Publishing Research

Undergraduate research is offered to the public in journals and websites produced by departments and students at Stanford and in publications outside Stanford. Research is also presented in more accessible forms in newspapers, magazines, radio, hypertext, on television and multimedia.  A sampling of publications that may publish student writing and research follows.

Journals Emphasizing Humanities Research, Social Issues or Creative Writing

Allegheny Review: A National Journal of Undergraduate Literature. This annual journal is dedicated to exclusively publishing undergraduate works of art, poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Deadline is usually December 1 of every year. Submissions require a $5 entry fee. Other restrictions apply. Materials are reviewed by professional writers.

Black Ink Review. Black Ink Review is a quarterly magazine featuring reviews of books and arts, as well as essays and various artistic works by Stanford students. This publication focuses on getting the best writing from the best writers on campus, regardless of their interests.

The Dualist: Stanford’s Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy. This journal “accepts papers on all topics of philosophical interests. Essays written for classes, honors theses, independent work are welcome.” The essays should be geared toward a general philosophical audience. The website also provides archived essays.

Herodotus.  Herodotus is the undergraduate history journal, published once a year in time for June graduation. It is one of the oldest continuously published, student-run journals at Stanford University.

Mother Jones. This bimonthly magazine has a circulation of 180,000 and focuses on publishing investigative reports and journalistic exposés in social issues and public affairs. Think Michael Moore. They invite “thoughtful, provocative articles which challenge the conventional wisdom (on the right or the left).” Mother Jones is concerned with issues of national importance (such as the environment, the media, health care, consumer protection, and cultural trends). 

Six Degrees: A Stanford Journal of Human Rights. Six Degrees is a publication based on research papers, though this particular publication focuses on human rights-based articles. Submissions should be 500 to2000 words in length.Submission guidelines explicitly state that articles written from in-depth studies or taken directly from personal experiences are preferred. All submissions are judged anonymously and objectively.

Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal. A journal dedicated to undergraduate research, SURJ accepts submissions between 1500 and 2500 words in length. Essays should be written for an educated general audience. SURJ welcomes technical papers. No mention is made of specific topics or biases preferred by the editorial staff. Articles covering any academic subject in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering will be considered.

STOA: The International Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy. Hosted by Santa Barbara City College, the journal is biannual and is the “only undergraduate international journal of philosophy . . . on this planet.” The journal is interested in both philosophical papers or philosophically relevant papers.

Whitewater Review: An Undergraduate Journal.Whitewater Review is a biannual “e-zine” founded by editors Phil Bickel and T.J. Rivard. It’s a forum for undergraduate and graduate students from any higher learning educational institution who wish to publish poetry, short stories and nonfiction writing.

Young Scholars in Writing: Undergraduate Research in Writing and Rhetoric. This is an Undergraduate Research journal edited by Laurie Grobman and Candace Spigelman. They seek theory-driven and / or research-based submissions on the following: writing, rhetoric, composition, professional writing, peer tutoring, writing process, writing technologies or writing in the disciplines.

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Undergraduate Journals in the Sciences, Mathematics, Economics and Engineering

Caltech University Research Journal (CURJ). CURJ is a biannual journal that welcomes submissions from undergraduates at all educational institutions. They accept letters, reviews, research articles and “artistic” submissions (see guidelines for each category).

  • The artistic pieces must relate to the “art and aesthetics of science or engineering.”
  • The “letter” is a 1000-word essay addressing a social, ethical or scientific issue of present concern (a science version of a Newsweek “My Turn” essay).
  • The 3000-word “review” should provide an overview of a current research field (“insight into the significance, current state and future prospects of the field”).
  • The 2000-word research article must “center on your own work” related to the sciences.

CURJ is looking for articles that read like Scientific American: audience  is composed of intelligent, science-minded readers who are not necessarily experts in the field.

Furman University Electronic Journal of Undergraduate Mathematics. This journal is open to all undergraduates across the country.

The Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research. This is a reviewed quarterly journal which publishes original research performed by undergraduates. Authors must primary be an undergraduate but may be co-authored with a professor.

JURP: The Online Journal of Undergraduate Research on Physics. This annual refereed journal (appears every summer) accepts undergraduate papers that researched any area of pure physics, applied physics or physics-related fields. Each paper must be sponsored by a full-time faculty member at the student’s college institution. Online archived essays are available at their website.

The Journal of Undergraduate Sciences (JUS). Sponsored by the Harvard University Science Center, this multidisciplinary journal publishes articles that range from “Astronomy to Zoology.” It accepts submissions from “any student at the undergraduate level who is engaged in research in any scientific or science related discipline.” The journal also welcomes collaboration among undergraduates, graduate students and professors.

Journal of Young Investigators: Undergraduate, Peer-Reviewed Science Journal. This web journal focuses primarily on publishing undergraduate research in science, mathematics and engineering. This could include research in the fields of astronomy, biology, geology, computer science and psychology. The journal is reviewed by undergraduates. Senior theses are accepted although they must be shortened and formatted to JYI publication requirements.

Psi Chi: Journal of Undergraduate Research. Sponsored by the National Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), this quarterly, reviewed journal primarily publishes  the work of undergraduate students. Only an undergraduate student who is a member of Psi Chi may submit a manuscript. Manuscripts from graduate students will be accepted only if the work was completed as an undergraduate student. While the primary author must be an undergraduate, additional authors may include non-Psi Chi students as well as a faculty mentor or supervisor.

Reviews in Undergraduate Research: International Journal of Excellence in Undergraduate Research. This international undergraduate journal publishes research and reviews related to natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics).

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Undergraduate Math Journal. This is a refereed journal open to all undergraduates. The journal is sponsored by the Math Department of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Submitted  papers should be accessible to a “wide range of readers.” Readers of the journal expect to see new results, new and interesting proofs of old results, historical developments of a theorem or area of mathematics. They also want to see relationships between areas of mathematics and / or other fields of study, or interesting applications of mathematics. The journal has strict requirements about submission (i.e., it requires  that you have a letter of support from a mathematician).

The Stanford Journal for Undergraduate Research. A journal dedicated to undergraduate research, SJUR accepts submissions between 1500 and 2500 words in length. Essays should be written for an educated general audience. SJUR welcomes technical papers. No mention is made of specific topics or biases preferred by the editorial staff. Articles covering any academic subject in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering will be considered.

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics. All journal articles are peer evaluated by undergraduates at Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University. It is one of only two online journals entirely run by undergraduates in the U.S. For those who plan to pursue advanced degrees in economics, this on-line journal offers the opportunity to become familiar with the submissions and publication process. For those who do not pursue advanced degrees, UAUJE presents a chance to be published.

UCLA Undergraduate Psychology Journal. The journal accepts submissions from all undergraduates who do outstanding research in psychology.

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Journals Publishing Multimedia, Hypertext and Audio

The Cortland Review: An Online Literary Magazine in Real Audio. Founded in 1997, the quarterly review is based in Cortland, New York. Full and audio is available for all issues. Its international audience includes Anglophone readers from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, France and Japan. It was recently awarded “Best of the Web” by Forbes.com. The Courtland Review considers poetry, prose, essays, translations and book reviews.

Ejournal. This peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary academic journal is interested in the broader social, psychological, literary, economic and pedagogical implications of computer-mediated networks. They welcome submissions  that address (in theory or practice) the “creation, transmission, storage, interpretation, alteration and implication of electronic ‘text’—including ‘display’ broadly defined.” .”

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Local Newspapers

Stanford Daily. Story ideas should be submitted for potential Daily articles to the appropriate department.

San Francisco Chronicle. For online submission guidelines for “Op-Ed” pieces, Letters to the Editor, First Person Essays for Living, and Commentary Pieces for Insight, refer to http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/. For best results, study the style of these pieces beforehand.

San Jose Mercury News. Online guidelines for Letters to the Editor are available at the following URL. http://www.mercurynews.com/letters

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Local Radio and Public Access Television

KQED “Perspectives” radio essay series. San Francisco’s Public Radio (88.5 FM) broadcasts commentaries written and voiced by Bay Area residents. Perspectives airs weekdays after local newscasts at 6:07 and 7:37 a.m. It is repeated at 11:33 p.m. It rebroadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays at 7:37 a.m. and 8:37 a.m.

Perspectives covers issues that concern northern Californians in particular. They are interested in essays that touch upon state, or local concerns.  The website states, “Observations on everyday life are also considered, if they make a broader point about who we are and how we live.” Perspectives opinion pieces say what is wrong or right, , offer a better idea, an insight or unusual angle on common concerns to our listeners. Pieces are strongest if they draw from your personal experience. Most Perspectives essays are 300 to 350 words (time limit is two minutes). KQED pays an honorarium of $65 per Perspectives commentary.

Access SF Open Mic. Access San Francisco is  public access television airing on Cable Channel 29. It is operated by a nonprofit group, San Francisco Community Television Corporation. Its “Open Mic” series airs on the first and third Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m.
Just about anyone can have a few minutes to do or say just about anything LIVE from the Access SF studio. For those interested in television broadcast, this series offers students an opportunity to read personal essays or opinion pieces.

  • For information or to appear in the “Open Mic” series call 415-575-4941 or visit the Access SF studio at 1720 Market St., San Francisco. Access SF also offers internships for people who want experience in video production. For information on internships, call 415-575-4949.

This list was initially compiled by Sohui Lee and Alyssa O’Brien in the Program of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University.

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