Benefits of Getting Involved with the Student Research Journal

iStudent Blog

Published: April 24, 2019 by Havilah Steinman

Earlier in the semester, managing editor of the Student Research Journal Rachel Greggs, hosted an event alongside the American Library Association Student Chapter about the incredible benefits of getting involved with the Student Research Journal. First and foremost, the SRJ offers a fantastic publishing opportunity. The peer-reviewed and double-blind journal is completely run by students under the guidance of faculty advisor, Dr. Anthony Bernier. SRJ currently accepts critical essays, evidence summaries and book reviews. Anyone from a North American or international institution is invited to submit, but submissions from iSchool students are especially encouraged because of the fantastic benefits students glean in the peer-reviewed process.

The SRJ published its 16th issue in January, and the next one will come out in June. Want to stay updated on what’s going on at SRJ but not ready to submit a manuscript? In addition to the Student Research Journal main website, you can follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn! SRJ has also sent out a short survey in an effort order to enhance the student experience (for submitting and/or accessing articles).

Benefits of Submitting and Potential Manuscripts

During the event with the ALASC, Greggs presented the benefits of submitting to SRJ, including the experience of working through the peer-review process. Working through this process with graduate-level academic writing already is a game changer if you plan to publish later on in your career. Publishing an academic manuscript looks great on a resume, especially if you hope to pursue research in the future. Additionally, the published manuscript is an excellent ePortfolio artifact. SRJ is unique in that it is open-access, which means that once your article appears in the Journal it will always be there for you and potential employers to access. 

During the Q&A portion of the event, students were interested in manuscripts they had already written for class that could be good possible submissions for SRJ. Greggs recommended submitting papers from INFO 285 Applied Research Methods and INFO 200 Information Communities. The research proposal created in INFO 285 is an excellent option for student to submit to the journal after making some changes to match the SRJ Policies. Alternatively, in INFO 200 Information Communities the fully developed literature review is an example of an potential secondary research to submit to the Journal. 

Apply to be an Editor

Greggs also offered another excellent way to get involved at SRJ by applying to be a content or a copy editor. The editorship is a project-based learning experience, meaning you’ll come away with excellent artifacts to include in your ePortfolio. Editors will be directly involved in meaningful contributions to Library and Information Science scholarship. In addition to experience in academic journal publishing, Greggs believes editors improve their writing and editing skills throughout the process.

The call for editors for the upcoming fall semester was just sent out on April 22 via the iSchool alert system. These editorships fall under the INFO 298 Special Studies credits, and editors earn one unit each semester. There is a limit of 6 credits you can earn in the Special Studies category, so be sure to check your transcripts to see if you have room. Alternatively, you can take on an editorship without receiving course credit. You can do this as a copy or content editor, as well as the Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief!

Whether you decide to submit to Student Research Journal, follow them on social media or apply for an editorship, please be sure to fill out the quick survey which has been sent out to all students. The responses you supply will be invaluable to the growth of SRJ and student experience. Check out the articles below about the history of SRJ, and learn about their current editor-in-chief!

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