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Policies

Contents

Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research is an Open Access journal. This means that it uses a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access. Readers may freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles. This journal is covered under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

Who Can Submit?

Any current or just graduated Purdue University undergraduate or professional student engaged in a faculty-mentored research project conducted at any Purdue University campus may submit a proposal for an original article to be considered for publication in the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research provided that the student owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article.

Research takes different forms in different disciplines. However, irrespective of the subject of study, the Faculty Advisory Board is looking for authors who clearly situate themselves in a field, make an intervention in that field, and clearly articulate the nature of that intervention, ideally in a way that will convince an educated lay audience of the importance and interest of the research described.

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General Submission Rules

Submitted articles that represent research which may be forthcoming in another journal or book (print or electronic) are welcome. However, it is important that work submitted to JPUR takes a different approach to the subject matter so that authors do not inadvertently plagiarizes themselves or reveal substantive research results intended for publication in a disciplinary journal. Student authors should check with their research supervisors before submitting proposals. If invited to submit an article, students will be asked to submit a signed approval for publication from their research supervisors. If you have concerns about the submission terms for the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, please contact the Journal Coordinator at jpur@purdue.edu.

The submitted proposal will be reviewed by experts in the discipline and in scholarly writing, as well as the Faculty Advisory Board. Selected student authors will be contacted with an invitation to submit a full article or a research snapshot. If a student is selected to publish a snapshot, they are not barred from submitting a full article in the future with JPUR.

This journal does not require author processing charges or other publication fees.

Each academic year, there are two deadlines for submissions to the annual volume: the fall deadline is November 15; the spring deadline is February 15. Submissions received after these deadlines will be considered for the following evaluation period.

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Formatting Requirements

Guidance about the format of the submitted proposal is provided during the submission process. Before submitting the proposal file, authors will need to enter the necessary related items: (1) proposed article title, (2) keywords for proposal, (3) academic discipline that best describes the submission, (4) academic standing, (5) total number of semesters the author has researched the topic, (6) name and contact information of faculty advisor, and (7) preference of publication type (article, snapshot, no preference).

Finally, authors will submit their proposal. The proposal should introduce the subject of the research and the contribution it makes to the wider world of knowledge.

When submitting your proposal, you will be asked for the following elements:

  • 1. In 150 words or fewer, explain the research or creative question(s) that drive your project as well as the stakes of the project (i.e., what is the impact/significance/interest of the project or what problem will it address?).
  • 2. In 150 words or fewer, describe how you will answer the research or creative question(s).
  • 3. In 150 words or fewer, what new knowledge do you hope to create (or have you created) through this project? That is, what new ideas, concepts, devices, technologies, analyses, data sets, designs, performances, verse, arguments, and so forth arise from this work? One possible way to articulate the new knowledge that you hope to create is to indicate the state of the field and the critical gaps in the field that this project fills.
  • 4. In 50 words or fewer, explain the individual contribution you expect to make or have made toward the research or creative project (especially important in collaborative work). That is, what is your role in this research project (e.g., did you lead it/are you PI; did you participate in a faculty mentor’s existing research project)? How did the research project start (e.g., internship, class, lab)? Please explain.
  • 5. In addition to answering these four mandatory questions, you may also submit an abstract of your research similar to what you would provide for a conference proposal or paper submission (250 words maximum). This is OPTIONAL and is NOT required for your JPUR submission to be considered complete..

Authors whose proposals are invited for final submission will be expected to prepare their article or snapshot according to APA style guidelines. Faculty advisors may be able to help, but any questions about appropriate styles can also be addressed to the Journal Coordinator. You can also find useful guidance at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).

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Full Article vs. Research Snapshot

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research offers two opportunities for publication: full articles and research snapshots. To understand the difference between the two publication opportunities that undergraduate students have with JPUR, we have provided details about each below.

We discuss the differences between the article and snapshot for student authors to see the realm of opportunities for publication in JPUR. Although a student author may have a preference for either the article or the snapshot, the process for submitting a proposal for either is identical. Student authors will submit their proposal at www.jpur.org and can indicate their preference between the two options. The Faculty Advisory Board will make the final decision between a full article or a research snapshot for accepted submissions.

Full articles are 2,500-3,500 words in length with a minimum of five images/diagrams. The word count does not include references in the reference list, but authors are asked to only include materials in the reference list that are directly cited in the article. Invitations for full articles are typically for completed research that has clear results, analysis, and a conclusion, but is also compelling. There are five main sections to include in these articles: abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion.

Research Snapshots are 250 words in length and model the abstract submitted in the proposal. At least one related image or figure should be submitted with the final draft of the snapshot; a selection of accompanying images will be published contingent upon editorial discretion and following considerations such as quality, relevance, and layout needs. Invitations for research snapshots are typically for research that is currently in progress, published elsewhere, or for projects that cannot be developed into a full article. There are generally six main sections to include in these snapshots: importance of the problem, unknown, experimental/methodological approach, data collected, results and analysis, and conclusions. If a student is selected to publish a snapshot, they are not barred from submitting a full article in the future with JPUR.

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Rights for Authors

Authors retain copyright in their articles. We ask merely that they license to JPUR the nonexclusive worldwide right to publish the article in print and electronic form.

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Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Authors must guarantee that submitted manuscripts have not been published elsewhere, are not currently under review elsewhere, and have been submitted with the full knowledge of their institutional home.

Any manuscripts that do not meet originality requirements will be rejected without peer review.

All manuscripts will be reviewed based on intellectual content without regard for age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or political philosophy of the authors.

All manuscripts submitted for peer review are kept strictly confidential by editors and reviewers. At no time will editors or reviewers utilize submitted materials without the consent of the authors.

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