Can you publish a research paper outside a university?

I want to go to grad school in the next few years. I've been out of undergrad for two. To help support my grad school application I feel I need more experiences. Conducting and getting my own paper published would be a great thing I suspect, but is it possible to do without currently being associated with an academic institution?

Can you publish a research paper outside a university?
Sure, it's possible, if you're doing something brilliant and breakthrough, but it's highly unlikely. Anything you submit to a professional academic journal is reviewed by other professionals (Ph.D.-holders) in the field. If they come across a paper or abstract by some random kid they've never heard of, they're going to pass it over real quick. If you're enrolled in a master's degree program, however, it's a different ballgame: you have connections and advice through your professors, and, of course, the power of the institutional name behind your own.





My advice to you is to read read read everything in your area of specialization you can get your hands on. Join some scholarly organizations (associations, societies) if you can (though some of these require that you're a student). Do some volunteer work. After you write the personal statement you'll be required to enclose with your grad school application, ask friends and old teachers to critique it. Then revise. If you make a good impression with the personal-statement essay and admissions thinks you're sharp and fit for the academic world, nothing else will matter.