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SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research

Policies

Before submitting to the SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research (JoUR), review the information below to make sure your work is eligible and ready for consideration.

Quick overview

Before you submit, make sure that:

  • ✓ You conducted the research as an undergraduate student at SMU.
  • ✓ The work is original and has not been published elsewhere.
  • ✓ The manuscript is not currently under review by another journal.
  • ✓ You have the rights to submit the work.
  • ✓ You have reviewed the article guidelines.

Who can submit?

The SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research welcomes submissions from:

  • Current SMU undergraduate students
  • SMU graduates whose research was conducted during their undergraduate studies
  • Non-SMU students who conducted research under the supervision of SMU faculty (such as participants in Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs)

Authors must own the copyright to the work being submitted or have permission from the copyright holder to submit it.

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General Submission Rules

JoUR publishes original undergraduate research and scholarship from all academic disciplines. Submissions must:

  • Present original research, analysis, scholarship, or creative inquiry
  • Include work that has not been previously published

Publishing in a working-paper series or similar venue does not count as prior publication.

If you have questions about whether your project is eligible, please contact the editorial team before submitting.

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How the review process works

  1. Submit your manuscript.
  2. The editorial team reviews the submission for eligibility and readiness.
  3. Qualified manuscripts enter the peer-review process.
  4. Authors may be asked to revise their work.
  5. Accepted manuscripts are prepared for publication in JoUR.

Formatting requirements

There are no strict formatting requirements for an initial submission.

Because research varies greatly across disciplines, manuscripts are not expected to follow the same structure.

JoUR accepts any citation style that is consistent and appropriate for the discipline.

If your manuscript is accepted, our editors will work with you to prepare a final version that follows JoUR publication standards.

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Rights for Authors and SMU Scholar

If your manuscript is accepted and published, copyright is assigned to SMU Scholar as part of the publication agreement.

Authors retain significant rights to use and share their work, including:

  • Keeping personal backup copies
  • Posting the published article on a personal, non-commercial website
  • Depositing the article in a non-commercial institutional repository
  • Using the article in a course website they maintain

Published articles should always retain the original attribution and copyright information.

If you have questions about reuse or permissions, please contact the editorial team.

Attribution and Usage Policies

Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption or by written agreement of SMU Scholar, requires credit to SMU Scholar as copyright holder (e.g., SMU Scholar © 2026).

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General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the SMU Scholar platform must comply with the site's terms of use and submission agreement.

Questions about policies, submission eligibility, or author rights may be directed to the editorial team.

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