Scholars, an open-access preprint archive.” Describe it as an archived preprint and let the quality of the research speak, since overstating the venue can backfire.
Admissions readers care about the research itself, not the logo on the page. If you can explain your question, your method, and what you found, the archive link is a fine place to point them. The venue is a detail. The thinking is the point. For the wider choice between outlets, see this comparison of a conference presentation and a journal publication and when each one fits.
How can you get your paper ready for a peer-reviewed journal?
Start with a clear research question and a method you can explain step by step. A strong paper opens more doors than any single venue. A paper good enough for a reviewed journal is also good enough for any archive, so build the paper first.
Ask a teacher or mentor to read a draft and point out weak spots in your methods. Check your citations and data, then read the target journal's submission rules before you send anything. Once the paper is solid, you can post it to the archive and send it to a reviewed venue too.
Frequently asked questions: Research Archive of Rising Scholars
Is the Research Archive of Rising Scholars legit?
Yes. It is a working preprint archive built on Open Preprint Systems software and managed by an established research education organization. It does what it claims and hosts young scholars' papers openly. It is not a journal, so judge it as an archive rather than a peer-reviewed venue.
Can international students submit?
Yes, as far as the site states. It sets no country restriction and no grade or age limit. You still need a paper that meets the format and original-work rules.
Do colleges recognize it?
There is no evidence that colleges give special weight to an archive posting. Admissions readers care about the research itself, not where it sits. A paper you can explain and defend matters far more than a venue name. If you list it, call it a preprint.
Can you submit a paper that was published somewhere else?
Usually not. The archive asks that work not be previously published or under consideration at another server, unless you explain the situation in the comments to the moderator. Research papers must also be work you conducted yourself. Read the submissions page before you upload.
Can you still send your paper to a journal after posting it?
Often yes, since the archive says authors may later submit their work for peer-reviewed publication elsewhere. Each journal sets its own rule on work that is already online, though. Check the policy of every journal you plan to try. Lumiere's list of journals for high school research is a good place to start.
Want a paper that can clear peer review, not just an archive with no review step? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you one-on-one with a mentor for a 12-week independent research project that can strengthen your college application. Apply here.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.