Oklahoma State University is joining numerous colleges and universities across the state to bring together the best undergraduate research under one collaborative title.

The Oklahoma Journal of Undergraduate Research, or OKJUR, gives undergraduates across Oklahoma a venue to publish their research. Institutions involved in the journal include 25 public and 14 private institutions and three proprietary or for-profit institutions, ranging from comprehensive research universities to tribal and community colleges. 

Linda Mason, coordinator of grant writing for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the OKJUR Advisory Board chair, sees the journal as a catalyst for undergraduates who are conducting research.

“OKJUR provides the final step in the total experience for undergraduate students in creating new knowledge and sharing it with the public consumers of that knowledge,” Mason said. “It’s a validation of the high quality of undergraduate student academic engagement.” 

The idea for the journal first came about in 2013, when a group of participants from a conference promoting undergraduate research developed the concept of a statewide undergraduate journal. Later that year, the group made a proposal to create the journal to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, which approved the idea.

An advisory board was formed, which partnered with the Oklahoma State Libraries to host and maintain the journal’s website, laying the groundwork for the online journal. 

“The journal is an outlet for research that doesn’t pass the threshold of professional publication but was conducted using sound methodology and ethical principles,” said Tim O’Neil, OKJUR editor-in-chief. “It also gives students a chance to experience the peer review process, as well as receive the recognition that comes with publishing research.”

Journal articles are reviewed by current faculty researchers at Oklahoma colleges and universities approved by the OKJUR Advisory Board. Each article is assessed by at least two faculty reviewers.

Several OSU faculty serve as reviewers, including Dr. Kristen Baum, an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and a co-editor of the Life Sciences section of the journal.

“OKJUR is an exciting opportunity for undergraduates at OSU to publish the results of their undergraduate research or other creative projects,” Baum said. 

Baum said the journal involves other students, too.

“I’m excited about the inclusion of undergraduates as copy editors, which allows students to be actively involved in the peer-review process and to participate in the process from multiple perspectives.”

Austin Warner, a sophomore from Edmond studying mathematics and French, is looking to gain confirmation of the quality of his work from the journal. Warner recently submitted a literary analysis that focuses on the misogynistic themes and political allegories in Tim O'Brien's short story collection The Things They Carried. 

“I think that this journal really gives undergrads a chance to be proud of themselves and maintain scholarly pursuits while not being subjected to the elitism that may be present in professional journals,” Warner said.

The journal is made up of seven sections of research, ranging from business to fine arts to social and behavioral sciences, and students of all backgrounds are encouraged to submit their research.  The first issue is scheduled to be released sometime this summer, and more issues will be published as enough research has been submitted and prepared. 

O’Neil, who is also the undergraduate research coordinator in the Henry Bellmon Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research at OSU, believes the journal is one of the first of its kind.

“It is certainly the first of its type in Oklahoma, and it might be the first statewide collaborative journal,” O’Neil said. “As far as I know, no state has come together, at least to the point that Oklahoma institutions have, in putting something like this together.”

Financial support for the journal comes from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the OSU libraries that host and manage the online journal system. 

Students interested in submitting journal articles or working as a copy editor, and faculty interested in serving as a reviewer are encouraged to contact the OKJUR. To learn more, visit [http://okjur.com%20]okjur.com or contact O’Neil at tim.oneil@okstate.edu. 

Story by Jackson Hodges