Submissions

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.
  • I have read the CUSJ Research Submission Info below and identify as an undergraduate student who has completed an original research or review paper.
  • I have read and attached the  Author Agreement. The author(s) agree to the terms of this Author Agreement, which will apply to this submission if and when it is published by this journal (comments to the editor can be added below).
  • For original research submissions to CUSJ, the text follows the Manuscript Template. I understand that failure to do so could result in rejection.
  • 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 submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format (not PDF).
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  • The text contains no information about the author's identity.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • 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.

Submission Instructions

We accept original research manuscript submissions for our research journal CUSJ, and other non-original research submissions for our editorial journal Columbia Scientist. For original research manuscript submissions, please prepare your manuscript according to the manuscript template. All authors to CUSJ and Columbia Scientist must make sure to submit the Author Agreement. Please read the guidelines below before submitting.

The Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal only accepts work from undergraduates. If you're in high school, please visit the Columbia Junior Science Journal or Columbia Scientist.

Please follow ALL GUIDELINES listed in the submission info section below. Failure to do so will result in an automatic rejection. 

For information on how to submit an article for our next edition of Columbia Scientist please check this webpage again in the fall. 

 

Questions about submitting? Email cusj@columbia.edu

 

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CUSJ Research Submission Info (see below for Columbia Scientist info)

Who can submit? 

Undergraduate students enrolled full-time in a university. The first author must have completed a high school education but not yet graduated from their undergraduate studies at the time of submission in order to be considered for CUSJ 2024. Mentors are allowed to be listed as secondary authors.

Manuscript Review

Manuscripts submitted to CUSJ will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. This process is extensive. Competitive submissions for publication will be concise and contain original scientific research. Exceptional review papers critically examining the existing body of scientific research will also be considered.

We expect that authors of manuscripts selected for publication will have worked extensively with their research mentor preparing their manuscript for submission. Papers prepared for submission should have sufficient introduction for those involved in other scientific disciplines to gain a general intuition about the paper’s original subject matter.

Authors published in CUSJ will retain all rights to their work except the right to publish in another undergraduate-level journal; work previously published in such a journal will not be considered for publication in CUSJ. The editors of CUSJ additionally ask that submissions to CUSJ not be concurrently considered for publication by other undergraduate-level journals. All authors and their mentors must sign off on the author agreement which can be found on the submission portal.

Author Guidelines

  1. Original research submissions must be at least 5 pages and no more than 10 pages in length and constitute a detailed overview of your research. Scholarly review submissions may be up to 15 pages. This page limit includes figures, captions, acknowledgements, and references/citations. 
  2. All submissions must follow the “CUSJ Template 2019”. Take care to follow all formatting specifications. Papers formatted incorrectly may not be reviewed.
  3. All submissions must be accompanied by the form(s) in the submission portal. Please provide there all of the requested information in addition to anything else you would like us to know. This information will not be considered during the review process but is required for acceptance & publication.
  4. All documents submitted must be named and formatted correctly. Please submit your research paper as a .docx or .rtf file with the necessary text, figures, and captions. Please also submit your figures & captions in a separate .ppt file. Follow the naming schema: CUSJ_LastnameFirstname_form/paper/figures.rtf (e.g., you would submit CUSJ_DoeJohn_form.pdf, CUSJ_DoeJohn_paper.docx, and CUSJ_DoeJohn_figures.ppt).
  5. All papers & supporting documentation must be submitted by March 1st, 2024 at 11:59PM EST to be considered for the 2024 journal. Although in unusual instances papers may be accepted on a rolling basis after this deadline, those submitted before the deadline will be given priority & not all those received afterward may be reviewed.

Submission Deadline

Submissions for the 2023-2024 edition of CUSJ are now CLOSED. We will open submissions for the 2024-2025 in JULY 2024.

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CUSJ Columbia Scientist Submission Info (see above for CUSJ Research Journal submissions)

Who can submit? 

All members of the scientific community, including high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students at institutions in the United States and abroad. Mentors are allowed to be listed as secondary authors.

Manuscript Review

Manuscripts submitted to CUSJ Columbia Scientist will be reviewed by a team of editors, and assessed for their contribution to science literature and our aim to promote scientific literacy. 

Submission should be written at a level that allows for those involved in other scientific disciplines to gain a general intuition about the submission's original subject matter.

Authors published in CUSJ will retain all rights to their work except the right to publish in another undergraduate level journal; work previously published in such a journal will not be considered for publication in CUSJ. The editors of CUSJ additionally ask that submissions to CUSJ not be concurrently considered for publication by other undergraduate-level journals. All authors and their mentors must sign off on the author agreement which can be found on the submission portal.

Author Guidelines

Letter

  • Written letter commenting on, or responding (support or critique) a recently published science article  
  • Up to 100-1000 words.

Question and Answer

  • Response to the question prompt in the previous Columbia Scientist publication.
  • Responses should be short (at most 200 words) and directly answer the question.
  • You may also submit questions to be published and answered in a future publication.

Opinion Editorial

  • A timely piece devoted to a specific topic with a strong perspective
  • Written to a general audience, avoiding scientific jargon and assuming no priori specialized knowledge
  • 500-1500 words

Briefing

  • 1-2 pages (two pages will be consecutive, not front and back) with images and text
  • Visually pleasing, and engaging in its attempt to convey information
  • Takes a complex science topic, or advanced principle, and communicates it in a way that it could be understood by those with a high school level understanding of science

Mini Lecture

  • A short (5-15 minute) interactive video that explains a topic to the audience, explains novel research, communicates new theories, or introduces application exercises.

Science Art Showcase

  • Include a title and a 100-word description of the entry
  • Photograph, graphic design, comic, illustration, infographic, architecture, painting, sketch, sculpture, music, theater, film, fashion in any style
  • PDF, JPG, MP3, .docx, .doc, YouTube Link

Podcast

  • 5-30-minute-high quality audio clip discussing novel science-based content
  • Name, title, 100-word description, and cover artwork/image required

 

  1. All documents submitted must be named and formatted correctly. Please submit your research paper as a .docx or .rtf file with the necessary text, figures, and captions. Please also submit your figures & captions in a separate .ppt file. Follow the naming schema: CUSJ_LastnameFirstname_form/paper/figures.rtf (e.g., you would submit CUSJ_DoeJohn_form.pdf, CUSJ_DoeJohn_paper.docx, and CUSJ_DoeJohn_figures.ppt).
  2. All papers & supporting documentation must be submitted by March 10, 2023 at 11:59PM EST to be considered for our Spring 2023 edition. Although in unusual instances papers may be accepted on a rolling basis after this deadline, those submitted before the deadline will be given priority & not all those received afterward may be reviewed.

Submission Deadline

The deadline of March 10th, 2023 to submit to our Spring 2023 edition of Columbia Scientist has passed. Although in unusual instances papers may be accepted on a rolling basis after this deadline, those submitted before it will be given priority & not all those received afterward may be reviewed. Please reach out to us if you have any questions regarding this deadline.

This page will be updated in February with the submission deadline for our Fall 2023 edition.

Letter to Columbia Scientist

A written letter communicating on, or responding to (support or critique) a recently published scientific article. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Question and Answer

Response to the question prompt in the previous Columbia Scientist Publication, or a question to be posed in future publications. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Opinion Editorial

A timely piece devoted to a specific topic with a strong perspective. Written to a general audience, avoiding scientific jargon and assuming to prior specialized knowledge. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Science Briefing

From 1 to 2 pages (two pages will be consecutive, not front and back) with images and text. Visually pleasing, engaging in its attempt to convey information. Takes a complex science topic or advanced principle and communicates it in a way that could be understood by those with a high school understanding of science. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Science Art Showcase

Include a 100-word description of the entry. Submissions may consist of a photograph, graphic design, comic, illustration, infographic, architecture, painting, sketch, sculpture, music, theater, film, fashion in any style. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Mini Lecture

A 5-15 minute presentation taking the form of an interactive video that explains a topic to the audience, presents novel research communicates new theories or introduces application exercises.  Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Podcast

A 5-30 minute podcast with an accompanying 100-word description, and cover artwork/image. High-quality audio clip discussing novel science-based content. Please include the name of your school and the location (city and country). 

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.