What is CUJO?

CUJO (Community of Undergraduate Journals Online) is many things but from the standpoint of most undergraduates doing research, it is a collection of published manuscripts available online. They are separated by discipline into journals in the same fashion as print journals. For a more inclusive definition see: URL of page.

What constitutes a manuscript?

CUJO manuscripts can be like manuscripts found in print journals, or may be works that could never be found in journals such as video clips, audio files, 3-D graphic files and perhaps formats not yet considered. A traditional manuscript would include a primary text file along with supported data, graphics, charts and/or other files. A non-traditional manuscript might include a video clip of a dance recital along with a critique or other documentation. Thus CUJO manuscripts represent the next generation of scholarly publications.

How do I submit a manuscript?

The procedure for submitting a manuscript is in part determined by the discipline in question. To start the process, see: Link to creating an account. For a general discussion see: Link to general comments page For discipline specific instructions, see the link found on the Journal page in consideration.

How do I get my department to join?

If your department does not have a journal already, have a faculty member contact me at (It would be fine with me if I was linked here, that way not everyone gets bothered by questions, what do we think?)

What about the Honors Citations?

There are two separate issues here, the first being that students in honors programs have specific requirements regarding graduation. CUJO manuscripts are published in both the student’s departmental journal (with gold border designating it as an honors manuscript) and the University Honors Journal. The citation (URL) should point to the same manuscript.

What if the work is interdisciplinary?

First, CUJO encourages interdisciplinary work. Beyond that, manuscripts may be published in two different journals if the manuscript represents such work. It will be handled the same as an honors manuscript, that is, available in both journals.

What type of response will I receive concerning my manuscript?

There are four possible responses that you will receive from the editors.

Accepted: the manuscript will be published in its current state without any changes
Accepted with Revisions: the manuscript will be published after a few minor changes are made and approved by the editor
Revise and Resubmit: the manuscript will be considered for publication after the author addresses some major concerns with the manuscript or makes fundamental sections of the article clearer
Rejected: the method of the study appears to be unsound and will not be considered for publication at this time

Does my submission have to psychology research?

Not necessarily. If by “psychology research” you mean that it was done as a part of a psychology course, then it may still be acceptable for submission. However, the journal is only interested in papers that focus on topics related to psychology. By definition, psychology touches upon a wide variety of topics that often relate to other disciplines. Papers composed by students in non-psychology majors are welcome provided their topic is related to the field and the research has been performed under the supervision of a Clemson University faculty member.

If my work is published, will I still be able to submit my article to other journals?

No. When published, an article becomes the property of the journal that publishes it. This is done so journals do not have to worry about repetition in scientific literature. If you would prefer to have research published elsewhere, it would be advised to submit it for publication there instead of to CUJO.

How can I become a CUJO Editor?

That concept is dependent on the specific Journal and associated department. They will have appropriate information regarding editing policies and the mechanism by which a student can become an editor

Am I only allowed to participate in the peer editing process for one semester?

Although that is dependent on the Journal and associated department, it’s unlikely that it would be limited to one semester. You will probably be encouraged to continue to participate for as long as you are an undergraduate student. Your editing skills will become better with experience which is extremely valuable in reviewing and conducting research. Therefore, the more time you spend with CUJO, the more valuable you become to the review process.

Will the peer reviewer know the name of the author?

No, CUJO editors should make blind reviews. The reviewer should not know who wrote the article although it is likely that the student may know the author.

If I receive a "revise and resubmit" response to my article, is there a time limit to make the changes?

With few exceptions, there is no set time limit. However, you should plan to get back to CUJO at your earliest convenience. Many of the faculty members in the department will be happy to counsel you as you make revisions to your manuscript.

If our article is accepted with revision, is there a time limit to make the changes?

CUJO editors will not likely give an author a set deadline for revision, and the author is free to consult with the faculty editor about a timeframe for revision. Generally, an author whose paper is accepted pending revisions should contact CUJO and notify the editor of his/her intent to revise; and he/she can discuss the timeframe for the revision with the editor at that time.

If I publish a study in CUJO, can I submit it for publication elsewhere later on?

No. Just as there are ethics guiding how we can conduct research, there are also ethics dealing with publication of research. It is considered unethical to publish the same research in multiple journals.

What does "peer review" mean?

Clemson University undergraduate students review all manuscripts. These students evaluate manuscripts along a number of variables (See “What do reviewers look for in a good manuscript?”) and then submit their review to the faculty editor who evaluates the study and the peer-reviews then sends an “action letter” to the author. (See also “What is the process for evaluating CUJO articles?”)

What is the process for evaluating manuscripts?

Authors submit their manuscripts to the Faculty Editor, along with the name of the course the manuscript was written for, the semester and year the course was taken, and the name of the instructor of the course. The Faculty Editor then sends the manuscript to the instructor asking him or her if they support publication of this manuscript in CUJO. By doing this, the Faculty Editor ensures that the manuscript is a) of suitable quality for publication, according to the instructor, and b) not being considered by the faculty member for submission elsewhere (see "If I publish a study in CUJO, can I submit it for publication elsewhere later on?").

Following endorsement by the instructor, the Faculty Editor removes all identifying information from the manuscript (author name, etc.) and selects an Action Editor - the person who will make publication decisions and write the action letter regarding the manuscript. The Action Editor may be the Faculty Editor or another Editor. The Action Editor selects several other Editors (and/or other qualified students) as reviewers for the manuscripts and sends blind review copies of the manuscript to them. Each reviewer reads the manuscript carefully several times and writes a review, which is sent to the Action Editor. The Action Editor compiles the reviews and adds their own comments, then makes a decision regarding publication of the manuscript. The Action Editor then writes the Action Letter, a letter to the author(s) indicating the publication status of the manuscript (accepted, accepted with revision, revise and resubmit, rejected), the reasons for that decision, and suggestions and comments. Also included are the reviews from the reviewers and a summary of their rating of the article.

Once an article is accepted, the files are converted to a format suitable for web publication. Authors are notified when this is accomplished, and asked to proofread the final version to make sure that it is accurate.

Is there a certain format that is required for my paper?

There are certain requirements for each manuscript so that the CUJO mechanism will work correctly. These include manuscript name, author(s) and affiliation and abstract. Beyond those requirements is no specific format required, each Journal will likely define the appropriate format for the discipline in question. In general, the content of your paper should be divided into specific sections that will make your paper easier to follow for readers. Non-traditional manuscripts will have different formats but a more traditional manuscript will generally have sections like the following:

Abstract: a summary of the method and results section of your paper Introduction: provides background for the research to be presented in your
Article
Method: includes a description of your participants and describes how the research was performed
Results: a description of the results of your study including any relevant statistics
Discussion: discussion of the results with possible explanations and directions for
further research on your topic.