Journal Of Young Investigators

What Journal Of Young Investigators does

The Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit, open-access peer-reviewed research journal founded in 1998 and registered under ISSN 1539-4026. It publishes original research articles and review articles across scientific disciplines through a double-blind peer review process managed by trained undergraduate associate editors with oversight from PhD-holding academic mentors. All submissions are screened using CopyLeaks plagiarism software, with explicit match-score thresholds (15% for original research, 20% for review/perspectives) before entering review. The journal charges no fees to authors or readers; content is freely available globally on its Squarespace-hosted website at jyi.org.

Beyond the core journal, JYI operates a portfolio of volunteer-delivered programs: a News & Careers Department producing science journalism and career features; an annual conference featuring panels and research presentations; the JYI Undergraduate Research Grant ($250 USD awarded to four selected undergraduates annually, across two disciplinary categories); and a one-month summer Internship Program for high school juniors and seniors offering cross-departmental mentorship (Operations, Research, Communications, Technology, Translation, Copy Editing). The organization also publishes recurring 'Best of JYI' special collections (annual compilations spanning 1997–2025) and topical special issues such as the Socioeconomic Disparities in Healthcare Access collection.

JYI is structured as a private nonprofit with no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, no investors, and no commercial revenue. Its global volunteer community is recruited through faculty advisor networks, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), and email listservs. Management includes a Senior News & Careers Editor, Senior Research Editor, and Deputy Senior Research Editor (Septia Nurmala, Julian Lau, and Deborah Yun respectively), with executive contacts handled via CEO and CFO email addresses; the entity appears US-headquartered based on copyright notice conventions but otherwise operates entirely online with no disclosed office locations.

Name

Journal Of Young Investigators

Legal name

Journal of Young Investigators

Website

https://jyi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit, open-access peer-reviewed research journal publishing undergraduate scientific research and reviews via double-blind peer review, alongside a News & Careers department, annual conference, $250 research grants, and a high school internship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Open Access Publishing: JYI publishes all articles Open Access with no fees charged to authors for publication or to readers for access. The journal operates as a volunteer organization supported by sponsors and donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) is a volunteer-run, international, peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal that publishes original research and review articles through a double-blind peer review process. It operates as a fully online, open-access platform supported by sponsors and donors, with no fees charged to authors or readers, and supplements publishing with a News & Careers department, an annual conference, a $250 undergraduate research grant, and a high school internship program.

Product overview

The Journal of Young Investigators is a peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal offering a multi-faceted platform for scientific publishing and communication. The core offering is the journal itself, which publishes research and review articles through a structured editorial and peer-review process. Supporting offerings include the News & Careers Department for science journalism, the Annual Conference for research presentation, the JYI Undergraduate Research Grant ($250 × 4 recipients) for funding, the Internship Program for high school students, and Special Issues collections for curated thematic content. The journal operates as a fully online, open-access publication without publication fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best of JYI: Annual special collection compiling the best undergraduate research articles published in the Journal of Young Investigators, spanning multiple volumes from 1997-2009, 2014-2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021-2022, and 2023-2025.

Products and services

• Journal of Young Investigators (Main Journal) An international peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal publishing original research articles and review articles in scientific disciplines, with a double-blinded peer review process managed by trained associate editors supported by PhD-holding academic mentors.
• News & Careers Department A science journalism division publishing news features, career articles, and press releases to train the next generation of science communicators, producing accessible science content for the public.
• JYI Annual Conference An annual conference featuring panels, abstracts, and presentations showcasing undergraduate research across scientific disciplines, with networking opportunities for undergraduate researchers.
• JYI Undergraduate Research Grant A grant program providing $250 USD to four selected undergraduate researchers annually to support research-related expenses across two categories: Applied Biological, Chemical, & Clinical Sciences and Chemical, Physical, & Environmental Sciences & Engineering.
• JYI Internship Program A one-month summer internship program for high school juniors and seniors offering 15 hours per week of mentorship in departments including Operations, Research, Communications, Technology, Translation, Copy Editing, and CEO's Office.
• Special Issues (Best of JYI Collections) Curated thematic collections of published articles, including Best of JYI compilations and topical collections such as the Socioeconomic Disparities in Healthcare Access special collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 4 undergraduate researchers annually with $250 grants
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PeerJ: An open access peer-reviewed publishing platform for scientific and medical research with a membership-based funding model. Comparable to JYI through its open access model and broad scientific scope, though focused on professional researchers rather than undergraduates.
• PLOS ONE: One of the largest open access mega-journals publishing peer-reviewed scientific research across all disciplines. Broadly comparable to JYI as an open access peer-reviewed publishing platform, though vastly larger, professionally staffed, and indexed across major academic databases.
• Frontiers: A major open access scientific publisher with journals spanning all academic disciplines. Comparable to JYI through open access peer-reviewed publishing, though vastly larger, professionally staffed, and integrated with peer review innovations.
• F1000Research: An open access publishing platform featuring post-publication peer review across multiple disciplines. Comparable to JYI as open access scientific publishing, though with a more novel open peer review model and professional staffing.
• eLife: A peer-reviewed open access scientific journal for life sciences and medicine backed by major research funders. Comparable to JYI through its open access peer-reviewed model and emphasis on scientific communication, though professionally staffed and focused on established researchers.

Direct peers

• Young Scientists Journal: An international peer-reviewed research journal written and edited by students aged 12-20. Directly comparable to JYI as a youth-focused, volunteer-driven open access scientific publishing platform with editorial training and mentorship missions.
• The Journal of Undergraduate Research: A long-running university-based peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal publishing student-authored work. Directly comparable to JYI in focus on undergraduate-authored peer-reviewed research, though typically affiliated with a single institution rather than a global volunteer network.

Others

• bioRxiv: A free preprint server for biological sciences hosted by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Adjacent to JYI as a platform for sharing scientific research, but operates as a preprint repository prior to peer review and targets established researchers rather than undergraduates.
• Council on Undergraduate Research: A national professional organization dedicated to supporting undergraduate research across disciplines. Comparable to JYI in its mission to advance undergraduate research opportunities, though operates as an advocacy and convening organization rather than a journal publisher.
• arXiv: An open access archive for scholarly preprints in physics, mathematics, computer science, and related fields, hosted by Cornell University. Adjacent to JYI as an open access platform for scientific research, though focuses on preprints and serves established researchers in STEM fields.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jyijournal
• Facebookfacebook.com/jyijournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jyijournal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Journal Of Young Investigators