Sisters in STEM

We are so excited that you want to submit your work to Sisters in STEM! Please read the information below carefully to learn about what types of content we accept and what we are looking for in each submission. A template is provided for each submission category. When you open a template, you will be directed to make a copy of the original. You will be able to edit after you create the copy. 

Tip: Use the rubrics linked below to evaluate your own work before you submit it to us. Does your work have all the parts expected of a submission in that category? Does it meet the expectations for quality? If not, be sure to edit your work before you submit! 

If you have any questions about Lower School articles, please contact the Sisters in STEM Editorial Committee at STEMjournal@columbusschoolforgirls.org.

Submission categories
We will accept student work that falls into one of the following five categories. Each category has its own unique rubric that the Editorial Committee will use to evaluate the submission and provide feedback to the author(s). 

Experimental Article

• Experimental articles are written about an experiment conducted in class or at home. It includes background information, a prediction, procedure, results, and conclusions. 

  Click here for an experimental article template.
  Click here for the experimental article rubric.

Observational Article

• Observational articles are descriptive and focus on one or more specific phenomena (events, species, groups of organisms, and/or locations). Observations may be written and/or drawn (by hand or digitally) and information about when, where, and how the observations were made should be included.

  Click here for an observational article template.
  Click here for the observational article rubric.

Design Article

• Design articles focus on detailing problems that have been solved using the engineering design process. Student authors should be able to articulate the problem that was addressed, how they approached solving it, and show visuals (drawings, photos, and/or diagrams) that show at least some of the process and its solution.

  Click here for a design article template.
  Click here for the design article rubric. 

Exploration Article

• An Exploration Article synthesizes multiple outside resources into one product that communicates the current state of our knowledge about a particular science, technology, engineering, or math topic.

  Click here for an exploration article template.
  Click here for the exploration article rubric. 

Nonfiction STEM Book Review

• Book reviews must be on nonfiction books that are focused on fields that fall under science, technology, engineering, and/or math. This can include biographies of individuals who work (or have worked) in STEM fields. The review should summarize the contents of the book in a way that makes the reader curious to learn more. The review should also provide perspective from the reviewer about why they recommend the book and who they recommend the book to.
  In order to maximize the number of submissions we can accept, book reviews should be no longer than 750 words.

  Click here for a book review template.
  Click here for the book review rubric. 

Submission Instructions

To submit a completed article, share your completed Google Doc with STEMjournal@columbusschoolforgirls.org.

1. Make sure your document has been renamed with the students name.

2. Click on the blue “Share” button to share. Type in the email address: STEMjournal@columbusschoolforgirls.org. 

3. Make sure that STEM Journal has editor permissions.

We are so excited that you want to submit your work to Sisters in STEM! Please read the information below carefully to learn about what types of content we accept and what we are looking for in each submission. 

Tip: Use the rubrics linked below to evaluate your own work before you submit it to us. Does your work have all the parts expected of a submission in that category? Does it meet the expectations for quality? If not, be sure to edit your work before you submit! 

Submission categories
We will accept student work that falls into one of the following five categories. Each category has its own unique rubric that the Editorial Committee will use to evaluate the submission and provide feedback to the author(s). 

Experimental Article

• Experimental articles detail the background, hypotheses/predictions, methods, results, and conclusions of an experiment conducted by a student or group of students. The experiment may be manipulative (such as changing the amount of baking soda in cookies to see the effect on texture, size, and taste) or the experiment may be more naturalistic (such as collecting data on the biodiversity of trees at three different locations along the Olentangy River); the common aspect to these studies is that predictions were made, data were systematically collected and analyzed, results presented in tables and/or graphs, and conclusions are made based on the results. Experiments should have a References/Literature Cited section, with in-text citations if appropriate for the grade level.
• Common examples of submissions in this category would include write-ups of laboratory experiments (“lab reports”) and professional conference-style posters.
• The rubric for Experimental Articles can be found here.

Observational Article

• Observational articles are descriptive and focus on one or more specific phenomena (events, species, groups of organisms, and/or locations). Observations may be written and/or drawn (by hand or digitally) and information about when, where, and how the observations were made should be included. A brief section of background information should be included so that the reader understands the context in which the observations were made: why did the observer(s) make these observations? What was interesting about this thing that was observed? Conclusions for an observational article would be a statement, which can be brief, about what the student(s) learned, any new questions they have, and/or how these observations might be used in the future. 
• Common examples of submissions in this category would include detailed drawings in field notebooks, graphs or figures made of data gathered in a non-experimental context (such as exploring the density of various objects), and journal entries that describe observations made of STEM phenomena.
• The rubric for Observational Articles can be found here.

Design Article

• Design articles focus on detailing problems that have been solved using the engineering design process. Student authors should be able to articulate the problem that was addressed, how they approached solving it, and show visuals (drawings, photos, and/or diagrams) that show at least some of the process and its solution. Background information should be included where appropriate to make sure the reader understands the nature of the problem, the different choices that were made along the way in the design process, and the different parts of the solution.
• Common examples of submissions in this category would include a series of diagrams/explanations showing the development of a specific product or solution and details about the development of code to perform specific tasks/functions.
• The rubric for Design Articles can be found here.

Exploration Article

• An Exploration Article synthesizes multiple outside resources into one product that communicates the current state of our knowledge about a particular science, technology, engineering, or math topic. These can take the form of written research papers, but can also be creative, such as with informational brochures or posters, or other types of writing like an argumentative paper or position statement. The focus of any submission that falls into this category is not data, measurements, or observations collected by the student(s), but the summation of information from multiple reliable sources.
• Common examples of submissions in this category would include non-experimental/observational research papers, educational brochures, and  “public service announcement” posters about issues relevant to STEM fields.
• The rubric for Exploration Articles can be found here.

Nonfiction STEM Book Review

• Book reviews must be on nonfiction books that are focused on fields that fall under science, technology, engineering, and/or math. This can include biographies of individuals who work (or have worked)  in STEM fields. The review should summarize the contents of the book in a way that makes the reader curious to learn more. The review should also provide perspective from the reviewer about why they recommend the book and who they recommend the book to.
• In order to maximize the number of submissions we can accept, book reviews should be no longer than 750 words.
• The rubric for Nonfiction STEM Book Reviews can be found here. 

Click here to submit your work!