Keystone Journal

of  Undergraduate Research

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why submit to KJUR?
    

2. Who can submit to the Journal?
   Any student who is attending or has graduated from one of the 14 universities that comprise the Pennsylvania State University System. A research manuscript may be submitted up to six months after the lead student author has graduated.
    

3. What areas of study qualify for publication in KJUR?
   KJUR is a multidisciplinary journal that accepts research from all academic areas.
    

4. What qualifies as research?
   Research takes a variety of forms and can be very different in different disciplines. Research in the sciences, for example may involve collection of data from experiments conducted by the researcher while research conducted by those working in the history may involve answering questions or describing and evaluating events based on a variety of documents.  KJUR a wide variety of research efforts and encourages their submission.  Please see General Guidelines for a more detailed discussion of this topic.
    

5. What if this research has already been published elsewhere?
   If it has been submitted or published in another journal then you may not submit it to KJUR
    

6. My mentor would like to submit our paper to a professional journal. May I still publish in the KJUR?
    

7. Can I submit my senior or honors thesis?
   Yes, as long as it meets the guidelines for KJUR.
    

8. How do I submit my work?
   Please see How to Submit a Manuscript.
    

9. My faculty mentor has not read my paper. Should I submit it anyway?
   No, it is expected that you have worked closely with your faculty mentor during the preparation of your manuscript. Your mentor must submit a Submission Form and an Approval Form attesting to their involvement in the study.
    

10. Can I have a co-author?
    Yes
     

11. How often does KJUR publish?
    At this time, the KJUR anticipates publishing two issues per year. This may change in the future.
     

12. What is the Journal submission deadline?
    There are no deadlines, articles can be submitted at any time. There will be deadlines for a given issue, however.  This deadline will be published on the Home Page of this website.
     

13. My project involves the use of human or animal subjects. What should I do?
    KJUR will not publish any research unless it has been approved by the local IRB and IACUC Committees.  These approvals should be made before any data is collected.
     

14. What rights do the authors published in KJUR retain?
     

15. Will KJUR retain any rights to my research?
     

16. What is the review and selection process for the Journal?
     

17. What are the selection criteria?
    Please see the Reviewer's Evaluation Form and the Submission & Review Chart for answers to this question.
     

18. How will I know if my work has been accepted?
    Both the lead student author and the faculty mentor will receive emails stating that their manuscript has been accepted for publication.
     

19. Can I make revisions to my work after it has been submitted?
     

20. Do hard copies of the Journal get distributed?
    There will be a limited number of hard copies of each issue printed. The lead student author of each article and the faculty mentor will receive one copy.
     

21. What kind of format is required for the Journal?
    Please see General Guidelines and Instructions to Authors.