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This guide contains information for undergraduates interested in publication. Links are provided to each journal wherein guidelines for submissions are provided.
How many people have read your 10-page term paper? If you're like most students, the answer is probably somewhere around two: you and your professor. Exceptional work by undergraduate students, done for class or independent research, often goes unnoticed. However, research is not finished in the professional academic world until its results are shared with others. With an increasing emphasis in universities on undergraduate research experiences, many journals offer undergraduate students the chance to complete the scientific process, including writing up the finished research, having it peer reviewed, and ultimately having it published in the scientific literature.
There are several reasons that undergraduate students should consider submitting their work to an Undergraduate Research Journal:
1. It illustrates the high quality of undergraduates' scholarly work, whether traditional data-based activity, literature reviews, or historical research. Because modeling can facilitate learning, showing students what their peers have accomplished should help to encourage ever widening circles of students to become engaged in and excited about research.
2. Transmitting the results of one's scholarship through a printed medium requires the development of formal written communication skills. According to professional and graduate school faculty, increasing undergraduates' written communication skills would make those students more attractive for admission to post graduate training or education. Journals provide an excellent opportunity for students to list a professional publication on their resume.
3. It increases students' success in life following graduation. The amount of time and focus required to prepare a research paper for publication prepares students for other difficult, yet rewarding tasks they will face throughout their lives.
4. Undergraduate research is a vital component in education. The literature suggests that students take projects more seriously and learn more when the project is directed towards an external rather than an internal audience such as a class assignment.
5. Undergraduate research journals provide an incentive for students to write papers. Writing papers empowers students to share their knowledge with others and promotes discussion in the undergraduate community to which they belong.
The journals listed in this guide all accept submissions from undergraduate students throughout the U.S. Some are published only online, while others produce a print edition. Although mostly geared toward scholarly works, many of these journals also encourage creative submissions such as fiction and art. If you are aware of journals that should be added to the list or have questions about a specific journal, please contact the owner of this guide.
"Undergraduate research not only bridges the gap between knowledge and experience but has the benefit of laying the groundwork for career exploration and development. The opportunity for undergraduates to publish in a national journal is an added value to the overall education experience and to the process of self-discovery." -- Kappa Omicron Nu Human Science Honor Society
Academic publishing requires attention to detail. Ask yourself these questions before submitting a paper to an academic journal.
These journal listings are for information purposes only. USMA librarians cannot tell you what journals to submit your paper to. It is the writer's responsibility to check the journals' websites for the most up-to-date information. This page was last updated in February 2022.
Description: "An international, peer-reviewed, and student-run academic journal focusing on the study of politics, history, culture, and society in the Middle East and North Africa. The journal offers undergraduate students an interdisciplinary platform to publish their academic work and welcomes manuscripts from a wide range of fields within the humanities and social sciences, including history, political science, anthropology, sociology, literature, art history, religious studies, and geography."
Submission guidelines: Research papers - 4000-8000 words. Short essays - 1500-3000 words. Book reviews - 700-1500 words.
Description: "Seeks to provide students a medium for publishing about the Middle East and Islam and promote a discourse about the diverse opinions, myriad cultures, histories, and perspectives that comprise the Middle East."
Published by: Boston College
Submission guidelines: Academic papers - around 8000 words. Features and essays - around 1500 words.
Description: "The first undergraduate publication in the US devoted exclusively to Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies."
Published by: Columbia University
Submission guidelines: Up to 4000 words. Accepts scholarly essays, creative writing, translations (up to 2000 words), art, and photography.
Description: "Aims to provide a forum for problem-solving and analysis around international affairs."
Published by: University of Chicago
Submission guidelines: "Content pertaining to the period from 1945 to the present is preferred." Journal articles - up to 15 pages. Blog posts - 750-2500 words.
Description: "Provides a space for the work of talented undergraduates who have original and well-articulated insights on important ideas and issues relating to American democracy."
Published by: Jack Miller Center
Submission guidelines: 1500-2000 words.
Description: "A peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarship by students of political science."
Published by: Illinois State University
Submission guidelines: Up to 10,000 words
Description: Hemispheres "addresses a variety of social, economic, political, and legal issues, both contemporary and historical, within the framework of international relations. Selected through a double-blind peer review process, the articles contained in the journal reflect the diverse views of students from across the United States and around the world."
Published by: Tufts University
Submission guidelines: Submissions should be research articles, approximately 5000-8000 words.
Description: "The Journal was founded to provide a forum for undergraduate discourse on issues concerning law and public policy. Originally an annual magazine distributed to Ivy League universities and to members of Congress, it has adopted a more scholarly focus and has grown to encompass all of the social sciences."
Published by: Columbia University
Submission guidelines: 20-50 pages.
Description: "Our peer-reviewed journal seeks to publish the best undergraduate work across the country related to international themes and topics including, but not limited to: international conflict and conflict resolution, human rights, environmental issues, history, comparative politics and economics, development and trade, global security and international health."
Published by: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Submission guidelines: "Our submissions generally range in length from 5 to 20 pages, but we welcome particularly insightful shorter articles."
Description: "We are looking for students who are interested in submitting pieces to be published in our next edition of the Michigan Journal of Political Science. Our Journal publishes a collection of articles within the four political science categories set by the University of Michigan Department of Political Science: American Politics, International Politics, Political Theory, and Comparative Politics.
Published by: University of Michigan
Submission guidelines: 1000-8000 words.
Description: "A biannual publication of scholarly articles from undergraduate and graduate students that propose bold, original ideas for change within local, state, or federal government in the United States."
Published by: New York University
Submission guidelines: "All articles must propose novel U.S. policy ideas that are not yet part of the political mainstream or that warrant additional scholarship."
Description: "Welcomes submissions from current or recent undergraduate students in philosophy, politics, economics and related fields worldwide."
Published by: Virginia Tech
Submission guidelines: 5000-8000 words.
Description: "We strive to publish manuscripts of the highest quality in all areas of political science."
Published by: Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society
Submission guidelines: Up to 35 pages.
Submission deadline: 2 issues per year - deadlines are October 1 and February 1.
Description: "A global undergraduate international studies journal."
Published by: University of Southern California
Submission guidelines: 3000-10,000 words.
Description: "Welcomes undergraduate submissions on diverse topics such as global awareness, interdependence, environmental responsibility, social justice, humanitarianism, and other themes that promote the understanding of global citizenship."
Published by: Fairfield University
Submission guidelines: 5-25 pages.
Description: "The purpose of the Journal is to encourage undergraduates to pursue scholarly inquiry into East Asian topics, ranging from political analyses to calligraphy samples. Selects academic articles having to do with East Asia, regardless of whether they are written from a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or integrative perspective. No limitations are placed on the academic area from which works are written, as writings from all disciplines are welcome."
Published by: Wittenberg University
Description: "A student-run, peer-reviewed international affairs journal at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College."
Published by: Dartmouth College
Submission guidelines: 12-25 pages.
