For Authors

Deadline for Submission: January 15th, 2024 

Submission Guidelines: 

Eligibility:

In order to be eligible for submission, the first author of the paper must be a current University of Minnesota undergraduate at the time of submission. Other undergraduate students, graduate students or professors may be included as secondary authors. Students should keep in mind that they are not guaranteed publication at any point in the revision process.

All submissions must comply with the submission guidelines found below.  All submissions to MURAJ must represent the results of completed projects. The author must not include their name or any other identifying information on the article itself. Because MURAJ aspires to represent the entirety of the University of Minnesota Undergraduate community, preference will be given to manuscripts submitted from academic disciplines that are not already represented; however, this preference is not a conclusive factor in the decision; quality of submission supersedes the particular area of study.

The categories for submission include the following, alongside the suggested fields of study:

  • Biological, Animal, & Health Sciences (Biology, Public Health, Neuroscience, Animal Science, Wildlife Studies, etc.)
  • Engineering & Physical Science (Physics, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, etc.)
  • Mathematics & Computer Science (Statistics, Math, Computer Science, etc.)
  • Social Sciences, Education, & Communication (Psychology, Journalism, Linguistics, etc.)
  • Literature & History (English, Foreign Language, History, etc.)
  • Fine Arts (Music, Theater, Dance, etc.)
  • Business, Law & Politics (Political Science, Economics, Management, etc.)
  • Architecture & Design (Landscape Architecture, Graphic Design, Apparel, etc.)
  • Environmental, Conservation, & Plant Science (Agricultural Education, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation, Food Science, etc.)
  • Diversified Studies (Inter-disciplinary work)

Formatting Requirements:

  • 250-word maximum abstract, regardless of medium; i.e., non-text submissions still require the abstract
  • Paper submitted as a .docx, 12-pt, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins
    • There is no length maximum or minimum for the full manuscript
  • Self-identifying information (e.g. references to name(s) of author(s)) must be removed from the submission
  • Captions and labels for each image

Review Process:

Step One: Ensure your Advisor or Principle Investigator has reviewed the project/ manuscript. Submit your manuscript through the journal site into one of these ten categories listed above.

Step Two: Your manuscript will be de-identified to preserve integrity of the double-blind review process and will be forwarded to two appropriate reviewers. Authors will hear from MURAJ to designate publication in three categories: 1. Accepted with Minor Revision 2. Accepted with Major Revision 3. Rejected. This decision and revisions will be sent to the first author of the publication. Acceptance of the publication during this step does not guarantee final publication.

Step Three: Upon receiving the suggested revisions and decision, the author will have three weeks to make appropriate revisions, challenge suggested revisions, and format their work appropriately.

Step Four: Your revised paper will be given to two reviewers at least once more, and they will have two weeks to review a second time. The author will receive final contact from MURAJ with the reviewers' decision: 1. Accepted with Minor Revisions 2. Final Acceptance 3. Rejected. Minor revisions are for any remaining revision MURAJ deems necessary for publication. 

Step Five: Upon receiving the final decision, authors in the “Accepted with Minor Revisions” category will have until March 25th, 2024 to make necessary revisions and submit to MURAJ for publication.

Step Six: All accepted publications will be reviewed by the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief before publication. During this time the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief reserve the right to correct minor grammatical errors, punctuation etc., that may have been missed previously. All accepted publications will also be reviewed by the Undergraduate Research Advisory Board.

Step Seven: All publications will be published on the MURAJ website hosted in collaboration with University of Minnesota Libraries.

Are you ready to submit your manuscript? Click the “Register” button on the upper right-hand side of the page or log in if you already have an account.  Then, you can create a new submission!

FAQ:

What kind of research can be submitted?

The Minnesota Undergraduate Research & Academic Journal is a student-run journal committed to presenting original research done by undergraduate students. We accept submissions from any undergraduate student doing research at a reputable institution or with a University of Minnesota faculty advisor. We accept quantitative and qualitative studies from all disciplines. All data collection and analysis should primarily be conducted by the undergraduate student author.

Please review submissions guidelines before sending your work to MURAJ, especially the information about the formatting and requirements of submitted works.

We have no limit on the number of articles published in each year; therefore, your article will be judged solely on its merit and not against any other article.

Where will my research be published?

All published articles will be published on the MURAJ website through the University of Minnesota Libraries system. (See our archive of previous issues at https://z.umn.edu/MURAJArchive).

These articles are indexable, meaning that your work can be cited by researchers publishing in other major journals. In this way, we operate like the famous Nature journal.

When will my research be published?

Submissions will be accepted starting in September, and all accepted articles will be published after review in May.

What citation format should I use for my submission?

The list below indicates preferred citation formats for each subject area. If you choose to use an alternative citation format, you may file a petition to our editorial board after initial review of your submission.

  • Biological and Health Sciences: Cell
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences: APA
  • Mathematics and Computer Science: APA
  • Social Sciences and Education: APA
  • Literature and English: MLA
  • Fine Arts: MLA
  • Diversified Studies: APA
  • Law and Political Science: APA
  • Architecture and Design: APA

Who will review my research before publication?

All articles should be approved by personal advisors (Research Mentors, Principle Investigators, etc.) before submission.

After submission, all articles will be given a primary review and sent back to the primary authors with one of three statuses: Accept with Minor Revisions, Accept with Major Revisions, or Reject. All accepted papers will be subject to two rounds of review by two peer reviewers before going to the Editorial Board and the Faculty Board. All peer reviewers are degree-seeking undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota.

Articles are also reviewed by the Undergraduate Research Advisory Board before publication.

I graduate before Spring 2024; can I still submit?

Yes! All primary authors must be undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota at the time of submission, but articles will be accepted from students graduating the same semester as their submission round. If you submit your senior thesis in Spring 2024, you should be available in Spring 2025 to complete the revision process.

Can I submit multiple articles?

Yes! You can submit as many articles as you would like for each journal issue, but make sure you have the time in the spring semester to revise the articles.

Can I be a reviewer and an author?

Yes! Since we use a double-blind process, you can submit an article while acting as a reviewer.