Inquiry Journal Submission Guidelines
The University publishes a refereed journal focusing on the research achievements of undergraduates. This journal provides undergraduate scholars and their mentors an opportunity for peer-reviewed publication of their work. The journal is also used for recruiting outstanding students and to demonstrate the University's commitment to research. Inquiry is a project of the Teaching Academy in collaboration with the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Research.
There is a separate Undergraduate Research competition - return to the main Inquiry website for links to those guidelines. Winners of that competition will automatically be eligible for publication in Inquiry if authors are willing to make the changes needed to meet the submission guidelines for the journal.
The deadline for submission of research manuscripts is May 15, 2009. For undergraduate students and mentors who wish to submit work for publication in Inquiry, guidelines are provided below. Submissions will be reviewed by two faculty members (typically from the Teaching Academy).
General Guidelines
- Format in Microsoft Word. Use 1-inch margins on all sides; 12-point, double-spaced Times New Roman.
- Manuscript page length, including tables, references, and figures, should be no more than 30 pages. This page limit will be adhered to strictly. Professional journals typically also limit manuscript length, so students will receive experience in paring down content to meet such guidelines.
- Submit a one-page abstract written for a general audience. The abstract should clearly state the purpose of the work, what was done or studied, and the outcomes.
- Use whatever referencing or citation format that is typical in your discipline.
- Tables and Figures should be submitted at the end of the main text with a note in the text indicating where they would be inserted. Please be certain that you have high quality images that will be suitable for publication. PowerPoint images are not acceptable. For the initial journal article submission, you may provide Xeroxed or scanned copies of images. However, if the work is selected for publication, higher quality images will be required.
- In most instances, authors should submit a copy of owner's copyright permission to reproduce any non-original illustrations. Fees for permission to reproduce illustrations are paid by the author. Students should seek assistance from their research mentor in obtaining this permission. In some disciplines, the cost of obtaining permissions is quite high. In such instances, authors and mentors may wait until they receive verification that the manuscript will be printed.
- Your primary research advisor should submit a one-page letter describing the project's particular merit. The letter should address the following:
- The specific nature of the student's involvement in the research project (and the nature of involvement of any others contributing to the work)
- The importance of the research in terms of its contribution to the discipline
- The uniqueness of the work, if applicable
- The originality of the work (i.e., is it a topic of project that the student selected independently or is it work that fits into existing research of the thesis mentor or other faculty)
- Submit three hard copies of manuscripts and a copy on CD or other electronic media to the Editor of Inquiry, Dr. Barbara B. Shadden, CDIS Program, SPCL 301. Please do not e-mail as an attachment unless you have obtained approval first from Dr. Shadden. The order of materials in your manuscript submission should be as follows:
- Information Form (contact information for student and mentor during summer)
- In one document
- Title page
- Abstract
- Main article (marked to show where tables and figures go)
- Reference list (endnotes)
- Tables
- List of illustrations with figure reference numbers and concise captions.
- Illustrations (note - if needed, illustrations can be provided in separate files clearly labeled)
- In separate document(s)
- Faculty support letter(s)
- Permissions to publish copyright material
The process:
The process of article submission, review, and publication decisions is designed to parallel that found in professional refereed journal. All submitted articles will be read by the Editor and assigned to two faculty reviewers. The review process will extend into the middle of the summer, and you will need to provide contact information for that time period.
After the article is reviewed, you will be given feedback as follows:
- Article is accepted with no changes required
- Article is accepted with minor revisions required
- Article requires major revisions and will need to be submitted for second review (unlikely given time constraints)
- Article is not accepted for publication
Please understand that we will have many more articles submitted than we have space for in this journal, so "rejection" is no reflection on the quality of your work. In fact, reviewer feedback may help you find ways to improve the article for submission elsewhere.
If your article is accepted with revisions, you will be asked to make changes as soon as possible to expedite a timely publication process. You will also need to provide high quality illustrations, if any, and all copyright permissions. If you will not be available during the summer, you may want to ask your research mentor if he or she is willing to work on changes for you, subject to your final approval. The goal is to have the journal in the hands of the printer towards the end of the summer at the latest.
Complete this Information Form with your submission.
NOTE: Articles submitted for publication in Inquiry may also be submitted for publication in professional journals. Publication in Inquiry does not limit publication elsewhere.
However, articles submitted for publication in Inquiry may not be submitted for publication in other college, school, or university publications. Students and mentors are asked to make a decision about their preferred publication and submit only to that publication. If an article is turned down by Inquiry, students may then seek publication in another college, school, or university publication.
Questions?
Please address all inquiries and submissions to:
Professor Barbara B. Shadden
CDIS Program
SPCL 301
e-mail: bshadde@uark.edu
phone: 575-4917