Overview of Eligibility
Submission Deadline: Interested authors may submit their work to the URJ by 11:59 PM PST on March 14th.
The UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal accepts submissions from all disciplines of academic study. We encourage UCM undergraduate students who have completed research or are currently engaged in research with either a faculty member/graduate student to submit their work.
To be eligible for publication in the URJ, student authors must have completed their projects while attending UCM as an undergraduate student and the primary author of the project must be a UCM student if there are multiple authors. Graduated students are eligible for submission if the date of the submission deadline to the current issue is less than one year after their date of graduation. For example, a student who had graduated in Spring 2023 could not have submitted to the URJ for the Fall 2024 issue.
The URJ accepts work from single authors, co-authors, and multiple authors. Whether you are submitting on behalf of yourself or your co-author(s), please submit each project only once per review cycle.
The Submission Process includes a Google Form to certify all information is clear and concise for the Author(s) and the editors working on the manuscript. This is the first step of submission to the Undergraduate Research Journal.
Overall Process
Using the Google Form, fill out your information and submit your piece. Submissions will be accepted from February 14th – March 14th.
During the preliminary review process, all identifying materials are removed to ensure a blind, unbiased screening. Manuscripts are screened by our editorial team, and the student authors who are accepted will be contacted by the section editors. If the piece is not accepted for publication, authors will be politely notified that their manuscript has been declined after the completion of our review period.
After acceptance, the manuscript begins a rigorous editing process to ensure the piece aligns with our journal’s style and standards. Once the editing process is complete, updates and changes will be reviewed by both the Editorial Board and author(s) to ensure both parties are in agreement.
After all the copy edits and changes are approved and finalized by the Editorial Board, the author will receive an email invitation to create an account on eScholarship to submit the final manuscript for official publication.
Step-by-Step Process
1. Using the Google Form, fill out your information and submit your piece as both a Word Doc AND PDF (submit the references page as one or the other). Rolling submissions will be accepted from February 14th.
2. After the submission period, you will be contacted after a few weeks if the piece is accepted. If the piece is not accepted for publication, you will be notified that the manuscript has been declined after our review period.
3. After acceptance, the manuscript is subject to a rigorous editing process to ensure the piece aligns with our journal’s style and standard. Once the editing process is complete, updates and changes are reviewed by both the Editorial Board and author(s) to see if all parties are in agreement.
4. After all the copy edits are approved and finalized by the Editorial Board, the Editorial Board will upload the final manuscript for official publication.
5. All work published on eScholarship will be published in perpetuity, meaning that published pieces cannot later be retracted.
Submission Criteria
The research project is well-designed, executed, and relevant to the field.
The research features an innovative, engaging, and/or creative voice.
The findings are thoughtfully interpreted and thoroughly analyzed, and the article is well-written and optimally organized around a central theme or thesis.
Conclusions are logically supported through results, evidence, and/or cited sources.
Supporting materials — including illustrations, graphs, and references — reinforce the descriptions and claims made in the text.
While the URJ does not disallow the use of AI in brainstorming, developing, and augmenting the writing of submissions, negligence to cite any source, including use of AI, will be treated as plagiarism, per UC Merced’s guidelines. Publishable pieces must be original and ethically document all sources.
Accepted work includes but is not limited to literature reviews, novel research projects, critical analysis papers, research-based proposals, and essays. For students in the public health discipline, contact the editors if the project does not adhere to the submission guidelines.
Formatting
2000 words minimum to 6000 words maximum. The conversion for that is 8 to 20 pages double-spaced not including the list of references.
Submissions should be double-spaced, set in 12 pt. Times New Roman, with a one-inch margin all around.
Citations should follow the style guidelines of the associated format chosen for the paper.
Citations should follow the style guidelines of the associated format chosen for the poster. For help in formatting your paper to URJ standards visit the Purdue OWL Writing Site: APA, MLA, AMA, and Chicago style. Also check out our URJ libguide from the UCM Library’s webpage: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/URJ.
Research Poster
Visit the Purdue OWL poster formatting guide here.
The size of the poster should be 48″ x 36″ (standard and tri-fold poster) or 40″ x 28″ (tri-fold only). Posters may be oriented horizontally or vertically.
Most serif and sans serif fonts are welcome in research posters, but should be applied within reason. The title of the poster is recommended to be set at 85 pt. font, author names at 56 pt., sub-headings at 36 pt., body text at 24 pt., and captions at 18 pt.
Sections of the poster should be displayed neatly in rows and columns. Size variations between sections are welcome. Sections of the poster must be appropriately titled and distinguishably bordered. If a section references a figure, that figure must be contained within its respective section’s border.
Citations should follow the style guidelines of the associated format chosen for the poster. For help in formatting your paper to URJ standards visit the Purdue OWL Writing Site: APA, MLA, AMA, and Chicago style. Also check out our URJ libguide from the UCM Library’s webpage: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/URJ.
If you are using a style other than APA or MLA, please first consult with your faculty advisor before submitting to make sure your formatting/citations are appropriate or accurate to the chosen style.
See About Us for contact information if you have more questions.