“I was really hoping to get just more awareness. Personally, I wanted our idea to really get out there. I thought that if we could reach people in their language, you know, like scientific papers, that would really help. I think that when you have it written on paper, and it's very facts oriented, then people will take you more seriously. So you get a lot more respect.”
"I think that publishing really helps to validate your findings and your thoughts by taking what you learned – what you've found valid and something significant – and putting it into writing and just being able to present that to the public. It makes what you talk about believable and something that has value behind it when you're able to publish something."
“I think the publishing aspect is really important because not only will it show other people what I've done, but it can also inspire them or encourage them to think more about what I did. And then [it] might even lead to them doing their own investigation.”
“I wanted to do something important. Something that wasn't just very low applicability. And I think the best part to me, especially as a researcher, was to be validated and to be told how to do things in a better way. So really the teaching experience – the learning experience that I got – was exciting because I really got the guidance in the right direction.”
“I was pleasantly surprised at how many comments there were because [the manuscript] wasn't for a grade or anything. I wasn't stressed about it being bad, and I thought it could improve a lot myself, I just didn't know how. So I was grateful for all the commentary that I got because I was able to know exactly what the best outcome would be.”
“I really appreciated just the timely responses, the really great feedback that was super thorough and in depth and really helped me to make my paper better.”
“Reviewer feedback was outstanding. It was constructive and encouraging, and made it a much better paper.”
“I was able to get feedback from people to tell me exactly what they thought in a constructive way. So that learning process was useful to me and they motivated me to do more.”
“First and foremost, I learned that each and every piece of the manuscript gets reviewed carefully. Another important point that I was reminded of was that correlation does not imply causation. I think I also developed in terms of correctly interpreting data and reaching meaningful conclusions. It was a pleasure for me to receive all the valuable feedback from experienced scientists.”
“I'd have to say I learned so much from writing it. It's helped me a lot when I write my essays now for school and for papers. I feel much more confident in my work. I feel like it's better written, better structured, more descriptive - that's something I've learned from writing the paper [for JEI].”
“I learned that one must be very patient when conducting and then reviewing/publishing research. It doesn't happen overnight. Also, the findings I describe in my study are a reflection of me and I want to make sure to be accurate and truthful. Details are very important in the scientific reporting process. If someone reads my study and makes conclusions or decisions based on my findings I want the reader to feel that they can trust the work that I did was good work and was reliable.”
“It showed me that science has a very helpful community, and that anyone can write a report on a lab they accomplished and that people would want to read it. I have always loved science, but this showed me it is possible to create something out of a love of science.”
“I think it also helped me grow a lot as a scientist because it just gave me an entirely new different experience. So now when I approach a new research topic or question in these past two years, I look at it from an eye of a published author. When I'm doing my experiment I'm like ‘Okay, how am I writing it in my paper for it to be effectively communicated? How do I support this?’ I'm looking for research papers while writing the conclusion before I turn my paper in, rather than afterwards while getting these revisions. So I think it's helped me grow a lot in that sense.”
“I think that communicating your science is important because it allows you to share what you did. Because if not, then no one really understands what you did and [your work] doesn't have many implications or a lot of impact on the real world. So, to allow your project to have impact, I guess communicating your science is kind of the key to that.”
“I think that the thing that I learned the most is pretty much just the whole scientific method. Like the way it all works. I learned it in school, but there's nothing like experiencing it first time, first hand.”
“But that I could, you know take an idea that I had had and turn it into something that I could put out into the world – I still think that's the coolest thing I did in high school.”
“I think it gave me confidence that I can keep doing science and pursue things that sound really ambitious even though I'm in high school. So, I think being able to say that [that I’ve published a paper] just gave me more confidence to do things that sound pretty crazy. But I actually can do them.”
“I think it kind of reenergized my curiosity towards science, and every single step of the process was just so fascinating to me. It definitely made me curious to pursue research in college.”
“I always used to think ‘Oh, I'll be a scientist when I go to college’ and all that stuff, but now I'm thinking I'm a scientist now once I published a paper.”
“There is no age restriction to being classified as a scientist. A scientist is somebody who wants to test something new out – and hopefully better for the world – and writes down their observations. If someone is interested in science and is willing to do the work that comes with loving science, they are a scientist.”
“I think it definitely reinforced that I like, I have the passion for, and I have the skills to go into science in college.”
“It kind of pushed me in the direction of research in my high school career. So when I was looking for colleges to apply to, I definitely wanted one that had a strong research program there. Next year I'm going to be studying computer science at Princeton University.”
“It's made me consider to do research as a career instead of just going and doing medicine. To advance the field and try to find new ways, new technologies, and also to go more from just a doctor to like an engineer, a researcher.”
“The JEI process showed me that I enjoy conducting research and being involved in scientific endeavors. I might have a concentrated focus on science in college.”