The University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal (USURJ) celebrates 10 years of undergraduate artistic and academic excellence.

The University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal (USURJ) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarly articles and original artwork by USask undergraduate students and recent graduates across all disciplines. This February, USURJ celebrated 10 years since a group of undergraduate students first proposed the journal.

In early 2012, 23 USask undergraduate students in a Research Learning Community at the University Learning Centre (now the Learning and Curriculum Support Division), wrote a proposal arguing for a student-led, interdisciplinary undergraduate research journal that would contain high-quality research and review articles written by undergraduate students, with all submissions undergoing a review process by established professionals in relevant fields. The Writing Centre coordinator, Liv Marken, sought funding from the Office of the VP, Research, and the journal was finally staffed and supported in 2014. Current sponsors of the journal include the Library, the OVPR, and the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The journal’s creation was intended to benefit undergraduate students, with the first Editors-in-Chief, Scott Adams and Danielle Potter, stating in a 2013 article that they aim to expose undergraduate students to academic research and make undergraduate research accessible to the broader USask community and beyond. 

The first issue of the journal was published in February of 2014 and 10 years and nine volumes later, these core principles are still maintained. 

Currently, USURJ consists of four sections, Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, and Social Sciences. It is staffed by a student editorial board of over 25 students, led by Editors-in-Chief Aliya Khalid and Emily Zepick. Submissions vary by section. For Health and Natural Sciences, submissions can be in the form of original research articles or compilations and summaries of existing research articles into a review, which assesses the state of knowledge on a given topic and discusses different aspects of research in the field. 

Submissions to the Social Sciences section typically consist of research papers that can be quantitative, qualitative, or theoretical, and can range from presenting new conclusions on a given topic to interpreting previously published data. For Humanities and Fine Arts, submissions are in the form of research papers encompassing various relevant fields such as philosophy, linguistics, and literature, focusing on comparison, analysis, and aesthetics. The USURJ also has a long history of publishing student artwork, with several student artists, such as Corinna Wollf, Mike Tremblay, and Aurora Wolf, achieving prominence in the Canadian and international art worlds. 

Additionally, USURJ publishes research snapshots, peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research, and alternative submissions. Research snapshots can provide an overview of ongoing research or an original mini-analysis, intended for students involved in current research. “Alternative Submissions” is a category of submission meant for written work that contributes to research in a particular field but, according to USURJ, “does not conform to conventional academic practices.” For instance, this includes Indigenous ways of knowing.  

All of these submission categories ensure that USURJ balances knowledge from all disciplines, which continues to be one of its primary aims. 

Another foundational principle of the journal is to maintain the highest quality by having submissions undergo a double-anonymous peer review process, which has been done since the beginning of USURJ. Submissions to all sections, except research snapshots, undergo at least one round of peer review by faculty in a relevant discipline who do not know the author, and whose identity is also unknown to the student, ensuring a double-anonymous review process. 

In February 2016, USURJ achieved the major accomplishment of being indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The DOAJ is an independent index of journals available online, free of charge. It maintains high standards and is very selective about which journals it indexes. In addition, the journal does not charge submission or processing fees, further ensuring that the research is accessible to the USask community and promoting the exchange of knowledge on campus. Submissions made to USURJ are granted a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license, which allows users to use the published material in a variety of ways as long as it’s for noncommercial purposes and proper attribution is given to the creator. Authors can also choose an alternative Creative Commons license and artists maintain full copyright. This accessibility and quality of its publications have contributed to its authors being cited in high-profile journals, including Nature: Scientific Reports, The Lancet HIV, New England Journal of Medicine, Polymers, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Third World Quarterly, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, and International Journal of Nursing Practice. 

Since its inception, the Editorial Board of USURJ has consisted of undergraduate and graduate students from a range of disciplines and colleges who are trained by the Writing Centre and Library faculty to manage submissions and give feedback. Meanwhile, the Advisory Board (a subgroup of the Editorial Board) consists of USask staff and faculty who handle other crucial aspects of running the journal, such as copyright, hosting, editing, and proofreading instruction. Students involved with the journal have the potential to gain experience in the academic publishing process from either side — whether it’s writing a research article, editing submissions, or handling administrative aspects of the journal, the skills gained apply to all fields of study and in academic or industry settings. The positive impacts of USURJ extend well beyond the student, benefiting the university and academic community by training students to be prepared for graduate programs and professional schools that involve research, and benefiting society by training well-rounded individuals.

USURJ receives and publishes submissions continuously, compiling them into two biannual issues. Additionally, USURJ publishes special issues, most recently, Disrupting Expanding the Status Quo (vol. 9 issue 1) was created to challenge ongoing systemic race and gender-based exclusion in academic publishing.

Any USask undergraduate student or recent graduate who has completed research within the last two years (while still enrolled as an undergraduate student, and is interested in publishing with USURJ is highly encouraged to visit their website for complete guidelines.

USURJ invites the campus community, as well as friends and family, to join in their 10th anniversary celebratory event on November 18 at 4 p.m. More details will be announced on their website and social media (@usurj_usask on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter).

Please join us in congratulating USURJ on 10 years of promoting excellence in undergraduate student research, success, and collaboration at USask!