Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA)

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Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA) 

The Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA) is a peer-reviewed publication of the Society of Physics Students comprised of research, outreach, and scholarly reporting. 

Submissions Open: Continuously

Priority Submission Deadline for summer printing: March 15 each year

Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling basis but to guarentee possible inclusing in the print summer edition, manscripts must be submitted to later than March 15. All accepted and edited manuscripts will be published online with AIP Publishing (AIPP) and on the SPS website, based on the review process timing.

Submit your report here!

About JURPA 

This Journal is devoted to reports authored by undergraduates in physics, astronomy, and their related fields. It is a vehicle for the exchange of ideas and information by undergraduates and their advisors. A primary goal of the Journal is to educate and train students while also providing a means of public dissemination of research and programmatic activities. 

  • Papers in the area of pure, applied, computational, or theoretical physics/astronomy, and related fields are all welcome. All research articles are peer-reviewed by professionals.
  • Research articles, if accepted, will additionally be published on the AIP Publishing JURPA website and given a DOI.
  • Articles are asked to be letter length, or approximately 3 printed pages with references, figures, and all text. No article is accepted exceeding 4 pages, excluding any appendices.
  • All accepted articles will be available online through AIPP and SPS electronically.
  • Authors must STRICTLY ahear to the template. Deviations from the template will result in longer review times and may not be printed.
  • Articles over 3 pages may not be physically printed in their entirety. Accepted articles with delayed or long review periods may not be physically printed.

A physical printing of JURPA, containing a highlighted selection of submissions, will be sent to all SPS dues paying members and chapters each summer and is considered a collection of student writing throughout the previous academic year.

Eligibility 

All current SPS members in good standing with the SPS National organization are eligible to submit to JURPA. The author(s) must have performed all the work reported in the paper as an undergraduate student(s). Members must submit their work within 18 months of completing their undergraduate degree.

Submission Process 

All SPS members interested in submitting to JURPA must complete an online application, first. Please note that to submit your paper, your SPS adviser and/or faculty member of the department in which the research was done must review and certify that they have reviewed your paper using the online application system. After your report is submitted, your report will be sent to the editor for review, and then to a reviewer for evaluation. Once reviewed, you will receive communication from the editor and the SPS central office indicating whether your report has been accepted, requires edits, or will not be included in JURPA. Note that the time period for edits is often limited (2 weeks). Failure to submit edits in the time frame outlined by the editor will result in a delay in publication.

Submissions are accepted throughout the academic year, with a priority deadline of March 15.

Submit your report here.

Please direct all questions regarding the submission process to sps-programs [at] aip.org

Preparing Research Reports

To successfully prepare a manuscript, please review the following steps: 

  • All submitted manuscripts should be no longer than 3 template pages total and use one of the provided templates.
  • Manuscripts for submission to JURPA must strictly adhere to AIP Publishing's Proceedings templates in either WORD or LaTeX formatting. Templates for both formats and information about them are available here. Do not change the format of the template. Do not change the spacing or format of the templates.
  • During submission, please upload a PDF file. If written in word, upload the .DOCX file. If written in LaTeX, upload the preprint version of the output.
  • Accepted articles can be viewed here through 2018.
  • Utilize the AIP preparation guidelines for more information to help prepare the manuscript.

Checklist for Preparing

  • Submit only files using the word or LaTeX template available here. Word is STRONGLY encouraged.
  • Consult the manuscript format guide for tips.
  • Make sure references are complete look like this.
  • Read these author guidelines.
  • Look at the permission guide if you are using published material. If so, fill out this form.
  • All papers should look like this single column template upon submission.
  • Identify a faculty (such as an SPS adviser) for the review processing.
  • Two subject matter experts will will be requested upon submission to help identify referees (Name and email).
  • Upload individual figures seperately with the manuscript.
    • Number individual figures in the order in which they appear in the manuscript as PDFs or JPEGs.
    • Submit illustrations in the size and resolution you wish them to appear in print.
    • The maximum width for a two-column figure is 6.69 inches (17 cm). The maximum depth of figures should be 8 ¼ in. (21.1 cm). Legends or labels within figures should be a minimum of 8-point type size (2.8 mm high; 1/8 in. high). A minimum of 0.5 point width for lines.
    • Ensure that lettering and lines are dark enough and thick enough to reproduce clearly, especially if reduction is necessary. Remember that fine lines tend to disappear upon reduction.
    • IMPORTANT: All fonts must be embedded in your figure files.
    • Submit a single file for each figure with figure parts; label each part (a), (b), etc.
  • Read the copyright license checklist and fill out the license agreement.

Interested in publishing your scholarly works that are not research? Email sps-programs [at] aip.org to find out more information.