Journal Guidelines

Journal Guidelines

2008/2009 Guidelines

Submissions

• Submission Deadline: TBD
• Students must turn in an [PDF] submission form (19 KiB) to Barb Bergman – Library Services.
• Students must electronically submit their abstract, biographical sketch, and research article to barbara.bergman@mnsu.edu by the submission deadline. The email must include:
  • Abstract
  • Brief professional biography of the student (200–250 words/sketch)
  • Brief professional biography of the mentor (200–250 words/sketch)
  • Your research article
• Authors will be notified if their work is accepted, needs revision, or rejected
• Authors will receive two anonymous written critiques
• Articles should be submitted as a Word document or a PDF file
• The Journal is an online publication. There is no minimum or maximum length

The Journal of Undergraduate Research (JUR) is interdisciplinary and accepts submissions which would meet the standard of excellence for students in diverse fields of study. Authors may select from either of the two formats described below or work with the editorial staff of the JUR to develop another type suited to the particular research. If you are interested in developing a format which is not included on the list below, contact Dr. Dawn Albertson (dawn.albertson@mnsu.edu).

Potential Research Formats

Although most submissions are made by students participating in Minnesota State University, Mankato's Undergraduate Research Conference, submissions from any undergraduate student will be considered for publication. The Journal of Undergraduate Research is published annually as an electronic journal.

• Research Paper or Professional report
• Creative report with strong textual or graphic material

Traditional Research Paper/Presentations or Professional Reports

Paper (hard–copy) format or web–developed format.

A formal research article format might include the following:

• abstract
• introduction
• literature review
• materials and methods
• results
• discussion
• references

When incorporating citations, students should use whatever format is acceptable to their field (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.).

A report for a profit or non–profit organization might include a summary, discussion, and recommendations. The format should consist of whatever is appropriate for the situation. Because organizational reports are interwoven with the organization's culture and the reason for the report, students should submit a brief description which contextualizes their submission.

Creative Reports with Strong Textual or Graphic Supporting Materials

These reports could include performance clips or be graphic–based in the sense that artwork or design materials comprise a major part of the submission. Poster session material and PowerPoint or other presentation software slides are typically reserved for Conference Proceedings submissions and do not fit the rigor required of Journal submissions.

The creative submissions should contain sufficient material, either paper or web–developed format, to contextualize the performances and/or graphics. Viewers should be able to place the presentation within a specific scope of scholarship and should be able to understand the relevance of the work to the performance or graphics.