JRA致力于發表創新和嚴謹的研究，促進對青少年發展的理解。該雜志考慮了與青少年發展相關的廣泛主題的手稿，使用了嚴格的定量或定性方法，并考慮了生命第二個十年的樣本(盡管年齡在18-20歲之間的大學生樣本需要一個強有力的理由，證明該樣本并不方便)。手稿應該促進對青少年發展的理解，而不是僅僅用一個青少年樣本來研究一個現象，因此應該以發展理論和先前的發展研究為基礎。沒有排除特定方法，盡管研究包括多樣化和代表性的樣本，具有有效和多種信息源，和/或具有最佳實踐的定量或定性分析策略是首選。手稿應清楚地闡明在了解青少年發展方面的進展以及在改善青少年生活方面的應用。

JRA seeks to publish innovative and rigorous research that advances understanding of adolescent development. The journal considers manuscripts from the wide range of topics relevant to adolescent development, using rigorous quantitative or qualitative methodologies, and considering samples during the second decade of life (though samples of university students aged about 18-20 years need a strong justification that the sample is not one of convenience). Manuscripts should advance understanding of adolescent development, rather than merely study a phenomenon with an adolescent sample, and should therefore be grounded in developmental theory and prior developmental research. There are no exclusions of particular methodologies, though studies including a diverse and representative sample, with valid and multiple information sources, and/or with best practice quantitative or qualitative analysis strategies are preferred. Manuscripts should clearly articulate the advances in understanding adolescent development and the applications for improving the lives of adolescents.