writing a research paper as an undergraduate

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Writing an academic paper as an undergraduate researcher, by ariane garrett, our peer research ambassador.

Publishing papers is the primary way that scientific knowledge is disseminated within the academic community. Therefore an essential part of becoming a successful researcher is learning how to write an academic paper. Throughout your undergraduate research career you may or may not have the opportunity to be published. Regardless, learning how academic papers are written is useful knowledge for anyone interested in pursuing a research career. Whether or not you have the opportunity to be published as an undergrad depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of your project, how often your faculty advisor publishes papers, and your particular role in the research lab. If you haven’t been published as an undergrad, no need to stress. There are many other ways your research can shine on an application.

I was tasked with writing my first paper in the spring of my junior year. As I am the primary person working on my research project, my faculty advisor expected me to write the paper by myself with his help and feedback. At first, this seemed to be a very daunting task. I had never written an entire academic paper by myself before, and I had no idea where to begin. The writing process took much longer than I expected (I didn’t finish until Fall 2019), and the paper I submitted is currently under review. In this blog post, I will share what I learned while writing my first academic paper. As a biomedical engineering major, my experience is a reflection of the norms within the engineering field. However, I hope that some of these tips will prove useful for those in all majors.

Getting Started

I began my first draft of my paper as I had begun many other papers I have written- with an introduction. When I showed my first draft to my PI, he told me that it is actually most common in the engineering field to begin writing an academic paper by constructing the figures. At first, I thought this seemed rather counterintuitive. Shouldn’t the figures be based on the writing, rather than the other way around? There are several reasons why the opposite is actually true. Firstly, the figures are the most eye-catching part of every paper and sometimes the only thing a reader will look at. In addition, many journals have figure limitations so the figures that are chosen must be carefully thought out in order to maximize their effectiveness. Lastly, constructing the figures first establishes a clear outline that you can follow as you write the rest of the paper.

Writing the Paper

Writing the actual paper is a long process that typically involves many revisions. I found it helpful to read papers from the same journal I was submitting to in order to get an idea of typical paper formats in that journal. I would also recommend seeking feedback at several stages of the writing process. Don’t wait until the entire paper is finished before showing it to your PI, instead, ask for feedback after the first draft of each section is finished. As an academic paper can have anywhere from five to hundreds of sources, I would also suggest using a citation manager as you write. This will save you from having to constantly update the sources in the paper as you add and revise.

Submitting the Paper

In my case, my PI submitted the paper and is the primary contact with the journal. However, I was expected to fully format the paper before I gave it to him to submit. If you visit the website of the journal you are submitting to, there will be details on the formatting expectations. Reformatting the entire paper after it has been written can be a lot of work, so it’s helpful to review these before you begin writing. Often, it is expected that you include a letter to the editor requesting for your paper to be considered, which you may or may not have to write depending on your PI.

After Submission

Depending on the journal, it can be up to several months before you hear back about your submission. In my case, I heard back from the reviewers about two months after submission. There were two reviewers for the paper I submitted, though this number will likely vary depending on the journal. The comments that were made were useful and provided good insight into an outsider’s perspective on my research. It is very common for journals to request revision and resubmission, so don’t expect the first paper you submit to be published!

Although writing an academic paper is challenging, I found it to be a very rewarding experience. I now appreciate how much work it takes to write a good paper and I feel like I grew as a scientific writer throughout the process. If you feel that your research deserves to be published, don’t be afraid to reach out to your PI and ask them if they think you could write a paper. Even if it is never published, writing about your research is an excellent way to become a better writer and also understand your own research area more fully.

Ariane is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and Spanish. Click here to learn more about Ariane.

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Research paper

How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Research papers are similar to academic essays , but they are usually longer and more detailed assignments, designed to assess not only your writing skills but also your skills in scholarly research. Writing a research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic, engage with a variety of sources, and make an original contribution to the debate.

This step-by-step guide takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding your assignment to proofreading your final draft.

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Understand the assignment, choose a research paper topic, conduct preliminary research, develop a thesis statement, create a research paper outline, write a first draft of the research paper, write the introduction, write a compelling body of text, write the conclusion, the second draft, the revision process, research paper checklist, free lecture slides.

Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet:

Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with your professor.
Identify the assignment goal, deadline, length specifications, formatting, and submission method.
Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off as you’re writing.

Carefully consider your timeframe and word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to research, write, and edit.

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writing a research paper as an undergraduate

There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.

You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.

You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics that require further examination.

Once you have a broad subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that interests you, m eets the criteria of your assignment, and i s possible to research. Aim for ideas that are both original and specific:

A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific enough.
A paper on the experience of Danish citizens living close to the German border during World War II would be specific and could be original enough.

Note any discussions that seem important to the topic, and try to find an issue that you can focus your paper around. Use a variety of sources , including journals, books, and reliable websites, to ensure you do not miss anything glaring.

Do not only verify the ideas you have in mind, but look for sources that contradict your point of view.

Is there anything people seem to overlook in the sources you research?
Are there any heated debates you can address?
Do you have a unique take on your topic?
Have there been some recent developments that build on the extant research?

In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research questions to help guide you. To write research questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to know how/what/why…”

A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it establishes the purpose and position of your paper. If you started with a research question, the thesis statement should answer it. It should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support that answer.

The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence or two, make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis, and make a coherent point that relates to every part of the paper.

You will probably revise and refine the thesis statement as you do more research, but it can serve as a guide throughout the writing process. Every paragraph should aim to support and develop this central claim.

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A research paper outline is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments, and evidence you want to include, divided into sections with headings so that you know roughly what the paper will look like before you start writing.

A structure outline can help make the writing process much more efficient, so it’s worth dedicating some time to create one.

Your first draft won’t be perfect — you can polish later on. Your priorities at this stage are as follows:

Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.
Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and sentences, which will help when you come to the second draft.
Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible, so you know what you were trying to say when you come back to the text.

You do not need to start by writing the introduction. Begin where it feels most natural for you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while others choose to start with the easiest part. If you created an outline, use it as a map while you work.

Do not delete large sections of text. If you begin to dislike something you have written or find it doesn’t quite fit, move it to a different document, but don’t lose it completely — you never know if it might come in useful later.

Paragraph structure

Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each one should focus on a single claim or idea that helps to establish the overall argument or purpose of the paper.

Example paragraph

George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language” has had an enduring impact on thought about the relationship between politics and language. This impact is particularly obvious in light of the various critical review articles that have recently referenced the essay. For example, consider Mark Falcoff’s 2009 article in The National Review Online, “The Perversion of Language; or, Orwell Revisited,” in which he analyzes several common words (“activist,” “civil-rights leader,” “diversity,” and more). Falcoff’s close analysis of the ambiguity built into political language intentionally mirrors Orwell’s own point-by-point analysis of the political language of his day. Even 63 years after its publication, Orwell’s essay is emulated by contemporary thinkers.

Citing sources

It’s also important to keep track of citations at this stage to avoid accidental plagiarism . Each time you use a source, make sure to take note of where the information came from.

You can use our free citation generators to automatically create citations and save your reference list as you go.

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The research paper introduction should address three questions: What, why, and how? After finishing the introduction, the reader should know what the paper is about, why it is worth reading, and how you’ll build your arguments.

What? Be specific about the topic of the paper, introduce the background, and define key terms or concepts.

Why? This is the most important, but also the most difficult, part of the introduction. Try to provide brief answers to the following questions: What new material or insight are you offering? What important issues does your essay help define or answer?

How? To let the reader know what to expect from the rest of the paper, the introduction should include a “map” of what will be discussed, briefly presenting the key elements of the paper in chronological order.

The major struggle faced by most writers is how to organize the information presented in the paper, which is one reason an outline is so useful. However, remember that the outline is only a guide and, when writing, you can be flexible with the order in which the information and arguments are presented.

One way to stay on track is to use your thesis statement and topic sentences . Check:

topic sentences against the thesis statement;
topic sentences against each other, for similarities and logical ordering;
and each sentence against the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Be aware of paragraphs that seem to cover the same things. If two paragraphs discuss something similar, they must approach that topic in different ways. Aim to create smooth transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.

The research paper conclusion is designed to help your reader out of the paper’s argument, giving them a sense of finality.

Trace the course of the paper, emphasizing how it all comes together to prove your thesis statement. Give the paper a sense of finality by making sure the reader understands how you’ve settled the issues raised in the introduction.

You might also discuss the more general consequences of the argument, outline what the paper offers to future students of the topic, and suggest any questions the paper’s argument raises but cannot or does not try to answer.

You should not :

Offer new arguments or essential information
Take up any more space than necessary
Begin with stock phrases that signal you are ending the paper (e.g. “In conclusion”)

There are four main considerations when it comes to the second draft.

Check how your vision of the paper lines up with the first draft and, more importantly, that your paper still answers the assignment.
Identify any assumptions that might require (more substantial) justification, keeping your reader’s perspective foremost in mind. Remove these points if you cannot substantiate them further.
Be open to rearranging your ideas. Check whether any sections feel out of place and whether your ideas could be better organized.
If you find that old ideas do not fit as well as you anticipated, you should cut them out or condense them. You might also find that new and well-suited ideas occurred to you during the writing of the first draft — now is the time to make them part of the paper.

The goal during the revision and proofreading process is to ensure you have completed all the necessary tasks and that the paper is as well-articulated as possible. You can speed up the proofreading process by using the AI proofreader .

Global concerns

Confirm that your paper completes every task specified in your assignment sheet.
Check for logical organization and flow of paragraphs.
Check paragraphs against the introduction and thesis statement.

Fine-grained details

Check the content of each paragraph, making sure that:

each sentence helps support the topic sentence.
no unnecessary or irrelevant information is present.
all technical terms your audience might not know are identified.

Next, think about sentence structure , grammatical errors, and formatting . Check that you have correctly used transition words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas. Look for typos, cut unnecessary words, and check for consistency in aspects such as heading formatting and spellings .

Finally, you need to make sure your paper is correctly formatted according to the rules of the citation style you are using. For example, you might need to include an MLA heading or create an APA title page .

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Checklist: Research paper

I have followed all instructions in the assignment sheet.

My introduction presents my topic in an engaging way and provides necessary background information.

My introduction presents a clear, focused research problem and/or thesis statement .

My paper is logically organized using paragraphs and (if relevant) section headings .

Each paragraph is clearly focused on one central idea, expressed in a clear topic sentence .

Each paragraph is relevant to my research problem or thesis statement.

I have used appropriate transitions to clarify the connections between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.

My conclusion provides a concise answer to the research question or emphasizes how the thesis has been supported.

My conclusion shows how my research has contributed to knowledge or understanding of my topic.

My conclusion does not present any new points or information essential to my argument.

I have provided an in-text citation every time I refer to ideas or information from a source.

I have included a reference list at the end of my paper, consistently formatted according to a specific citation style .

I have thoroughly revised my paper and addressed any feedback from my professor or supervisor.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (page numbers, headers, spacing, etc.).

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The Process of Research Writing

(19 reviews)

Steven D. Krause, Eastern Michigan University

Publisher: Steven D. Krause

Language: English

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Reviewed by Kevin Kennedy, Adjunct Professor, Bridgewater State University on 12/2/22

I think this book would make an excellent supplement to other class material in a class focused on writing and research. It helps a lot with the "why"s of research and gives a high-level overview. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

I think this book would make an excellent supplement to other class material in a class focused on writing and research. It helps a lot with the "why"s of research and gives a high-level overview.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is accurate, and talks a lot about different ways to view academic writing

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This would be quite relevant for a student early on the college journey who is starting to complete research-based projects.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clear and concise, though that conciseness sometimes leads to less content than I'd like

Consistency rating: 5

The book is consistent throughout

Modularity rating: 4

I could use the first chapters of this book very easily, but the later ones get into exercises that my classes wouldn't necessarily use

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is organized from the high level (what is academic writing with research) to the more specific (here are some specific exercises)

Interface rating: 3

I don't like the flow from contents to chapters, and they feel distinctly text-based. This is a no-frills text, but that's ok.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

I didn't note anything glaringly obvious

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I think that this text stays away from the cultural and focuses mostly on the cognitive. This prevents offensive material, though it may make it less appealing to students.

Reviewed by Julie Sorge Way, Instructional Faculty, James Madison University on 11/23/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Overall, I think this book’s strongest suits are its organization, clarity, and modularity. It is useful and adaptable for a wide range of courses involving a research component, and as the book itself argues, research is a part of most learning at the university level, whether or not a single traditional “research paper” is the end goal of a course. This is a great book with adaptable and useful content across a range of disciplines, and while it is low on “bells and whistles,” the content it provides seems to be relevant, helpful, and also fill a gap among other OER texts that focus more on rhetoric and less on research.

Because this is a book on research writing rather than cutting edge science, etc. it is unlikely to be made inaccurate by the passing of time.

In a desire to move past the simple “Comp II” textbook, Krause’s work here is relevant to a variety of fields. In creating a course with a major-specific research component, many parts of this text are relevant to what I’m doing, and due to its modularity and organization (see below) I am able to make use of it easily and draw students’ attention to the parts that will help them most with our learning objectives.

Clarity rating: 5

Krause’s writing style is uncomplicated and direct. His examples are ones I think most students could relate to or at least connect with reasonably well.

While the book is internally consistent in its tone, level of detail, and relevance to Krause’s original writing goals, in the process of applying it to different courses (as almost inevitably happens with OER materials) it is inconsistently useful for the course I in particular am planning. This is certainly no fault of the book’s. One example would be that it presents MLA and APA format for citing sources, but not Chicago/Turabian.

Modularity rating: 5

Certainly, its modularity is a real strong suit for Krause’s book overall – individual instructors planning different types of coursework that involve writing and research can easily adapt parts that work, and its Creative Commons license makes this even better.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Clear and direct organization is another strong suit in Krause’s text. The information is presented in an orderly and easy to navigate way that allows instructors and students alike to hone in on the most useful information for their writing and research task without spending undue amounts of time searching. This is much appreciated especially in an open access text where instructors are more likely to be “picking and choosing” relevant content from multiple texts and resources.

Interface rating: 4

Simple but clear – basic HTML and PDF navigation by chapter and section. Like many OER texts it is a bit short on visual engagement – the colorful infographics and illustrations many people are used to both in printed textbooks and interacting with internet content.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No errors noted.

Widely relevant (at least in the North American context I have most experience with) but as always, instructors should preview and adapt all material for the needs and context of their own classes and students.

Reviewed by Li-Anne Delavega, Undergraduate Research Experience Coordinator, Kapiolani Community College on 5/1/21

This textbook builds a good foundation for first-year students with topics such as developing a thesis, how to find sources and evaluate them, creating an annotated bibliography, audience, and avoiding plagiarism. While the content is explained well and students are slowly walked through the research process, the textbook ends abruptly ends with a quick overview of the elements of a research essay after students organize their evidence and create an outline. A part two textbook that covers the rest of the writing process, such as structuring paragraphs, how to write an introduction and conclusion, and revising drafts, is needed to help students get to a finished product. As a composition-based textbook, I also felt it could have used a section on building arguments. The true gem of this textbook is its activities/exercises and comprehensive but accessible explanations.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Aside from outdated citations and technology-related content, the process-based writing instruction is accurate and answers common questions from students about research and basic writing. I feel like the questions, checklists, and activities posed are helpful for students to really think through their writing process, and the author explains things without judgment. While students can benefit, I feel that faculty would also benefit from using this as a teaching manual to plan their classes.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The writing instruction is solid and is still used in many textbooks today. Obviously, the sections on technology and citation are outdated, but some sections still have good reliable advice at their core. For example, search language, unreliable web sources, and collaborating online have evolved, but the concepts remain the same. I would cut those sections out and just take what I needed to give to students. The author has no plans to update this book, and someone would need to rewrite many sections of the book, which is not easy to implement.

The book is largely free of jargon and terms are clearly explained. The author's tone is casual and conversational when compared to other textbooks, which makes it more accessible to students and acts as a guide through the research process. However, it does lend itself to longer sections that could use heavy editing and it does sound like a mini-lecture, but I liked the way he thoroughly explains and sets up concepts. His tone and style are a bit inconsistent as others have noted.

The book is very consistent since research and writing terminology is the same across most disciplines. If you're a composition instructor, you'll find the framework is just common writing pedagogy for academic writing: focus on the writing process, freewriting, peer review, audience, revision, etc.

This book was intended to be modular and chapters are mostly self-contained, so it is easy to use individual chapters or change the sequence. There are unusable hyperlinks in each chapter that refer to other sections, but those are additional resources that could be replaced with a citation guide or other common resources. Sections, activities, examples, and key ideas are clearly labeled and can be used without the rest of the chapter. However, some writing concepts, such as a working thesis, are mentioned again in later chapters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

Parts of the book are easily identifiable and the content within the chapter flows easily from one concept to the next. I felt that some of the chapters should have appeared earlier in the textbook. Students would have to wait until chapter 10 to learn about the research essay. Revising a working thesis comes before categorizing and reviewing your evidence. The peer-review chapter that advises students to read sections of their writing aloud to catch mistakes comes before brainstorming a topic. However, the sequence will depend on the instructor's preference. An index or a complete, searchable text would have helped so you don't need to guess which chapter has the content you need.

The PDF is the more polished and easier to read of the two versions. Overall, the PDF was well laid out, with clear headers and images. I found the colored boxes for the exercises helpful, though a lighter color would make the text easier to see for more students. The text uses different styles to create organization and emphasis, which made some pages (especially in the beginning) hard to read with the bolded and italicized clutter. I would have loved a complied version with all the chapters.

The HTML version is difficult to read as it is one long block of text and the callouts and images are not well spaced. There is, unfortunately, no benefit to reading the web version: no clickable links, dynamic text flow, or navigational links within each page so you will need to go back to the TOC to get the next section.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The book has grammatical and mechanical errors throughout but does not impact content comprehension. Other reviewers here identified more notable errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

The language, examples, and references were generally ok, but the overall textbook felt acultural. Some consideration was taken with pronouns (relies on they/them/their) and gender roles. As others pointed out, there are many areas that could have used diversified sources, topics, references, examples, and students. Some of the textbook's activities assume able-bodied students and sections such as peer collaboration would benefit from a more nuanced discussion when he brought up resentment over non-contributing members, being silenced, and access to resources. There are a few red flags, but one glaring example is on page 5 of chapter 10. An excerpt from an article titled “Preparing to Be Colonized: Land Tenure and Legal Strategy in Nineteenth-Century Hawaii”(which includes the sentence, "Why did Hawaiians do this to themselves?") was used to show students when to use "I" in writing.

Overall, this is a good resource for writing instructors. As this book was written in 2007, faculty will need to cut or adapt a fair amount of the text to modernize it. It is not a textbook to assign to students for the semester, but the textbook's core content is solid writing pedagogy and the focus on using activities to reflect and revise is wonderful. Those outside of composition may find the basic exercises and explanations useful as long as students are primarily working out of a more discipline-specific (e.g., sciences) writing guide.

Reviewed by Milena Gueorguieva, Associate Teaching Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell on 6/28/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a process based research writing textbook, a rarity among composition textbooks. It is often the case that foundational writing courses are supposed to cover process and then, very often, instructors, students and textbook authors all forget that process is important when they have to dive into the technical aspects of conducting and writing about and from research, usually in a 'second course' in the first year writing sequence. This is not the case with this book: it is a thoughtful, comprehensive exploration of writing from research as a multi-step recursive process. This approach can help students solidify the knowledge and skills they have acquired in prior courses, especially the multi-step recursive nature of writing as a process while developing a set of strong writing from research skills.

The foundations of research writing are presented in an accessible yet rigorous way. The book does away with the myth of research writing as something you do after you think about and research a topic. The author articulated this idea very well, when he wrote, ”We think about what it is we want to research and write about, but at the same time, we learn what to think based on our research and our writing.”

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Overall, an excellent handbook (it can be used non-sequentially); however, some of the information on database searches and working with popular internet sources as well as collaborative writing (especially as it relates to the use of technology) needs updating.

The appropriately conversational tone translates complex academic concepts into easy to access ideas that students can relate to. The same is true for the many activities and exercises that demonstrate a variety of real life applications for the research skills presented in the book, which helps students see that research and research based writing happen everywhere, not just on campuses , where students seem to write for an audience of one: the professor who assigned the paper.

The material presented is rigorously and consistently presented in various modes: text, activities and exercises.

It can be used in a variety of ways; it has excellent modular stucture.

Excellently organized: reviews and expands on what students might already know about academic writing as a process; introduces the fundamentals of research and research writing and then uses both of these sets of skills in various research projects.

Although it has some very useful and appropriate visuals , the text could have been more user friendly; it is difficult to follow.

Excellently proof-read,

the book is culturally sensitive and contains appropriate examples and/or references.

An overall excellent composition text that provides useful exercises and assignments (such as the antithesis essay) that can help students build complex and nuanced arguments based on research. Highly recommend!

Reviewed by Valerie Young, Associate Professor, Hanover College on 3/29/20

This text is both general and specific. General enough for use in a variety of courses and disciplines, specific enough to garner interest for faculty who want to teach students the fundamentals and more nuanced aspects of research writing. The basics are here. The text could be assigned in specific modules. The text will benefit from an update, especially in regards to references about collaborative writing tools and internet research. The text is missing a chapter on reading research and integrating research into the literature review process. This is a relevant skill for research writing, as student writers often struggle with reading the work of others to understand the body of literature as a foundation for their own assertions.

The content and information seems like it could be helpful for any undergraduate course that has a research writing project. The unique aspects of this book are its features of collaborative and peer review writing practices and all of the exercises embedded in the text. The author gives examples and writing exercises throughout the chapters. These examples could serve inexperienced students quite well. They could also annoy advanced students.

There are some references to the World Wide Web and the Internet, and library research that seem a bit outdated. There isn't much advanced referencing of commonly used internet research options, such as Google Scholar, citation apps, etc.

Clarity rating: 3

Some points are clear and concise. Other pieces go into too much detail for one chapter page. Because the pages are long, and not all content will be relevant to all readers, the author could consider using "collapsible" sections. This could be especially relevant in the APA & MLA sections, offering a side-by-side comparison of each or offering overviews of style basics with sections that open up into more details for some interested readers.

Consistency rating: 4

no issues here

Modularity rating: 3

The chapters are relatively concise and each starts with an overview of content. The web format does not allow for much navigational flow between chapters or sections. It would be great to hyperlink sections of content that are related so that readers can pass through parts of the text to other topics. It does look like the author intended to hyperlink between chapters, but those links (denoted "Hyperlink:" in the text) are not functional.

Overall flow is appropriate for an interdisciplinary lens. Readers can move through as many or as few sections as needed. The chapter topics and subtopics are organized fairly comprehensively, and often by questions that students might ask.

Interface rating: 2

The long blocks of text in each chapter aren't very reader friendly. Also, once the reader gets to the end of the long page / chapter, there is no navigation up to the top of the chapter or laterally to previous or next content. Text doesn't adjust to screen size, so larger screens might have lots of white space.

no issues noticed. Some examples could be updated to be more inclusive, culturally diverse, etc.

This book has some good lessons, questions, and suggestions for topics relevant to research writing. The text could benefit from a more modern take on research writing, as some of the topics and phrases are dated.

Reviewed by Jennifer Wilde, Adjunct instructor, Columbia Gorge Community College on 12/13/18

The text is a wonderful guidebook to the process of writing a research essay. It describes the steps a college writer should take when approaching a research assignment, and I have no doubt that if students followed the steps outlined by the text, they would be sure to succeed in generating a quality thesis statement and locating appropriate sources. It is not comprehensive in that it has very little to say regarding composition, clarity and style. It does not contain an index or glossary.

Sections on MLA and APA format are inaccurate in that they are outdated. It would be preferable for the text to refer students to the online resources that provide up to date information on the latest conventions of APA and MLA.

The bulk of the chapters are timeless and filled with wisdom about using research to write a paper. However, the book should contain links or otherwise refer students to the web sources that would tell them how to use current MLA/APA format. There are some passages that feel anachronistic, as when the author recommends that students consider the advantages of using a computer rather than a word processor or typewriter. The sections on computer research and "netiquette" feel outdated. Finally, the author describes the differences between scholarly sources and periodicals but does not address the newer type of resources, the online journal that is peer-reviewed but open access and not associated with a university.

The writing is strong and clear. Dr. Krause does not indulge in the use of jargon.

The different sections open with an explanation of what will be covered. Then, the author explains the content. Some chapters are rather short while others are long, but generally each topic is addressed comprehensively. In the last several chapters, the author closes with a sample of student work that illustrates the principles the chapter addressed.

The text is divisible into sections. To some extent the content is sequential, but it is not necessary to read the early chapters (such as the section on using computers, which millenials do not need to read) in order to benefit from the wisdom in later chapters. I used this text in a writing 121 course, and I did not assign the entire text. I found some chapters helpful and others not so relevant to my particular needs. Students found the chapters useful and discrete, and they did not feel like they had to go back and read the whole thing. The section on writing an annotated bibliography, for instance, could be used in any writing class.

The topics are presented in the order in which a student approaches a writing assignment. First, the author asks, why write a research essay, and why do research? Next, the author addresses critical thinking and library/data use; quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing; collaboration and writing with others; writing a quality thesis statement; annotating a bibliography; categorizing sources; dealing with counterarguments, and actually writing the research essay. It's quite intuitive and logical. It seems clear that this author has had a lot of experience teaching students how to do these steps.

The interface is straightforward, but I could not locate any hyperlinks that worked. Navigation through the book was no problem.

The book is well written overall. The writer's style is straightforward and clear. There are occasional typos and words that feel misplaced, as in the following sentence: "The reality is though that the possibilities and process of research writing are more complicated and much richer than that." There should be commas around the word "though", and the tone is fairly conversational. These are extremely minor issues.

The examples feel inclusive and I was not aware of any cultural insensitivity in the book overall.

The book is really helpful! I particularly appreciate the sections on how to write an annotated bib and a good thesis statement, and I think the sections on writing a category/evaluation of sources, working thesis statement, and antithesis exercise are unique in the large field of writing textbooks. The book contains no instruction on grammatical conventions, style, clarity, rhetoric, how to emphasize or de-emphasize points, or other writing tips. In that sense, it is not a great text for a composition class. But I think it's extremely useful as a second resource for such a class, especially for classes that teach argumentation or those that require an analytic essay. I feel it is most appropriate for science students - nursing, psychology, medicine, biology, sociology. It is less likely to be useful for a general WR 121 class, or for a bunch of English majors who largely use primary sources.

Reviewed by Jess Magaña, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City on 6/19/18

This is a comprehensive introduction to planning and writing research papers. The suggested activities seem helpful, and the lack of an index or glossary does not interfere with understanding. read more

This is a comprehensive introduction to planning and writing research papers. The suggested activities seem helpful, and the lack of an index or glossary does not interfere with understanding.

The information is accurate and straightforward.

Some information is out of date, such as the section regarding email, but the main concepts are well explained and relevant. An instructor could easily substitute a lecture or activity with updated information.

The clarity is excellent.

There are no inconsistencies.

The text is organized in a way that lends itself to changing the order of chapters and adding and subtracting topics to suit the needs of each class.

The progression of chapters is logical.

Interface rating: 5

The "hyperlinks" helpfully direct readers to related topics (although these are not actual links in the online version), which contributes to the modularity of the text.

There are a few errors, but none that significantly obscure meaning.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This text could use updated examples showing greater diversity in authors and work. I recommend instructors find supplementary examples relevant to their classes.

I intend to use this text in my courses, supplemented with a few activities and more diverse examples to suit my students' needs.

Reviewed by Sheila Packa, Instructor, Lake Superior College on 2/1/18

The text is a comprehensive guide to research for students in College Composition courses. The text is concise and interesting. Critical thinking, research and writing argument are integrated into his suggested assignments. The author covers... read more

The author covers the research question, library resources, how to paraphrase and use quotes, and collaborative writing projects. There are suggested exercises in the process of research, such as a topic proposal, a guide to developing a strong thesis statement, a full exploration of refutation (called the antithesis), the critique or rhetorical analysis, the annotated bibliography, and a guide to help students to accumulate a good assortment of sources. MLA and APA documentation is covered. Note that this text is published in 2007. Therefore, I recommend the use of MLA 8 Handbook for up-to-date guidelines for correct documentation. The Research Paper is full explained. In the chapter, Alternate Ways to Present Research, the author focuses on a Portfolio. He discusses web publication of research and poster sessions.

I value the clarity of ideas. The text is error-free, and I like the example essays written by students that will serve to inspire students.

The content is relevant. The author guides students through the process in a way that is easy to understand and also academically rigorous. The MLA 8 Handbook is a needed supplement (and that is affordable).

The writing is clear and concise. The organization of the chapters is logical and leads the students through steps in the process of research, writing a reasoned argument, and professional presentation of the research.

Terminology is clear and the framework for research is clear and sensible.

The book's modularity is definitely a strength. It's possible to use chapters of the text without using the entire book and to omit chapters that are not a focus of the instructor.

This book has a logical arrangement of chapters and the assignments are valuable.

The interface is great. It's readable online or in pdf form.

No grammatical errors. There is one detail that reflects changing rules of documentation. In MLA, titles of books, magazines, and journals are now italicized instead of underlined. In this text, they are underlined.

The text is free of bias or stereotypes.

Reviewed by Jennie Englund, Instructor, Composition I & II, Rogue Community College, Oregon on 8/15/17

Twelve chapters are broken into multiple parts. On Page 3 of the Introduction, the text emphasizes its purpose as an "introduction to academic writing and research." The following chapters present more than substantial information to give... read more

Twelve chapters are broken into multiple parts.

On Page 3 of the Introduction, the text emphasizes its purpose as an "introduction to academic writing and research." The following chapters present more than substantial information to give introductory (even well into master) research writers a foundation of the basics, as well as some detail. It differentiates itself as "Academic" research writing through thesis, evidence, and citation. Two of these concepts are revisted in the conclusion. The third (thesis) has its own section, which this reviewer will use in class.

I'm grateful to have reviewed an earlier electronic text. This provided the ability to compare/contrast, and note that this particular text was more comprehensive and in-depth than the guide I had previously reviewed (which was more of a framework, good in its own right.)

Had the guide contained a thorough section on revision, I'd give it a perfect score! Thus, the book very very nearly does what it sets out to do; it provides most of The Process of Research Writing.

Retrieval dates are no longer used on the APA References page. This reviewer would have preferred titles italicized instead of underlined.

The text opens with an introduction of the project, by its author. The project began in 2000 as a text for a major publishing house, but eventually landed via author's rights as an electronic text. Therefore, essentially, the book has already been around quite a while. This reviewer concludes that time, thought, and execution went into publishing the material, and predicts its popularity and usability will grow.

Timeless, the guide could have been used with small updates twenty years ago, and could be used with updates twenty years from now.

The guide could be used as the sole text in a composition course, supplemented by more formal (as well as APA) examples.

The text is organized into 12 chapters; it logically begins with "Thinking Critically about Research," and concludes with "Citing Your Research Using MLA or APA Style." The text includes most of what this reviewer uses to teach academic research writing. However, the book omits the editing/revising process.

The guide poses purposeful questions.

On Page 7 of the Introduction, the text reports being "organized in a 'step-by-step' fashion," with an invitation to the reader to use the book in any order, and revisit passages. The reviewer found the organization to be consistent and as systematic as the actual composition of an academic research paper.

The meat of the text begins with the definition and purpose of "Research." Immediately, a nod to working thesis follows, which is revisited in Chapter 5. Sources are examined and classified into a chart of "Scholarly Versus Non-scholarly or Popular Sources." The segment on "Using the Library" would complement a course or class period on library usage.

The Table of Contents is fluid and logical. Within the text, concepts are revisited and built upon, which the reviewer appreciates. Examples and exercises are given.

Chapter 10 contains an outline of a student research paper (which follows). The paper examines the problems with and solutions for university athletics. The paper is in MLA format. Tone is less formal than this reviewer would use as an example of academic research writing. The reviewer would have welcomed an example of an APA paper, as well.

The last chapter fully realizes instruction introduced at the beginning: citation defines academic writing, and academic writers credit their sources, and present evidence to their readers. I wish this last part emphasized thesis again, too, but in all, it is a very structured, reader-friendly guide.

Charts are integrated and understandable, though the majority of the book is text.

This review found some grammatical errors including capitalization. Book/journal/magazine/newspaper titles are underlined in lieu of italicized.

Student examples include Daniel Marvins, Ashley Nelson, Jeremy Stephens, Kelly Ritter, Stuart Banner, and Casey Copeman. Most examples of citations are from male authors. Text would benefit from multi-cultural authors. Examples/topics include The Great Gatsby,African-American Physicians and Drug Advertising, Cyberculture, ADHD, Diabetes, Student-athletes, and Drunk Driving.Examples are culturally appropriate and multi-disciplinary. Consistent pronoun used: he/him/his

Third-person narration is used; the author addresses the reader directly (and informally). While this perhaps makes a connection between the author and the reader, and adds to understanding, it does not reflect academic research writing, and may confuse beginning writers?

Chapter 5, "Writing a Working Thesis," is among the most clear, comprehensive, and straightforward instruction on the topic this reviewer has seen. I will use this section in my Composition I and II courses, as well as Chapters 1, 3, and 12. I wish this form had a place to rate usability. In that case, this guide would score highly. I commend Dr. Krause's execution and composition, and applaud his sharing this at no cost with the academic community.

Reviewed by Marie Lechelt, ESL/English Instructor and Writing Center Co-director, Riverland Community College on 6/20/17

"The Process of Research Writing" is a textbook that includes all of the major topics covered in most college research writing courses. The style of writing makes it easily understood by students. Depending on your focus in your writing class, you may want to supplement this text with more about argumentative writing. Other writing models, homework exercises, and classroom activities found by the instructor would also compliment the use of this text. While I would not use this textbook in my course from start to finish, I would jump around and use a variety of sections from it to teach research writing. This text could be used for a beginning writing class or a second semester writing course. Based on my students writing experiences and abilities, I would eliminate or include certain sections. There is no index or glossary included. The hyperlinks to other sections also do not work.

The content is accurate and error-free. I didn't detect any biased information either. The MLA and APA information have changed since this book was published. The peer review work, plagiarism, critiquing sources, and many more of the topics are almost exactly what I teach to my students. This format will work well for them.

While most research writing content does not change over time, there are many parts of this book that could be updated. These include examples (The Great Gatsby), hyperlinks, and references to technology. The technology aspect is especially important. Since technology is constantly changing, most textbooks (print and online) are out of date as soon as they are printed. Because of this, teachers are constantly having to use supplemental material, which is fine. Just like our class websites, we have to update this information every semester or even more often. If you choose to use this textbook, keep in mind that this will be necessary. The MLA/APA information is also out of date, but this is also to be expected.

Clarity is one of the benefits of this textbook. Although the style is somewhat informal, it included appropriate topics and terminology for students learning to write research essays. Students can understand the topics with one or two readings and discuss the topics in class. There were a few places that seemed like common knowledge for students at this level, like the library or using computers. Unfortunately, we do still have students who do not come to us having already learned this information. So, I don't think these sections would have a negative impact on other students. Students can also be given optional sections to read, or as I plan to do, the teacher can skip around and only assign some sections.

The majority of the terminology is common knowledge in research writing teaching. The text is fairly informal in writing style, which I believe is an advantage for students. Many times, students will read a text and then I will need to explain the terminology or ideas in depth in my lectures. Since I prefer to complete activities and work on students' writing in class, instead of lecturing, this book will work well. The chapter on the "Antithesis" was new to me. While I have taught these ideas, I have not used this term before. This is a chapter I may not use and instead include supplemental material of my own.

The chapters are divided clearly and could be separated quite easily to use as individual units in a writing class. If the hyperlinks worked though, they would be helpful. Exercises build upon one another, so one could not assign a later exercise without students first understanding the other sections of the text. I plan to use this text in a research writing class, and I will be skipping around and only using some sections. I do not believe there will be any problem with this. While students may at first feel that starting on Chapter 4 might be strange, they are very adaptive and should have no difficulties with this format.

The Table of Contents is clear and easily understood. Each chapter follows a logical sequence, and students will be able to transition from one topic to another without difficulty. The use of charts, headings, bold, highlighting, and some other visual aids help the reader to understand what is most important to remember. Although, this could be improved upon with the use of color and graphics. While the content is valuable, I would most likely skip around when using this book in the classroom. While the author begin with an introduction and then jumps right into research, I focus on topic selection and thesis writing before research begins. Of course, as the author mentions, students will go back to their thesis and research many times before finishing the writing process.

The text is easily navigated, and students would be able to follow the topics throughout. The lack of graphics and color is noticeable and detracts from the content. In a world of advanced technology where students click on hundreds of websites with amazing content each week, online textbooks need to meet this standard. This textbook is similar to a traditional textbook. Some links are also inactive.

There were some typos and small grammatical errors but no glaring instances. They also did not impact understanding.

This book contained no offensive language or examples. However, we have a lot of diversity in our classrooms, and this is not reflected in the book. Expanding the examples or including links to diverse examples would be helpful.

I will be using this text in a second semester writing class. It has valuable information about research writing. I believe it could also be used for a first semester writing class. As mentioned above, I will use sections of the text and skip around to accommodate the needs of my students. Supplemental materials will also be needed to meet current technology needs.

Reviewed by Betsy Goetz, English Instructor, Riverland Community College on 6/20/17

The text covers all subject areas appropriately. read more

The text covers all subject areas appropriately.

Overall, the text is accurate.

Relevant and current.

I liked the clarity of the text, especially the specific exercises for students to apply the theory they have learned.

This text is consistent -- good terminology!

Clear sections to focus on key points of research writing.

Well organized.

Not confusing

Overall, lacking grammatical errors.

Relevant -- research writing and thesis building are timeless.

Reviewed by Karen Pleasant, Adjunct Instructor, Rogue Community College on 4/11/17

The textbook covered the basics of writing a research paper (the term "essay"is preferred by the author) and would be appropriate for an introductory college writing course, such as WR 121 or WR 122. A table of content is provided, but there is no glossary. The textbook guides a student from exploring the initial topic selection through the finished product, although I would have liked the use of citations to be covered in more depth. If I chose this as the textbook for my class I would also need to add supplemental materials about thoroughly developing an argument as well as revising a paper.

The author presented the material in an unbiased manner and does so in a way that provides high readability for students with little to no background in writing a research paper. Excellent examples are provided to reinforce concepts and thoughtful, creative collaborative exercises round out each chapter to give practice in skill mastery. Both MLA and APA formatting styles are included, but the APA section needs to be updated. The book was published in 2007 and many of the APA guidelines have changed., including the preference for using italics versus underlining for book and journal titles.

Each chapter is self-contained and stands alone and , therefore, could easily be updated. Most of the information is relevant and could be used indefinitely. I like that Chapter 11 recommended alternate ways to present the research and suggested more contemporary technology based methods. Chapter 12, about APA and MLA citations, is the chapter that currently needs to be updated and would need to be checked for accuracy annually against the latest APA & MLA guidelines. As it reads, I would handout current materials for APA citation sessions and not use this chapter in the book.

The book is well organized and is very user friendly. I think students would enjoy reading it and be able to relate readily to the content. Examples given and exercises provided help to clarify the content and reinforce the concepts for students. The textbook flows well from selection of initial topic ideas to finished product and will help students to work through the process of writing a research paper.

New terms are thoroughly explained and are used consistently throughout the textbook. The knowledge students gain as they progress through the book feels logical and organized in a usable fashion.

The text is organized so that each chapter stands alone and the order the information is presented can be easily modified to fit the needs of an instructor. The book is that rare combination of being equally functional for both student and instructor.

The topics are presented as needed to guide students through the process of writing a research paper, but could be done in another order if desired. Bold and boxed items are used to emphasize key concepts and chapter exercises.

The textbook is visually appealing and easy to read with adequate use of white space and varied font sizes. I explored the textbook via the PDF documents, which were easy to download, although the hyperlinks were not accessible.

There were noticeable grammatical errors.

The textbook is inclusive and accessible to all and didn't have any content that could be deemed offensive. The approachable layout and writing style make the textbook relevant to college students from a variety of backgrounds.

I would definitely adopt this open textbook for my writing classes. The author provided some wonderful ideas for teaching about research papers and I found many chapter exercises that I would be willing to incorporate into my class . I am especially intrigued by the use of writing an antithesis paper as a lead in to adding opposition to the research paper and look forward to getting student input and feedback about some of the alternative ways to present their research. Compared to textbooks I have used or perused in the past, this book seems more inviting and user friendly for students new to writing college level research papers.

Reviewed by VINCENT LASNIK, Adjunct Professor, Rogue Community College on 4/11/17

This comprehensiveness is one of the strengths of The Process of Research Writing. The Table of Contents (TOC) is fine—and each separate chapter also reproduces the contents listing from high-lever through low-level subsections at the beginning of each chapter. This duplicate listing feature helps orient students to what is covered (and what is not) for every chapter in-context. Yes—It is a fair evaluation that there can generally be easy-to-fix, quickly recognizable updates, enhancements, and notable improvements to virtually any textbook 10-15 years after its initial publication date (particularly related to changing terminology and nomenclature within the dynamic English lexicon, technology applications (databases, websites, ‘search engines,’ current good ‘help sites’ for students learning the latest iteration of APA style for manuscript formatting, in-text citations, and end references, etc.)—and the Krause text is a prime candidate for such a thorough revision. For example, digital object identifiers (the doi was first introduced circa 2000) did not become widely/pervasively established until well into the first decade of the 21st century; the ‘doi’ is an ubiquitous standard today in 2017. Nevertheless, many of the basic (boilerplate) concepts are clearly noted and credibly, coherently explained. The text could use some effective reorganization (as I note elsewhere in my review)—but that is arguably a subjective/personalized perspective more related to the way we approach writing instruction and student academic development at Rogue Community College—and perhaps less of a global/universal criticism.

See my comments in other sections that impact this issue. Overall, Krause’s text appears, “accurate, error-free and unbiased.” There are no obvious problems with this observation/contention. Some of the ‘out-of-date’ specifics in the text need updating as I note in detail in my other comments.

Most of the text describes research-writing strategies that are fairly well-established if not generic to the undergraduate English composition content area; thus, the overall longevity of the existing text is good. I have suggested, however, that any such ‘how-to’ guide should be updated (as this particular version) after its first decade of publication. The content for online research, for example, reflects an early 2000s perspective of emerging technology terms (e.g., defining blogs as “web-logs” is easily 12-15 years behind the use of the term in 2017), and some of the online websites mentioned are no longer relevant. These types of ‘out-of-date’ past-referents/links, however, can be easily updated to 2017+ accuracy. I have made a few suggestions about such an update—including my offer to assist Steve Krause (gratis and pro bono) in this update should my collaboration be desired. Otherwise, Krause might go the more open ‘peer review’ route and assemble a set of active teachers, instructors, and adjunct professors (such as me) who are on the ‘frontlines’ of current praxis for research-based, critical thinking, problem-oriented writing courses across the 11th-12th grade and through the undergraduate and workforce education community.

The text is written is a clear, credible, and cogent prose throughout. This is one of the particular strengths of Krause’s text—and recursively provides an exemplar for well-written composition. On occasion, the clarity for students might be improved by additional ‘real-world examples’ (i.e., more ‘showing rather than mere abstract telling) explicating some obtuse concepts and numerous rules (e.g., for research strategy, proofreading/editing, using search engines and conducting library research, etc.)—but a similar constructive criticism could easily be made of nearly all similar sources.

The text wording, terminology, framework and process emphasis are highly consistent. There are overlaps and dovetailing (i.e., redundancy) in any/every college textbook—but Krause keeps these to a minimum throughout. Some updating of terminology would be appropriate, useful, and needed as I note throughout my OER review.

The text is superb in this regard. The chapters and exercises are highly modular—which supports the customized reorganization I apply myself in my own courses as noted in my other comments. Numerous subheads and special highlighted ‘key points’ textboxes augment this modularity and improve the narrowing of assigned readings, examples, and exercises for most writing courses. The Process of Research Writing is clearly not, “overly self-referential,” and can easily be, “reorganized and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting much disruption to the reader” by any instructor.

One of the principal weaknesses of the set of chapters is that the given ‘table of contents’ structure is conceptually disjointed—at least insofar as my research writing course is designed. Therefore, to provide a more coherent, logical sequence congruent to the course organization of my Writing 122 (this is an intermediate/advanced-level English Composition II)—it was necessary to assign a completely different order of The Process of Research Writing (Krause, 2007) high-level chapters/pages for weekly course reading assignments as follows:

Week One: Table of Contents; Introduction: Why Write Research Projects?; and Chapter 1: Thinking Critically About Research; Week Two: Chapter 2: Understanding and Using the Library and the Internet for Research. These three starting chapters were reasonable to introduce in Krause’s original sequence. Continuing into Week Two, I also added Chapter 4: How to Collaborate and Write with Others (but I highlighted limited/specific passages only since WR122 does not emphasize collaborative prose composition activities and extensive group-writing projects using such apps as Google Docs). Week Three: I then assigned Chapter 10: The Research Essay—since it was important to orient students to the intrinsic, namesake umbrella concept of researching and writing the research essay—the essential focus of the course I teach. IMPORTANT NEED TO RESTRUCTURE THE OER as it exists: Viewed from a course rationale and content/skill acquisition conceptual level—I have no idea why Krause did not place ‘Writing The Research Essay’ as high as Chapter 2. It comes far too late in the book as Chapter 10. This is actually where the chapter belongs (in my view); the other topics in the remaining Chapters’ (2—12) would more cogently and effectively proceed after first exploring the high-level nature of the research essay task in the first place. The subsequent skills for conducting Online Library Research; Quoting, Paraphrasing, Avoiding Plagiarism, creating a testable ‘Working Thesis,’ producing an Annotated Bibliography (some courses also use a précis assignment), Evaluating and Categorizing Sources, etc.—are realistically supporting, scaffolding, and corroborating functional/operational skills designed to design, research, and produce the research-based essay project. Therefore—from a project-based and problem-oriented pedagogical strategy/approach—a sound argument could be proffered that putting Chapter 10 second in a reordered book would help students on many levels (not the least being engaging interest and promoting contextual understanding for why learning the content of the remaining chapters makes sense and can be critical/applicable to the research-writing process.

Continuing on my own WR122 course text-sequence customization—in Week Four—we move into the attribution phase of the writing process in Chapter 3: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism. Logically, we then move (in Week Five) to Chapter 5: The Working Thesis so students can ask significant/original questions and determine a point of departure into their research essay. This seemed like a good time to add the concept of ‘opposition views’ (i.e., counter-claims, rejoinder and rebuttal) discussed in Chapter 8: The Antithesis. In Week Six—we moved into essay formatting, in-text citation and end references, so Chapter 12: Citing Your Research Using MLA or APA Style {(focusing on reading pp. 1-2 (brief overview), and pp. 18-33 about APA style)} was assigned. In addition, students also perused Chapter 7: The Critique preceding a related argumentative assignment (i.e., a movie review project). For Week Seven (concurrent with an annotated bibliography project for the main term paper—students read Chapter 6: The Annotated Bibliography, and Chapter 9: The Categorization and Evaluation (of sources) that was ostensibly/logically relevant to the annotated bibliography project. Concluding the course for Weeks Eight-Eleven—there were new required readings. Students were instructed to review previous readings in The Process of Research Writing (Krause, 2007)—time permitting. Also Note: Chapter 11: Alternative Ways to Present Your Research is completely optional reading. It is not particularly applicable to this course; there is a student’s self-reflection about the research process on pp. 3-11 that may have some nominal merit, but it notes MLA style (versus my course’s use of APA 6th edition style only) and is in any case not required.

The text is not fancy; standard black and white (high-contrast) font used throughout. For emphasis of key points, Krause does use special ‘highlight boxes’ with gray background, a thick black stroke on the outside of the rectangular textbox. While the gray level might be lowered (in the update) for improved contrast—the true-black, bulleted, bolded key-terms are easy to perceive/read. The only criticism I have is the distracting overuse of quotation mark punctuation for emphasis; this should be corrected in any updated version. Otherwise, most of the book’s interface presentation supports a good user (student) experience, good printability, and good accessibility per ADA and general disability (e.g., visually impaired learners) protocols.

There are no significant/glaring occurrences of grammatical errors in the text. I am not a ‘grammar snob’ in any case. The prose seems clear, cogent, thoughtful, well-written; it generally uses solid grammar, mechanics, and punctuation. The exception is the overuse of a somewhat casual/conversational tone combined with (what is more of a recognizable issue) a distracting overuse of quotation marks—many of which are simply neither needed nor helpful; most could be quickly removed with an immediate improvement to readability.

I do not see significant, relevant, or glaring faux pas pertaining to any biased disrespect for multiculturalism. All persons (e.g., races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds) are equally respected and appreciated. The content area (English composition) is very amenable to a relatively generic, culture-free perspective—and Krause’s examples and prose is well-within any applicable standards of post-modern, scholarly, formal non-fiction in written Standard English.

[1] The Process of Research Writing was ostensibly presented/published to Creative Commons in 2007. No identifiable part/portion of the original edition text appears to have been updated (changed, modified, or improved) since then (i.e., at least 10 years); This is perhaps the single, most apparent flaw/weakness for this textbook. An in-depth revision to 2017 post-rhetorical model essay-writing standards and APA conventions would be invaluable—and quite bluntly—is sorely required. A newly updated Version 2.0 for 2017-18 should be critically planned (and scheduled or already ‘in progress’ if it is not already).

[2] There are many insightful, practical, and high-value approaches to the research writing process; in this regard—the nominal OER title is superbly appropriate for late high-school and beginning college (undergraduate) research essay projects. Even though some of the technical components (e.g., APA style) require updating/revision (which makes basic, reasonable sense after a ‘decade on the shelf’ for any academic research writing source)—Krause’s chapters can effectively replace many expensive, glossy college entry-level textbooks! After presenting the core concepts in a coherent and self-evident manner, Krause supplies a plethora of examples to illustrate those concepts. Then (and this is one of the true strengths of this OER)—each chapter (particularly Chapters 5-10) highlights student-oriented exercises to practice those same core concepts). Because of this latter emphasis—the Krause OER is ‘learner-centered’ (as opposed to ‘content centered’), problem-oriented and performance-oriented as well—providing opportunities for creative, resourceful teachers to adapt/adopt the OER to course assignments.

[3] There does not appear to be a single (standalone) PDF for this OER. This is a notable flaw/weakness for this textbook. Conversely, however, although a single PDF would have some convenient ‘easier downloading’ advantages for students—having separate chapters affords every teacher to create a customized chapter-order (as I have efficiently done to correspond to my course design). The chapters support excellent modularity and the accompanying exercises/examples demonstrate the concepts Krause explicates with a fine degree of granularity for any teacher. Thus—integrating any textbooks or teaching/learning resources (like OERs) always has tradeoffs—plusses and minuses, positives and negatives. The obvious key, therefore, is taking the liberty of using the OER as a supporting scaffold or buttress to an instructor’s original design concept—rather than the foundation around which a course can be designed.

[4] Some minor weaknesses for prose instruction are (a) Krause’s acceptance of passive, sophomoric signal phrasing (i.e., According to X…)—as opposed to strong, active voice such as ‘’X found…’; and (b) a general overuse of quotation marks throughout the book. This is not meant as a harsh criticism—merely an observation that readability could be improved with a newer version that eliminates most quotation marks (Note: In APA style—these punctuation symbols are only used for verbatim quotes. This makes for a cleaner, clearer manuscript).

[5] One of the solid/helpful strengths of the book is a relatively accurate presentation of APA style for in-text citation and end references (Chapter 12). It appears that like many academics—Krause is more familiar and comfortable with the Modern Language Association’s MLA style/formatting. No problem there—I was simply trained on APA beginning in 1984 so it is native to me; I also use the latest version of APA style in all of my writing (college composition) courses. Thus—it should come as no surprise there are a number of obvious APA-associated inaccuracies including (but limited to): (a) meekly accepting ‘n.d.’ (no date) and ‘n.a.’ (no author) sources when a little investigative research by the student (and adherence to the APA rule hierarchy for dates and authors) would easily come up with a sound date and author. Another error (b) seems to be more typographic (formatting) and/or refers to an earlier edition of APA style: the end references in the PDF (and html versions?) use underline in place of italics. The 2011 APA 6th edition style does not use underline in the end references. There are other small (faux pas) errors such as (c) noting generally inaccessible proprietary online databases and servers (again—no longer done in APA). A thorough, meticulous updating of this OER source would probably take care of many of these APA-error issues. I’d be happy to work with Steve on this update at any time.

[6] I use Amy Guptill’s Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence by Amy Guptill of State University of New York (2016) for my English Composition I course that emphasizes general essay writing and a simple research-supported argumentative essay. I teach that course using the following assigned readings: Week One: Chapter 1 (Really? Writing? Again?), pp. 1-7, and Chapter 2 (What Does the Professor Want? Understanding the Assignment), pp. 9-18; Week Two: Chapter 6 (Back to Basics: The Perfect Paragraph), pp. 48-56; Chapter 7 (Intros and Outros), pp. 57-64; Week Four: Chapter 9 (Getting the Mechanics Right), pp. 75-85; Week Five: Chapter 8 (Clarity and Concision), pp. 65-73; Week Six: Chapter 3 (Constructing the Thesis and Argument—From the Ground Up), pp. 19-27; Week Seven: Chapter 4 (Secondary Sources in Their Natural Habitats), pp. 28-37; Week Eight: Chapter 5 (Listening to Sources, Talking to Sources), pp. 38-47. I then switch over to Krause’s OER for my English Composition II course. At Rogue Community College, Writing 122 emphasizes intermediate essay writing and analytical, more rigorous and original research-based essays involving critical thinking. I completely reordered the chapters as described above to fit into my course design. I like Krause’s individual ‘modular’ chapters—but the particular ‘scope and sequence’ he uses are debatable. Overall, however, The Process of Research Writing easily and effectively substitutes/replaces other costly tomes from for-profit academic publishers—even those that offer bundled DVDs and online-access to proprietary tutorial sources. Used in conjunction with other freely available PDF OERs, websites, YouTube videos, tutorial/practice sites from innumerable libraries, blogs (e.g., the APA Blog is particularly helpful)—as well as original/customized sources created by individual instructors for their own courses—the Krause book offers a good, solid baseline for developing research-based writing competencies particularly appropriate for the first two years of college.

Reviewed by Amy Jo Swing, English Instructor, Lake Superior College on 4/11/17

This book covers most of the main concepts of research writing: thesis, research, documenting, and process. It's weak on argument though, which is standard in most research composition texts. The book provides a clear index so finding information is relatively easy. The other weak spot is on evaluation evidence: there is a section on it but not comprehensive examples. Students in general needs lots of practice on how to evaluate and use information.

The information is accurate mostly except for the APA and MLA section. Writing and research writing haven't changed that much in a long time. It's more the technology and tools that change.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

The ideas about research and writing in general are fine, However, the references to technology and documentation are very out of date, over 10 years so. Students use technology very differently than described in this text, and the technologies themselves have changed. For example, the author talks about floppy disks and AOL messenger but not about Google Drive, Wikipedia, Prezi, or how to use phones and tablets while researching. Our students are digital natives and need to understand how to use their devices to write and research.

The book is quite readable in general. Concepts are easy to understand. Sometimes, they are almost too simple like the section explaining what a library is. Students might not be sophisticated library users, but they understand in general how they work. The chapters are concise, which is nice for student use too.

Except for pronoun use, the book is consistent in tone and terms. Not all the terms are ones I use in my own teaching, and it would be nice to see explanation of more argument/research frameworks like the Toulmin Model of argument.

The chapters are pretty self-contained and clear as individual units. I can see including certain chapters and leaving out others that aren't as relevant to my teaching style or assignments. One could easily assign the chapters in a different order, but students ask lots of questions when you assign chapter 6 first and then weeks later, assign chapter 2 or 3.

The basic chapters make sense in terms of how they are created and categorized but the order is problematic if an instructor were to assign them in the order presented. For example, the chapter on creating an annotated bibliography comes before the one on documenting (APA/MLA). Students can't complete an annotated bibliography without knowing how to cite sources. Same with evaluating sources. There is so much information on locating sources before any clear mention is made of how to evaluate them. I find that is the weak spot with students. If they learn how to evaluate sources, it's easier to find and locate and research effectively.

Not many images. Students really like info-graphics, pictures, and multi-media. The hyperlinks to other sections of the book do not work in either the PDF or HTML versions. I do like some of the illustrations like mapping and how research is more a web than a linear process. For an online textbook, there aren't a lot of hyperlinks to outside resources (of which there are so many like Purdue's OWL and the Guide to Grammar and Writing).

There were quite a few errors : comma errors, spelling (affect/effect), some pronoun agreement errors, capitalization errors with the title in Chapter Four. The author also uses passive voice quite a bit, which is inconsistent with the general familiar tone. In some chapters, there is constant switching between first, second, and third person. I focus much on point of view consistency in my students' writing, and this would not be a great model for that.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

There is no cultural offensiveness but not much diversity in examples and students names either. Marginalized students (of color, with disabilities, of different sexuality or gender) would not see themselves reflected much.

This is a good basic reference on the process of writing and research. However, it would not be too useful without updated information on technology and documentation. As a web-based text, it reads more like a traditional physical textbook.

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pihlaja, Instructor, Lake Superior College on 2/8/17

The length and scope of this book are appropriate for a semester-long research writing course, with twelve chapters that move from foundational concepts into more specific skills that are needed for the crafting of a paper incorporating MLA or APA citation. In particular, I like that the early chapters cover the questions of "Why Write Research Papers?" and how to think critically, the middle chapters provide specific activities in the skills of quoting and paraphrasing, and the later chapters bring in assignments (such as writing an annotated bibliography) that help students practice and build content for their ultimate paper.There is no index or glossary to this book; however, the table of contents provides an overview of the chapters that guides navigation well.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

In terms of the thinking, this book's information is logical and sound. The explanations of concepts and activities read easily and do a fine job of explicating the why and how of research writing. In a few places, however, the word "effected" is used when it should be "affected." Editing also is needed when the author uses phrases such as "in the nutshell" instead of "in a nutshell." As well, in Chapter 4, there is pronoun/antecedent disagreement when the author uses "their" to refer to "each member." Also, each chapter contains at least one "Hyperlink" to supplemental information, yet the hyperlinks are dead. For the most part, the text is clean and well edited, but we English teachers are line-editing sticklers, so even small, occasional errors stand out. Overall: the ideas presented are accurate and free of bias, yet there are a few, niggling errors.

When it comes to relevance and longevity, this book is problematic. In fact, it is so outdated as to be unusable, at least for this instructor. Certainly, the concepts presented are solid; they don't change with passing years. However, typographically, the book is passe, as it uses two spaces after periods. Even more troubling is that it refers to the Internet as "new" and comes from a point of view that sees this thing called "the World Wide Web" as novel while also noting students might want to rely on microfilm and microfiche during their research. In another example, the author suggests to students that a benefit of writing on computers is that they can share their work with each other on disc or through email. Truly, such references make the book unusable for a class in 2017. Another issue is that the Modern Language Association has updated its guidelines several times since this book's publication; ideally, a text used in a research writing class would cover, if not the latest guidelines, at least the previous version of the guidelines. A full rewrite of the book is necessary before it could be adopted. As the book currently stands, students would roll their eyes at the antiquated technological language, and the teacher would need to apologize for asking students to read a text that is so out-of-date.

The writing in this book is both accessible and intelligent. It's eminently readable. Specifically, the inclusion of things like an "Evidence Quality and Credibility Checklist" at the end of Chapter 1 and the continual use of grey boxes that highlight major concepts is very good. Also extremely helpful are the examples of student writing that end nearly every chapter; these models demonstrate to readers what is expected from each assignment. Finally, the explanations of quoting and paraphrasing are superior -- so clear, so easy for students to digest. Were it not outdated in terms of technological references, I would definitely consider using this book in my classes due to the clarity of the prose.

Consistency rating: 3

For the most part, the book is well structured and consistent in its design and layout. Each chapter provides general explanation of a concept, moves into a specific assignment, and ends with an example or two of student responses to that assignment. Very quickly, readers know what to expect from each chapter, and there's something comforting about the predictability of the layout, especially in a book that is being read on a screen, using scrolling. When it comes to the terminology, my only note would be that the book starts out using a relaxed second-person point of view, addressing students as "you," but then, at the end of Chapter 2, the author suddenly begins also using the first-person "I." This first-person point of view continues throughout the book, so it becomes consistent from that point on, but for me as a reader, I never quite adjusted to that level of informality, particularly when all the sentences using "I" could easily be re-written in the third person. Before reading this text, I hadn't really considered what I like in a book, but now I know: because I want the text to model the ideal, I would prefer a more formal (and consistent) point of view. Today's students struggle to create essays that don't include "you" or "I" -- even when they very consciously are trying to avoid those words. Learning to write from the third person POV is surprisingly challenging. Therefore, my personal preference would be a textbook that consistently models this approach.

The chapters in this book are of a perfect length -- long enough to develop the ideas and present comprehensive explanations yet short enough to be ingested and excised. Put another way, I could see grabbing bits and pieces of this text and using them in my classes. For instance, without adopting the entire text, I still could pull the instructions for the Anti-Thesis essay or the Annotated Bibliography, or I could use the explanation of the purpose of collaboration. Indeed, the chapters and exercises in this book are tight "modules" that allow an instructor to pick and choose or to reorganize the chapters to better fit with an individual course structure. For me, although I won't use this entire text, I can envision incorporating pieces of it into my teaching.

The organization of this book is one of its greatest strengths. It starts with a broad overview of research into an exploration of the process behind seeking out reputable sources, weaves in a few shorter essay assignments that serve as building blocks for a longer paper, and culminates with the ideas for a final, capstone research project -- something that naturally grows out of all the previous chapters. Each chapter in the text flows easily out of the chapter before it. One of this text's greatest strengths is how each successive chapter builds on the concepts presented in the previous chapters.

As noted earlier, the hyperlinks in the book don't work. As well, the screenshots included in the book are blurry and add little, except frustration, to the content. Outside of those issues, though, the book is physically easy to read and navigate, largely thanks to the easy clicking between the table of contents and individual chapters.

As suggested earlier, the book, as a whole, reads easily, yet there are some errors with the homonyms "effected" and "affected," along with pronoun/antecedent disagreement. I also noticed a handful of places where there are extra spaces around commas (in addition to the use of two spaces after periods).

This text is definitely not insensitive or offensive; its tone is fair and balanced, free of bias. On the other hand, this book does not really bring in examples that address diversity. Students reading this book will not see acknowledgment of different races, ethnicities, sexual preferences, or personal histories. Thus, in addition to updating the references to technology, if this book were rewritten, it also could more deliberately address this lack. As it is, the content of this book does feel whitewashed and free of cultural relevance.

There is a lot of promise in this text because the explanations and assignments are so good. But unless it is updated, I don’t see it as usable in a current classroom.

Reviewed by Leana Dickerson, Instructor , Linn Benton Community College on 2/8/17

The author certainly outlines and examines elements of research writing, and does so in a very clear, organized, and thoughtful way. There is no glossary or index included in the text, but the chapters and headings in the table of contents and at the beginning of each section very clearly outline what is to be expected from the text. Most all of the concepts are very thoroughly explained and examined including topics that typically are glossed over in research writing texts, including the opposition to argument, close reading, and the importance of research writing to a variety of career pathways. Although thorough in what is present, there are some issues that I would want to touch on with my research students including developing effective argument, logical organization, and examples of the revision process.

The information in this text is accurate and adequately explained. It seems readily accessible for any college age student, but doesn’t expect students to come with a background in research or writing. MLA formatting for works cited pages is up to date, and even addresses the fact that the format for citation changes regularly and points to appropriate resources outside of the text. The only formatting issue that I noticed were some in-text citations (examples throughout early chapters) that included a comma which is no longer expected by the MLA. In the works cited section (and throughout, in examples) when referring to book titles, the author does use the underline function instead of an italicized book title; the author also refers to the use of either italic or underlined differentiation, yet MLA suggests italics in text form.

The content of this text is very straight forward and although essentially up to date, may need updates as relevant technology develops. Updates should be simple and clear to implement as needed because of the strict organization of each chapter.

I found the content clarity in this text to be refreshing for college age students. Often, as an instructor, I ask my students to read a text and then I must re-visit the content in lecture format to ensure that my students are not lost on terminology or foundational knowledge. This text does not assume any prior knowledge from the reader, but also does not feel rudimentary. The formatting and highlighted importance of some information also provided clarity and consistency throughout. The author paced information well, building on major concepts from the beginning and returning to them throughout. The final stages of the text bring students to a major essay that easily shows how each concept included throughout the text can weave into a larger project.

This text is consistent, and feels organized with format, terminology, and the building of content from beginning to end.

The sections in this text are easily broken into segments that can be taught or read at any point throughout the writing process. The text does build on exercises from the beginning to the end, but each of these can be taken out of a linear timeline and used for multiple kinds of projects. The author actually refers to this organization in text, making it clear how each element can work alone or for a streamlined project.

Concepts build upon one another, and yet can be returned to (or jumped to) out of order and still be easy to access and utilize. The text is broken up nicely with bolded, bulleted, or boxed items which designate a stopping point, a discussion to consider, or important details or concepts to focus on.

The layout and navigation of this text online is very accessible, organized, and easy to read. The text PDFs often open in a full browser window, other times they open as PDF documents, but either way include a clean, streamlined format. The text does not seem to be able to be downloaded, making it potentially difficult for students to access without internet access. One issue that I did encounter was that in PDF format, or in html, hyperlinks do not function.

The text is clear, free of grammatical errors, and flows well.

This text is relevant to all audiences and very approachable for college age students.

I found this text to be a refreshing change from what is typically find in research textbooks; it’s relevance to more than just the assignment will help students connect research to the broader concept of academia and other facets of their lives. The antithesis section is a useful way for students to really engage with an opposing opinion and how they can then incorporate that into a successful research project. Also, the differing ways of presenting research I found to be useful for students to think about their project beyond a stapled stack of pages, and to expand that to differing modes of communication and presentation. I look forward to being able to use this text with students.

Reviewed by Samuel Kessler, Postdoctoral Fellow, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on 2/8/17

"The Process of Research Writing" covers most of the areas students need to understand as they begin research writing at a college level. It has explanations of theses, bibliographies, citations, outlines, first paragraphs, etc. There is no index or glossary, the latter especially being something that would have been very helpful and easy to put together. Krause has many useful definitions and quick-help guides throughout the text, but they are so scattered and ineffectively labeled that it can be very difficult to find them without reading through whole chapters in one's search. On the whole, buried inside these pages, is a very effective guides to *teaching* about research writing. In truth, this book is a teacher's introduction to a class (or, more realistically, three or four class sessions) devoted to college-level academic writing. Unfortunately, there are a lot of words that one has to get through to find all these subject, which can make for tough going.

Based on the questions and errors I see my students making, Krause has done a strong job of highlighting the basics of proper academic research. He spends much time on sources, especially on learning to differentiate between scholarly, trade, and journalistic sources, as well as how to steer clear and note the signs of online schlock (i.e. much of the internet). His tips for peer-to-peer editing and self-reflexive assignments are just the sort of things our students needs help working on.

This is a strange book. The portions that are about implementing class assignments or explaining terms like thesis and antithesis, as well as the examples of an outline or a good first paragraph, are all excellent tools for a classroom.

But there are so many instances of irrelevant or outdates explanations. No college student today needs to read about why writing on a computer is a useful thing to do. No student needs to read about how email can be a tool for academic exchange. A section on using computers for research? On how to copy and paste within a word document? (And no-one calls it the "World Wide Web".) These are issues for the late 90s, not for students in the second decade of the twenty-first century.

There is also a fair amount that is personal and peculiar to the author: a discussion of why he uses the term "research essay" instead of "research paper"? That is just wasted space, and actually without the argumentative merits of a research thesis that he had been teaching up to that point.

For students at research universities, or even at second-tier state and private colleges, the information about libraries and library catalogues changes so quickly that I could never assign those passages. Instead, we'll spend class time looking at our specific library interface. And often, so much material is being sent off-site these days that in many humanities fields its not even possible to scan the shelves any longer. And in science, books are almost irrelevant: online access journals are where the latest research is stored. A bound edition of *Science* from the 1970s contains very little that's important for a scientific research paper written in 2016--unless that paper is about the history of some form of experiment.

Krause writes in a folksy, breezy second-person. Now, so does Tom Friedman of the Times, though that is one of the main criticisms of his otherwise insights books. Krause has a tendency to be overly wordy. This book should more closely resemble Hemingway than Knausgaard in order to be practical. For students who have Facebook etc. open while they're reading this book, every sentence that's not directly relevant will make their minds wander. There are so many sentences that simply need to be cut. To use this book, I'd need to cut and paste just the relevant passages. And without an index or glossary, assigning sections to students is very hard.

"The Process of Research Writing" is internally consistent. Krause maintains the same tone throughout, and defines terms as he goes along. The chapters vary considerably in length, with the short chapters always being more useful and focused, with less superfluous verbiage and fewer authorial quirks.

Modularity rating: 2

"The Process of Research Writing" is a very difficult text to use. The HTML and PDF versions are identical, which defeats the unique way the internet functions. I read this book on both Safari and Chrome, and in neither browser do the hyperlinks work. The tables of content at the heads of each chapter do not link to their respective sections. The projects, assignments, and definitions do not appear in different windows, which would make them possible to keep open while continuing on in the book. There are many instances in which moving back and forth between sections would be very helpful, and that is simply not possible without having multiple windows of the same book open and going between them that way--something that is very clumsy. And again, there are so many superfluous words that even assigning specific chapters means getting through a lot of talk before actually encountering the various hints, tricks, and explanations that are important for learning how to do college-level research.

"The Process of Research Writing" reads like a series of lectures that are meant to be give in a large lecture class, with assignments appended throughout and at the ends. The order of the books is, overall, what one would expect and need for teaching the basics. However, there is a good deal in Chapter 10 that should have appeared earlier (outlines, for instance), and that becomes part of one long chapter that is difficult to use and should have been divided into smaller sections.

As mentioned, in neither Safari nor Chrome do the hyperlinks work. And there appears to have been no planning for links from the chapter tables-of-content to their various associated sections. This makes it very difficult to get between sections or to return to where one was after going somewhere else in the book. Further, there are many links on the internet that remain stable over long periods of time. The Library of Congress, for instance, about which there is a section concerning its cataloguing system, should have a link. As should WorldCat, which for many people who do not have access to a major research library is the best place for learning about texts. Many services like LexusNexus, ABC Clio, and the NY Times archive all also maintain stable websites that should be externally linked.

Except for a smattering of typos, the book has fine (though informal) grammar. This is not a text that could also be used to demonstrate high-level academic writing.

There is nothing culturally offensive here in any way.

In many ways, this is a much better book for teachers of first-year students than for the students themselves. There are many sections of this book to pull out and assign, or to read together in class, to help students gain an understanding of college-level research. But this is not a book I'd ever assign to my students in total. The suggestions for in-class and homework assignments are all high quality pedagogy. But students shouldn't read about their own assignments--they should just do them. Departments can give this book to first-year professors to help them create class periods where they teach their students how to write papers. That would be an excellent use for this text. But as a book for students themselves, I cannot recommend it.

Reviewed by Margaret Wood, Instructor, Klamath Community College on 8/21/16

The book thoroughly covers the material that first-year college research writers need to know including an introduction to basic academic research concepts, searches and source evaluation from library and web resources, a thorough discussion of summary, paraphrase and direct quotation, collaboration and peer review, topic selection, hypothesis and thesis development, annotated bibliography, text analysis and evaluation, engaging seriously with opposing viewpoints, working with evidence and attributes of evidence, the components of a traditional research essay, alternative forms of presentation (web-based project), and finally MLA and APA documentation. There are also hyperlinks to help readers move to relevant information in other chapters.

While concepts like ethos, logos, and pathos are mentioned in passing, they are not deeply developed. Other topics I generally teach alongside research which are not covered include strategies for defining terms, inductive and deductive logic, and logical fallacies.

I did not identify any inaccuracies or biases. There are areas where focus may be a bit different. For example, the model my institution uses for annotated bibliographies uses the rhetorical precis as a summary model, and also encourages a brief evaluative analysis. On the other hand, the emphasis given to the antithesis is new to me, and looks like a very good idea. I did identify a couple of grammatical issues -- two cases of "effect" instead of "affect", and one pronoun agreement problem.

Good writing principles don't tend to change that much. The discussion of the Web-based research project is very timely.

The book is written in a conversational style which should be easy for students to understand. All technical terms are clearly explained. There are also aids for comprehension and review including: a useful bulleted list at the beginning of each chapter outlines material covered in that chapter; highlighted boxes which provide guidance for class discussion on the topic; sample assignments; easy-to-read checklists of key points.

The text is entirely consistent. Hyperlinks help to connect key points to other chapters.

The material is subdivided into clear and appropriate chapters; moreover, the chapters provide clear subheadings. However, I did identify one instance where subheadings indicated material that is not present in chapter four: Three Ideas for Collaborative Projects * Research Idea Groups * Research Writing Partners * Collaborative Research Writing Projects.

Also, as previously mentioned, some material that I would like to include is not covered in this text.

I feel that chapter 3 should be placed later, at a point in the term where students have actually begun the writing process.

Images, though used infrequently, are blurry, and hyperlinks, at least as I was able to access them, did not appear to be active.

Mentioned above -- two "effect"/"affect" issues and one issue of pronoun agreement

I did not identify any culturally insensitive issues. The one essay topic used throughout, a thesis involving The Great Gatsby, I did not find particularly relevant, since my institution excludes literature from its research projects.

Solid and thorough advice on research writing. Quite heavy on text, but advice is useful and frequently innovative.

Reviewed by Laura Sanders, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/21/16

The text offers a comprehensive discussion of all the elements of writing a research project. The author covers evaluating sources, using library research, incorporating research into essays, collaborative work, creating a thesis, as well as... read more

The text offers a comprehensive discussion of all the elements of writing a research project.

The author covers evaluating sources, using library research, incorporating research into essays, collaborative work, creating a thesis, as well as writing annotated bibliographies, close reading, opposition, alternative project formats, and citing sources.

Although there is no index or glossary, the text is organized in discrete chapters available on the site as HTML or PDF for easy navigation.

Although I found no inaccuracies, both the APA and MLA handbooks have been updated since the versions used in this text.

Most of the content will not be obsolete any time soon, but the citation chapter is not based on recent APA and MLA handbooks.

The section on alternative ways to present research (Chapter 11) could be updated to include YouTube, Prezi, and more recent technology.

The modular format would make it very easy to update.

The text is written at a level that is appropriate for the target audience, college students who need to build research and writing skills.

This text is internally consistent.

I consider the modules to be one of the main strengths of the text. The sections have useful subheadings.

It would be easy to select specific chapters as course readings.

The chapters follow an intuitive sequence of developing a paper from topic to research to draft.

This text is easy to navigate.

I found no grammar errors.

There are ample opportunities here to add cultural diversity to the sample topics and writing tasks.

I am thrilled to offer this text to my students instead of the incredibly expensive alternatives currently available.

I am particularly interested in using this book for online writing courses, so students who desire more thorough discussion of particular stages of writing a research project could build or refresh foundational skills in these areas.

Introduction
Chapter One: Thinking Critically About Research
Chapter Two: Understanding and Using the Library and the Internet for Research
Chapter Three: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
Chapter Four: How to Collaborate and Write With Others
Chapter Five: The Working Thesis Exercise
Chapter Six: The Annotated Bibliography Exercise
Chapter Seven: The Critique Exercise
Chapter Eight: The Antithesis Exercise
Chapter Nine: The Categorization and Evaluation Exercise
Chapter Ten: The Research Essay
Chapter Eleven: Alternative Ways to Present Your Research
Chapter Twelve: Citing Your Research Using MLA or APA Style

Ancillary Material

About the book.

The title of this book is The Process of Research Writing , and in the nutshell, that is what the book is about. A lot of times, instructors and students tend to separate “thinking,” “researching,” and “writing” into different categories that aren't necessarily very well connected. First you think, then you research, and then you write. The reality is though that the possibilities and process of research writing are more complicated and much richer than that. We think about what it is we want to research and write about, but at the same time, we learn what to think based on our research and our writing. The goal of this book is to guide you through this process of research writing by emphasizing a series of exercises that touch on different and related parts of the research process.

About the Contributors

Steven D. Krause grew up in eastern Iowa, earned a BA in English at the University of Iowa, an MFA in Fiction Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing at Bowling Green State University. He joined the faculty at Eastern Michigan University in 1998.

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Home / Blog / Colleges / Writing an Undergraduate Research Paper: Keys to Success

Writing an Undergraduate Research Paper: Keys to Success

If you are transitioning to college or just need some pointers for writing a good undergraduate research paper , you’ve come to the right place. While you may have written academic papers before, in college you will likely be graded subjectively based on what your professor outlines in the assignment. Developing your writing skills is a process, but luckily, no matter what degree program you’re in, you’ll get lots of practice writing for almost every college course.

Effective research will be your ticket to success, no matter how good of a writer you are. It doesn’t matter how much you think you know about the topic, if you don’t cite your argument and findings, your paper will be viewed as an opinion piece or simply plagiarism.

It may go without saying, but use resources that are from a legitimate source. If you are searching online, only use reputable websites to build your argument from. The best place to start looking is your university’s library. Not only will they have tons of print sources to use, they will also have access to reputable online resource databases like JSTOR, newspapers, Academic OneFile, and other scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. The quality of your sources will speak to the quality of your argument.

Developing a thesis

Use your own curiosity to guide you when coming up with a thesis. You want to choose a thesis that is original, but has enough resources on the topic to draw conclusions from. Try to ask a question that warrants deep reflection and can only be answered in a well-thought out argument. Brainstorm topics when you are first starting out, do some research on your top three or five, and then choose the one that you are most passionate about.

Choose a topic that is relevant to your field of study, timely, sparks your interest, and is able to be answered in the page limit and time you are given to write the paper. While you don’t want to run out of things to say, you also want to be able to hit all of the main points.

Outlines are very helpful when first starting out. Start out with a one sentence introduction, jot down phrases of your main points that you want to make, and then finish with a one sentence conclusion. You will fill it all in later. The purpose of an outline is to get a visual representation of your paper before you start writing so that you can move things around and fill in some of the blanks if you need.

Many people will jump around when they write, so don’t feel like you have to go from beginning to end. Start with the point in your argument that you know most about, or write your conclusion first. As long as everything goes together at the end of writing, it doesn’t matter where you start.

Using quotes

Quotes will be the sails to your ship. They allow you to legitimize your argument with published statements from experts in the field. Use quotes sparingly, but use them effectively. If you are trying to make a point, for example, state your point, use the quote as evidence for your argument, and then always explain the quote in your own words after.

When you use quotes, be sure to use the required format, for example MLA, APA, or Chicago. Look up online for guides on how to cite your articles correctly if you are unsure. You don’t want to get docked points off your grade for something as simple as a formatting error.

Now is the time to write. All of the knowledge you have gained by researching needs to come out naturally, so just start writing. Don’t think too hard, just write. Revising comes later.

Some people call this freewriting, and in academic papers it is no different. Write and write until you run out of things to say. Even if you have to jump around in your argument or aren’t sure how to end a paragraph, go on to the next one. The idea here is to get all of your thoughts down on paper so that you don’t forget something by trying to go in order.

Revising is the final step in writing a research paper. Well, kind of. You may have to revise multiple times in order to get your paper in the place it needs to be to get a good grade. And there is nothing wrong with that. Editing is part of the revision process as well, but try not to get bogged down with correct spelling and sentence structure until the very end. Your argument is more important than what comma goes where.

When you revise, have other people read your paper. Ask them questions about the argument and if it made sense to them while reading. Ask them to underline or highlight parts in your argument that doesn’t make sense so that you can clear up any sense of confusion.

Remember, writing is a process, and most writers are never happy with their finished product. In How to Use the Power of the Printed Word, Kurt Vonnegut said, “If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.”

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A Guide to Writing a Research Paper

This handbook hopes to assist students studying international affairs, political science, and history. Students of political science should focus their research papers on identifying a theoretical puzzle (e.g., a case that cannot be explained by an existing theory, or that illustrates conflicts between two competing theories) and solve it. Policy-oriented political science students should center their research papers on identifying a significant policy issue; analyze it, and present recommendations. Cultural history students approach the study of world politics by examining not only history and politics but also literature and film as artistic expressions interpreting history. Why don’t we begin thinking about your research paper as your opportunity to improve by setting your goals: write out what your weaknesses are in your writing and add what are your strengths. Secondly, state your goals in improving writing and how you will meet your goals. Lastly, check out your professor’s comments and restate your goals: what goals have you met and which still need to be met. Build on your writing skills by being very aware of your weaknesses and your strengths. Remember you are not alone: consult GWU’s The Writing Center at GWU (202-994-3765) and WID Studio .

All good writing starts with analytical reading. When you start reading a book or viewing a film, immediately make connections, stretch your imagination, ask questions, and anticipate conclusions. By becoming an active reader your mind will be analyzing the information simultaneously as you experience the journal article, book or film. Evaluating sources is a skill perfected over several years; this handbook offers ways to assess texts quickly.

Structuring and writing research papers can be challenging and in the end rewarding because it is your unique contribution to understanding a body of texts, a series of historical events, and cultural expressions in film, art, and literature. Your personal voice and your particular interpretation will intrigue your readers if your thesis is clearly argued. Creating Writing Strategies including clustering ideas, drawing diagrams, and planning a “road map” will help you visualize the stages that you need to map out to build a strong paper. Research papers always start with disparate ideas, indiscriminate notions, and false starts. This process is necessary to think through your strategy. Harnessing and structuring your random ideas is essential at the beginning to ensure solid results in your line of argument.

An initial draft helps you generate ideas, sketch a plan, and build on your first impressions. Revision and more revision will ensure that your case is chiseled into a fine paper with clear objectives and well-argued beliefs. This is perhaps the most essential piece to receiving high grades. If you write your paper the night before it is due, you will not allow time to revise. Instead, plan to write your initial draft two weeks before it is due. You will have time to rewrite the draft at least twice. Comparing each draft should convince you to always make time to write three drafts. Formatting your paper appropriately to your professor’s taste is crucial. Routinely papers follow this format: a Title Page, after which each page is numbered consecutively; pages are double-spaced with left one-inch margins at top, bottom, and sides.

Citations add depth to your opinions and will substantiate them. A variety of sources always makes a paper interesting to read and intensifies your argument. The risk that all writers confront is over use of quoting from secondary texts. The overuse of citations buries your personal voice and your particular point of view.

Reading Analytically

It is often possible to confuse or understand partially what a scholar, journalist, or author is trying to argue. This is the first wrong step towards a weak paper. In evaluating a scholarly argument, you are making claims about what an author has stated. You do not have the freedom to put arguments in authors’ mouths; you must be able to back up every claim you make about an author’s argument through reference to the text. This exercise in analyzing arguments intends to strengthen your skills in developing your own argumentation.

Read an article in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, American Political Science Review, or Foreign Affairs and start to record your thoughts:

What is the author’s argument?
What is the thesis question?
What are the premises underlying it?
What is the thesis?
What is the “road map” or the individual points the author will have to prove to make the thesis be true?
What assumptions has the author made which remain unaddressed?
What arguments does the author make that may be challenged?
Premises underlying thesis question.
Individual points of the argument in the “road map,” or body of the work.
If you wanted to challenge this author, how would you go about it?
Choose one point — either a premise underlying the thesis question, or a part of the author’s “road map.”
What kind of primary source evidence would you be looking for to “test” this point? What kinds of primary source evidence would tend to support the author? What kinds would undermine the author’s argument?
The last step would be to go to the primary source evidence itself, and see what you find.

Exercise for reading analytically

Read the excerpt below taken from the first issue of Foreign Affairs for 2009 and write out your questions and answers (the entire article is online):

Beyond Iraq

A New U.S. Strategy for the Middle East

Richard N. Haass and Martin Indyk

Summary: To be successful in the Middle East, the Obama administration will need to move beyond Iraq, find ways to deal constructively with Iran, and forge a final-status Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

On taking office, U.S. President Barack Obama will face a series of critical, complex, and interrelated challenges in the Middle East demanding urgent attention: an Iraq experiencing a fragile lull in violence that is nonetheless straining the U.S. military, an Iran approaching the nuclear threshold, a faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weak governments in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories challenged by strong militant Islamist groups, and a U.S. position weakened by years of failure and drift. He will also discover that time is working against him.

For six years, U.S. policy in the Middle East has been dominated by Iraq. This need not, and should not, continue. The Obama administration will be able to gradually reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, limit their combat role, and increasingly shift responsibility to Iraqi forces. The drawdown will have to be executed carefully and deliberately, however, so as not to risk undoing recent progress.

The improved situation in Iraq will allow the new administration to shift its focus to Iran, where the clock is ticking on a dangerous and destabilizing nuclear program. Obama should offer direct official engagement with the Iranian government, without preconditions, along with other incentives in an attempt to turn Tehran away from developing the capacity to rapidly produce substantial amounts of nuclear-weapons-grade fuel. At the same time, he should lay the groundwork for an international effort to impose harsher sanctions on Iran if it proves unwilling to change course.

Preventive military action against Iran by either the United States or Israel is an unattractive option, given its risks and costs. But it needs to be examined carefully as a last-ditch alternative to the dangers of living with an Iranian bomb. To increase Israel’s tolerance for extended diplomatic engagement, the U.S. government should bolster Israel’s deterrent capabilities by providing an enhanced anti-ballistic-missile defense capability and a nuclear guarantee.

The U.S. president should also spend capital trying to promote peace agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors, in particular Syria. Damascus is currently allied with Tehran, and an Israeli-Syrian deal would weaken Iran’s regional influence, reduce external support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and improve the prospects for stability in Lebanon. On the Israeli-Palestinian front, there is an urgent need for a diplomatic effort to achieve a two-state solution while it is still feasible. Although divisions on both sides and the questionable ability of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to control any newly acquired territory make a sustainable peace agreement unlikely for the moment, these factors argue not for abandoning the issue but rather for devoting substantial time and effort now to creating the conditions that would help diplomacy succeed later. What all these initiatives have in common is a renewed emphasis on diplomacy as a tool of U.S. national security policy, since the United States can no longer achieve its objectives without the backing of its regional allies as well as China, Europe, and Russia.

Some might argue that these efforts are not worth it, that the Bush administration paid too much attention to and invested too much American blood and treasure in an ill-advised attempt to transform the Middle East and that the Obama administration should focus its attention at home or elsewhere abroad. But such arguments underestimate the Middle East’s ability to force itself onto the U.S. president’s agenda regardless of other plans. Put simply, what happens in the Middle East will not stay in the Middle East. From terrorism to nuclear proliferation to energy security, managing contemporary global challenges requires managing the Middle East.

Three easy questions to ask yourself:

Is there a “valid” argument: an argument structured such that, given that the premises are correct, the conclusion must be correct. How do the authors construct their argument, dissect paragraph by paragraph their line of debate.
What would a scholar from Egypt write on this subject and perhaps a scholar from Iran. Can you now come up with a counter argument?
What is the “road map” for this paper? That is, what is the chain of reasoning this paper must pursue if it is to demonstrate the veracity of its thesis?

Good reading is about asking questions of your sources. Keep the following in mind when reading primary sources. Even if you believe you can’t arrive at the answers, imagining possible answers will aid your comprehension. Reading primary sources requires that you use your historical imagination. This process is all about your willingness and ability to ask questions of the material, imagine possible answers, and explain your reasoning. Reading a primary source may seem simple but you would be surprised how easy it is to become distracted, unfocused, and when your mind wonders you lose the impact of the thesis. This also happens when we sit at our computers to write, but with a strong foundation and a road map, it should be easier to compose.

Professor Patrick Rael of Bowdoin College has drawn up a useful evaluating system when reading primary sources:

Purpose of the author in preparing the document
Argument and strategy she or he uses to achieve those goals
Presuppositions and values (in the text, and our own)
Epistemology (evaluating truth content)
Relate to other texts (compare and contrast)
Who is the author and what is her or his place in society (explain why you are justified in thinking so)? What could or might it be, based on the text, and why?
Why did the author prepare the document? What was the occasion for its creation?
What is at stake for the author in this text? Why do you think she or he wrote it? What evidence in the text tells you this?
Does the author have a thesis? What — in one sentence — is that thesis?
What is the text trying to do? How does the text make its case? What is its strategy for accomplishing its goal? How does it carry out this strategy?
What is the intended audience of the text? How might this influence its rhetorical strategy? Cite specific examples.
What arguments or concerns do the author respond to that are not clearly stated? Provide at least one example of a point at which the author seems to be refuting a position never clearly stated. Explain what you think this position may be in detail, and why you think it.
Do you think the author is credible and reliable? Use at least one specific example to explain why. Make sure to explain the principle of rhetoric or logic that makes this passage credible.

Presuppositions

How do the ideas and values in the source differ from the ideas and values of our age? Offer two specific examples.
What presumptions and preconceptions do we as readers bring to bear on this text? For instance, what portions of the text might we find objectionable, but which contemporaries might have found acceptable. State the values we hold on that subject, and the values expressed in the text. Cite at least one specific example.
How might the difference between our values and the values of the author influence the way we understand the text? Explain how such a difference in values might lead us to miss-interpret the text, or understand it in a way contemporaries would not have. Offer at least one specific example.

Epistemology

How might this text support one of the arguments found in secondary sources we’ve read? Choose a paragraph anywhere in a secondary source we’ve read, state where this text might be an appropriate footnote (cite page and paragraph), and explain why.
What kinds of information does this text reveal that it does not seem concerned with revealing? (In other words, what does it tell us without knowing it’s telling us?)
Offer one claim from the text which is the author’s interpretation. Now offer one example of a historical “fact” (something that is absolutely indisputable) that we can learn from this text (this need not be the author’s words).
Relate: Now choose another of the readings, and compare the two, answering these questions:
What patterns or ideas are repeated throughout the readings?
What major differences appear in them?
Which do you find more reliable and credible?

As you can begin to see, once you start thinking about it, one simple question can lead to a huge chain of questions. Remember, it is always better to keep asking questions you think you cannot answer than to stop asking questions because you think you cannot answer them. But this can only happen when you know enough about your subject to know how to push your questioning, and this depends on reading and understanding the assigned material.

Evaluating Sources

Reading secondary historical sources is a skill which is honed over years of practice and becomes second nature after a while. Reading academic material well is an active process and you’ll find success reading even the most difficult material if you can master these skills. The key here is taking the time and energy to engage the material — to think through it and to connect it to other material you have covered. A good idea is to keep a journal recording your ideas about a variety of sources to see later if there are connections among them.

How to read a book

You can quickly size up a volume to judge if it is indeed a book that you need to read fully. Read and define the title. Think about what the title promises for the book; look at the table of contents; read the foreword and introduction (if an article, read the first paragraph or two). Read the conclusion or epilogue if there is one (if it is an article, read the last one or two paragraphs). After all this, ask yourself what the author’s thesis might be. How has the argument been structured?

The same idea holds for reading chapters quickly: read the first and last paragraph of each chapter. After doing this and taking the step outlined above, you should have a good idea of the book’s major themes and arguments. Good topic sentences in each paragraph will tell you what the paragraph is about. Read actively and just take notes when necessary; avoid taking copious notes on minor details. Remember to record your gut reactions to the text and ask: What surprised you? What seemed particularly insightful? What seems suspect? What reinforces or counters points made in other readings? This kind of note taking will keep your reading active, and actually will help you remember the contents of the piece better than otherwise.

To better write your own research paper it is very useful to dissect an author’s work asking the following: How has the author structured her work? How would you briefly outline it? Why might she have employed this structure? What historical argument does the structure employ? After identifying the thesis, ask yourself in what ways the structure of the work enhances or detracts from the thesis. How does the author set about to make her or his case? What about the structure of the work makes it convincing?

A thesis is not just a statement of opinion, or a belief, or a thought. It is an argument and therefore it is subject to evaluation and analysis. Is it a good argument? How is the big argument (the thesis) structured into little arguments? Are these little arguments constructed well? Is the reasoning valid? Does the evidence support the conclusions? Has the author used invalid or incorrect logic? Is she relying on incorrect premises? What broad, unexamined assumptions seem to underlay the author’s argument? Are these correct? This part of the evaluation process asks you not for your opinion, but to evaluate the logic of the argument. Finally, when you have recorded your thoughts, mapped out the author’s points sustaining the thesis argument, now need to come to a conclusion: Where is the author’s argument weak or vulnerable? Where is the evidence thin? What other interpretations of the author’s evidence is possible? At what points is the author’s logic suspect? If the author’s case is weak, what is the significance of this for the argument as a whole?

If you read actively, record your opinions, and map out arguments you are creating your own research paper as you are analyzing. Eventually you will create your own voice and style through this method.

Writing Strategies

Perhaps the most important message to understand is that you should start thinking about possible theses from the very start of your paper preparation, but you need to examine your primary sources before you can develop a strong thesis. It is impossible to develop a good thesis without already having begun to analyze the primary sources which supply your evidence. How can you know what is even possible to argue if you haven’t looked closely at your data?

Good writing is a process of continually evaluating your work — of constantly asking yourself if your evidence and analysis supports your thesis. Remember, the thesis is not the starting point of your exploration, but the result of it.

Writing exercises — to flush out all your ideas and then to reduce them to the essentials — are useful for structuring your paper. Making lists of your ideas, free writing in prose about your thesis, and clustering relationships among your ideas, can all be helpful in the first phase. Subdividing your subject and restricting your purpose will help you narrow your thesis.

INTRODUCTION

Introduce the problem
Define key terms
State the thesis
Stems from good question
Tentative answer is “hypothesis”
Refine hypothesis into thesis
How is the paper organized?
Topic sentence (mini-thesis)
Argument supporting topic sentence
Transition to next mini-thesis
Arguing in paragraphs
Mini-thesis
Analysis (what does evidence support?)
Re-state the thesis
Significance of thesis (why should we care about the problem?)

The introduction is usually one paragraph, or perhaps two in a paper of eight pages or more. Its purpose is to: (1) set out the problem to be discussed; (2) define key terms that will be used in that discussion; (3) outline the structure of the argument; (4) CLEARLY STATE THE THESIS.

Quickly establish the issue your paper confronts. Where and when are we? What are we examining? It is especially important to clearly define the limits of your exploration. Tell the reader how interested you are in the subject, set a tone conveying that the topic is of vital concern. Some writers grab the reader by starting with an example, a quotation, a statistic, or a complaint. This opening theme must run through your paper so that it unifies your paper.

Provide a clear road map of your argument: Let your reader know where you are headed, how you plan to substantiate your thesis but without giving away your best ideas. If, for instance, your paper breaks down into political, cultural, and social components, announce this to your reader so she will know what to expect.

The last function of the introduction is to present your thesis. The thesis is the central idea around which you construct the rest of your paper. The best theses are good precisely because the questions they answer are significant, complex, and original. The thesis statement is the one-sentence version of your argument. A good thesis will require you to introduce the gist of the thesis itself without revealing your conclusion.

The body takes up several pages, and constitutes the bulk of your paper. Here is where you argue your thesis. The content of this section largely will depend on your thesis, and what it requires you to argue. Think to yourself, “What do I need to support this argument?” If you find yourself unable to answer, consult your analyses of secondary texts to review how authors construct their body. You may not have an interesting enough thesis.

The general movement in the body is from the general to the specific. Start with general statements and then move on to specific statements which support your general statement. Your paper is built on paragraphs. Each paragraph should be a minimum of four sentences and not exceed 10. The first sentence of each paragraph is called the “topic sentence.” The topic sentence introduces what the paragraph will be about similar to a mini-thesis. You may have several mini-theses in your paper supporting your general thesis.

When you add support from secondary texts remember that you should not merely quote or paraphrase from the raw data but you need to interpret and analyze the quoted material. This is especially true of quotes. Never just plop a quote in and expect it to be clear to the reader how it supports the mini-thesis. Explain how it supports the point you are making.

The body of the paper must flow from one idea to the next and transitions from one paragraph to the next must be clear. This linking of ideas is accomplished through transitional phrases. There are transitions between paragraphs, and transitions within paragraphs. Often, but not always, the last sentence of a paragraph begins to guide the reader to the next idea. It is often a good idea to end paragraphs with a sentence summing-up your findings.

As you structure the body, your scholarly arguments marshal facts — and analyze those facts — in a fashion intended to persuade the reader through reason. The most important technique for doing this is to anticipate the counter-arguments your argument is likely to receive. You must constantly ask yourself, what arguments which counter my thesis make sense.

Your conclusion is usually one paragraph long, and briefly recapitulates your thesis, pulling all your arguments together. The first sentence of the concluding paragraph is a clear, specific re-statement of the thesis. The conclusion should do more than simply re-state the argument. It also suggests why the argument is important in the bigger scheme of things, or suggests avenues for further research, or raises a bigger question.

Revision, Revision, Revision

Write first draft: Even if you haven’t finished all your research but you feel ready to start writing a first draft, read over your clustering notes, your sketch of how to execute the paper and arrange your notes according to your outline. Your paragraphs should correspond to your outline, and each should advance your goal of supporting your hypothesis. A first draft will challenge you to articulate ideas that have been floating around in your head. As you start writing you will probably realize that what you thought were simple ideas are actually complex, and are more difficult to express than you expected. That is normal.

Let your paper sit for awhile, two or three days. As the researcher and writer, you have been too close to your work. You might want to change some of the original organization, or delete parts which are tangential or insignificant to your main argument. You may also need to do some additional research and strengthen your arguments. Revise your argument first to tighten the thesis and your “road map” lining up all the evidence. Reduce your evidence to only the relevant pieces and strengthen your argument by including the most salient of citations.

Think about how you have arranged the arguments in your paper. Does the paper’s organization offer the most effective arrangement of your ideas and evidence to support the theme? Reread the topic sentence for each paragraph. Does the sentence make your point and does the information in the paragraph support it? Be sure that you have placed your topic in its historical context, preferably in the first few pages of the paper.

Locate your argument among those offered in the secondary historical works which you have read. At this point, you should have some idea of how your approach/theme adds to the body of historical literature on your topic. Think about your introduction and conclusion. Remember that these are crucial to the paper and you should take some time when writing them. The introduction not only interests the reader in getting beyond the first few pages but it also presents the focus of your argument. The conclusion is your chance to make a lasting impression on your audience; take advantage of it!

The final revision of your paper should include a check of overall organization, style and composition, spelling, proof of thesis, and format (arrangement of title page, pagination, endnotes if applicable, bibliography, citation form.) Scrutinize your words, sentences, and paragraphs. Look at the VERBS are they active (not passive)? Are there a variety of verbs, if not use the thesaurus and empower your prose by strong verbs. REDUCE the use of the verb to be. Wordy sentences weaken your thesis, take out the “fat”: prepositional phrases (change to gerunds –ing); count the number of prepositions in a sentence and limit to two. Check on misplaced and dangling modifiers if you don’t know what this means, look it up. Longer sentences can be reduced to several sentences or with the use of semicolons. Lastly, literally check the logic of the transitions among paragraphs. Do you find a paragraph not making sense and not linking up to the paragraph above and below it?

Very important to your revising is to read your paper out loud and listen to it. Does it flow well? What do you hear that is superfluous? Is the logic sound and is the thesis clear? What is unessential weakens your thesis, so eliminate.

The best known authors follow this advice: Throughout the paper writing process, the most important and challenging task will be to constantly edit and revise your work.

Formatting Your Paper

Use the MLA-Chicago style to format your research paper and consult the following:

William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Manual to Writing in History, 3rd ed.

Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed.

Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers, 3rd ed. (Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1996).

Quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies: Small matters of style, such as where footnote numbers are placed, the use of commas, or how indenting works, are important. You will be learning and using citation styles for the rest of your life; it is crucial that you become proficient in following them closely. Citations

A citation is the part of your paper that tells your reader where your source information came from. This is one of the most important elements to your paper. In order to evaluate your argument, your reader must be able to consult the same sources you used. Proper citing is crucial to making a credible and persuasive argument.. Citations in history papers can take the form of footnotes or endnotes. History papers should not use the parenthetic citation style common to literature and social science papers. These do not perform the other function of footnotes and endnotes, which is to provide space to clarify your use of complex data or arguments, expand on points you believe do not merit lengthy consideration in the body of your text, and to directly address the arguments of other historians.

Each time you quote a work by another author, or use the ideas of another author, you should indicate the source with a footnote. A footnote is indicated in the text of your paper by a small Arabic numeral written in superscript. Each new footnote gets a new number (increment by one). The number refers to a note number at the bottom of the page (or following the text of the paper, if you are using endnotes). This note contains the citation information for the materials you are referencing. For examples of footnotes in action, consult Rampolla (“Quoting and Documenting Sources”).

Either footnotes or endnotes are fine. Most history books are now produced using endnotes, which are commonly thought to provide cleaner looking pages. Most history professors, however, prefer footnotes, so they can quickly check sources. Especially if you have a computer word-processor, which makes the task easy, you should try to use footnotes.

Paraphrase or quote your sources or do both; but do only one at a time. You either paraphrase or quote, but do nothing in between. To paraphrase a source (or part of a source) is to reproduce it in words and word orders substantially different from the original. When you paraphrase well, you keep the sense of the original but change the language, retaining some key words, of course, but otherwise using your own words and your own sentence patterns. As a rough guide, if you copy more than three words in a row from a source, these words should be in quotation marks.

To quote a source (or part of a source) is to reproduce it exactly. When you quote well, you keep both the sense and language of the original, retaining its punctuation, its capitalization, its type face (roman or italic), and its spelling (indeed, even its misspelling).

Remember to include a source citation every time you use the ideas or words of another author, either directly (through quotation) or indirectly (through paraphrase). The only exception is common factual knowledge of the variety found in encyclopedia. The easiest and most important rule to remember is: when in doubt, it is better to cite a source than to not cite a source. In avoiding plagiarism, it is always wiser to choose more rather than less information.

Enjoy researching your paper and enjoy writing it. Professors grade students on their effort, their ability to improve during the semester, and on their willingness to follow directions. GOOD LUCK THIS SEMESTER.

Online guides for citing sources:

Citing Electronic Sources (from the Library of Congress) http://memory.loc.gov/learn/start/cite/index.html

Guides for citing standard electronic sources

A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities http://www.h-net.msu.edu/about/citation/

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A student’s guide to undergraduate research

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Originally written by Shiwei Wang for Nature journal in March 2019.

Participating in original research during your undergraduate studies can greatly expand your learning experience. However, finding the project can be a challenging task, so here’s a short but comprehensive guide that can help you get the most out of an undergraduate research opportunity.

Choose the right lab

Learn to think like a scientist. A lot of people start their undergraduate research by glancing at the faculty list and e-mailing multiple professors whose work seems interesting. Although this might get you a position somewhere, it is not the most effective approach. Before looking at labs, dive into the science to find out which areas fascinate you. Read a lot, go to talks, and talk to your professors not just about their classes, but about science in general as well.

Subscribe to e-mail newsletters from journals such as Nature and Science. Try to read research highlights and science news regularly. Podcasts and articles by, for example, Nature, Science, Scientific American or Quanta can also be interesting sources of information. Follow academics, journals and universities on Twitter. Start your undergraduate research by learning more about science, thinking like a scientist and working out what you love.

Look for questions, not subjects. You might have chosen a major to study, but don’t let this limit your search for research labs. Modern labs are interdisciplinary and very different from what you do in undergrad labs. Instead of limiting your search to your department, try to look at labs in all related departments. Choose labs on the basis of the questions they’re trying to answer.

Mentoring is as important as research. Contact group members to learn about your prospective laboratory’s environment. Are the group members close? Is the lab friendly or competitive and condescending? Is the lab head hands-off or hands-on? The size of the group is also important. If you join a small group, you’ll have a higher chance of being mentored directly by your principal investigator, whereas in a big group, you are more likely to be mentored by a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student.

Reach out with confidence. Once you’ve determined that the research programme interests you and the group dynamic is healthy, send the principal investigator an e-mail. Make sure to explain why you’re interested in working in the lab and that you have spoken to other lab members. Be patient if they don’t reply. If you don’t receive a response after a week or so, send a second e-mail or reach out in other ways, such as by asking group members to enquire for you.

Get the most out of the experience

Start your research with reading, and keep on reading. Usually, the principal investigator will assign you a mentor and a project. Ask for literature to read: learning about the state of the field and why the work is important will help you to push the project forward. Read about your field as well as other, totally unrelated fields. As an undergraduate, you have the freedom to change your major and your future plans. Make sure to strike a balance between reading and conducting experiments. It’s hard to do both at the same time, but it will make you a better scientist.

Set specific goals for yourself and let your mentors know. Think about what you want from your research and how much time you are willing to put in. Besides learning the techniques, do you want to learn how to analyse results and design experiments? Do you want to learn how to write proposals by applying for undergraduate research grants? Do you want to improve your presentation skills by going to conferences? Do you want to potentially finish a project for publication? Working out what you want to achieve will help you to direct your time effectively.

Research takes time. Don’t blame yourself if experiments don’t work or the project is not moving forward as fast as you expected. Science is about failing and trying again. Getting used to and coping with frustration is part of the learning curve of research.

Find a healthy balance. University is already a lot of work, and research will only take up more time. When planning your schedule, try to allocate large blocks of time (whole afternoons or individual days) to research. Rushing through a procedure could be unsafe and will often produce useless results. Always plan extra time for experiments. Consider working less in the lab during exam weeks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Talk to your mentor about your schedule and feelings regularly, so that you can arrange experiments at times that suit you, and you can keep on top of your mental health.

Find financial support. If you wish to do research at your own institution over the summer, your institution might offer funding to cover your expenses. If you want to go to another university, you can apply for funding from that institution’s undergraduate research programme, or from foundations, companies or academic societies. For example, the US National Science Foundation offers a Research Experiences for Undergraduates programme. Universities, foundations and academic societies might also offer grants to cover your travel expense to various conferences. Don’t let money limit what you want to do. Talk to senior students or professors, or search online to find all the opportunities!

Always think about the big picture. Your undergraduate research doesn’t define what you’re going to do after your degree. Keep reading and taking classes outside your comfort zone. Explore and learn as much as possible. Working out what you love is the best preparation you can get for the rest of your career.

Read the full article on the Nature website.

To find a research opportunity at Johns Hopkins University, visit the Hopkins Office of Undergraduate Research website .

Scientific Writing

Ucla writing center.

Vistit the UCLA Writing Center to make an appointment to review your Cover letters, CVs, or papers.

COVER LETTERS AND CVs

Sample Cover Letter & CV

THE ABSTRACT

How to Write an Abstract

What is a Research Abstract

THE RESEARCH PAPER

A Paper Planner to break down your writing timeline prepared by UCLA’s Undergraduate Science Journal

A guide to science writing prepared by UCLA’s Undergraduate Science Journal

Introductions and conclusions for scientific papers by the George Mason University Writing Center

The Science of Scientific Writing by American Scientist

Scientific Writing Booklet compiled by Marc Tischler, Ph.D. University of Arizona

ORCID provides a digital identifier to help track all published work and help distinguish yourself from other researchers

WI+RE Reading Strategies compile tutorials to help students learn to analyze research papers and academic articles.

College Info Geek

How to Write a Killer Research Paper (Even If You Hate Writing)

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Research papers.

Unless you’re a weirdo like me, you probably dread them. When I was in college, depending on the class, I even dreaded these.

It’s the sort of project that can leave even the most organized student quaking in their boots, staring at the assignment like they’re Luke Skywalker and it’s the Death Star.

You have to pick a broad topic, do some in-depth research, hone in on a research question, and then present your answer to that question in an interesting way. Oh, and you have to use citations, too.

How on earth are you supposed to tackle this thing?

Fear not, for even the Death Star had weaknesses. With a well-devised plan, some courage, and maybe a little help from a few midichlorians, you can conquer your research paper, too.

Let’s get started.

1. Pick a Topic

And pick one that interests you. This is not up for debate.

You and this topic are going to be spending a lot of time together, so you might as well pick something you like, or, at the very least, have a vague interest in. Even if you hate the class, there’s probably at least one topic that you’re curious about.

Maybe you want to write about “mental health in high schools” for your paper in your education class. That’s a good start, but take a couple steps to hone your idea a little further so you have an idea of what to research. Here’s a couple of factors to look at when you want to get more specific:

Timeframe : What are the most important mental health issues for high schoolers that have come up in the last five years?
Location : How does the mental health of students in your area compare to students in the next state (or country) over?
Culture or Group : How does the mental health of inner-city students compare to those in the suburbs or places like Silicon Valley?
Solution : If schools were to make one change to high schools to improve the well-being of their students, what would be most effective, and why?

It’s good to be clear about what you’re researching, but make sure you don’t box yourself into a corner. Try to avoid being too local (if the area is a small town, for example), or too recent, as there may not be enough research conducted to support an entire paper on the subject.

Also, avoid super analytical or technical topics that you think you’ll have a hard time writing about (unless that’s the assignment…then jump right into all the technicalities you want).

You’ll probably need to do some background research and possibly brainstorm with your professor before you can identify a topic that’s specialized enough for your paper.

At the very least, skim the Encyclopedia Britannica section on your general area of interest. Your professor is another resource: use them! They’re probably more than happy to point you in the direction of a possible research topic.

Of course, this is going to be highly dependent on your class and the criteria set forth by your professor, so make sure you read your assignment and understand what it’s asking for. If you feel the assignment is unclear, don’t go any further without talking to your professor about it.

2. Create a Clear Thesis Statement

Say it with me: a research paper without a thesis question or statement is just a fancy book report.

All research papers fall under three general categories: analytical, expository, or argumentative.

Analytical papers present an analysis of information (effects of stress on the human brain)
Expository papers seek to explain something (Julius Caesar’s rise to power)
Argumentative papers are trying to prove a point (Dumbledore shouldn’t be running a school for children).

So figure out what sort of paper you’d like to write, and then come up with a viable thesis statement or question.

Maybe it starts out looking like this:

Julius Caesar’s rise to power was affected by three major factors.

Ok, not bad. You could probably write a paper based on this. But it’s not great , either. It’s not specific, neither is it arguable . You’re not really entering any sort of discussion.

Maybe you rework it a little to be more specific and you get:

Julius Caesar’s quick rise to power was a direct result of a power vacuum and social instability created by years of war and internal political corruption.

Better. Now you can actually think about researching it.

Every good thesis statement has three important qualities: it’s focused , it picks a side , and it can be backed up with research .

If you’re missing any of these qualities, you’re gonna have a bad time. Avoid vague modifier words like “positive” and “negative.” Instead use precise, strong language to formulate your argument.

Take this thesis statement for example:

“ High schools should stop assigning so much homework, because it has a negative impact on students’ lives.”

Sure, it’s arguable…but only sort of . It’s pretty vague. We don’t really know what is meant by “negative”, other than “generically bad”. Before you get into the research, you have to define your argument a little more.

Revised Version:

“ High schools in the United States should assign less homework, as lower workloads improve students’ sleep, stress levels, and, surprisingly, their grades.”

When in doubt, always look at your thesis and ask, “Is this arguable?” Is there something you need to prove ? If not, then your thesis probably isn’t strong enough. If yes, then as long as you can actually prove it with your research, you’re golden.

Good thesis statements give you a clear goal. You know exactly what you’re looking for, and you know exactly where you’re going with the paper. Try to be as specific and clear as possible. That makes the next step a lot easier:

3. Hit the Books

So you have your thesis, you know what you’re looking for. It’s time to actually go out and do some real research. By real research, I mean more than a quick internet search or a quick skim through some weak secondary or tertiary sources.

If you’ve chosen a thesis you’re a little unsteady on, a preliminary skim through Google is fine, but make sure you go the extra mile. Some professors will even have a list of required resources (e.g. “Three academic articles, two books, one interview…etc).

It’s a good idea to start by heading to the library and asking your local librarian for help (they’re usually so excited to help you find things!).

Check your school library for research papers and books on the topic. Look for primary sources, such as journals, personal records, or contemporary newspaper articles when you can find them.

As you’re starting your research, create some kind of system for filing helpful quotes, links, and other sources. I preferred it to all be on one text document on my computer, but you could try a physical file, too.

In this text document, I start compiling a list of all the sources I’m using. It tends to look like this:

Remember that at this point, your thesis isn’t solid. It’s still in a semi-squishy state. If your research starts to strongly contradict your thesis, then come up with a new thesis, revise, and keep on compiling quotes.

The more support you can find, the better. Depending on how long your paper is, you should have 3-10 different sources, with all sorts of quotes between them.

Here are some good places to look for reputable sources:

Google Scholar
Sites ending in .edu, .org, or .gov. While it’s not a rule, these sites tend to represent organizations, and they are more likely to be reputable than your run-of-the-mill .com sites
Your school library. It should have a section for articles and newspapers as well as books
Your school’s free academic database
Online encyclopedias like Britannica
Online almanacs and other databases

As you read, analyze your sources closely, and take good notes . Jot down general observations, questions, and answers to those questions when you find them. Once you have a sizable stack of research notes, it’s time to start organizing your paper.

4. Write an Outline

Even if you normally feel confident writing a paper without one, use an outline when you’re working on a research paper.

Outlines basically do all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to writing. They keep you organized and on track. Even if you feel tempted to just jump in and brain-dump, resist. You’ll thank me later.

Here’s how to structure an outline:

You’ll notice it’s fairly concise, and it has three major parts: the introduction , the body , and the conclusion . Also notice that I haven’t bothered to organize my research too much.

I’ve just dumped all the relevant citations under the headings I think they’ll end up under, so I can put in my quotes from my research document later as they fit into the overall text.

Let’s get a little more in-depth with this:

The Introduction

The introduction is made up of two main parts: the thesis and the introduction to the supporting points. This is where you essentially tell your reader exactly what sort of wild ride they’re in for if they read on.

It’s all about preparing your reader’s mind to start thinking about your argument or question before you even really get started.

Present your thesis and your supporting points clearly and concisely. It should be no longer than a paragraph or two. Keep it simple and easy to read.

Body Paragraphs

Okay, now that you’ve made your point, it’s time to prove it. This is where your body paragraphs come in. The length of this is entirely dependent on the criteria set by your professor, so keep that in mind.

However, as a rule, you should have at least three supporting points to help defend, prove, or explain your thesis. Put your weakest point first, and your strongest point last.

This doesn’t need a lot of outlining. Basically, take your introduction outline and copy it over. Your conclusion should be about a paragraph long, and it should summarize your main points and restate your thesis.

There’s also another key component to this outline example that I haven’t touched on yet:

Research and Annotations

Some people like to write first, and annotate later. Personally, I like to get my quotes and annotations in right at the start of the writing process.

I find the rest of the paper goes more smoothly, and it’s easier to ensure that I’ve compiled enough support for my claim. That way, I don’t go through all the work of writing the paper, only to discover that my thesis doesn’t actually hold any water!

As a general rule, it’s good to have at least 3-5 sources for every supporting point. Whenever you make a claim in your paper, you should support it with evidence.

Some professors are laxer on this, and some are more stringent. Make sure you understand your assignment requirements really, really, really well. You don’t want to get marked down for missing the correct number of sources!

At this stage, you should also be sure of what sort of format your professor is looking for (APA, MLA, etc.) , as this will save you a lot of headache later.

When I was in college, some professors wanted in-text parenthetical citations whenever I made a claim or used my research at all. Others only wanted citations at the end of a paragraph. And others didn’t mind in-text citations at all, so long as you had a bibliography at the end of your entire paper.

So, go through your outline and start inserting your quotes and citations now. Count them up. If you need more, then add them. If you think you have enough (read: your claims are so supported that even Voldemort himself couldn’t scare them), then move on to the next step:

5. Write the First Draft

Time to type this thing up. If you created a strong enough outline, this should be a breeze. Most of it should already be written for you. All you have to do at this point is fill it in. You’ve successfully avoided the initial blank-screen panic .

Don’t worry too much about grammar or prose quality at this point. It’s the rough draft, and it’s not supposed to see the light of day.

I find it helpful to highlight direct quotes, summaries, paraphrases, and claims as I put them in. This helps me ensure that I never forget to cite any of them.

So, do what you’ve gotta do . Go to a studious place or create one , put on an awesome playlist, close your social media apps, and get the work done.

Once you’ve gotten the gist of your paper down, the real work begins:

6. Revise Your Draft

Okay, now that you’ve word-vomited everywhere in a semi-organized fashion, it’s time to start building this thing into a cohesive paper. If you took the time to outline properly, then this part shouldn’t be too difficult.

Every paper has two editing stages:the developmental edit , and the line edit.

The developmental edit (the first one, at least) is for your eyes only. This is the part where you take a long, hard look at your paper and ask yourself, “Does this make sense, and does it accomplish what I want it to accomplish?” If it does, then great. If it doesn’t, then how can you rearrange or change it so that it does?

Here are a few good questions to ask yourself at this stage:

Is the paper well-organized, and does it have a logical flow of thought from paragraph to paragraph?
Does your thesis hold up to the three criteria listed earlier? Is it well supported by your research and arguments?
Have you checked that all your sources are properly cited?
How repetitive is the paper? Can you get rid of superlative points or language to tighten up your argument?

Once you’ve run the paper through this process at least once, it’s time for the line edit . This is the part where you check for punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors.

It helps to let your paper sit overnight, and then read it out loud to yourself, or the cat, or have a friend read it. Often, our brains know what we “meant” to say, and it’s difficult for us to catch small grammatical or spelling errors.

Here are a couple more final questions to ask yourself before you call it a day:

Have you avoided filler words , adverbs , and passive voice as much as possible?
Have you checked for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? Spell-checker software is pretty adept these days, but it still isn’t perfect.

If you need help editing your paper, and your regular software just isn’t cutting it, Grammarly is a good app for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Chrome that goes above and beyond your run-of-the-mill spell-checker. It looks for things like sentence structure and length, as well as accidental plagiarism and passive tense.

7. Organize Your Sources

The paper’s written, but it’s not over. You’ve still got to create the very last page: the “works cited” or bibliography page.

Now, this page works a little differently depending on what style your professor has asked you to use, and it can get pretty confusing, as different types of sources are formatted completely differently.

The most important thing to ensure here is that every single source, whether big or small, is on this page before you turn your paper in. If you forget to cite something, or don’t cite it properly, you run the risk of plagiarism.

I got through college by using a couple of different tools to format it for me. Here are some absolute life-savers:

EasyBib – I literally used this tool all throughout college to format my citations for me, it does all the heavy lifting for you, and it’s free .
Microsoft Word – I honestly never touched Microsoft Word throughout my college years, but it actually has a tool that will create citations and bibliographies for you, so it’s worth using if you have it on your computer.

Onwards: One Step at a Time

I leave you with this parting advice:

Once you understand the method, research papers really aren’t as difficult as they seem. Sure, there’s a lot to do, but don’t be daunted. Just take it step by step, piece by piece, and give yourself plenty of time. Take frequent breaks, stay organized, and never, ever, ever forget to cite your sources. You can do this!

Looking for tools to make the writing process easier? Check out our list of the best writing apps .

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Academic and Writing Resources

Writing Research Papers

Research Paper Structure

Whether you are writing a B.S. Degree Research Paper or completing a research report for a Psychology course, it is highly likely that you will need to organize your research paper in accordance with American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines. Here we discuss the structure of research papers according to APA style.

Major Sections of a Research Paper in APA Style

A complete research paper in APA style that is reporting on experimental research will typically contain a Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References sections. 1 Many will also contain Figures and Tables and some will have an Appendix or Appendices. These sections are detailed as follows (for a more in-depth guide, please refer to " How to Write a Research Paper in APA Style ”, a comprehensive guide developed by Prof. Emma Geller). 2

What is this paper called and who wrote it? – the first page of the paper; this includes the name of the paper, a “running head”, authors, and institutional affiliation of the authors. The institutional affiliation is usually listed in an Author Note that is placed towards the bottom of the title page. In some cases, the Author Note also contains an acknowledgment of any funding support and of any individuals that assisted with the research project.

One-paragraph summary of the entire study – typically no more than 250 words in length (and in many cases it is well shorter than that), the Abstract provides an overview of the study.

Introduction

What is the topic and why is it worth studying? – the first major section of text in the paper, the Introduction commonly describes the topic under investigation, summarizes or discusses relevant prior research (for related details, please see the Writing Literature Reviews section of this website), identifies unresolved issues that the current research will address, and provides an overview of the research that is to be described in greater detail in the sections to follow.

What did you do? – a section which details how the research was performed. It typically features a description of the participants/subjects that were involved, the study design, the materials that were used, and the study procedure. If there were multiple experiments, then each experiment may require a separate Methods section. A rule of thumb is that the Methods section should be sufficiently detailed for another researcher to duplicate your research.

What did you find? – a section which describes the data that was collected and the results of any statistical tests that were performed. It may also be prefaced by a description of the analysis procedure that was used. If there were multiple experiments, then each experiment may require a separate Results section.

What is the significance of your results? – the final major section of text in the paper. The Discussion commonly features a summary of the results that were obtained in the study, describes how those results address the topic under investigation and/or the issues that the research was designed to address, and may expand upon the implications of those findings. Limitations and directions for future research are also commonly addressed.

List of articles and any books cited – an alphabetized list of the sources that are cited in the paper (by last name of the first author of each source). Each reference should follow specific APA guidelines regarding author names, dates, article titles, journal titles, journal volume numbers, page numbers, book publishers, publisher locations, websites, and so on (for more information, please see the Citing References in APA Style page of this website).

Tables and Figures

Graphs and data (optional in some cases) – depending on the type of research being performed, there may be Tables and/or Figures (however, in some cases, there may be neither). In APA style, each Table and each Figure is placed on a separate page and all Tables and Figures are included after the References. Tables are included first, followed by Figures. However, for some journals and undergraduate research papers (such as the B.S. Research Paper or Honors Thesis), Tables and Figures may be embedded in the text (depending on the instructor’s or editor’s policies; for more details, see "Deviations from APA Style" below).

Supplementary information (optional) – in some cases, additional information that is not critical to understanding the research paper, such as a list of experiment stimuli, details of a secondary analysis, or programming code, is provided. This is often placed in an Appendix.

Variations of Research Papers in APA Style

Although the major sections described above are common to most research papers written in APA style, there are variations on that pattern. These variations include:

Literature reviews – when a paper is reviewing prior published research and not presenting new empirical research itself (such as in a review article, and particularly a qualitative review), then the authors may forgo any Methods and Results sections. Instead, there is a different structure such as an Introduction section followed by sections for each of the different aspects of the body of research being reviewed, and then perhaps a Discussion section.
Multi-experiment papers – when there are multiple experiments, it is common to follow the Introduction with an Experiment 1 section, itself containing Methods, Results, and Discussion subsections. Then there is an Experiment 2 section with a similar structure, an Experiment 3 section with a similar structure, and so on until all experiments are covered. Towards the end of the paper there is a General Discussion section followed by References. Additionally, in multi-experiment papers, it is common for the Results and Discussion subsections for individual experiments to be combined into single “Results and Discussion” sections.

Departures from APA Style

In some cases, official APA style might not be followed (however, be sure to check with your editor, instructor, or other sources before deviating from standards of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association). Such deviations may include:

Placement of Tables and Figures – in some cases, to make reading through the paper easier, Tables and/or Figures are embedded in the text (for example, having a bar graph placed in the relevant Results section). The embedding of Tables and/or Figures in the text is one of the most common deviations from APA style (and is commonly allowed in B.S. Degree Research Papers and Honors Theses; however you should check with your instructor, supervisor, or editor first).
Incomplete research – sometimes a B.S. Degree Research Paper in this department is written about research that is currently being planned or is in progress. In those circumstances, sometimes only an Introduction and Methods section, followed by References, is included (that is, in cases where the research itself has not formally begun). In other cases, preliminary results are presented and noted as such in the Results section (such as in cases where the study is underway but not complete), and the Discussion section includes caveats about the in-progress nature of the research. Again, you should check with your instructor, supervisor, or editor first.
Class assignments – in some classes in this department, an assignment must be written in APA style but is not exactly a traditional research paper (for instance, a student asked to write about an article that they read, and to write that report in APA style). In that case, the structure of the paper might approximate the typical sections of a research paper in APA style, but not entirely. You should check with your instructor for further guidelines.

Workshops and Downloadable Resources

For in-person discussion of the process of writing research papers, please consider attending this department’s “Writing Research Papers” workshop (for dates and times, please check the undergraduate workshops calendar).

Downloadable Resources

How to Write APA Style Research Papers (a comprehensive guide) [ PDF ]
Tips for Writing APA Style Research Papers (a brief summary) [ PDF ]
Example APA Style Research Paper (for B.S. Degree – empirical research) [ PDF ]
Example APA Style Research Paper (for B.S. Degree – literature review) [ PDF ]

Further Resources

How-To Videos

Writing Research Paper Videos

APA Journal Article Reporting Guidelines

Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report . American Psychologist , 73 (1), 3.
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report . American Psychologist , 73 (1), 26.

External Resources

Formatting APA Style Papers in Microsoft Word
How to Write an APA Style Research Paper from Hamilton University
WikiHow Guide to Writing APA Research Papers
Sample APA Formatted Paper with Comments
Sample APA Formatted Paper
Tips for Writing a Paper in APA Style

1 VandenBos, G. R. (Ed). (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) (pp. 41-60). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

2 geller, e. (2018). how to write an apa-style research report . [instructional materials]. , prepared by s. c. pan for ucsd psychology.

Formatting Research Papers
Using Databases and Finding References
What Types of References Are Appropriate?
Evaluating References and Taking Notes
Citing References
Writing a Literature Review
Writing Process and Revising
Improving Scientific Writing
Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism
Writing Research Papers Videos

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Online Guide to Writing and Research

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Online Guide to Writing

Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Mastering the complex academic skill of writing a research paper will prepare you to enter the discourse community of your chosen area of study with excitement and confidence. Writing a research paper can seem like a daunting task, but if you take the time in the pages ahead to learn how to break the writing process down, you will be amazed at the level of comfort and control you feel when preparing your assignment.

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Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing

Chapter 1: College Writing

How Does College Writing Differ from Workplace Writing?

What Is College Writing?

Why So Much Emphasis on Writing?

Chapter 2: The Writing Process

Doing Exploratory Research

Getting from Notes to Your Draft

Introduction

Prewriting - Techniques to Get Started - Mining Your Intuition

Prewriting: Targeting Your Audience

Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started

Prewriting: Understanding Your Assignment

Rewriting: Being Your Own Critic

Rewriting: Creating a Revision Strategy

Rewriting: Getting Feedback

Rewriting: The Final Draft

Techniques to Get Started - Outlining

Techniques to Get Started - Using Systematic Techniques

Thesis Statement and Controlling Idea

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Freewriting

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Summarizing Your Ideas

Writing: Outlining What You Will Write

Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone: Style Through Vocabulary and Diction

Critical Strategies and Writing

Critical Strategies and Writing: Analysis

Critical Strategies and Writing: Evaluation

Critical Strategies and Writing: Persuasion

Critical Strategies and Writing: Synthesis

Developing a Paper Using Strategies

Kinds of Assignments You Will Write

Patterns for Presenting Information

Patterns for Presenting Information: Critiques

Patterns for Presenting Information: Discussing Raw Data

Patterns for Presenting Information: General-to-Specific Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Specific-to-General Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Summaries and Abstracts

Supporting with Research and Examples

Writing Essay Examinations

Writing Essay Examinations: Make Your Answer Relevant and Complete

Writing Essay Examinations: Organize Thinking Before Writing

Writing Essay Examinations: Read and Understand the Question

Chapter 4: The Research Process

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Ask a Research Question

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Cite Sources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Collect Evidence

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Draw Conclusions

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Find a Topic and Get an Overview

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Manage Your Resources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Outline

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Survey the Literature

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Human Resources

Research Resources: What Are Research Resources?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Electronic Resources

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Print Resources

Structuring the Research Paper: Formal Research Structure

Structuring the Research Paper: Informal Research Structure

The Nature of Research

The Research Assignment: How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?

The Research Assignment: When Is Research Needed?

The Research Assignment: Why Perform Research?

Chapter 5: Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity

Giving Credit to Sources

Giving Credit to Sources: Copyright Laws

Giving Credit to Sources: Documentation

Giving Credit to Sources: Style Guides

Integrating Sources

Practicing Academic Integrity

Practicing Academic Integrity: Keeping Accurate Records

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Paraphrasing Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Quoting Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Summarizing Your Sources

Types of Documentation

Types of Documentation: Bibliographies and Source Lists

Types of Documentation: Citing World Wide Web Sources

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - APA Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - CSE/CBE Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - Chicago Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - MLA Style

Types of Documentation: Note Citations

Chapter 6: Using Library Resources

Finding Library Resources

Chapter 7: Assessing Your Writing

How Is Writing Graded?

How Is Writing Graded?: A General Assessment Tool

The Draft Stage

The Draft Stage: The First Draft

The Draft Stage: The Revision Process and the Final Draft

The Draft Stage: Using Feedback

The Research Stage

Using Assessment to Improve Your Writing

Chapter 8: Other Frequently Assigned Papers

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Article and Book Reviews

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Reaction Papers

Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Adapting the Argument Structure

Writing Arguments: Purposes of Argument

Writing Arguments: References to Consult for Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Anticipate Active Opposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Determine Your Organization

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Develop Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Introduce Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - State Your Thesis or Proposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Write Your Conclusion

Writing Arguments: Types of Argument

Appendix A: Books to Help Improve Your Writing

Dictionaries

General Style Manuals

Researching on the Internet

Special Style Manuals

Writing Handbooks

Appendix B: Collaborative Writing and Peer Reviewing

Collaborative Writing: Assignments to Accompany the Group Project

Collaborative Writing: Informal Progress Report

Collaborative Writing: Issues to Resolve

Collaborative Writing: Methodology

Collaborative Writing: Peer Evaluation

Collaborative Writing: Tasks of Collaborative Writing Group Members

Collaborative Writing: Writing Plan

General Introduction

Peer Reviewing

Appendix C: Developing an Improvement Plan

Working with Your Instructor’s Comments and Grades

Appendix D: Writing Plan and Project Schedule

Devising a Writing Project Plan and Schedule

Reviewing Your Plan with Others

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An Undergraduate's Guide to Funding and Publishing Research

URECA and other SBU Research Programs and Opportunities
Funding Your Research
Publishing Your Research: Why and How?
Publishing Your Research: List of Undergraduate Journals

SBU's own publications

Note that among the journals listed here are SBU's own publications such as SBU Brooklogue , Young Investigator's Review and the Stony Brook Undergraduate History Journal .

How do I know whether my discipline is considered a Humanities or Social Science field?

Humanities includes fields such as Art History, Classics, English, Comparative Literature, History, Musicology, and Philosophy. Sometimes History can be considered broadly as either a Humanities or Social Science discipline, but for the sake of this list, most history journals are listed in the Arts & Humanities category. Likewise, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and related fields often use methods from both Humanities and Social Science research, so you might find related topics on either the Humanities or Social Science list. Psychology is another borderline discipline that might be classified as either a social science or STEM field. For the sake of this list, Psychology is listed with the Social Sciences. STEM fields are those affiliated with science, technology, engineering, or math.

Journals that publish undergraduate research

There are many journals that focus specifically on publishing undergraduate research. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) keeps an ever growing list of journals that feature undergraduate work . However, many of those listed by CUR are hosted by a specific institution and might only publish the work of their own students, and others might not be peer-reviewed or have publishing fees, so read the descriptions carefully. And, as always, carefully review each journal's website, published articles, and the author submission guidelines before submitting your work.

Below is a list of selected journals that SBU undergraduates are eligible to submit to, organized into the following categories:

Broad Scope: Journals that publish research in any disciplinary area.
Arts and Humanities : Fields such as Art History, Classics, English, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, History, Musicology, Philosophy, Theology, and Writing & Rhetoric. Sometimes History-related fields are also classified as a Social Science, but on this page, most history journals are in the Arts & Humanities category.
Social Sciences: Fields such as Sociology, Psychology, Economics, International Affairs, Geography, Sustainability, Political Science, and Human Rights are included here.
STEM : Fields in the hard sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Broad Scope: Journals that publish research in any discipline

Aletheia: The Alpha Chi Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship Peer-reviewed journal for undergraduate scholarship run by the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.
American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) AJUR is a national, independent, faculty peer-reviewed, open-source, quarterly, multidisciplinary student research journal.
Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research (BJUR) Submission of original, scholarly research articles is open to undergraduates from any accredited college or university. BJUR publishes scholarship across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Discussions: The Undergraduate Research Journal of Case Western Reserve University The journal accepts research papers written by current undergraduate students from accredited colleges and universities around the globe. The research can be on any topic.
Inquiries: Social Sciences, Arts, & Humanities An open access academic journal focusing on publishing high quality original work across a range of disciplines, especially on work in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
International Journal of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (IJURCA) Peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates and their mentors. Accepts submissions from all academic disciplines, including original research in the the form of articles and literature reviews, as well as creative work in a variety of media.
Journal of Student Research Multidisciplinary and faculty-reviewed journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research done by high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.
Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research Multidisciplinary scholarly journal produced by a team of Monmouth College student editors and faculty members with peer and faculty reviewers for each article.
SBU Brooklogue SBU's exclusively undergraduate, peer-reviewed journal for humanities and social sciences.
Undergraduate Research Journal Double-blind, educator-reviewed print and electronic journal published annually. A forum for multidisciplinary undergraduate research and creative endeavors including case studies, conceptual pieces, creative writing, journalism writings, literature reviews, original art, photography, and scientific studies. Highlights mentored undergraduate scholarly products across all disciplines from all types of higher education institutions.
UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity The official undergraduate journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Submissions are accepted from undergraduates in the following categories: STEM, Social Science, Humanities, Fine Art, and Creative Writing.

Arts and Humanities

Animus: The Undergraduate Classical Journal of the University of Chicago Supports undergraduate scholarship in the Classics and related fields.
Apollon Undergraduate Journal A peer-reviewed journal run by faculty and students at Fairfield University. Any undergraduate student whose research was produced through coursework in the humanities may submit.
Archive: An Undergraduate Journal of History Accepts submissions of History scholarship, including scholarly papers, articles, book reviews, and historical essays from undergraduate students of all majors from colleges and universities in the U.S. or abroad.
Berkeley Undergraduate Journal of Classics Original manuscripts on any topic related to Classics from undergraduate students in any major at an institution which confers a bachelor's degree are eligible to submit.
Clio's Scroll: The Berkeley Undergraduate History Journal The journal publishes articles by undergraduates and recent graduates of any university on historical topics.
Dies Ligibiles: An Undergraduate Journal of Medieval Studies The journal accepts research papers, book reviews, translations, and art in English, French, and Spanish from any undergraduate student at any college or university. The work must pertain to the time period 400 - 1600 CE.
Epistemai: An Undergraduate Philosophy Journal A student-run philosophy journal at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. The journal publishes short, original philosophical work done by undergraduates from universities across the country, and internationally.
Falsafa: Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy Run by the Philosophy Club at the University of California, Irvine, this journal highlights philosophical ideas and research by undergraduates.
Forbes & Fifth This undergraduate journal of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh considers both scholarly and creative work from students at any accredited university in the world.
The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era Open access peer-reviewed undergraduate journal that publishes academic essays, public history essays, and book reviews on the Civil War Era.
History Matters: An Undergraduate Journal of Historical Research An undergraduate history journal published annually by the Department of History at Appalachian State University. The journal is indexed by EBSCOhost's America: History and Life.
Journal of Art History and Museum Studies (JAHMS) An undergraduate peer-reviewed journal that publishes undergraduate scholarship by a diverse coalition of student artists and historians.
The Kennesaw Tower: Undergraduate Foreign Language Research Journal Annual undergraduate double blind and peer-reviewed journal publishes scholarly work of advanced undergraduates students in Chinese, FLED, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Mysterion: The Theology Journal of Boston College Publishes undergraduate research from around the world on topics related to theology.
Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology Publishes essays written by undergraduate students from universities around the world. Topics include historical musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, music theory, music education, and interdisciplinary subjects. Double blind review by professors across Canada.
The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English Published annually, and requiring a faculty member's endorsement, the refereed journal in indexed in EBSCO and accepts undergraduate criticism and research in the field of English from students throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Queen City Writers: a journal of undergraduate writing & composing Refereed journal that publishes essays and multimedia work by undergraduate students affiliated with any post-secondary institution. Topics covered include writing, rhetoric, reading, pedagogy, literacy broadly conceived, popular culture and media, community discourses and multimodal and digital composing.
Rock Creek Review An undergraduate journal edited, produced and published at Heidelberg University in partnership with the English Department. The journal publishes literary research from schools around the world for an annual publication. Check the website for the "call for papers," which will explain the theme of the next issue.
RhetTech Undergraduate Journal Run by students at James Madison University, this journal showcases exemplary work being done in undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and technical communication courses around the country.
Simpliciter: Brandies Philosophy Journal Run by students at Brandeis University, this journal aims to recognize excellent works of philosophy produced by undergraduates from universities anywhere in the world.
sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies A peer-reviewed journal devoted to the diverse voices of emerging scholar-activists, authors, and artists in Women's Gender & Queer Studies and related fields. First established at McGill University, sprinkle is now published at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and welcomes submissions from around the world.
Stance: An International Undergraduate Philosophy Journal Peer-reviewed journal publishes original work by undergraduates from around the world.
Stony Brook Undergraduate History Journal Peer-reviewed publication that showcases the research of SBU students writing about history at the local, national and international levels.
UC Berkeley Comparative Literature Undergraduate Journal Publishes undergraduate research in comparative texts and media, treating a broad range of topics including theoretical literary discourse, international trends in literature, and comparisons for national literature. Showcases the best work across the U.S. and also highlight more contemplative writing by students regarding multicultural issues, culture shock, or transnational experiences such as studying abroad.
UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Journal of History A space for undergraduates to share original research other scholarly works of history. Reviewed by graduate students with faculty mentorship.
Xchanges: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Technical Communication, Rhetoric, and Writing Across the Curriculum The fall issues publishes these and research projects of upper-level undergraduate students. Submissions may be traditional articles or multimodal "webtexts." Based in the English Department at the University of New Mexico.
Yale Historical Review Welcomes works from undergraduates at any institution on any historically relevant topic.
Young Scholars in Writing (YSW) An international peer-reviewed journal. Publishes original research and theoretical articles by undergraduates of all majors and years on the subjects of rhetoric, writing, writers, discourse, language, and related topics.

Social Sciences

Afkar: The Undergraduate Journal of Middle East Studies International peer-reviewed journal that accepts research articles, essays, and book reviews that focus on the politics, history, culture, and society of the Middle East and North Africa.
Al Noor Boston College's Middle Eastern Studies journal. It is run by undergraduates and publishes work from students around the world.
Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs A student-run academic journal supported by the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. The journal publishes undergraduate scholarly work on topics such as political philosophy, political history, comparative politics, international relations, political anthropology, and political sociology.
Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy: University of Chicago's Premiere Undergraduate Journal of International Affairs Accepts submissions from undergraduates from around the world on articles related to foreign policy, international relations, and related topics, preferably pertaining to the period since 1945..
Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas A joint project of Northern Illinois University and Arizona State University, Compass publishes work related to American democracy understood in the broad contexts of political philosophy, history, literature, economics, and culture.
Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development To encourage an international community to think more broadly, deeply, and analytically about sustainable development, the journal publishes work by students, researchers, professors, and practitioners from a variety of academic fields and geographic regions.
Critique: a worldwide student journal of politics Peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarship by students of political science. The journal is recognized by the American Political Science Association and indexed by EBSCO.
The Developing Economist Student-run undergraduate economics research journal, published with support from the Longhorn Chapter of the Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society and the Department of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin.
Issues in Political Economy Co-edited by undergraduates at Elon University and the University of Mary Washington, the journal publishes undergraduate research in the field of economics and is indexed in Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Economics and Finance.
Journal of Integrated Social Sciences A web-based, peer-reviewed journal committed to the scholarly investigation of social phenomena. We especially encourage students and their faculty advisors to submit the results of their investigations in Psychology, Sociology, and Gender Studies.
Journal of Interpersonal Relations, Intergroup Relations, and Identity (JIRIRI) Affiliated with the Universite de Montreal, the international peer-reviewed journal publishes the work of undergraduates on new theoretical ideas in the fields of psychology, identity, interpersonal and intergroup relations. It publishes both theoretical and empirical articles.
The Journal of Undergraduate Ethnic Minority Psychology (JUEMP) Open access, double blind, peer-reviewed journal devoted to publishing research authored or co-authored by undergraduates. The journal is especially interested in submissions that are from ethnic minorities perspectives, that focus on the thoughts and behaviors of ethnic minority populations, or both.
New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies Sponsored by The Eastern American Studies Association and the American Studies Program at Penn State Harrisburg, this journal publishes undergraduate research in the field of American Studies.
The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review International undergraduate journal housed in the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Virginia Tech. Through a double blind review process, the journal publishes original research in the humanities and social sciences from undergraduates worldwide.
Process: Journal of Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Scholarship Published quarterly, the journal publishes undergraduate writings that rigorously engage with issues of social justice, transformative education, politics, identity, and cultural production. Publishes both critical essays and non-traditional or multimodal compositions.
Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights Based at Webster University's Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, this peer-reviewed academic journal publishes undergraduate research papers, book reviews, opinion pieces, and photo essays that explore human rights issues.
Social Moments: A Student Journal of Social Relations Interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal examining the social and cultural world through a social science lens. All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit work in any social science discipline.
Sociology between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics Undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in sociology and related fields may submit their articles, books and film reviews, and point of view essays. Double blind peer review.
Undergraduate Journal of Global Citizenship Based at Fairfield University, the journal publishes undergraduate research on topics related to International Studies such as global awareness, interdependence, environmental responsibility, social justice, humanitarianism, and other themes that promote the understanding of global citizenship.
Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning & Community-Based Research Refereed, multidisciplinary, open access undergraduate journal that publishes articles from students all around the world. Accepted articles contribute to the literature on service learning and community-based research through reflection, research, or analysis. Based at University of North Carolina Wilmington.
The Undergraduate Research Journal of Psychology at UCLA (URJP) Based at UCLA, but accepting submissions of undergraduate research from institutions all over the world, this peer-reviewed journal aims to empower undergraduate students to engage in and with research and facilitate scientific conversation and inquiry in the field of psychology.

STEM Fields

Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal (CUSJ) Open access science journal that publishes manuscripts resulting from significant scientific research or analysis. Each paper undergoes a double-blind peer review process and a faculty review by the CUSJ Faculty Advisory Board.
EvoS: The Evolutional Studies Consortium A peer-reviewed open access journal, EvoS welcomes work from all academic disciplines and interdisciplinary scholarship that incorporates evolutionary theory.
Illumin Magazine: A Review of Engineering in Everyday Life An online magazine dedicated to exploring the science and technology behind the things we encounter every day. Features the work of University of Southern California undergraduate engineers, as well as submissions from universities across the U.S.
Impulse: The Premier Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal International online neuroscience journal for undergraduate publications.
International Journal of Exercise Science This journal engages undergraduate and graduate students in scholarly activity as both authors and reviewers. Articles on exercise science undergo peer review.
Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society An open access international science, technology, and society research journal that accepts undergraduate, graduate, and PhD submissions at the intersection of history, culture, sociology, art, literature, business, law, health, and design with science and technology. Students from around the world are invited to submit.
Involve: A Journal of Mathematics High quality mathematical research involving students from all academic levels. Submissions should include substantial faculty input; faculty co-authorship is required and the submission should come from a faculty member.
Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research Peer-reviewed journal that publishes undergraduate students' work in chemistry, including analytical, organic, inorganic, physical, polymers, and biochemistry.
Journal of Undergraduate Kinesiology Research Published by the Kinesiology Department at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, the peer-reviewed, journal is dedicated to original undergraduate research in Kinesiology. Currently, the research originates from students at the University of Wisconsin, but undergraduates from all institutions are invited to submit.
Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA) Peer-reviewed publication of the Society of Physics Students comprised of undergraduate research, outreach, and scholarly reporting.
Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) JYI publishes original work in the sciences written by undergraduates mentored by a faculty member. The mission of the journal is to improve undergraduate science training by providing innovative, high quality educational experiences in science writing, publication, and the peer-review process.
Psi Chi Journal Undergraduate, graduate, and faculty submissions welcome year round to this peer-reviewed psychology journal.
Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal Devoted entirely to papers written by undergraduates on topics in the mathematical sciences. Sponsored by the Mathematics Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the journal accepts submissions from undergraduates around the world and faculty co-authors are not permitted.
RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences Faculty-refereed international journal devoted to the publication of high quality research by undergraduates in all agricultural research problem areas.
SIAM Undergraduate Research Online (SIURO) Run by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), SIURO publishes articles written by undergraduates from all over the world in the field of computational mathematics. Each paper must be submitted with a letter from a faculty advisor.
Spectrum Published by the University of Alberta, this multidisciplinary journal publishes research completed by undergraduates in a variety of formats including research articles, review articles, music, video, visual arts, and creative writing.
Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics Published by Illinois State, this is an open access refereed research journal dedicated to publishing high quality manuscripts by undergraduate or graduate students that describe mathematical and statistical techniques to solve problems in biological settings, as well as in experimental biology. Requires an article processing charge.
PUMP Journal of Undergraduate Research PUMP stands for Preparing Undergraduate Mathematicians for Ph.D.s, and the journal publishes articles by undergraduates students who want to pursue doctoral studies in the Mathematical Sciences. The journal especially encourages submissions by students from underrepresented groups. Topics include pure and applied mathematics and statistics and authors may submit research papers, papers containing new proofs of known results, and expository papers which propose original points of view.
Undergraduate Journal of Experimental Microbiology and Immunology (UJEMI+) Based at the University of British Columbia, the journal has two versions -- one that publishes only UBC students (UJEMI) and the other that is open to external submissions (UJEMI+). Dedicated to the publication of undergraduate articles in fields related to microbiology and immunology, the journal requires a formal endorsement from a course instructor or researcher who mentored the student authors.
Young Investigator's Review Stony Brook's own student-run science journal!
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7 Steps to Writing a University Research Paper

Essay writing advice from an academic writing expert..

Seven Steps to Writing a University Research Paper

One of the cornerstones of the university experience is learning how to write a research paper â a written document that organizes and analyzes information you have collected to answer a question of yours or your professor's choosing. A university research paper is a bit different from your typical high school essay, so we asked John Hill, Coordinator of VIU's Writing Centre, who has helped thousands of students learn how to write research papers, to break it down into steps.

Step 1: Determine the purpose of the paper

A research paper has a PURPOSE, and identifying that purpose is key to the focus of your work.

Step 2: Refine your research question

That focus is given by your RESEARCH QUESTION. Within your topic, what is the thing you want to know that you don't know? This question is very important because it is what will drive your research. It is why you are doing research. Sometimes your prof will give you this question. Sometimes you will be expected to generate one of your own. But your job is to answer it.

Step 3: Organize your approach

You will decide what kinds of informationyou will need in order to answer that question. Think about how it fits together. This determines the ORGANIZATION of your paper. You may need to do a bit of background reading to get this far. And as you read, this structure may change as you learn more.

You can use a mind map to generate these simple categories. They will form the basis of a series of organized single-subtopic paragraphs (you can have more than one paragraph on each sub-topic though, and you may gather multiple related paragraphs under sub-headings). The focus of each paragraph will be identified with a clear topic sentence.

Step 4: Collect information

You will search for this information using the LIBRARY'S ONLINE SEARCH TOOL . You can use a general Internet browser too, but the library gives access to important documents, especially academic journals, that may lurk behind paywalls if you search in Google. This enormous resource is part of what your fees buy for you, so use it! If your prof requires peer-reviewed journal articles this is the best way to do it (the library search has a filter you can use to select only such items).

READING this kind of material is a skill. The writers have gone through the kind of process you are going through, so try to figure out their purpose: what is their research question? What are the main components of their paper, what is their argument? Look at their intro; look at their conclusion. It has structure: it is not just a list of stuff...

Step 5: Attribute the information

You will CITE this material from your research as you go. That is, you will inform your reader where this information came from. This answers the important question that your readers will have: "How do you know this?" Having a good answer to this question is what gives your paper credibility, so it's good for you.

It also helps your reader to find that material if they are interested in it, so it's good for them. AND it prevents you from being accused of plagiarism (passing off others' work as your own) which is good for us all. There are conventional ways of doing this and they vary from department to department. The three most common are APA, MLA and Chicago. You can look this up. A good source is The OWL at Purdue .

They are basically all quite straightforward: there's a minimal element in the text with the cited material (author, date) in APA â plus page if useful, (author, page) in MLA, and just a superscript number in Chicago. This leads you to a full reference entry (Who, when, what, where) at the end of your paper (or in the case of Chicago, a numbered footnote at the bottom of the page â or an endnote at the end of the document).

Step 6: Write your conclusion

After you have gone through this process, you should be able to DRAW SOME CONCLUSIONS from the information you have presented and explain how it answers your research question. That is the job of your, surprise, surprise, CONCLUSION.

Step 7: Refine your thesis statement

It is a convention of the academic paper that you then take a tight, clear statement of that argument, the position your paper is taking, that is, how it is answering the research question, and drop it in at the end of your introduction. We call that your THESIS STATEMENT (the word "thesis" means argument"). And it really helps your reader understand your paper. And since your reader is the prof who is grading the paper, it really helps you too!

Bonus Step: Get help!

Oh, and step eight is of course to come to the Writing Centre (which is operating its sessions online currently) and talk to me or one of the other faculty tutors. Early in your process is best but come at any point. You can make an appointment using our online booking system . We can go through all of these steps in more detail and then get into the specifics of your particular assignment. We are here to help!

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Research and Write Effectively: Dissertation, Thesis, Term paper

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Identify Resources: Search Skills and Techniques

Read and write critically: information literacy, upcoming events.

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Learn how to use the popular citation management tool Zotero to keep track of your sources as you research and easily cite sources as you are writing.

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Undergraduate Research Journal Listing

Submissions
Volumes and Issues
SPUR Awards
Cumulative Index
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Position Statements
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Undergraduate Research Stories
About COEUR 2.0
The Characteristics of Excellence
Implementing COEUR 2.0
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Advertise Your Undergraduate Research Journal!

This list of Undergraduate Research Journals is populated by self-entry. The Council on Undergraduate Research does not endorse or evaluate any specific journal.

1890: A Journal of Undergraduate Research invites undergraduate students from all universities to submit their work—from any discipline—to be considered for publication in our undergraduate research journal. The journal is interdisciplinary, meaning that research, scholarly articles, creative writing, artwork, and photography will all be placed under consideration. For more information, please see our call for submissions at our website.

Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research is an Open Access, annual, online, peer reviewed, international journal dedicated to the publication of student research (undergraduate and graduate) within all disciplines and of pedagogically based professional work that explores the intersection of student research with teaching and faculty research. Our mission is to provide a forum for exceptional student research and to promote collaboration between students and teachers in the classroom, laboratory, and field.

Advanced Journal of Graduate Research (ISSN:2456-7108) is a refereed journal dedicated to publishing research work carried out by Bachelor/Master Degree students under the supervision of a faculty member. Normally research work carried out as a part of the undergraduate course or graduate course in the form of final year thesis (course project) will be considered in this specific graduate journal. Any mentored student may submit articles related to all area of Science and Technology including Life Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Agriculture Science, Medical Science, Chemical Science, Physical Science. This journal accepts original research article, review article and survey article. Normal publication is free in this journal with open access availability of published article.

Afkar: The Undergraduate Journal of Middle East Studies is an academic journal focusing on the study of politics, history, culture, and society in the Middle East and North Africa. Afkar was created to encourage undergraduates to undertake primary research on the Middle East and North Africa and contribute to the growing body of literature in Middle East studies.

Al Noor is Boston College’s Middle Eastern Studies journal, based in Chestnut Hill, MA. It is run entirely by undergraduates at BC, features work from around the world, and is issued twice a year.

Aleph is UCLA’s only official journal publishing undergraduate research in the humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences. Run by undergraduates who review submissions continuously throughout the year, Aleph publishes select submissions in a quarterly online journal and an annual “best of” print journal, with the support of our sponsor, the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center.

Alpha Chi is deeply invested in fueling undergraduate research and creativity. We challenge students to find and lend their growing voice to the most pressing conversations and issues of the moment. Publishing that original work—some for the first time—is part of being an Alpha Chi member. Aletheia presents undergraduates with an opportunity to disseminate online their empirical research, critical literary analysis, policy analysis, or artistic endeavors to a wider audience. Alpha Chi members can be published at no per page charge; a page charge does apply for non-members. Aletheia is a free, public-access journal.

Alpenglow showcases and acknowledges the broad spectrum and quality of undergraduate student research, scholarly investigation, and creative work at Binghamton University. The journal accepts and publishes various formats of submissions of scholarly and creative work.

American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) is a national, independent, peer reviewed, open-source, no-cost-to-authors, quarterly, multidisciplinary student research journal. AJUR is indexed. AJUR (print ISSN 1536-4585, web ISSN 2375-8732) was established in 2002.

Americana is the undergraduate research journal from the University of Notre Dame’s Dept of American Studies. The journal seeks to encourage students to conduct research that explores both popular and academic curiosities relating to American studies; foster an interdisciplinary conversation between students, past and present; and provide opportunities for undergraduate publication.

Animus, the undergraduate Classical journal of the University of Chicago, publishes outstanding original work in the Classics and related fields. Supporting study of the Classical world through multiple platforms—the journal and the online blog—we seek to present wide-ranging undergraduate scholarship to a broad audience.

Founded in 1990, Anthós is a multidisciplinary academic journal published by the Honors College of Portland State University. Anthós publishes the work of Portland State University students, juried by Honors College student editors in a double-blind review process.

Our goal is to engage students in every stage of the process, beginning with student-faculty collaboration in generating undergraduate scholarships and finishing with the release of a polished digital journal. Apollon strives to take advantage of the unique opportunity of venturing into the digital humanities by engaging with image, text, sound, video, and a variety of presentation platforms in the process of showcasing the many species of undergraduate research.

ARCHIVE is an award-winning journal of history published annually by undergraduate history majors, in partnership with the History Department and the UW-Madison chapter of Phi Alpha Theta. ARCHIVE accepts submissions from undergraduate students of all majors and from colleges and universities in the United States or abroad. The deadline for submissions is usually in late January or early February.

The Aresty Rutgers Undergraduate Research Journal (Aresty RURJ) is an interdisciplinary, undergraduate-run research journal that accepts submissions exclusively from Rutgers University undergraduate students! Our purpose is to display the cutting-edge research being conducted by Rutgers University students and to allow them the unique opportunity to experience the publication and peer review process first-hand. The Aresty RURJ is also set apart from other undergraduate research journals in that we have implemented a year-long reviewer program that teaches involved undergraduates about how to review papers, and then allows them the opportunity to put that knowledge into practice by reviewing the manuscripts submitted to RURJ.

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History is an online journal edited and produced by undergraduate students at Armstrong State University. The journal is dedicated to promoting undergraduate students’ research interest in history and their writing skills. The journal is also hoped to strengthen the collaborations in learning between undergraduates and graduates, students and faculty, and history majors and those from other study fields. All submissions will be fully refereed in a blind reviewing process by history professors and graduate students from Armstrong and other universities.

The Arsenal: The Undergraduate Research Journal of Augusta University?(ISSN 2380-5064) is a peer-reviewed, open access, interdisciplinary journal for undergraduate research conducted at Augusta University. This journal is managed in collaboration by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS), University Libraries, and the student organization On the Shoulder of Giants.

Auctus: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship is designed to highlight the various forms of research taking place at Virginia Commonwealth University. The journal is student-run, peer-reviewed, and edited with assistance from faculty members. Auctus accepts outstanding submissions from VCU undergraduates of all disciplines. The journal welcomes submissions of research articles, technical papers, expository articles, and works of creative scholarship.

AUJUS, the Auburn University Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship, is a faculty-refereed publication that showcases the research and scholarly accomplishments of Auburn University undergraduate students from any discipline.

Biochemistry and Applied Biological research journal

Founded in 2020 as the first undergraduate urban studies journal in the United States, the Barnard/Columbia Urban Review (BCUR) aims to promote discourse and research at the intersection of ecology, business, politics, history, culture, and society by publishing a rigorous selection of research papers in our print journal. BCUR is sponsored by the Urban Studies program at Columbia University and Barnard College, and is entirely led, organized, and operated by undergraduate students at Columbia University across a range of academic disciplines.

The Berkeley Undergraduate Journal of Classics is committed to the progress and proliferation of scholarship in the field of Classics and to providing a common medium through which undergraduates from all relevant disciplines can actively engage in one another’s work. In order to establish a channel for interdepartmental exchange and collaboration, we seek to publish exceptional papers and translations from a wide range of fields pertaining to Classics and the world of the ancient Mediterranean.

The Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal is the peer-reviewed research publication of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Office of Undergraduate Research. The journal features research manuscripts, literature reviews, and technical reports by undergraduate students at the Daytona Beach, Prescott, and Worldwide campuses. To learn more about this publication, read About This Journal. Beyond accepts submissions on a rolling basis. Please note: you must have an account in Scholarly Commons to submit a manuscript. Click on My Account to log-in or create a new account. To upload a manuscript for consideration, click on the Submit Article link. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research at [email protected].

Bridges is an undergraduate academic journal created at Wilfrid Laurier University. It offers a range of essays on broad, interdisciplinary subjects with a focus on contemporary issues and literature.

The Bryant University Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies aims to promote undergraduate scholarly work that builds bridges between various disciplines to engage with complex problems that no one single discipline alone can effectively address. From various second-order effects of global warming to advancements in digital technology and information systems, the journal encourages themed volumes with individual submissions in forms including case-studies, scholarly research, critical reviews, original works of creative writing and visual art, and mixed-media productions.

The Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research publishes original, scholarly research undertaken by undergraduates from any college or university. BJUR builds upon and strengthens Butler’s commitment to quality undergraduate research by providing an outlet for the publication of outstanding undergraduate scholarship across the humanities, social and natural sciences.

The Caltech Undergraduate Research Journal publishes the best undergraduate submissions from around the world in the form of scientific and featured articles.

The Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs is a student-run academic journal dedicated to publishing undergraduate scholarly work on politics in a biannual online issue. The CJPA aims to provide a formative space for undergraduate students through an extensive peer-review process, with support from the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge.

The Canadian Journal for the Academic Mind is a student-run/student-focused, interdisciplinary, open-access research publication dedicated to bringing together the best and brightest minds from across the world to share their ideas and research. We believe, support, and encourage the use of open-access publishing and the accessibility of academic material to the public. We are committed to providing a platform for students to showcase their research findings and discuss and debate our world’s changing landscape. CJAM was founded by a small group of students and professors in 2023 at Carleton University in Ottawa but aims to publish works by students from across the world. Our founding editors from Carleton come from the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation, and the School of Journalism and Communication! Currently, we have students on the editorial board from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, McMaster University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, and York University’s History Department. As an interdisciplinary journal, we publish papers on a wide array of topics ranging from public policy, philosophy, and economics to international relations, gender studies, and medicine. We constantly aim to bridge the gap between the academic and non-academic worlds. Our goal is to provide an engaging and informative space for students to share their work and ideas without any restrictive requirements.

The Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research (CJUR) is a biannual publication that highlights work being done by undergraduates in all areas of academic research. CJUR publishes a variety of article types, including primary research, reviews, commentaries, and critiques. All submissions are reviewed by experienced graduate students.

Caravel is a faculty-reviewed online undergraduate research journal, which chronicles students’ creative research from all academic disciplines.

Catalyst is a student-run journal that showcases and highlights student research and views about science. Catalyst provides an avenue for students to share their thoughts and ideas about scientific innovations in the form of articles that are published annually.

Central Europe Yearbook is an open-access journal promoting the study of Central Europe among undergraduate students. Sponsored by the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota, the journal’s online platform provides an outlet for a wide array of scholarly projects. In addition to traditional forms of scholarship, we are particularly interested in the development of the digital humanities in the study of the region. Submissions could include academic articles, GIS maps, interactive resources, games, VLOGs, or any other compelling union of technology and research. Submissions will be accepted in either English or German. The Yearbook is a venue for undergraduates working on Central European topics to publish their scholarship and work in tandem with professors, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates from various institutions across the country and internationally.

The Challenger aims to further the access and representation of underrepresented students by giving URH Scholars at UC San Diego the opportunity to publish and share their research. The Challenger attempts to promote scholarly research with diverse perspectives across multiple fields of study, and provide a platform for scholars of all backgrounds to express their unique lens of viewing societal problems to bring positive impacts to the community.

The Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy invites undergraduates from around the country and the world to submit articles on foreign policy, international relations, comparative politics, international political theory, and any related subjects. We accept shorter pieces as blog posts to our website and generally save longer pieces for our more competitive bi-annual print journal. Our mission is to increase our collective understanding of international affairs and highlight the work of undergraduates from around the world.

Clio’s Scroll, the Berkeley Undergraduate History Journal, is published twice yearly by students of the Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley. The journal aims to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to publish historical works, develop the editing and writing skills of contributors and board members, and train them in the editorial process of an academic journal.

The Robotics Institute Summer Scholars Working Papers Journal is an annual publication of the Robotics Institute’s Summer Scholars Program at Carnegie Mellon University. The journal is a medium for the undergraduate students of the summer research program to communicate their work in collaboration with the participating lab faculties. This journal encompasses the learnings and research findings of the students over the eleven-week-long remote engagement with the CMU community for the year 2021. The journal comprises 58 papers written by the scholars participating in RISS 2021. The papers explore various domains of Robotics, including Localization, Mapping, Computer Vision, Motion-planning, Controls, Haptics, Aerial Systems, Medical Robotics, Multi-agent Systems, Machine Learning, and Reinforcement Learning.

Founded in 2009 as the first undergraduate economics journal in the United States, the Columbia Economics Review (CER) aims to promote discourse and research at the intersection of economics, business, politics, and society by publishing a rigorous selection of student essays, opinions, and research papers in a print journal released each semester. We further strive to engage individuals on campus, locally, and globally through speaker series, symposia, competitions, and other events established to promote dialogue and encourage deeper insights on economic issues. CER is sponsored by the Program for Economic Research at Columbia University and the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. CER is entirely led, organized, and operated by undergraduate students at Columbia across a multitude of academic disciplines.

The Columbia Journal of Asia (CJA) is an open-access, peer-reviewed platform for academic and creative pieces relating to Asia and the Asian diaspora, launched in partnership with Columbia Libraries and faculty in the departments of History, MESAAS, EALAC, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. It addresses an urgent need for meaningful representations of Asian narratives as an integral part of the humanities, arts, and social sciences. It welcomes both research papers (“notes” of 1,500-4,000 words and “articles” of 4,000+ words) and creative works (visual art, poetry, prose, and translations of under 2,000 words). Undergraduates from all majors, tracks, and class years, at any university, are encouraged to submit. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Read more about CJA and submit at cja.library.columbia.edu. Any questions can be directed to [email protected].

The Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal is a peer-reviewed, professional-level, open-access, academic publication that is committed to publishing manuscripts of the highest scholarship resulting from significant scientific research or outstanding scientific analysis. Each paper published in the CUSJ undergoes a double-blind peer-review process facilitated by the journal’s Editorial Review Board and a faculty review by a member of the Faculty Advisory Board. The CUSJ has two primary goals. First, the CUSJ aims to (1) publish works of the highest scholarship authored primarily by undergraduates. Second, the CUSJ aims to (2) educate students about the academic publication process, both from the inside as a member of the CUSJ staff and from the outside as a submitter to a scientific journal with academic standards that are as rigorous as any professional-level scientific publication.

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas seeks to publish essays by undergraduates at colleges and universities anywhere in the world on current American political issues understood in the broad contexts of political philosophy, history, literature, and culture. The journal encourages submissions from across academic disciplines and welcomes the use of various historical, philosophic, and empirical methods of analysis. This online journal aims to provide a space for the work of talented undergraduates who have original and well-articulated insights on important ideas and issues relating to American democracy. Please submit your essays to [email protected]. Published essays will usually be 1500-2000 words in length. We encourage a lively style that is highly readable. This is a venue to relate original work, whether using interpretive textual analysis, archival work, quantitative findings, comparative historical analysis, or other methodological approaches. However, we ask that these findings not be delivered or expressed in the manner of a term paper to specialist professors but in a more journalistic fashion to a wider audience of readers eager to glean what’s interesting from your findings. Once you have submitted your essay, the editorial team will work quickly to let you know if your piece will be appropriate for this journal and whether it requires revisions. Compass is a project of the Tocqueville Forum at Northern Illinois University, in partnership with Starting Points: A Journal of American Principles and American Practices, a project of the Kinder Institute at University of Missouri.

Compos Mentis: Undergraduate Journal of Cognition and Neuroethics publishes papers on philosophy, seeking to support and encourage the intellectual work of undergraduates.

Consilience is an online journal dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainable development. This journal aims to bring students, researchers, professors, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines and geographical regions in direct conversation with each other through an online, academically rigorous medium. Consilience publishes scholarly articles, opinion pieces, field notes, editorial columns, and photo essays. By providing a public platform for discussion, we hope to encourage a global community to think more broadly, thoroughly, and analytically about sustainable development. The journal is run by a team of undergraduate and graduate students, under the guidance of faculty from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Critique is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarship by students of political science. The journal, which is recognized by American Political Science Association and indexed by EBSCO-Host database, accepts submissions from all the subfields of political science.

Crossing Borders introduces undergraduates to the processes and values of open-access, peer-reviewed communication, thereby preparing them to be more critical consumers and producers of scholarly discourse. The editors welcome submissions from any discipline.

Crossings ‐ University of Alberta Crossings: An Undergraduate Arts Journal is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, academic student journal published by the Organization for Arts Students and Interdisciplinary Studies with an aim to highlight the diverse and outstanding breadth of research from all programs in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Culture, Society, and Praxis is a peer reviewed, undergraduate, open access social scientific journal. We accept all forms of scholarly expression, including research-based writing, creative writing, visual arts, and more. As long as it was created by a student and is relevant to the social sciences, we’d love to see it. We do not reject any eligible submissions; we simply ask that students commit to revising their work until it is publishable. You can check us out and submit work at www.culturesocietypraxis.com. For more information, contact Amanda Pullum, faculty advisor ([email protected]).

Cura Terra is an undergraduate journal founded on values of justice and equity, putting people at the center of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Cura Terra is designed to be both interdisciplinary and intersectional. The journal encourages students to submit articles, research papers, and essays related to the field of environmental studies. Students in any program of study should feel welcome to send their work as long as it relates to environmental issues.

DePaul Discoveries is a peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal published by DePaul University’s College of Science and Health.

The first undergraduate journal of medieval studies at Smith College focuses on the period 400–1600 AD. Submissions from all sorts of fields are accepted such as art, art history, language and translation, and religion. Submissions are encouraged pertaining to regions outside Western Christendom. Any undergraduate student at any college or university may submit.

Digital America is a new, online journal that features student work on digitization, digital culture, and American life. We also feature process projects in courses that engage digital media and digital culture, and we feature ongoing commentary on topical, digital issues. We accept traditional papers as well as new media pieces, digital art, and short films.

Digital Literature Review is the Ball State University English Department’s new undergraduate academic journal, edited and produced by Ball State undergraduates. Our goal is to showcase the valuable contributions of hardworking, creative undergraduate students. We welcome original, engaging, scholarly submissions from the perspective of a wide range of academic disciplines, including film studies, theatre, anthropology, psychology, and literary and cultural studies. Each issue is thematically driven, so please visit www.bsu.edu/dlr or email us at [email protected] to find out more about our current focus.

DISCOVER is a peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates at Utah State University. This journal accepts submissions of scholarly and research articles, from undergraduate students in all academic disciplines.

Discovery is the undergraduate student research journal at the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

DISCOVERY is an undergraduate research journal featuring publications from students enrolled in the Honors College at Georgia State University. The mission of DISCOVERY, subtitled The Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal, is to promote, showcase, and disseminate original scholarship from all disciplines conducted by Honors College undergraduate students who have been involved in faculty-mentored research projects and creative activities. DISCOVERY promotes, encourages and rewards undergraduate research excellence and provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas beyond the classroom.

The journal features exceptional research and writing by SMSU undergraduates.

Discussions is the undergraduate research journal of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. We are currently accepting submissions from all majors! We accept from all over the nation and have received submissions from Princeton, Florida, and even New Zealand. Our current acceptance rates are around 30 percent, and we are becoming more competitive every year. Check out our website to learn more!

Founded in 1998, the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science aims to increase scientific awareness by providing an interdisciplinary forum for sharing undergraduate research and enriching scientific knowledge. The DUJS prints quarterly journals that include science news and review articles, along with research by undergraduates. Weekly Dartmouth Science News articles are also posted to the DUJS website.

The DU Undergraduate Research Journal is a peer reviewed publication of research articles from all undergraduate disciplines. The mission of DUURJ is to encourage, recognize, and celebrate intellectual activity that occurs outside of the classroom, though exemplary research conducted in classroom settings may also be displayed. The journal staff is comprised entirely of DU undergraduate students and works to promote academic research across all disciplines.

El Río: A Student Research Journal is a student-run research journal at CSU-Pueblo that focuses on outstanding student work from the humanities, behavioral, social, natural, and health and applied sciences. Its mission is to acknowledge, promote, and disseminate high-quality student research that shapes discourse and fosters understanding.

The Elon Journal is the only journal with a focus on undergraduate research in journalism, media, and communications.

Epistemai is an undergraduate philosophy journal with a focus on short, original, philosophical work done by undergraduates from universities across the country.

Eureka ‐ University of Alberta Eureka is a student-founded and student-run initiative. This journal offers undergraduate scientists the unique opportunity to share their discoveries with the scientific world through the peer review process. Eureka is an educational institution, with a diverse team of reviewers from many scientific backgrounds, exposing undergraduate students to the publication process often excluded from their traditional scientific education. Through clear and effective scientific writing, students will be a

EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium is a journal designed to promote the education of evolutionary theory in colleges and universities. EvoS Journal welcomes work from all academic disciplines as well as interdisciplinary scholarship that incorporates evolutionary theory across areas of study.

Explorations is a refereed journal that features original research and creative work by students at any 2- or 4- year public or private college or university across the state of North Carolina. Explorations is the companion journal for the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SCNURCS) and publishes student-authored articles of general interest in any area, as well as creative work in a variety of media. Article submission is June 1 of each year, and submissions are reviewed by a faculty board of reviewers across the state.

Falsafa aims to highlight philosophical ideas and research in marginalized/underrepresented subdisciplines and aims to encourage work by undergraduates within the same. Falsafa welcomes submissions on topics pertaining to all areas of philosophy and encourages undergraduates from all universities, majors, and backgrounds to submit creative works.

The Florida Atlantic Undergraduate Research Journal (FAURJ) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that is published annually. The FAURJ is published online and in print. Its missions are to showcase high quality undergraduate research in all fields, supply younger students with an idea of the standard of research, and promote inquiry-based activities at FAU.

Fenjan is the University of Pennsylvania’s premier journal on the Middle East. Through nonpartisan, quarterly issues, Fenjan is dedicated to increasing empathy for and understanding of the Middle East among the Penn Community through written and visual work.

Field: A Journal of Arts & Sciences is IU Kokomo’s peer-reviewed student journal that inspires dialogue across disciplines. Field publishes visual artwork, research essays, and creative writing. We are committed to representing diverse student perspectives and expanding our community’s field of vision.

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience is a peer-reviewed journal of creative writing, visual and recorded art, and scholarly work from the first-generation college community—students, faculty, and staff whose parents have not completed bachelor’s degrees from institutions in the United States). Founded in spring 2014 at Loyola Marymount University, First-Gen Voices offers a space where individuals from diverse backgrounds can engage one another in conversation through their shared social identity as first-gen college students. This publication aims to promote awareness about the first-gen experience, the valuable forms of social capital first-gen students bring into the university, and the meaningful contributions they make to their local and global communities.

The Florida Undergraduate Research Journal (FURJ) is a new publication opportunity for students to share their work with others beyond their campus journals. It is dedicated to publishing outstanding undergraduate research across all disciplines. All are welcome to submit.

Forbes & Fifth, a magazine published by Dietrich School undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh, and sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity, unites works of research, creative writing, and scholarly articles under the banner of interdisciplinary collaboration. We seek articles of an interdisciplinary nature, both in form and content. We’ve featured research articles on Internet memes, Peruvian Terrorism, Mongolian folk rock, Great Britain’s “Little Ice Age,” as well as poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We’re also interested in visual art, translations, and reviews. Undergraduates at accredited institutions may submit inquiries or work to [email protected].

Furman University Electronic Journal of Undergraduate Mathematics

The George Mason Review is a cross-disciplinary undergraduate journal. Through the publication of exemplary, scholarly works, the GMR acts as a medium for discussion among us–the Mason undergraduate body–about scholarship. It seeks to re-vision scholarship by exploring and challenging the boundaries separating disciplines from each other, the humanities from the sciences, and academic from creative. In doing so, the GMR hopes to represent the academic excellence of the Mason undergraduate body.

Global Histories: A Student Journal aims to offer a platform for debate, discussion and intellectual exchange for a new generation of scholars with diverse research interests. Global history can provide an opportunity to move beyond disciplinary boundaries and methodological centrisms, both in time and space. As students of global history at Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, our interest lies not in prescribing what global history is and what it is not but to encourage collaboration, cooperation, and discourse among students seeking to explore new intellectual frontiers.

Glocality is an open-access academic journal that offers a platform to undergraduate students to share their work with the scholar community and practitioners worldwide. Articles explore the relationship between local and global on the dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Grand Valley Journal of History provides undergraduate students from all institutions with an opportunity to publish their historically-based research. The GVJH is a journal for all majors, operated by student editors and overseen by a faculty advisory board.

Harf: A Journal of South Asian Studies invites academic work from undergraduate and graduate students working on South Asia. We are a new journal published out of McGill University in Montreal. We welcome all submissions pertaining to the anthropology, history, literatures, and religions of South Asia. We are interested, particularly, in essays that explore marginalized voices, communities, practices, and concepts. Submissions must be double-spaced and 15-30 pages in length, inclusive of all endnotes, footnotes, and bibliography. Submissions must be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style as per the notes and bibliography system. Queries may be sent to [email protected] or via our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/harfjournal.

An undergraduate history journal, published annually on this website by the Department of History at Appalachian State University. The journal is edited by undergraduates with the help of a faculty board. Our goal is to publish the best undergraduate historical research possible. In doing so, we would like to provide an opportunity for top undergraduates from a variety of schools to be recognized for their work, familiarize them with the publishing process, and encourage student-faculty collaboration.

Illumin is a student-run online magazine dedicated to the fields of science and technology, specifically engineering. Submissions to the magazine come from USC undergraduate engineers along with submissions from universities across the nation.

Illuminate features academic and creative content of honors students from the Northeast region

IMPULSE is the first international, online neuroscience journal for undergraduate publications. The journal is peer reviewed by students worldwide.

Founded in August 2013, the Indiana University Journal of Undergraduate Research is an entirely student-led journal dedicated to promoting a culture of curiosity all around Indiana University. Any undergrad from all eight of Indiana University’s campuses can submit to our journal, and we accept submissions from any field on a rolling basis.

Inquiries Journal is an open-access, multidisciplinary student journal focused on presenting student scholarship in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.

Inquiro is UAB’s official journal of undergraduate research. The Journal operates by a blind, peer review process conducted by UAB faculty, researchers, and distinguished undergraduate students and maintains the highest standards of scholastic integrity.

Inquiry journal is the online, multi-disciplinary undergraduate research journal of the University of New Hampshire. It is published annually in April.

The Inquiry Journal accepts research works as well as creative works for publication. Research includes any quantitative or qualitative original research that a student has conducted during their academic studies. Creative works include any theoretical works, policy analyses, art projects or displays, among others.

The primary aim of the International Journal of Exercise Science is to engage undergraduate and graduate students in scholarly activity as authors and reviewers as they develop into professionals. In addition to providing students with an outlet for manuscript submission, the Journal will engage students as peer reviewers, thus providing students with a more encompassing experience with regards to scholarly activity. All student authors who have a manuscript accepted in the Journal will be added to the reviewer pool and may have the opportunity to serve as a peer reviewer on future submissions.

A peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates and their mentors from academic institutions of higher learning. The journal accepts submissions of research articles, fiction, poetry, photography, videos, and other creative works from undergraduate students in all academic disciplines.

The International Relations Review (IRR) is an esteemed undergraduate journal at Boston University. Founded in 2009, and indexed in the Library of Congress, the International Relations Review consists of policy-oriented analyses through two annual print issues and a consistent collection of digital commentary; each publication boasts original research, policy recommendations, book reviews, and opinion pieces. Each issue is read by a global network of scholars, practitioners, leaders, and students committed to advancing human progress and approaching tomorrow’s challenges with thoughtful, interdisciplinary lenses.

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences (IUJHS) is a student-run, open access, peer- reviewed online journal that publishes original research papers, short communications, review papers, mini-review papers, letters to the editor, and conference proceedings within the field of human health and medical science. The IUJHS is published twice-yearly.

Intersect is an international Science, Technology, and Society research journal run by undergraduate students at Stanford University and supported by the Program in STS. It welcomes undergraduate, graduate, and PhD submissions at the intersection of history, culture, sociology, art, literature, business, law, and design with science and technology. The journal’s submissions are not exclusive to Stanford affiliates and generally span several continents.

Intersections is an interdisciplinary print-form journal published online by the Comparative History of Ideas program at the University of Washington, Seattle. Intersections features features student essays, research papers, and capstone theses in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. There are no established deadlines as submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Work of any length is considered. Interested authors should consult the journal’s Call for Papers page for submission specifications. Authors can contact the editorial staff at: [email protected].

Founded in 1965 at Aberystwyth University’s Department of International Politics, ‘Interstate – Journal of International Affairs’ is a student-run journal that focuses on international affairs.

Inventio is the multidisciplinary undergraduate research journal of The Catholic University of America. Established in 2015, it aims to identify and disseminate original undergraduate research that best represents the university’s commitment to the academic and Catholic traditions that inform its mission to “discover and impart the truth.” The journal accepts submissions of research in theology, philosophy, the humanities, and the social sciences written by current students or within two years of their graduation.

Invoke ‐ University of Alberta The focus and scope of the journal includes anything sociological, that is presenting scholarly research with a sociological perspective. This does not completely exclude perspectives of other disciplines; sociology is a very broad and overlapping field and submissions from other disciplines will be accepted. Submissions are limited to works done at the undergraduate level.

Issues in Political Economy is a student run journal whose focus is to promote undergraduate research in all areas of economics.

The Jackson School Journal is an online and print publication dedicated to profiling the outstanding research and policy writing relating to international studies.

The James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal produced by a student editorial board working alongside faculty reviewers. This online journal publishes excellent scholarly research conducted by JMU undergraduates from all academic disciplines. Submissions are evaluated and published on a rolling basis.

The Journal of Science and Health at the University of Alabama (JOSHUA) is an undergraduate research journal relating to science and health.

The JUE is an online publication for undergraduate academic writing. The JUE seeks to distribute original scholarly ethnographies from a variety of disciplinary areas.

The Journal of Art History and Museum Studies (JAHMS) is a student-edited, undergraduate peer-reviewed journal. Led by its student editorial board, JAHMS publishes issues online in the fall and spring academic terms and welcomes intercollegiate scholarly research of students across the globe.

Journal of Asian and African Social Science and Humanities ‐ Asian and African Research Centre Journal of Asian and African Social Science and Humanities is a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal. The journal publishes research papers in the fields of humanities and social science such as anthropology, business studies, communication studies, corporate governance, criminology, cross-cultural studies, demography, development studies, economics, education, ethics, geography, history, industrial relations, international relations, law, linguistics, library science, media

The Journal of European Psychology Students (JEPS) is an open-access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal for psychology students worldwide. JEPS is run by highly motivated European psychology students and has been publishing since 2009. By ensuring that authors are always provided with extensive feedback, JEPS gives psychology students the chance to gain experience in publishing and to improve their scientific skills. Furthermore, JEPS provides students with the opportunity to share their research and to take a first step toward a scientific career.

The Journal of Foreign Affairs at Carolina (JFAC) is an undergraduate research journal at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which publishes excellent undergraduate research on global affairs and current events. This student-run journal partners with the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Carolina International Relations Association to publish biannual issues showcasing not only student research, but also student photography from around the world. This interdisciplinary journal accepts submissions relating to global affairs a wide variety of subjects including, but not limited to, economics, religion, anthropology, international relations, language and regional studies.

The Journal of Integrated Social Sciences is a web-based, peer-reviewed journal committed to the scholarly investigation of social phenomena. We especially encourage students and their faculty advisers to submit the results of their investigations.

Title of Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Relations, Intergroup Relations and Identity (JIRIRI). Years active: 2008 – present Peer-reviewed: yes Review done by: undergraduate and graduate students. A senior associate editor (Ph.D.) trains the students and verifies all the letters that are sent to the authors. The Journal of Interpersonal Relations, Intergroup Relations and Identity (JIRIRI) is a social psychology journal with the goal of promoting the creation and expression of novel theoretical and empirical ideas. Created at Université de Montréal, it is an international scientific peer-reviewed journal for undergraduate students. The JIRIRI’s goal is to promote creative and original ideas in social psychology and related fields, produced by undergraduate students worldwide. Undergraduate students are given the opportunity to either publish an empirical or theoretical manuscript, to review scientific manuscripts or to become part of the editorial team. The JIRIRI’s next goal is to diffuse its material to other professors and students that wish to use the peer-review process as a teaching tool.

The Journal of Near & Middle-Eastern Civilizations is a yearly journal published by the University of Toronto NMC Students’ Union. It seeks to receive work from both graduate and undergraduate students–particularly in relation to the modern Middle East.

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research publishes outstanding research papers written by Purdue undergraduates from all academic disciplines who have completed a faculty-mentored research projects.

The Journal of Research in Progress (JRIP) showcases the outstanding original research work done by Howard Community College students with their faculty mentors and celebrates their achievements to date.

The Journal of Student Research is an electronic, academic, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research.

The Journal of Student Research at Indiana University East (JSRIUE) selectively publishes the accomplishments of dedicated undergraduate and graduate students’ research, scholarship, & creative activity.

The Journal of Undergraduate Kinesiology Research is published by the Kinesiology Department at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. The peer reviewed, Internet-based journal (ISSN 1936-7007) is dedicated to original undergraduate research in Kinesiology. The Editor-In-Chief invites Kinesiology-related, undergraduate research from all academic institutions.

JURSE is a peer-reviewed, undergraduate journal registered with the Library of Congress that accepts submissions of any subject, from any undergraduate institution. We receive hundreds of submissions for publication every year, from institutions ranging from small liberal arts colleges to international institutions. The review process for publication includes peer, graduate, and faculty referees, ensuring that the Journal publishes competitive material that follows the Journal’s standards for ac

JURP is a peer-reviewed online journal of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society.

The Journal of Undergraduate Research in Humanities (JURH) is a pioneering, peer-reviewed online journal dedicated to showcasing exceptional undergraduate scholarship within the Humanities. This biennial publication stands as a vibrant forum for academic discourse, drawing on a wide array of Humanities fields. JURH is founded on the belief that undergraduate research is a critical component of the academic landscape, offering fresh perspectives and insights across disciplines.

The Journal of Young Investigators is the largest and most prestigious journal of undergraduate research. We accept submissions from all over the world and in all scientific disciplines (including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, and social sciences). Our journal was founded more than 20 years ago and received a generous endowment from Burroughs Welcome Fund to help finance our mission of enhancing publication opportunities for undergraduate researchers. We are entirely run by undergraduates living in more than a dozen countries. To learn about submitting to the journal our joining our staff, please see our website at jyi.org.

The Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship is an online, refereed journal dedicated to showcasing the research and creative activities of undergraduate students across Kentucky. Submissions are invited throughout the year from a variety of disciplines. The journal publishes annually.

Kentucky Undergraduate Journal for the Health Humanities (KUJHH) ‐ University of Kentucky KUJHH is an open-access journal in Kentucky that publishes expert-reviewed research, scholarship, and art of undergraduate students enrolled at any Kentucky institution. We define the health humanities as an interdisciplinary study that analyzes how humanistic disciplines (arts, literature, law, history, philosophy/ethics, etc.) inform or intersect with health care and health-related subjects. Applicable topics are essentially your field of interest + the humanities + a health subject(s)

Laridae is an interdisciplinary, undergraduate research journal, which showcases academic and creative works from Salisbury University’s undergraduate student body. The journal is aimed at providing aspiring scholars with a platform to showcase their work in a low-stakes environment, which encourages diversity of thought and risk-taking. Salisbury University works to foster an academic environment where students are empowered to develop critical thinking and chase ideas from inception to resolution. Laridae seeks to facilitate and further augment SU’s academic environment by offering a high-quality forum for the pursuit of knowledge.

Learning and Teaching (LATISS) is a peer-reviewed journal that uses the social sciences to reflect critically on learning and teaching in the changing context of higher education. The journal invites students and staff to explore their education practices in the light of changes in their institutions, national higher education policies, the strategies of international agencies and developments associated with the so-called international knowledge economy.

Live Ideas is the open-access, peer-reviewed undergraduate journal of Kansas State University’s Primary Texts Certificate program. It is co-produced by students and faculty at K-State and is published online once per semester.

LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research is dedicated to publishing outstanding work by undergraduates in every academic discipline, including original research, essays, creative writing, and artwork. Led by Honors College student editors and advised by a Faculty Advisory Board, LOGOS conforms to the highest standards of scholastic integrity in a blind peer-review process.The Editorial Board welcomes submissions from current and former undergraduate students and collaborative teams, particularly those engaged in departmental honors work, independent study, research assistance, or a competitive summer fellowship.

Lucerna is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal and UMKC’s only undergraduate research journal, publishing articles by students in the social sciences, sciences, and humanities. Established in 2005 by the UMKC Honors Program, Lucerna cultivates and showcases high-caliber scholarship from the entire UMKC undergraduate community.

Lucid is an annual journal of first-generation student writing published through the English Department’s Composition Program at UC Irvine.

The Madison Journal of Literary Criticism aims to provide a forum for undergraduate students to publish their scholarly work and engage in the contemporary literary debates ongoing in the larger academic community.

Mapping Politics is an annual peer-reviewed journal produced by students in the Political Science department at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. We welcome submissions from Memorial students in all areas of political science including Newfoundland and Labrador politics, Canadian politics, international relations, media and politics, comparative politics, and political theory.

Metamorphosis features scholarly and creative work at COPLAC member institutions across the United States and Canada. The journal is interdisciplinary by design, highlighting work in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and professional programs.

Michigan Journal of Political Science ‐ University of Michigan

The Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research is an academic peer-reviewed journal, produced under the direction of student editors and a faculty advisory board. Founded in 2011, the MJUR is dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates. The journal accepts submissions of research and analysis from all academic disciplines. Although the majority of manuscripts are submitted by students from colleges and universities in the U.S. Midwest, there is no regional restriction on submissions. Acceptance rate averages 25%. Please visit the MJUR website for more information and instructions for manuscript submission.

The Made in Millersville Journal captures diverse and vibrant student projects presented at the annual Made in Millersville conference. It provides students with a unique learning opportunity as they share their research and creativity with a public audience through the publication process in a digital collection. The Journal enables the creation of multidisciplinary connections by publishing various disciplinary projects in one place to continue scholarly discussion after the Made in Millersville event.

The Missouri Journal of Mathematical Sciences (MJMS) publishes well-motivated original research articles as well as expository and survey articles of exceptional quality in mathematical sciences.

The MIT Undergraduate Research Journal (MURJ) is MIT’s only peer-reviewed scientific journal serving the undergraduate population.

Momentum advocates the presence of a diverse student population conducting independent studies. It serves as a platform to promote creativity, inquiry, and intellectual critique among undergraduates from all disciplines. Led by an Editorial Advisory Board, the journal conforms to the highest levels of academic honor by utilizing a blind review process that permits erudite submission from students across the disciplines. The journal’s ultimate goal is to publish scholarly research among a wide range of captivating themes. Momentum accepts perspectives, creative inquires, and quantitative and qualitative research at the undergraduate level. Please email the Momentum editorial board at [email protected].

The Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review (MURR) is West Virginia University’s student-led and peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal. MURR showcases research and scholarship of students of all majors including humanities, arts, social sciences, and STEM disciplines. MURR is published each fall and spring in both online and print journals. MURR was originally established in 2009, and relaunched in fall 2020 with supervision provided by the institutional Office of Undergraduate Research and the WVU Honors College.

MSU SciReview is an annual publication of literature reviews submitted by Michigan State University students. This publication is open to all students at MSU. We operate as an academic club to further develop research and academic writing skills.

Mysterion is Boston College’s leading source of undergraduate theological scholarship. Though managed by Boston College students, Mysterion provides the opportunity for undergraduates around the world to contribute to theological discourse. Mysterion’s scope encompasses biblical studies, historical theology, comparative theology, systematic theology, and theological ethics. The journal also welcomes submissions that highlight the interdisciplinary nature of theological study and the many ways in which an undergraduate education raises important questions about God, self, and society.

Publishes research from all disciplines. The research must have been conducted in the state of Nevada.

Seeking to develop the next generation of Americanists, New Errands’ mission is to provide a venue for the publication of important original scholarship by emerging young scholars and to provide a teaching resource for instructors of American Studies looking for exemplary work to use in the classroom. New Errands is jointly published by the Eastern American Studies Association and the American Studies Program at Penn State Harrisburg.

Noetica is a student-founded undergraduate research journal seeking to promote the highest level of erudition. Our motto, Eruditio Flumen Vivendi, or Knowledge is the Flow of Living, reflects our mission to uplift bright thinkers by providing them the opportunity to be recognized for their intellectual endeavors. Noetica encourages submissions of scholarly papers bridging the past and the present. We are affiliated with the interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at William & Mary.

The Northwestern Undergraduate Research Journal (NURJ) is a student-produced journal that showcases select research done by Northwestern undergraduates from a variety of academic backgrounds. We publish everything from research in mechanical engineering to anthropology to biological sciences to history. NURJ’s mission is to bring awareness to the Northwestern community about the outstanding research being accomplished by undergraduate students as well as the research opportunities available to Northwestern students.

Nota Bene is a journal of musicology developed by the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University Canada. It seeks to publish essays of a high critical and rhetorical standard, written by undergraduate students from universities around the world. Essays in historical musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, music theory, music education, and interdisciplinary subjects with a focus on the above are invited. All submissions are double-blind reviewed by a panel of professors from across Canada. Questions can be submitted by e-mail.

Nýsa seeks to publish the best of undergraduate and student research from NKU. It provides an outlet for outstanding contributions from students in all fields, with special emphases on fields lacking in discipline-specific venues, research that spans several disciplines, and research that is smaller in scope but still tells a complete story.

The NYU American Public Policy Review (ISSN 2693-9797) is 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. The journal is published by undergraduate students at New York University, and submissions are peer-reviewed by faculty with relevant expertise from institutions across the United States. Submissions are open to undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited higher education institution.

As Oberlin College’s alternative history journal, On Second Thought publishes innovative, accessible, and engaging historical content with the goal of reaching the Oberlin community and beyond.

MarSci is an inter-institutional venue for publishing undergraduate research manuscripts pertaining to the marine and aquatic sciences. Students interested in writing a manuscript based on their undergraduate research experience, as well as research advisors to undergraduates, should find MarSci to be the perfect opportunity for undergraduates to engage in the process of submission and publication, a unique learning experience that is not typically available to most undergraduate scientists.

Open Americas (OA) is a platform for sharing content that engages with contemporary social issues issues facing the Western Hemisphere. We advocate a diversity of thought through information, whether research, literature, reviews, or photographs. OA does not strictly adhere to any political or religious doctrine and encourages open, respectful debate and critical thought. We were founded by a group of female undergraduate and graduate students; we greatly value the undergraduate voice and seek submissions year-round.

Oshkosh Scholar is a faculty-reviewed undergraduate research journal published annually by University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Office of Student Research and Creativity.

The Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal (OUR Journal) is an open access undergraduate research journal at the University of Oregon. It showcases some of the best research and publications by UO undergraduate students.

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas is an online and print journal featuring the results of faculty-mentored and faculty-endorsed student research from all colleges and majors at the University of North Florida.

Peer Review is an open-access, digital journal that publishes research-based articles and multimedia projects by current and recent undergraduates who participate in EUI-affiliated courses or students in non-EUI-related courses or programs of study whose research engages the university in a meaningful way.

The Penn Bioethics Journal is the nation’s premier peer-reviewed undergraduate bioethics journal. The journal was established in spring 2004 with the first issue published April 1, 2005, as part of the National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference hosted by Penn. The editorial board has included undergraduates from all four schools at the University of Pennsylvania with faculty advisors Jonathan D. Moreno, PhD, and Connie Ulrich, PhD, RN

The Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences (PJAS) is a vibrant platform for individuals all around the world to share their scholarly and creative pursuits. The diverse voices amplified by our journal showcase research findings, creative articles, poetry, reviews, and art. With contributors from all walks of life, PJAS aims to cultivate a community rich with intellectual curiosity. The Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences accepts submissions on a rolling basis, with our next issue published Fall 2024.

A student-run research publication at the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Undergraduate Law Journal seeks to foster scholarly discourse on topical and historical issues pertaining to law or the legal system. In this spirit, the journal’s principal objective is to publish exceptional undergraduate works, drawn from an array of disciplinary perspectives, that evaluate and elucidate the intricacies, vagaries, and nuances of law as they relate to domestic and international affairs, business, academia, and society. PULJ aims to sustain and enrich a vibrant discussion about law at the undergraduate level because it recognizes that the student writers of today will be the leaders, lawyers, and scholars of tomorrow.

Perpetua is a journal that highlights the research performed at UAH by publishing peer-reviewed articles submitted by undergraduates.

Philologia is Greek for “scholarship, love of learning,” a title that embodies the objectives of the journal. The journal was created for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech and accepts liberal arts research from all 13 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) universities.It is an annually published, multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal.

The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review is an international undergraduate journal housed in the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Virginia Tech. The journal is dedicated to publishing original research in philosophy, politics, and economics and the humanities and social sciences more generally. The journal welcomes submissions from current or recent undergraduate students in PPE and related fields worldwide.

The Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics (ISSN: 1556-2034) was founded in the spring of 2001 by the Delta Omega Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha at Purdue University, under the name The American Undergraduate Journal of Politics and Government. With the sponsorship of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, the name of the Journal was changed to The Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics beginning with the Fall 2004 issue. From July 2007 until July 2010 the Journal was based at the Zeta Upsilon Chapter at Union College, and in August 2010 moved to the Eta Rho Chapter at the College of William & Mary. In August 2013, the Nu Omega Chapter at Oakland University began hosting the Journal for a three year term!

Process: Journal of Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Scholarship provides a space for undergraduate writers to share their work outside of the context and constraints of the college classroom. Each issue of Process centers on a topic of contemporary interest to a global audience, fostering critical conversations that transverse disciplinary, cultural, and national borders. We believe that undergraduate writing deserves serious attention, and hope to encourage writers to begin forging new pathways for the future of academic and public scholarship.

The Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research educates, supports, and promotes professional development, and disseminates psychological science. Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology.

The Psi Beta Journal of Research (PBJR) is a national, independent, peer-reviewed student research journal established in 2021. Our mission is to peer-review, publish, and index scholarly manuscripts that describe psychological research conducted by undergraduates. We assign a unique, permanent DOI to every article.

PSUR: Political Science Undergraduate Review ‐ University of Alberta The Political Science Undergraduate Review (PSUR) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarly work done by University of Alberta undergraduates in the field of political science. Our mission is to give students the opportunity to publish some of their written work — a useful asset when applying to grad school or future job opportunities.

PURSUE: Undergraduate Research Journal – Prairie View A & M University As a scholarly journal, “PURSUE: Undergraduate Research Journal” seeks to provide undergraduates with an avenue to publish their original research articles. The original research articles included in this journal are peer-reviewed and selected by the journal’s Editorial Board. The journal is housed at Prairie View A&M University, an Historically Black University, and is available to all young scientists conducting research. This journal also serves as a means for faculty to extend knowledge beyond the classroom and encourage other students to conduct quality research. All undergraduate research is produced in conjunction with a faculty mentor and is peer reviewed. The journal is open to all undergraduates.

Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research was founded in 2009. Pursuit is dedicated to publishing the scholarly work of undergraduates and is supported by the University of Tennessee Office of Research and the Chancellor’s Honors Program. The editors and review board are undergraduate students who consider and review submissions and work with select faculty and staff to publish Pursuit. All submissions must be double spaced and must be no longer than 30 pages (for Humanities and Social Sciences papers) or 15 pages (for Science and Engineering papers). Please use endnotes instead of footnotes. Submissions in the Sciences and Engineering fields should be written in the third person and should contain the following categories: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion/conclusions, references.

We seek thought-provoking pieces from any disciplinary perspective that explore questions and problems related to writing, rhetoric, reading, literacy broadly conceived, popular culture and media, community discourses, and multimodal and digital composing. We expect that the work will be informed by critical conversations relevant to the topic–that is, composers should incorporate timely, pertinent research to support claims. In addition, we welcome projects that experiment with form, voice, style, and delivery.

QUEST (or Queens University of Charlotte Explorations in Science and Technology) Journal is a by-students, for students, undergraduate science research journal. Students at Queens University of Charlotte act as the editorial board, accept submissions, solicit peer reviewers from outside the institution, and publish the journal online. We accept all forms of science so long as the authors are willing to publish in the generalized format of introduction, methods, results, discussion. Data must be collected in a robust, scientific, way.

Re:Search: The Undergraduate Literary Criticism Journal at UIUC is an undergraduate produced, peer-reviewed online journal designed to annually publish works exclusively by undergraduate students. It seeks to create a venue for undergraduate students to showcase and publish literary criticism within a greater academic discourse while nurturing a collaborative community between faculty, administration, and undergraduate students.

Cal Poly Pomona’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Bronco Scholar Works at the University Library are proud to present Reach – Inspiring Creativity, Discovery, and Innovation, an online compilation of undergraduate research at Cal Poly Pomona. Reach showcases outstanding scholarship, creative works, and research conducted by undergraduate students under the mentorship of faculty members.

ReCUR is an annual publication of the Michigan State University Honors College that highlights the diversity and quality of its students’ research and creative endeavors.

Reinvention: a Journal of Undergraduate Research is a new, online, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality undergraduate student research. The journal welcomes academic articles from all disciplinary areas. All articles in this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by two anonymous referees. The journal is produced, edited, and managed by students and staff at Monash University and the University of Warwick. It is published biannually and only houses papers written by undergraduate students.

Reuleaux is a peer-edited magazine produced by and for students at the Colorado School of Mines.This magazine gives undergraduate researchers a platform by which they may publish engaging narrative descriptions of their research — in the physical sciences or otherwise — that are approachable to a large audience.

RhetTech—founded at James Madison University by the School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication in 2017—is a revamp of JMU’s longtime online journal for work generated in university writing courses. RhetTech showcases exemplary work being done in undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and technical communication courses around the country. This journal is run by young scholars in JMU’s School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. The name ‘RhetTech’ refers to the genres of works accepted by the journal: ‘Rhet’ refers to Rhetoric, and ‘Tech’ refers to Technical Communication. We accept a variety of content, including: text-based essays, videos, podcasts, photo essays, reviews, websites, blogs, and many more. We encourage student writers to utilize all of the tools at their disposal to communicate the messages they wish to share with readers.

The Rice Historical Review is a student-run, open access journal published online and in print. It features outstanding historically focused papers written by Rice undergraduates.

Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights is a peer-reviewed academic journal that provides space for students to explore human rights issues, challenge current actions and frameworks, and engage in problem-solving aimed at tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues.

The Rollins Undergraduate Research Journal is an online, peer-reviewed journal.

The Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal is devoted entirely to papers written by undergraduates on topics related to mathematics. Although the authors need not be undergraduates at the time of submission or publication, the work must have been completed before graduation.

The Roshan Undergraduate Persian Studies Journal is a project initiated by the Roshan Undergraduate Ambassadors as part of University of Maryland’s Persian Studies program.

A faculty-refereed journal devoted to the publication of high quality research by undergraduates worldwide in all research problem areas including, but not limited to, those described in the USDA, CSREES Manual of Classification of Agricultural and Forestry Research. Maintained at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Articles by graduate students will be considered if the work has been completed as undergraduates. Articles are instantly issued upon acceptanc

Saltman Quarterly is an undergraduate research journal and science communication program hosted by UCSD’s Division of Biology. The student-run organization gives undergraduates an opportunity to get their original biology research and review papers published in a professional journal. The organization also allows undergraduates to get involved in local science literacy initiatives and improve their own science communication.

a biannual, openly licensed, online journal dedicated to publishing the work of San Diego community college students.

The Say Something Theological journal is published by the Department for Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and is student-led. It provides a platform for students’ work to be published and their voices heard and shared within the greater community.

Scientia, established in 2014, is Baylor University’s undergraduate research journal in science and technology. Scientia is a peer-reviewed journal and publishes original research, review articles, and abstracts written by Baylor undergraduates. With a new issue released each spring, Scientia highlights the research done by undergraduates in that year.

Scientific Terrapin, the University of Maryland’s undergraduate research journal, publishes original student research in applied sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences.

SIURO is devoted to undergraduate research in applied and computational mathematics. The wide range of applied topics published include analysis, discrete mathematics, statistics, operations research, optimization, dynamical systems, modeling, computation, and more.

Simpliciter: Brandeis Philosophy Journal ‐ Brandeis University Simpliciter is an undergraduate journal of philosophy at Brandeis University located in Waltham, Massachusetts. We aim to recognize excellent works of philosophy produced by undergraduates, and publish writings that make novel contributions to fields across a variety of philosophical traditions. While our journal is necessarily selective, a larger number of submitting authors may be accepted to speak at our conference about their papers.

The SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research (JoUR) is a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the finest accomplishments of SMU student researchers. The SMU JoUR showcases the diverse research and scholarship performed by SMU undergraduate students and their faculty mentors.

Social Moments: A Student Journal of Social Relations is a free, online, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal examining the social and cultural world through a social science lens. Relevant disciplines include, but are not limited to: sociology, criminology/criminal justice, women/gender studies, sexuality, political science, social psychology, cultural/social anthropology, and cultural/social geography.

Social Science Text and Academic Research (STAR) is a journal that highlights the scholarship and publishes the findings of undergraduate student research in the social sciences at two-year institutions. STAR is open to all students at any two-year institution of higher learning.

Sociology between the Gaps (SBG) publishes high-quality, original articles including research notes, critical essays, and review papers which fall into subfields in sociological work that may be viewed by some as outside mainstream sociological topics; hence the full journal title: Sociology between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics. The journal also aims to reflect the intersections of social class, race, gender, age, and cross-disciplinary views by encouraging sociologists and professionals in related fields to submit work on topics that cross disciplinary boundaries and/or areas of specialization but effectively link disciplines to provide a multi-disciplinary perspective on the topics addressed. The Editorial Board encourages original, unpublished papers in the field of sociology written by undergraduate or graduate students to be submitted to SBG. High-quality, well-written student papers may be submitted either by the author(s) of the paper or by the faculty advisor/mentor of students who are currently enrolled in the pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree. The submitted work should be reviewed by the student’s faculty mentor for whom the paper was written before it is sent to the Editor-in-Chief of SBG. Student submitters are NOT required to be sociology majors.

Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement (SPACE) is an online journal hosted by a consortium of Chicago area universities. We hope to draw out the voice of university students in metropolitan settings who wrestle with the challenges and the opportunities that the city and surrounding environs present to us through service-learning opportunities. We welcome manuscripts from undergraduate and graduate students who have had a robust civic engagement experience, including service-learning, and want to further explore the meaning of the experience through research and writing.

Spectra is a biannual (i.e., fall and spring issues), peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, open-access journal primarily dedicated to the publication of undergraduate student research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. If and when possible, Spectra also publishes well-qualified undergraduate research from other institutions.

Spectrum is a student-run, interdisciplinary journal that strives to publish diverse and engaging research completed by undergraduate students within and across the areas of health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, arts and humanities. English-language submissions are welcome from undergraduate students at any postsecondary institution. Spectrum is managed by the Undergraduate Research Initiative at the University of Alberta (www.uri.ualberta.ca)

Splice, the Undergraduate Research Journal of the SDSU College of Arts and Letters, is an anthology of peer-reviewed publications produced by undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University. Splice is edited by a multi-disciplinary board of undergraduate/graduate students and faculty advisors from the College of Arts and Letters. The journal is initiated, organized and directed by students, for students.

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics, a nexus of undergraduate research, is dedicated to further the field of biomathematics and the development of future scientists in mathematical biology. Spora is fully refereed and published both online and in-print.

Sprinkle: An Undergraduate Journal of Feminist and Queer Studies is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to the diverse voices of emerging scholar-activists, authors, and artists in women’s, gender and queer studies, and related fields of inquiry. First established at McGill University in 2007, Sprinkle has been published annually at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo since 2013 and welcomes submissions from around the world.

Stance is an international philosophy journal published by Ball State University undergraduates. [ISSN 1943-1899] Beyond publishing manuscripts, we train an international external reviewer board. Stance is listed in The Philosopher’s Index. All manuscript authors receive constructive feedback. 8% acceptance rate.

The Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal (SURJ) is an annual peer-reviewed publication of research articles written primarily by Stanford undergraduates, but also by well-qualified students at other institutions, from all academic fields.

Student Spotlight is an independent publishing platform designed to highlight the high-quality works and ideas produced during the course of undergraduate studies. Most undergraduate works require significant reworking to be suitable for publication in academic journals, and as a result many of the unique perspectives and ideas produced in these works never reach further than the course instructor. Student Spotlight aims to make sharing these ideas more accessible by lowering the barriers of entry and allowing students to showcase their strongest papers and essays in a medium closer to the original formatting. We are an interdisciplinary platform and invite publications from students on all topics across the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities fields.

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal is a peer-reviewed, faculty-approved, student run research publication that seeks to encourage undergraduate scholarship on diverse subjects. We uphold publishing ethics and are committed to the integrity of academic research. This journal is also specifically inclusive of historical narratives often overlooked in mainstream scholarship, and allows for the submission of interdisciplinary articles so long as the focus remains historical.

Tenor of Our Times was founded in 2012 and is an annual journal publishing the best work of current undergraduate students on any historical and social science topic. The journal title originates with former History department chairman, Raymond Muncy, who often said, “Historians reflect the tenor of their times.” The journal is jointly produced by the Eta Phi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and the History and Political Science department of Harding University.

Texas Philosophical is an online, open access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal sponsored by Texas State University. The journal publishes annually and accepts submissions from any and all philosophy and ethics related topics.

Every year Texas State Publishes an Undergraduate Research Journal. Use the link to submit your research for publication!

Tezhib is Habib University’s first Research Journal that aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge through the academic contributions of its students. By archiving the innovative and analytical works of undergraduate students from the humanities, development, epistemology to philosophy, religious studies, technology, literature and language, Tezhib aspires to motivate undergraduate students towards research and inquiry by providing them with an opportunity to publish their work.

The Aggie Transcript is a forum for students to discuss and exchange their perspectives on science and its role in society. We provide a publishing venue for students to display their expertise and to share what they have learned in their classes. Our journal represents an inclusive and accessible form of expression for students to submit pieces of original writing, news, and art related to the life sciences.

The Bell Tower journal will publish work by Hope College undergraduate students that demonstrates the intersection of Christianity and learning across the academic disciplines.

The Classic Journal promotes the extraordinary achievements in writing and research by undergraduates in the Writing Intensive Program (WIP) at the University of Georgia. The Classic Journal is a cross-disciplinary publication, fostering a community of diverse writers throughout the arts, humanities, and sciences.

The Contemporary is a student-run startup publication based at Trinity University that empowers collegiate journalists nationwide to report on critical issues in their communities.

The Corinthian is a scholarly journal published by the Ina Dillard Russell Library at Georgia College & State University. This collection of research recognizes student achievement by providing publishing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate Georgia College students.

The title of our student research journal references the architectural feature that tops Trible Library, thus honoring Cupola authors as the preeminent student researchers at Christopher Newport.

In support of its mission, Christopher Newport University’s Office of Research and Creative Activity honors and promotes outstanding CNU student research papers and posters.

The Dialectics is an electronic journal devoted to undergraduate scholarship and discourse. The journal welcomes high-quality essays on issues of public importance.

The General is a peer-reviewed undergraduate academic journal based at Brock University. It serves as a scholarly forum for undergraduate students in history at Brock to engage in critical discourse with a range of intellectual and public debates through historical inquiry.

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era annually publishes undergraduate papers on the Civil War era and its lasting memory. We are interested in academic essays, public history essays, and book reviews broadly relating to the American Civil War.

The Gettysburg Historical Journal features original undergraduate student research and essays. It is produced by students at Gettysburg College and published annually. While the Gettysburg Historical Journal focuses on research in the field of history, we publish and encourage submissions from other disciplines that utilize historical viewpoints or methodologies, including sociology, anthropology, and classics.

The Globe is the only Undergraduate Journal in International Affairs at the George Washington University (GW). Jointly sponsored by the International Affairs Society (IAS) and the Elliott School of International Affairs, The Globe publishes an annual issue every Spring Semester to showcase the ideas, perspectives, and research of students interested in Security, Human Rights, Development, and other sub-fields of IA.

A showcase of STEM research done by the students of Hampden-Sydney College along with feature writing centering around a topic selected by the student editorial board and news updates from the H-SC STEM departments.

The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal ‐ Harvard University

A nationally competitive interdisciplinary journal seeking illuminating, insightful, and contemporary research at the undergraduate level. Students need not be members of Honors Programs to submit papers. The primary goal is to give all undergraduates the opportunity to participate in scholarly conversations within their disciplines and to expose them to the dialogue that occurs between a journal and a contributor in editing an article for publication. The Honors Review will provide its authors with the unique chance to receive prompt and personal feedback during the editing process through the use of private online discussion forums

The Interdependent is committed to exploring the global commons across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Its mission is to foster multidisciplinary research and discussion on global interdependence and cross-cultural encounters, and to encourage global empathy. It publishes third-year global travel reflections, as well as shortened fourth-year theses and creative works across all concentrations in NYU’s Global Liberal Studies program.

The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology is designed to understand all matters relating to the law. While the Journal emphasizes theoretical work and broad issues arising from law to technology, no topic of legal interest and no approach to scholarship is excluded. The peer-reviewed Journal welcomes outstanding original doctrinal and critical scholarship contributions to domestic and international law and comparative law as well as legal history and legal philosophy. In addition, we welcome interdisciplinary contributions in areas of relevance to the law and, in particular, work that uses the techniques of the social sciences and the humanities to contribute to understanding legal studies. In terms of its substance, this Journal combines domestic, international, and comparative law. Indeed we view the Journal as a context where these three subjects traditionally defined as distinct fields can enter into a productive dialogue about current changes in the world and be open to the work of all scholars wherever they may be. We partner with HeinOnline, a premier online research platform making our content available to global law school/research university libraries. The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology is a quarterly publication. Title: The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology cited as Int’l J. L. Ethics Tech. ISSN 2769-7150(Online) | 2769-7142(Print) DOI prefix: 10.55574 Publisher: La Nouvelle Jeunesse The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology’s scholarship is made possible by funding from La Nouvelle Jeunesse. Email: [email protected]

The MedSoc Talk International Undergraduate Journal of Medicine, Disease, and Society is an independent, open-access journal that aims to engage students from across the globe in conversation regarding social inequalities and health care, health disparities, the intersection of social determinants of health with communicable (infectious) and noncommunicable (non-infectious) diseases, public/global health, and sociological perspectives of health and illness.

The Journal of Undergraduate Research publishes original scholarly research by undergraduate students at South Dakota State University. The journal publishes Research Articles and Abstracts. Submission is open to all undergraduate students and recent graduates of South Dakota State University.

The Kennesaw Tower is an undergraduate research journal affiliated with and based in the Department of Foreign Languages at Kennesaw State University. Our mission is the diffusion and participation of quality, undergraduate research projects in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish into the regional, national and international arena through an on-line medium.

The Measure: A Journal of Undergraduate Research is a refereed journal dedicated to publishing undergraduate research from courses in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Sam Houston State University. Students enrolled in a CHSS course during the academic year are eligible to submit their work for publication consideration, whether or not they are majoring in one of the disciplines in the college. The Measure is guided by these central principles: undergraduate research is a vital component of higher education; students enhance their education when they engage in original research to make an intellectual contribution to the discipline; research shared with a broader audience enhances learning outcomes; and faculty members contribute to society when they involve undergraduates in research opportunities.

The Mercury: The Student Art & Literary Magazine of Gettysburg College has been published annually since 1894. All students of the College are invited to participate and submit their work. Student editors are elected annually by the entire staff. The Mercury accepts submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and photography.

The Midway Review is a journal of essays published in print and online three times a year at the University of Chicago. Founded in 2005 as a forum for political, cultural, and literary exchange across political and disciplinary boundaries, the Review seeks to publish readable, polished essays on all topics that would engage a general intellectual audience. We also publish book, film, music, and television reviews, as well as interviews. We do not publish academic papers unless they have been revised into essays—the first-person form of something you might read in Harper’s or The New Yorker. We accept work from students, alumni, and faculty at all colleges and universities. We consider submissions each year in October, January, and April.

The mission of The Mirror is to provide undergraduate students at UConn with a platform to showcase their work and educate the community on sociological issues. The journal strives to expose students to the process of publication and assist them in reaching their full potential while pushing them to engage with critical thinking, creativity, intersectionality, and their sociological imagination.

The Morningside Review is an online journal published by Undergraduate Writing Program at Columbia University. It features exemplary essays written by first-year undergraduates in the Core Curriculum course, University Writing. Hundreds of students voluntarily submit their essays to TMR for possible publication and approximately ten are chosen each year by an editorial advisory board made up of University Writing instructors. Since these essays serve as vivid examples of peer work, they are commonly assigned in University Writing. Students may be prompted by their instructors to identify the rhetorical strategies employed in an essay, contemplate their effectiveness, and attempt to emulate those they admire in their own work. Thus, Columbia University students may make their imprint on University Writing long after they have completed the course.

College and high school students wishing to submit brief articles should first visit this page, http://northstarreports.org/write-for-us/. We accept articles 2 pages or shorter concerning all aspects pertaining to global and historical connections.

The Oak Leaf: LSUA’s Undergraduate Journal of Teaching and Research (UJTR) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal designed to acknowledge the achievements of LSUA undergraduates in all areas of teaching and research. While undergraduate teaching and research are the main focus, research from faculty members is also encouraged for submission. While we primarily accept publications within the LSUA community, we also welcome submissions outside of LSUA.

An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English

The Owl is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes a variety of undergraduate research at Florida State University, as well as creative projects such as artwork, photography, poetry, and creative writing. It promotes an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, showcases the heterogeneity of our emerging scholars, and establishes undergraduate research as a focus of Florida State’s academic community.

The Politic is a quarterly magazine that strives to inform the greater Yale community about the most important local, national, and global political happenings.

The Rock Creek Review is an undergraduate academic journal edited, produced, and published by students at Heidelberg University in partnership with the English Department. This journal will solicit literary research from schools around the world for an annual publication every spring.

The Saber and Scroll Journal is published quarterly and welcomes submissions from independent scholars, graduate, and undergraduate students, as well as alumni from any institution. The Journal will consider submissions on any history or military history topic. Also welcomed are book reviews and exhibit/museum reviews as well as web-site reviews.

The West Point Journal of Politics and Security ‐ United States Miliitary Academy The West Point Journal of Politics and Security is an undergraduate journal based in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy. Published annually online, it aims to be the premiere publication in the United States for undergraduate research on topics germane to U.S. and international political and security interests, showcasing research primarily situated in political science and security studies, and extending into economics, history, sociology, and area studies.

Launched in Fall 2019, The Word is a student hiphop research journal that aims to embody the founding spirit and purpose of hiphop: providing a mode of creative expression and voice to marginalized communities, inspiring activism, and making a way outta no way.

The Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology is an annual journal that showcases the best and most original research in psychology conducted by undergraduates from around the world. They publish research in all areas of psychology, including clinical, developmental, cognitive, and social psychology. Their goal is to contribute to the scientific advance by encouraging serious, quality research early in students’ academic careers. We provide a platform for undergraduate scientists to share their findings, and aim to bring together a community of young psychologists from both the United States and abroad.

Tolle Lege is a student journal of theology and philosophy published annually at the end of the fall semester. Essays written by any student of the university on any topic in theology or philosophy are considered for publication, although preference is given to undergraduates.

Established in 1967, the Towson University Journal of International Affairs is the oldest undergraduate-run journal of IA. The purpose of the TJIA is to explore the international implications and potential solutions to a range of problems and phenomena across the field. We urge undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals to submit papers that delve into the topic. We are a forum for intellectual and scholarly development. We provide thorough feedback and consultation throughout the submission process. TJIA staff members will work closely with the author in order to produce the highest level of scholarly work possible.

Since 2001, TuftScope: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Health, Ethics, & Policy has provided an academic forum for discussion of pertinent health care and biosocial issues in today’s world. The journal addresses different aspects of health care, bioethics, public health, policy, and active citizenship. It is operated and edited by undergraduate students of Tufts University and is advised by an Editorial Board composed of Tufts undergraduates and faculty. New issues are released biannually in print and online versions.

U-Lingua is a quarterly magazine published by ULAB. It contains articles from the world of linguistics ranging from new and current research that’s being carried out to interviews with people working in various linguistics-related jobs. It welcomes writers from any education or employment status, with any ideas suitable for the magazine.

CLUJ provides undergraduate students around the world the opportunity to publish and share their research with an international audience. The Journal was founded by a comparative literature undergraduate student in 2011 and has since been recognized as a premier undergraduate journal featuring top peer-reviewed, undergraduate research in comparative literature. We invite abstracts from those working in, around, or critically engaging with topics in literature from a comparative nature, broadly construed. Possible topics include interdisciplinary research across disciplines within the arts and sciences (e.g., literature and philosophy, literature and history, literature and science, and literature and new media); research engaging with literary theory and ‘schools of criticism’ (e.g., gender studies and queer theory, postmodernism, cultural studies, Frankfurt School and critical theory, structuralism and semiotics, psychoanalysis, animal studies, and posthumanism); and articles comparing at least two authors or texts, print, and/or media.

The University of California Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal provides a student-edited multi-disciplinary journal that features the very best faculty-mentored undergraduate research and scholarship accomplished on our campus. This peer review process is managed by the Student Editorial Board (SEB) with guidance from the Faculty Advisory Board (FAB), and logistic support from Undergraduate Education’s Educational Initiatives. The Journal is sponsored by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

The University of Central Florida Undergraduate Research Journal is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal published online. Its mission is to showcase articles of exemplary works from a wide range of student scholarship in all fields.The journal seeks outstanding research submitted by undergraduate UCF students who have been involved in faculty-mentored research projects and activities related to scholarship.

The UCLA Undergraduate Science Journal (USJ) is a student-run academic journal showcasing original research and review articles submitted by undergraduate authors.

Since 2001, the Undergraduate Journal of Experimental Microbiology & Immunology (UJEMI) has published original research conducted by undergraduates at the University of British Columbia. In 2015, UJEMI was expanded to UJEMI+, and international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to enhancing undergraduate learning and experiences by providing thorough and constructive reviews from experts in the fields of microbiology and immunology.

Founded in 2020, Ukweli – The Howard University Undergraduate Research Journal is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, supported by the Office of Honors and Scholar Development, and the Office of Research, Ukweli is a student-led, faculty-supported, biannual publication. Ukweli seeks to publish the highest-quality academic writing from Howard University undergraduate students.

This annual journal is dedicated to the publication of outstanding faculty-mentored research conducted by current undergraduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill. Research in the disciplines of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities is published.

The Undergraduate Economic Review is an online peer-reviewed journal that promotes undergraduate economic research from around the world.

Welcome to the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review, where we publish the best undergraduate original historical research! VTUHR adds to historical scholarship by publishing original historical research conducted by undergraduates. Our articles contribute to the scholarly conversations that surround their topics and add fresh perspectives from a new generation of scholars. The mission of the journal is to publish outstanding original historical research while providing undergraduate editors and authors the chance to learn about the publishing experience.

The Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Issues and Media examines issues that are relevant across global contexts, though some may be uniquely identified and experienced by individuals and groups. The online journal publishes a wide range of media/texts showcasing different perspectives and ideas. The journal is edited by student editors and is published annually in January or February. Papers are due the January preceding publication, with the CFP released annually in September.

With the help of Fairfield University’s International Studies Program, four undergraduate students established the Undergraduate Journal of Global Citizenship in 2010. The journal was part of an AAC&U Bringing Theory to Practice grant to promote responsible global citizenship and student development. The journal is designed to highlight the accomplishments of young minds in constant intellectual engagement with their surroundings. The Undergraduate Journal of Global Citizenship honors the work of undergraduates from diverse academic backgrounds, united by their dedication to global citizenship and social responsibility, in line with the Jesuit values of the university. Welcomed are undergraduate submissions that showcase and promote the understanding of global citizenship and social responsibility. We view global citizenship as a disengagement from barriers into a recognition and understanding of human actions with social, political, environmental, and/or economic impact worldwide. A sense of community, not only with our direct neighbors but also with societies and lives around the globe, makes a socially responsible individual.

The journal offers a space for undergraduates to share original research and other scholarly works of history. The journal is interested in historical content on any and all facets of the collective past.

The Undergraduate Journal of Humanistic Studies (UJHS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that promotes undergraduate research in the humanities and social sciences at Carleton College. Our goal is to present papers that bring to light new narratives and fresh points of view. Highlighting work that challenges dominant perspectives, the UJHS serves as a forum for contributors and readers to reconsider their position within the context of their society. In the spirit of the liberal arts, the UJHS is a multidisciplinary journal that accepts submissions from a broad range of subjects, demonstrating how student research can contribute to a variety of fields.

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two publishes original research in mathematical sciences, from pure mathematics to modeling in physical sciences. UJMM is fully open access and supported by the University of South Florida Libraries. Undergraduate and graduate students and junior researchers can submit to UJMM. Projects should be completed under the supervision of a professional mathematician. There are no article or submission charges.

The Undergraduate Journal of Psychology at Berkeley is an annual publication that allows undergraduate students who have completed scientific studies in psychology and psychology-related fields to publish their findings to the larger academic community, promoting further and more excellent undergraduate research. UJPB accepts and reviews submissions from all psychology-related fields, including psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and linguistics, as long as the papers are the original work of undergraduate students.

The Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research adds to the increasing number of scholarly journals that invite undergraduates to pursue their own intellectual projects. We seek undergraduate contributions to the burgeoning academic conversation on service learning and community-based research. The Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research is open to undergraduate students in the U.S. and across the globe in all subject areas. All submissions will undergo a rigorous review process.

The URNCST [pronounced “earnest”] Journal is an independent research journal based in Toronto, Canada that accepts research article submissions from undergraduate students all over the world. The URNCST Journal was created to provide dedicated undergraduate researchers with a cost-effective and meaningful platform to showcase their research findings, and prides itself on 8 defining characteristics: open access; peer-reviewed; rapid turnaround time; international; broad and multidisciplinary; indexed; innovative; and social media promoted. Furthermore, the URNCST Journal is unique among undergraduate research journals issuing all published articles a digital object identifier made possible through our CrossRef membership. To learn more and submit YOUR article, please visit https://www.urncst.com!

Undergraduate Research is a national double-blind, educator-reviewed print and electronic journal published annually in the winter. The journal is a forum for multidisciplinary undergraduate research and creative endeavors within higher education such as case studies, conceptual pieces, creative endeavors, creative writing, journalism writings, literature reviews, original art, photography, and scientific studies.

The Illinois Tech Undergraduate Research Journal is a student led peer reviewed scientific journal published by undergraduates. The Journal highlights and promotes a wide range of undergraduate student research throughout campus, from law to mechanical engineering to biochemistry to psychology. It also provides a forum of interdisciplinary discussion on topics involving the latest advancements, the most controversial debates, and the most intriguing questions.

The Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences (UJRHS) is a national, peer reviewed scholarly journal publishing undergraduate articles related to the human sciences including: Exercise Science, Family & Consumer Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Health Sciences, Human and Child Development, Interior Design, Personal and Family Financial Planning, Textiles and Apparel, and Educator training in these fields.

Undergraduate Research Journal of Psychology at UCLA ‐ UCLA

The IIT Undergraduate Research Journal is a student-led, peer-reviewed, scientific journal published by undergraduates for undergraduates and the IIT academic community at large.

Re-established in 2022, the University of Chicago Undergraduate Law Magazine, or ULM, is the College’s premier legal publication. ULM offers itself as a collaborative and educational pre-professional community welcoming students across all disciplines to explore law’s ubiquitous applications within life and society.

Student-run, nontechnical research journal. Our mission is to build connections among undergraduate, graduate students, and the public, as well as among the different academic disciplines, through the publication of nontechnical articles in all fields of research.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Undergraduate Research Journal is an open-access and peer-reviewed journal of scholarly work conducted by undergraduate students. The goals of this journal are to (1) provide a platform through which undergraduate students who conduct novel research at UNC Charlotte may publish their work, (2) allow students on the review board to experience the peer review process, and (3) share research that is conducted at UNC Charlotte with the Charlotte community and beyond.

UReCA, the NCHC Web journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, is seeking submissions from all currently enrolled undergraduate students.

The American University in Cairo’s Undergraduate Research Journal (URJe) is an open access multi-disciplinary, refereed annual publication for undergraduate research and creative works. It is managed and published jointly by the Office for Undergraduate Research and the Main Library at the American University in Cairo.

Welcome to the UTPB Journal of Undergraduate Research. With this journal we hope to share our students’ research with the campus, region, nation, and wider global community. We publish not only abstracts of posters and presentations from our undergraduate research day, but also the actual posters, presentation slides, and full-length papers resulting from our students’ research. We look forward to beginning a fruitful conversation based on research and scholarship in all disciplines done by the undergraduate students of the University of Texas Permian Basin.Aim: The aim of the UTPB Journal of Undergraduate Research is to share the best research occurring at the undergraduate level at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin with the global community. The UTPB Journal of Undergraduate Research is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal covering undergraduate research in the physical and social sciences, arts, and humanities.

The UWill Discover Journal publishes award-winning presentations from the University of Windsor UWill Discover project where there were more than 160 student presentations from all University of Windsor faculties. The 2023 UWill Discover Sustainable Futures theme creates awareness about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The conference was funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Undergraduate, professional, and graduate students: Share and reflect critically on your community/civic engagement experiences and disseminate the knowledge emerging from your practice or even research.

The journal publishes reflection essays, profiles of engagement practice, research studies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods), and reviews of current literature, all with guidance and mentorship from engaged faculty and staff.

The Vanderbilt Historical Review (VHR) is the first and only journal of history at Vanderbilt. The publication seeks to show the importance of studying the past through its semiannual publication of historical research. Topics may cover a wide range of disciplines, including economics, politics, anthropology, and more. The editorial board leads a blind review process in which historically accurate, interesting, and creative articles are critiqued. Undergraduate students at any university are encouraged to submit their work. The journal provides a forum of academic debate over relevant historical questions.

The Vassar College Journal of Philosophy is a student-run publication supported by the Philosophy Department of Vassar College. Dedicated to both quality and accessibility, it seeks to give undergraduate students from all disciplines a platform to express and discuss philosophical ideas. The Journal is published once a year, in the spring, both in print and online.

Veritas: Villanova Research Journal (VVRJ) is the University’s peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal. VVRJ promotes investigation and discovery, the peer review process, and the work of Villanova students and their faculty mentors by publishing scholarly work across all fields of study.

The journal publishes student research that meets its standards, is authored by Villanova undergraduates or recent graduates, and promotes the pursuit of truth.

The Virginia Journal of Gender Studies is the only undergraduate research publication in the United States dedicated to feminist and queer scholarship. The journal was founded to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to contribute their research to the field of women, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as to increase access to academic publishing.

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Graduate School Applications: Writing a Research Statement

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What is a Research Statement?

A research statement is a short document that provides a brief history of your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future work you intend to complete.

The research statement is a common component of a potential candidate’s application for post-undergraduate study. This may include applications for graduate programs, post-doctoral fellowships, or faculty positions. The research statement is often the primary way that a committee determines if a candidate’s interests and past experience make them a good fit for their program/institution.

What Should It Look Like?

Research statements are generally one to two single-spaced pages. You should be sure to thoroughly read and follow the length and content requirements for each individual application.

Your research statement should situate your work within the larger context of your field and show how your works contributes to, complicates, or counters other work being done. It should be written for an audience of other professionals in your field.

What Should It Include?

Your statement should start by articulating the broader field that you are working within and the larger question or questions that you are interested in answering. It should then move to articulate your specific interest.

The body of your statement should include a brief history of your past research . What questions did you initially set out to answer in your research project? What did you find? How did it contribute to your field? (i.e. did it lead to academic publications, conferences, or collaborations?). How did your past research propel you forward?

It should also address your present research . What questions are you actively trying to solve? What have you found so far? How are you connecting your research to the larger academic conversation? (i.e. do you have any publications under review, upcoming conferences, or other professional engagements?) What are the larger implications of your work?

Finally, it should describe the future trajectory on which you intend to take your research. What further questions do you want to solve? How do you intend to find answers to these questions? How can the institution to which you are applying help you in that process? What are the broader implications of your potential results?

Note: Make sure that the research project that you propose can be completed at the institution to which you are applying.

Other Considerations:

What is the primary question that you have tried to address over the course of your academic career? Why is this question important to the field? How has each stage of your work related to that question?
Include a few specific examples that show your success. What tangible solutions have you found to the question that you were trying to answer? How have your solutions impacted the larger field? Examples can include references to published findings, conference presentations, or other professional involvement.
Be confident about your skills and abilities. The research statement is your opportunity to sell yourself to an institution. Show that you are self-motivated and passionate about your project.

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Undergraduate Research

How to Write An Abstract

Think of your abstract or artist statement like a movie trailer: it should leave the reader eager to learn more but knowledgeable enough to grasp the scope of your work. Although abstracts and artist statements need to contain key information on your project, your title and summary should be understandable to a lay audience.

Please remember that you can seek assistance with any of your writing needs at the MU Writing Center . Their tutors work with students from all disciplines on a wide variety of documents. And they are specially trained to use the Abstract Review Rubric that will be used on the abstracts reviewed at the Spring Forum.

Types of Research Summaries

Students should submit artist statements as their abstracts. Artist statements should introduce to the art, performance, or creative work and include information on media and methods in creating the pieces. The statements should also include a description of the inspiration for the work, the meaning the work signifies to the artist, the artistic influences, and any unique methods used to create the pieces. Students are encouraged to explain the connections of the work with their inspirations or themes. The statements should be specific to the work presented and not a general statements about the students’ artistic philosophies and approaches. Effective artist statements should provide the viewer with information to better understand the work of the artists. If presentations are based on previous performances, then students may include reflections on the performance experiences and audience reactions.

Abstracts should describe the nature of the project or piece (ex: architectural images used for a charrette, fashion plates, advertising campaign story boards) and its intended purpose. Students should describe the project or problem that they addressed and limitations and challenges that impact the design process. Students may wish to include research conducted to provide context for the project and inform the design process. A description of the clients/end users may be included. Information on inspirations, motivations, and influences may also be included as appropriate to the discipline and project. A description of the project outcome should be included.

Abstracts should include a short introduction or background to put the research into context; purpose of the research project; a problem statement or thesis; a brief description of materials, methods, or subjects (as appropriate for the discipline); results and analysis; conclusions and implications; and recommendations. For research projects still in progress at the time of abstract submission, students may opt to indicate that results and conclusions will be presented [at the Forum].

Tips for writing a clear and concise abstract

The title of your abstract/statement/poster should include some language that the lay person can understand. When someone reads your title they should have SOME idea of the nature of your work and your discipline.

Ask a peer unfamiliar with your research to read your abstract. If they’re confused by it, others will be too.

Keep it short and sweet.

Interesting eye-catching title
Introduction: 1-3 sentences
What you did: 1 sentence
Why you did it: 1 sentence
How you did it: 1 sentence
Results or when they are expected: 2 sentences
Conclusion: 1-3 sentences

Ideas to Address:

The big picture your project helps tackle
The problem motivating your work on this particular project
General methods you used
Results and/or conclusions
The next steps for the project

Things to Avoid:

A long and confusing title
Jargon or complicated industry terms
Long description of methods/procedures
Exaggerating your results
Exceeding the allowable word limit
Forgetting to tell people why to care
References that keep the abstract from being a “stand alone” document
Being boring, confusing, or unintelligible!

Artist Statement

The artist statement should be an introduction to the art and include information on media and methods in creating the piece(s). It should include a description of the inspiration for the work, what the work signifies to the artist, the artistic influences, and any unique methods used to create the work. Students are encouraged to explain the connections of the work with their inspiration or theme. The artist statement (up to 300 words) should be written in plain language to invite viewers to learn more about the artist’s work and make their own interpretations. The statement should be specific to the piece(s) that will be on display, and not a general statement about the student’s artistic philosophy and approach. An effective artist statement should provide the viewer with information to better understand and experience viewing the work on display.

Research/Applied Design Abstract

The project abstract (up to 300 words) should describe the nature of the project or piece (ex: architectural images used for a charrette, fashion plates, small scale model of a theater set) and its intended purpose. Students should describe the project or problem that was addressed and limitations and challenges that impact the design process. Students may wish to include research conducted to provide context for the project and inform the design process. A description of the clients/end users may be included. Information on inspirations, motivations, and influences may also be included as appropriate to the discipline and project.

Key Considerations

What is the problem/ big picture that your project helps to address?
What is the appropriate background to put your project into context? What do we know? What don’t we know? (informed rationale)
What is YOUR project? What are you seeking to answer?
How do you DO your research? What kind of data do you collect? How do you collect it?
What is the experimental design? Number of subjects or tests run? (quantify if you can!)
Provide some data (not raw, but analyzed)
What have you found? What are your results? How do you KNOW this – how did you analyze this?
What does this mean?
What are the next steps? What don’t we know still?
How does this relate (again) to the bigger picture. Who should care and why? (what is your audience?)

More Resources

Abstract Writing Presentation from University of Illinois – Chicago
Sample Abstracts
A 10-Step Guide to Make Your Research Paper More Effective
Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable
How to Write an Artist Statement

Here is the Forum Abstract Review Rubric for you and your mentor to use when writing your abstract to submit to the Spring Research & Creative Achievements Forum.

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Academic Referencing: How to Cite a Research Paper

A student holding a stack of books in a library working on academic referencing for their research paper.

Learning how to conduct accurate, discipline-specific academic research can feel daunting at first. But, with a solid understanding of the reasoning behind why we use academic citations coupled with knowledge of the basics, you’ll learn how to cite sources with accuracy and confidence.

Amanda Girard, a research support manager of Shapiro Library at SNHU.

When it comes to academic research, citing sources correctly is arguably as important as the research itself. "Your instructors are expecting your work to adhere to these professional standards," said Amanda Girard , research support manager of Shapiro Library at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

With Shapiro Library for the past three years, Girard manages the library’s research support services, which includes SNHU’s 24/7 library chat and email support. She holds an undergraduate degree in professional writing and a graduate degree in library and information science. She said that accurate citations show that you have done your research on a topic and are knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field.

In other words, when you cite sources according to the academic style of your discipline, you’re giving credit where credit is due.

Why Cite Sources?

Citing sources properly ensures you’re following high academic and professional standards for integrity and ethics.

“When you cite a source, you can ethically use others’ research. If you are not adequately citing the information you claim in your work, it would be considered plagiarism ,” said Shannon Geary '16 , peer tutor at SNHU.

Geary has an undergraduate degree in communication from SNHU and has served on the academic support team for close to 2 years. Her job includes helping students learn how to conduct research and write academically.

“In academic writing, it is crucial to state where you are receiving your information from,” she said. “Citing your sources ensures that you are following academic integrity standards.”

According to Geary and Girard, several key reasons for citing sources are:

Access. Citing sources points readers to original sources. If anyone wants to read more on your topic, they can use your citations as a roadmap to access the original sources.
Attribution. Crediting the original authors, researchers and experts shows that you’re knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field and adhering to high ethical standards, said Girard.
Clarity. “By citing your sources correctly, your reader can follow along with your research,” Girard said.
Consistency. Adhering to a citation style provides a framework for presenting ideas within similar academic fields. “Consistent formatting makes accessing, understanding and evaluating an author's findings easier for others in related fields of study,” Geary said.
Credibility. Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work, according to Geary.

Ultimately, citing sources is a formalized way for you to share ideas as part of a bigger conversation among others in your field. It’s a way to build off of and reference one another’s ideas, Girard said.

How Do You Cite an Academic Research Paper?

Any time you use an original quote or paraphrase someone else’s ideas, you need to cite that material, according to Geary.

“The only time we do not need to cite is when presenting an original thought or general knowledge,” she said.

While the specific format for citing sources can vary based on the style used, several key elements are always included, according to Girard. Those are:

Title of source
Type of source, such as a journal, book, website or periodical

By giving credit to the authors, researchers and experts you cite, you’re building credibility. You’re showing that your argument is built on solid research.

“Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work,” Geary said. “Properly formatted citations are a roadmap for instructors and other readers to verify the information we present in our work.”

Common Citation Styles in Academic Research

Certain disciplines adhere to specific citation standards because different disciplines prioritize certain information and research styles . The most common citation styles used in academic research, according to Geary, are:

American Psychological Association, known as APA . This style is standard in the social sciences such as psychology, education and communication. “In these fields, research happens rapidly, which makes it exceptionally important to use current research,” Geary said.
Modern Language Association, known as MLA . This style is typically used in literature and humanities because of the emphasis on literature analysis. “When citing in MLA, there is an emphasis on the author and page number, allowing the audience to locate the original text that is being analyzed easily,” Geary said.
Chicago Manual of Style, known as Chicago . This style is typically used in history, business and sometimes humanities. “(Chicago) offers flexibility because of the use of footnotes, which can be seen as less distracting than an in-text citation,” Geary said.

The benefit of using the same format as other researchers within a discipline is that the framework of presenting ideas allows you to “speak the same language,” according to Girard.

How to Ensure Proper Citations

Keeping track of your research as you go is one of the best ways to ensure you’re citing appropriately and correctly based on the style that your academic discipline uses.

“Through careful citation, authors ensure their audience can distinguish between borrowed material and original thoughts, safeguarding their academic reputation and following academic honesty policies,” Geary said.

Some tips that she and Girard shared to ensure you’re citing sources correctly include:

Keep track of sources as you work. Writers should keep track of their sources every time an idea is not theirs, according to Geary. “You don’t want to find the perfect research study and misplace its source information, meaning you’d have to omit it from your paper,” she said.
Practice. Even experienced writers need to check their citations before submitting their work. “Citing requires us to pay close attention to detail, so always start your citation process early and go slow to ensure you don’t make mistakes,” said Geary. In time, citing sources properly becomes faster and easier.
Use an Online Tool . Geary recommends the Shapiro Library citation guide . You can find sample papers, examples of how to cite in the different academic styles and up-to-date citation requirements, along with information and examples for APA, MLA and Chicago style citations.
Work with a Tutor. A tutor can offer support along with tips to help you learn the process of academic research. Students at SNHU can connect with free peer tutoring through the Academic Support tab in their online courses, though many colleges and universities offer peer tutoring.

Find Your Program

How to cite a reference in academic writing.

A citation consists of two pieces: an in-text citation that is typically short and a longer list of references or works cited (depending on the style used) at the end of the paper.

“In-text citations immediately acknowledge the use of external source information and its exact location,” Geary said. While each style uses a slightly different format for in-text citations that reference the research, you may expect to need the page number, author’s name and possibly date of publication in parentheses at the end of a sentence or passage, according to Geary.

A longer entry listing the complete details of the resource you referenced should also be included on the references or works cited page at the end of the paper. The full citation is provided with complete details of the source, such as author, title, publication date and more, Geary said.

The two-part aspect of citations is because of readability. “You can imagine how putting the full citation would break up the flow of a paper,” Girard said. “So, a shortened version is used (in the text).”

“For example, if an in-text citation reads (Jones, 2024), the reader immediately knows that the ideas presented are coming from Jones’s work, and they can explore the comprehensive citation on the final page,” she said.

The in-text citation and full citation together provide a transparent trail of the author's process of engaging with research.

“Their combined use also facilitates further research by following a standardized style (APA, MLA, Chicago), guaranteeing that other scholars can easily connect and build upon their work in the future,” Geary said.

Developing and demonstrating your research skills, enhancing your work’s credibility and engaging ethically with the intellectual contributions of others are at the core of the citation process no matter which style you use.

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A former higher education administrator, Dr. Marie Morganelli is a career educator and writer. She has taught and tutored composition, literature, and writing at all levels from middle school through graduate school. With two graduate degrees in English language and literature, her focus — whether teaching or writing — is in helping to raise the voices of others through the power of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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5 Cool Approaches to Writing a Tricky College Paper

August 25, 2024 8:25 PM / Updated: August 25, 2024 8:26 PM

Let’s have a real talk about those dreaded college papers. You know, the ones that make you want to scream into a pillow or frantically Google “ write my research paper for me ” at 2 AM. We’ve all felt the icy grip of panic as we stared at a blank page, the deadline looming closer, while stress levels skyrocket.

But what if writing a college paper doesn’t have to be a soul-sucking, hair-pulling experience? What if there were some cool approaches to tackling those tricky assignments?

Well, we’re about to spill the beans on some strategies: thinking outside the box, ditching boring templates, and infusing your papers with personality and pizzazz.

We’ll find out how to make your writing sing and how to avoid those cringe-worthy clichés that make professors want to throw their red pens across the room.

And hey, if you’re really feeling stuck, we’ll even touch on some resources that can lend a helping hand.

Ditch the Boring Topics

Let’s be honest: most college papers are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Instead of struggling over a predictable, snooze-fest topic, why not embrace the weird and wonderful?

Think about what truly excites you. Maybe you’re fascinated by the history of pizza, the psychology of conspiracy theories, or the cultural significance of memes.

Whatever floats your boat, dive into it with gusto! Picking a topic that genuinely sparks your curiosity will not only make the whole writing process a lot less painful, but it’ll also make your paper way more interesting to read. Your enthusiasm will be contagious!

Don’t be afraid to break free from the mold and explore ideas that are a little off the beaten path. Your professors will appreciate your originality and willingness to think outside the box.

Move From Research Rabbit Hole to Creative Cauldron

Research can feel like falling down a rabbit hole – endless links, confusing jargon, and a growing sense of despair. Instead of seeing research as a chore, think of it as a wild goose chase for knowledge, like a real-life scavenger hunt.

Start by identifying credible sources – academic journals, books, reputable websites – and then let your curiosity guide you. Follow the trail of information, explore unexpected tangents, and don’t be afraid to get lost in the details.

As you gather information, think of your paper as a creative cauldron. Stir in your own insights, personal experiences, and even a dash of humor. The aim is to whip up a paper that’s not just a snooze-fest of facts but a captivating read that leaves your professor wanting more.

Write Like You Talk (But With Better Grammar)

Most academic writing is about as dry as the Sahara Desert. It’s full of jargon, passive voice, and sentences that seem to go on forever. But your college paper doesn’t have to be a snooze fest.

One way to make your writing less snooze-inducing is to write like you talk (a bit more polish, of course). This means using active voice, conversational language, and even a bit of humor to connect with your reader.

Of course, this isn’t a free pass to ditch grammar altogether (your professors might not appreciate that). But it does mean you can loosen up a bit and aim for a writing style that’s easy to follow, gets to the point, and keeps the reader hooked.

And hey, don’t be afraid to let your personality peek through those words! Your unique voice is what’ll make your paper stand out in a sea of snooze-worthy essays.

Avoid Clichés and Melodrama

We’ve all read those college papers that are so over-the-top they make you want to roll your eyes. You know, the ones that start with “Since the dawn of time…” or end with “This issue is of paramount importance to the future of humanity.”

While it’s great to be pumped about your topic, try to keep it real and avoid those overused phrases and dramatic flourishes. These tired phrases and overblown statements will only make your writing seem amateurish and unoriginal. Instead, focus on using strong verbs, vivid imagery, and specific examples to support your arguments.

Your goal is to persuade your reader. So, ditch the drama and let your ideas speak for themselves.

Add the Secret Sauce

Okay, so you’ve poured your heart and soul into your college paper. You’ve researched like a pro, written with passion, and avoided those cringe-worthy clichés. But hold your horses before you hit that submit button! There’s one more mission-critical step: editing and proofreading.

Yes, it’s not the most exciting part of the process. But a few typos or grammatical errors can undermine your credibility and make your hard work seem sloppy.

So, take the time to carefully review your paper. Read it aloud, ask a friend to proofread it, or even consider using a college paper writing service to catch any mistakes you might have missed.

And if you’re really struggling with the editing process, don’t be afraid to seek out help from a college paper writer. There are plenty of resources available to help you polish your prose and ensure that your paper is error-free.

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to turn those dreaded college papers into a creative adventure. Remember, writing doesn’t have to be a soul-sucking experience. Embrace the weird and wonderful, channel your inner Hemingway (or Stephen King, if that’s more your style), and let your personality shine through.

And hey, if you’re still feeling stuck, don’t be afraid to reach out for a little college paper help. Whether it’s brainstorming with a friend, hitting up your school’s writing center, or even turning to a reputable college paper service, there’s no shame in getting a little support along the way.

So, grab that pen, keyboard, or typewriter (if you’re feeling retro), and start writing! You might just discover a newfound love for writing those college papers, who knows?

This content is brought to you by the FingerLakes1.com Team. Support our mission by visiting www.patreon.com/fl1 or learn how you send us your local content here .

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Research and Writing Support

Office of Undergraduate Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) serves to inform, engage, connect, and support currently enrolled undergraduates on matters related to research at Princeton, to enhance independent work through campus-wide initiatives and departmental collaborations and to promote students' research achievements through research symposia and written and video communications. On the OUR website you can find campus resources for research, writing, and specific guidance for junior independent work and senior thesis . Students should also regularly check the Princeton Undergraduate Research Calendar (PURC) for upcoming programing and workshops, which cover topics ranging from preparing funding proposals to note taking, and from making an argument to reviewing a draft.

A.B. senior thesis funding opportunities, including those from individual academic departments, the Office of the Dean of the College, and other offices and programs on campus are posted through the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE) . Funding for thesis research abroad, specifically in East Asia, is also available and can be applied to via SAFE.

2023-2024 Funding Timeline

Research takes place Oct 12 - Dec 04, 2024

Application Opens: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Application Closes: Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 11:59 pm
Funding Decisions Posted: Friday, October 11, 2024

Winter Cycle

Research takes place Dec 18, 2024 – March 16, 2025

Application Opens: Monday, November 4, 2024
Application Closes: Wednesday, December 2, 2024 at 11:59 pm
Funding Decisions Posted: Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Summer Cycle

Research takes place May 16 - Sept 1, 2025

Application Opens: Friday February 7, 2025
Application Closes: Monday March 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Funding Decisions Posted: Friday April 18, 2025

Visit undergraduateresearch.princeton.edu for more information.

East Asian Library and the Gest Collection

EAS majors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of resources and research guides available in the East Asian Library (entrance located in Frist third floor). Although the Gest Library was originally begun with the acquisition of many rare books, today it is the working collection that supports all kinds of research done in the Department and Program of East Asian Studies.

For research support, contact the relevant subject librarian:

East Asian Studies: Dr. Martin Heijdra, EAL Director ( [email protected] )
Chinese Studies: Joshua Seufert ( [email protected] )
Japanese Studies: Setsuko Noguchi ( [email protected] )
Korean Studies: Hyoungbae Lee ( [email protected] )

Writing Center

The Writing Program offers support and guidance to complement your working relationship with your adviser and help you find collaborators while you conduct your independent work. Trained to respond to writing from a variety of genres and disciplines, Writing Center Fellows offer free, one-on-one conferences about writing at any stage in the process. Research Writing conferences are available for junior paper and senior thesis writers and can be booked at this link .

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The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning offers workshops and individual consultations to support Princeton undergraduates as they take on new academic challenges and develop as learners. Visit the center website for more information: mcgraw.princeton.edu .

The Office of International Programs

The Office of International Programs (OIP) is home to Fellowship Advising , the International Internship Program , the Novogratz Bridge Year Program , and the Study Abroad Program . OIP serves as Princeton University's primary resource for undergraduates seeking to gain experiences abroad and for undergraduates, graduating seniors, and alumni seeking to apply for fellowships and scholarships. More information: oip.princeton.edu .

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Poster Samples

Looking at samples of real student posters can help you generate ideas and define your goals. As you get started, it may be helpful to look at examples of finished posters.

Below are a number of sample posters created by UT undergraduates. There is a brief discussion of each poster highlighting its greatest strengths and areas where there is room for improvement.

More than one type of visual aid
Logical order for sections
Acknowledgments

Room for improvement

Background may be distracting, or detract from content
Sections and images are not aligned
Too many visual components clutter poster

White space
Legible text and graphics
Reports preliminary results
All participants listed as authors, with affiliations provided
Lacks Citations and Acknowledgements
Labeling of images/graphics
Inconsistent text alignment
Color-saturated background

Clearly defined research questions
Effective use of visual aids
Clear organizational structure
Bullets break up text
Technical language/undefined acronyms (accessible to limited audience)
Narrow margins within text boxes
Too many thick borders around boxes
Uses UT seal instead of college or university wordmark

Clear introductory material
Use of bullet points
Logical flow
Color-coding in graphics
Lacks references section
May not be accessible to all audiences (some technical language)
No need for borders around sections (the blue headers are sufficient)

Compelling visual aids
Strategic use of color
Clear sections
Inconsistent fonts in body text
Abstract section mislabeled
Bullet points are great, but only if they’re used judiciously

Parameters of study well defined
Clearly defined research question
Simple color scheme
Use of white space
Discussion of Results
Minor formatting misalignments
Unauthorized use of UT seal (use wordmark instead)

Venn diagram in discussion
Consistent graphics
Multiple types of visual aids
Light text on dark background
Color backgrounds should be avoided, especially dark ones
Unlabeled, non-credited photos

Easy to read
Use of shapes, figures, and bullets to break up text
Compelling title (and title font size)
Clean overall visual impression
Many sections without a clear flow between them
Lacks acknowledgements

Use of images/graphics
Clear title
Accessible but professional tone
Length/density of text blocks
Tiny photo citations
Connections between images and descriptive text
Vertical boxes unnecessary

Compelling title
Font sizes throughout (hierarchy of text)
Simple graphics
Lacks clear Background section
Relationship of Findings and Conclusion to Research questions

Use of visual aids
Uneven column width
Center-justfied body text
Lacks “Methods” section

Use of bullets
Too many different font styles (serif and sans serif, bold and normal)
Concise interpretation of graphics

Accessible visual structure
Clear, simple graphics
Fonts and font sizes
Analysis of graphic data
Discussion of significance
Lacks author’s affiliation and contact information

Balance among visuals, text and white space
Data presented in visual format (SmartArt)
Accesible to many audiences (simple enough for general audience, but enough methodological detail for experts)
Some more editing needed
When targeting an expert audience (as in the methodology section), should also report statistics ( r, p, t, F, etc.)

Large, clear title
Creative adaptation of sections
Use of lists (rather than paragraphs)
Accessible to diverse audience
Connection between visuals (sheet music) and content

Strategic use of color for section headers
Labeling and citation of images
Accessible to a broad audience
Wide margins around poster edges
Slightly text-heavy
Data referenced (“Methodology”) but not discussed

What is my next step?

Begin working on the content for your poster at Create Your Message .

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A new ‘AI scientist’ can write science papers without any human input. Here’s why that’s a problem

Dean, School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, RMIT University

Disclosure statement

Karin Verspoor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and Elsevier BV. She is affiliated with BioGrid Australia and is a co-founder of the Australian Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

RMIT University provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU.

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Scientific discovery is one of the most sophisticated human activities. First, scientists must understand the existing knowledge and identify a significant gap. Next, they must formulate a research question and design and conduct an experiment in pursuit of an answer. Then, they must analyse and interpret the results of the experiment, which may raise yet another research question.

Can a process this complex be automated? Last week, Sakana AI Labs announced the creation of an “AI scientist” – an artificial intelligence system they claim can make scientific discoveries in the area of machine learning in a fully automated way.

Using generative large language models (LLMs) like those behind ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, the system can brainstorm, select a promising idea, code new algorithms, plot results, and write a paper summarising the experiment and its findings, complete with references. Sakana claims the AI tool can undertake the complete lifecycle of a scientific experiment at a cost of just US$15 per paper – less than the cost of a scientist’s lunch.

These are some big claims. Do they stack up? And even if they do, would an army of AI scientists churning out research papers with inhuman speed really be good news for science?

How a computer can ‘do science’

A lot of science is done in the open, and almost all scientific knowledge has been written down somewhere (or we wouldn’t have a way to “know” it). Millions of scientific papers are freely available online in repositories such as arXiv and PubMed .

LLMs trained with this data capture the language of science and its patterns. It is therefore perhaps not at all surprising that a generative LLM can produce something that looks like a good scientific paper – it has ingested many examples that it can copy.

What is less clear is whether an AI system can produce an interesting scientific paper. Crucially, good science requires novelty.

But is it interesting?

Scientists don’t want to be told about things that are already known. Rather, they want to learn new things, especially new things that are significantly different from what is already known. This requires judgement about the scope and value of a contribution.

The Sakana system tries to address interestingness in two ways. First, it “scores” new paper ideas for similarity to existing research (indexed in the Semantic Scholar repository). Anything too similar is discarded.

Second, Sakana’s system introduces a “peer review” step – using another LLM to judge the quality and novelty of the generated paper. Here again, there are plenty of examples of peer review online on sites such as openreview.net that can guide how to critique a paper. LLMs have ingested these, too.

AI may be a poor judge of AI output

Feedback is mixed on Sakana AI’s output. Some have described it as producing “ endless scientific slop ”.

Even the system’s own review of its outputs judges the papers weak at best. This is likely to improve as the technology evolves, but the question of whether automated scientific papers are valuable remains.

The ability of LLMs to judge the quality of research is also an open question. My own work (soon to be published in Research Synthesis Methods ) shows LLMs are not great at judging the risk of bias in medical research studies, though this too may improve over time.

Sakana’s system automates discoveries in computational research, which is much easier than in other types of science that require physical experiments. Sakana’s experiments are done with code, which is also structured text that LLMs can be trained to generate.

AI tools to support scientists, not replace them

AI researchers have been developing systems to support science for decades. Given the huge volumes of published research, even finding publications relevant to a specific scientific question can be challenging.

Specialised search tools make use of AI to help scientists find and synthesise existing work. These include the above-mentioned Semantic Scholar, but also newer systems such as Elicit , Research Rabbit , scite and Consensus .

Text mining tools such as PubTator dig deeper into papers to identify key points of focus, such as specific genetic mutations and diseases, and their established relationships. This is especially useful for curating and organising scientific information.

Machine learning has also been used to support the synthesis and analysis of medical evidence, in tools such as Robot Reviewer . Summaries that compare and contrast claims in papers from Scholarcy help to perform literature reviews.

All these tools aim to help scientists do their jobs more effectively, not to replace them.

AI research may exacerbate existing problems

While Sakana AI states it doesn’t see the role of human scientists diminishing, the company’s vision of “a fully AI-driven scientific ecosystem” would have major implications for science.

One concern is that, if AI-generated papers flood the scientific literature, future AI systems may be trained on AI output and undergo model collapse . This means they may become increasingly ineffectual at innovating.

However, the implications for science go well beyond impacts on AI science systems themselves.

There are already bad actors in science, including “paper mills” churning out fake papers . This problem will only get worse when a scientific paper can be produced with US$15 and a vague initial prompt.

The need to check for errors in a mountain of automatically generated research could rapidly overwhelm the capacity of actual scientists. The peer review system is arguably already broken , and dumping more research of questionable quality into the system won’t fix it.

Science is fundamentally based on trust. Scientists emphasise the integrity of the scientific process so we can be confident our understanding of the world (and now, the world’s machines) is valid and improving.

A scientific ecosystem where AI systems are key players raises fundamental questions about the meaning and value of this process, and what level of trust we should have in AI scientists. Is this the kind of scientific ecosystem we want?

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writing a research paper as an undergraduate
Best Steps to Write a Research Paper in College/University
How to Write a Research Paper: Full Guide with Examples
(PDF) Writing Introduction: Laying the Foundations of a Research Paper
writing a research paper as an undergraduate
How to Write a Research Paper in English

COMMENTS

Writing an Academic Paper as an Undergraduate Researcher
As an academic paper can have anywhere from five to hundreds of sources, I would also suggest using a citation manager as you write. This will save you from having to constantly update the sources in the paper as you add and revise. Submitting the Paper. In my case, my PI submitted the paper and is the primary contact with the journal.
How to Write a Research Paper
Choose a research paper topic. There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.. You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.
Writing a Research Paper
Writing a research paper is an essential aspect of academics and should not be avoided on account of one's anxiety. In fact, the process of writing a research paper can be one of the more rewarding experiences one may encounter in academics. What is more, many students will continue to do research throughout their careers, which is one of the ...
Tips on Writing a Good Research Paper
Writing a Research Paper Is Challenging, But a Strong Writing Process Can Help. Writing an academic research paper is always a challenge. But by following these tips on writing a research paper, you can typically produce your paper efficiently and effectively without wasting time on irrelevant information and sources. As a result, your final ...
The Process of Research Writing
Reviewed by Li-Anne Delavega, Undergraduate Research Experience Coordinator, Kapiolani Community College on 5/1/21 ... The textbook covered the basics of writing a research paper (the term "essay"is preferred by the author) and would be appropriate for an introductory college writing course, such as WR 121 or WR 122. A table of content is ...
Writing Research Papers
For more information on writing research papers in APA style, please checking out the following pages. Here you'll find details on multiple aspects of the research paper writing process, ranging from how the paper should be structured to how to write more effectively. Structure and Format - the critical components of each section of an APA ...
Writing an Undergraduate Research Paper: Keys to Success
Outlines are very helpful when first starting out. Start out with a one sentence introduction, jot down phrases of your main points that you want to make, and then finish with a one sentence conclusion. You will fill it all in later. The purpose of an outline is to get a visual representation of your paper before you start writing so that you ...
A Guide to Writing a Research Paper
Creating Writing Strategies including clustering ideas, drawing diagrams, and planning a "road map" will help you visualize the stages that you need to map out to build a strong paper. Research papers always start with disparate ideas, indiscriminate notions, and false starts. This process is necessary to think through your strategy.
Writing a Research Paper
The most common type of writing you will do for your courses is the research paper. In a research paper, your writing will be based on the research, ideas, and findings of experts in the field and research studies that have been conducted. A research paper can be a challenging project. Having a plan can help you to execute the project ...
Home
Overview of the process of writing a research paper (UCB Student Learning Center). Getting Started with Research (UCLA). Assignment Calculator (University of Toronto) . Enter your start date and due date, choose the type of project, and view a customized step by step guide to the process with target dates for each step.
A student's guide to undergraduate research
A student's guide to undergraduate research. Published on August 16, 2021. Originally written by Shiwei Wang for Nature journal in March 2019. Participating in original research during your undergraduate studies can greatly expand your learning experience. However, finding the project can be a challenging task, so here's a short but ...
Writing a Research Paper
Writing a Research Paper. Research papers are a bit different than other types of papers, like personal essays or lab reports. We've put together these step-by-step tips to help you navigate the process: Select a topic you love (if you're given an option ): Choose something you're interested in or curious about.
Undergraduate Research Center—Sciences
Scientific Writing Booklet compiled by Marc Tischler, Ph.D. University of Arizona. ORCID provides a digital identifier to help track all published work and help distinguish yourself from other researchers. WI+RE Reading Strategies compile tutorials to help students learn to analyze research papers and academic articles.
How to Write a Killer Research Paper (Even If You Hate Writing)
Once you've gotten the gist of your paper down, the real work begins: 6. Revise Your Draft. Okay, now that you've word-vomited everywhere in a semi-organized fashion, it's time to start building this thing into a cohesive paper. If you took the time to outline properly, then this part shouldn't be too difficult.
Research Paper Structure
However, for some journals and undergraduate research papers (such as the B.S. Research Paper or Honors Thesis), Tables and Figures may be embedded in the text (depending on the instructor's ... please consider attending this department's "Writing Research Papers" workshop (for dates and times, please check the undergraduate ...
How to Write an Original Research Article: A Guide for Undergraduate
This paper attempts to give a general. outline, which undergraduate students can refer to, and cites a few checklists and official guidelines, which can help in structuring a manuscript. Keywords ...
Planning and Writing a Research Paper
Writing a research paper can seem like a daunting task, but if you take the time in the pages ahead to learn how to break the writing process down, you will be amazed at the level of comfort and control you feel when preparing your assignment. Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783. This work is licensed under a Creative ...
An Undergraduate's Guide to Funding and Publishing Research
Run by students at James Madison University, this journal showcases exemplary work being done in undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and technical communication courses around the country. ... this peer-reviewed academic journal publishes undergraduate research papers, book reviews, opinion pieces, and photo essays that explore human rights issues.
7 Steps to Writing a University Research Paper
Step 7: Refine your thesis statement. It is a convention of the academic paper that you then take a tight, clear statement of that argument, the position your paper is taking, that is, how it is answering the research question, and drop it in at the end of your introduction. We call that your THESIS STATEMENT (the word "thesis" means argument").
Research and Write Effectively: Dissertation, Thesis, Term paper
Research and Write Effectively: Dissertation, Thesis, Term paper . Working on a doctoral dissertation, a master's thesis, a senior capstone, or an undergraduate term paper? Meet with a subject librarian to refine your research question, design a literature review search, learn about research methods, and connect to tools for qualitative and ...
Undergraduate Research Journal Listing
International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences (IUJHS) is a student-run, open access, peer- reviewed online journal that publishes original research papers, short communications, review papers, mini-review papers, letters to the editor, and conference proceedings within the field of human health and medical science.
Writing a Research Statement
The research statement is a common component of a potential candidate's application for post-undergraduate study. This may include applications for graduate programs, post-doctoral fellowships, or faculty positions. The research statement is often the primary way that a committee determines if a candidate's interests and past experience make them a good fit for their program/institution.
How to Write An Abstract
How to Write An Abstract. Think of your abstract or artist statement like a movie trailer: it should leave the reader eager to learn more but knowledgeable enough to grasp the scope of your work. Although abstracts and artist statements need to contain key information on your project, your title and summary should be understandable to a lay ...
How to Cite a Research Paper
Geary has an undergraduate degree in communication from SNHU and has served on the academic support team for close to 2 years. Her job includes helping students learn how to conduct research and write academically. "In academic writing, it is crucial to state where you are receiving your information from," she said.
5 Cool Approaches to Writing a Tricky College Paper
Let's have a real talk about those dreaded college papers. You know, the ones that make you want to scream into a pillow or frantically Google "write my research paper for me" at 2 AM. We've all felt the icy grip of panic as we stared at a blank page, the deadline looming closer, while stress levels skyrocket.
Library
Our instructors are dedicated in providing feedback that will help you strengthen your skills and gain confidence in your writing, all in a supportive environment. We have a course for your every need, no matter where you are at in your scholarly journey. From undergraduate to masters, all the way through your capstone or dissertation.
Research and Writing Support
Office of Undergraduate Research. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) serves to inform, engage, connect, and support currently enrolled undergraduates on matters related to research at Princeton, to enhance independent work through campus-wide initiatives and departmental collaborations and to promote students' research achievements through research symposia and written and video ...
Poster Samples
Undergraduate Research Peter T. Flawn Academic Center (FAC) Room 33 2304 Whitis Ave. Austin, Texas 78712 512-471-7152. Find us on Facebook. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) See us on Instagram. Poster Samples. Looking at samples of real student posters can help you generate ideas and define your goals. As you get started, it may be helpful to ...
A new 'AI scientist' can write science papers without any human input
The Sakana system tries to address interestingness in two ways. First, it "scores" new paper ideas for similarity to existing research (indexed in the Semantic Scholar repository). Anything ...
Catalyst Papers: A Practical Writing Style for Army Leaders to Share Ideas
Catalyst papers are a distinct approach to writing Army white papers that encourages all ranks to share observations from the field, introduce suggestions, and examine lessons learned. Such grassroots research papers are written to help busy leaders think, spark dialogue among their peers, and introduce their teams to new methods.

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The Process of Research Writing

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THE ABSTRACT

THE RESEARCH PAPER

How to Write a Killer Research Paper (Even If You Hate Writing)

1. Pick a Topic

2. Create a Clear Thesis Statement

3. Hit the Books

4. Write an Outline

The Introduction

Body Paragraphs

Research and Annotations

5. Write the First Draft

6. Revise Your Draft

7. Organize Your Sources

Onwards: One Step at a Time

Writing Research Papers

Major Sections of a Research Paper in APA Style

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Tables and Figures

Variations of Research Papers in APA Style

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Workshops and Downloadable Resources

Further Resources

1 VandenBos, G. R. (Ed). (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) (pp. 41-60). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Online Guide to Writing and Research

Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing

Appendix A: Books to Help Improve Your Writing

Appendix B: Collaborative Writing and Peer Reviewing

Appendix C: Developing an Improvement Plan

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An Undergraduate's Guide to Funding and Publishing Research

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