Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The work submitted is the product of a University of Pittsburgh undergraduate student.
  • Personalized information redacted from the submission. The name and affiliations of the author should not appear in both the text and the document name.
  • Prepared a separate cover page document containing personal information.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word or PDF document file format.
  • The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. The text is maximum 20 pages.
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.

Author Guidelines

Eligibility

  • The submission may not have been previously published or in the process of being considered for another publication.
  • Submissions are open to all University of Pittsburgh undergraduate students.
  • Submissions should ideally reflect work done under the mentorship of a Pitt faculty member, but the Editorial Board will grant consideration to 'personal projects' undertaken without a direct faculty mentor.
  • There is no limit to the number of submissions per author, but a maximum of one (1) piece per author per edition would be published if it passes the review process.

General Writing Guidelines

  • Format
    • The submission must be in the form of a Word document or PDF.
    • The submission must have redacted any personalized information in the name and content of the article document (ie. names, organization titles, etc.).
    • The submission must be accompanied by a separate cover page document containing your name and affiliations (you will be able to upload multiple documents in 1 submission).
    • The submission must be single-spaced, with 12 pt and legible font.
    • The recommended page maximum is 20 pages, but we will consider longer submissions on a case-by-case basis.
    • The citation format must be the correct style according to the specific discipline of research.
  • Quality
    • The submission must use proper grammar, syntax, and language (unless it is a creative work).
  • Content
    • All works must be original and excellent; more details regarding plagiarism can be found on the website: https://www.plagiarism.org
    • While students can submit works from any discipline, special attention will be given to interdisciplinary works.
  • Style
    • All submissions must be written in English (unless it falls under the creative writing category). 
    • Students should avoid the heavy use of jargon in their work.
  • Tables, Figures, and Images
    • These should be numbered to show their sequence with a short title and a description.
    • These may be submitted within the article or as a separate document.
    • Authors have the responsibility to receive permission for copyrighted works.

Specific Requirements for Submission Categories 

  • Research
    • Includes work belonging to STEM, social science, humanities, as well as literature reviews 
    • Must include an abstract
    • Each research article will be reviewed by two peer reviewers, using a double-blind review and scoring rubric. Scores from the two reviewers will be averaged. Scores for all applications will be reviewed by the Editorial Board. Recommendations are made by Editorial Board members. The Editor-in-Chief makes final acceptance decisions based on Editorial Board member recommendations and final review.
  • Creative Writing
    • Includes works of short stories, poetry, and essays exploring a topic
    • Submissions do not have to completely abide by standard grammar and syntax if appropriate
    • Selection of pieces will follow the same process as outlined in the Research Article section above
  • Visual Arts 
    • Performance based (e.g. music and dance)
      • Must submit a picture of the performance as well as a description with a link to the video.
    • Fine art
      • Must include an artist statement of at least 200 words along with the title, medium, and year
    • Selection of pieces will follow the same process as outlined in the Research Article section above
  • Review
    • Includes writing on books and films
    • The focus will be given to reviews that can possibly be practically helpful towards other students but submissions will be judged case by case
    • Selection of pieces will follow the same process as outlined in the Research Article section above; final selection will be made based on the editorial board

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
  9. The Author agrees to digitally sign the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work.

Privacy Statement

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