As a fledgling student, I always took a shine to writing and science, but the closest I ever came to engaging with professional writers and scientists came through copies of my dad’s National Geographic magazines. The pictures were great, but the articles felt impenetrable.
The thought that I could somehow shape the articles I “read” and interact with the professionals behind them never crossed my mind. If only Frontiers in Neuroscience for Young Minds had been around in those days!
Frontiers is a scholarly, peer-reviewed science journal for kids. Not only have they partnered with some of the brightest neuroscientists in the world, they’ve found a way to bring students—some as young as five years old—into the peer review process.
Here’s how it works: Established neuroscientists develop articles based on their research—but before publishing it to Frontiers, they invite criticism from young people so that the article can be made more digestible for a younger audience.
Neuroscientists mentor these Young Review Editors, help them review the manuscript and focus their queries to authors. Once the Young Review Editor offers his/her critique, the original author reworks the article and then passes it on to an Associate Editor at Frontiers for publication. How cool is that?
If your students are interested in becoming a Frontiers Young Minds Reviewer, all they have to do is contact the editorial office (email@example.com) with a short biography and a letter.
Here are some of the topics Frontiers covers:
· The Brain and Friends (social neuroscience)
· The Brain and Fun (emotion)
· The Brain and Magic (perception, sensation)
· The Brain and Allowances (neuroeconomics)
· The Brain and School (attention, decision making)
· The Brain and Sports (motor control, action)
· The Brain and Life (memory)
· The Brain and Talking/Texting (language)
· The Brain and Growing (neurodevelopment)
To read some of the published articles, click here.