Arguably, a student shouldn't have their class essay published alongside the work of an eminent researcher. Behind most work published in journals are years of research and often million dollars of funding. Behind student essays are a few weeks of analysis, sometimes only a few hours. But that doesn't mean students should not publish at all or that costs should limit them (or anyone).
Millions of students around the world write multiple essays on complex topics each year. Most of their work will be read by their teacher's assistant and their professor--that's it. These essays offer new insight and perspective on nearly every topic imaginable, yet they are only read by a handful of people and will ultimately be lost over time. Therein lies an opportunity lost for students and for the community. We think students should have the ability to publish their essays, to communicate their thoughts and ideas to peers and to build their online resume. At Authorea you can write your original NIH-funded research or your class essay, we're built to accommodate researchers from all fields and levels of training.
Teachers have already started to use Authorea as a place for their students to write and to receive feedback. We think it's a great opportunity and wanted to share with you some these essays in hope that you not only write your next research article on Authorea, but that you use Authorea in a classroom.
Check out student writing at NYU or in Milan.