The Undergraduate Publishing Process
New to the undergraduate publishing process? Here are some best practices we’ve collected to make your journey less stressful and more successful!
- Finding the Right Journal
- Historically, finding the right journal tends to be a long and arduous process. Thankfully, the IndExU database makes this process much easier. While we recommend looking into journals at your own institution first, if you feel that none of the publications fit your piece very well, don’t worry! Search our database for your topic, and go from there. We strongly recommend taking a careful look at journal websites and past issues to ensure that your paper is a good fit for the journal before submitting.
- Submitting your paper
- Read directions! This will save you time down the road. Keep in mind that it is generally bad practice to submit to multiple journals at one time. If you can submit your paper early, even better—keep in mind that some journals accept applications on a rolling basis.
- Waiting…
- The editing process for high quality journals takes time. Make sure the journal receives your paper before the deadline, but be prepared to wait.
- Getting published
- Congratulations! If your entry wasn’t accepted, don’t worry! Some editors may be able to offer advice on why your submission wasn’t accepted—don’t be afraid to revise and try again at another journal.
Key Concepts
Below you will find explanations of some of the key ideas that make up the undergraduate publishing sphere. While every journal has its own rules, these sections attempt to offer a general rule of thumb for what is and is not acceptable when applying for publication.
Submission Guidelines
Nearly every undergraduate journal’s website has a page entitled “submission guidelines” or similar. It’s really important to read the details of this page so that you know what you are agreeing to upon submission, what content the journal is looking to publish, and how long you might wait to hear back from the journal. Naturally, submission guidelines vary widely in scope and content, but it is always best practice to read the guidelines carefully.Having trouble with citations and style guides? We recommend checking out the resources available from Purdue OWL to get started.
Author’s Rights
Generally speaking, authors retain the rights to their paper even after it is published in a journal. Most journals have an agreement built into their submission process for this.
Evaluation Criteria
Relatively few journals choose to publish their evaluation criteria, but it rarely hurts to ask what a journal is looking for in their upcoming issue. This can save student authors time (and money), and most journals are happy to clarify as necessary.