Author Guide
CONTENT GUIDE
Authors can find a PDF of the Author Guide at this link if desired.
Manuscripts for KUJIS will be research articles that start from a researchable question connected to relevant literature and answered with qualitative and/or quantitative data. Therefore, every manuscript will consist of the following sections: Introduction, Literature Review, Research Design, Analysis, Discussion, and Conclusion. Please see below for the content appropriate for each section.
Introduction
The Introduction should do three things: provide some background context so the reader gets grounded in the situation under study, state and explain the original research question, and end by stating and explaining the thesis of the article (answer to the question). This section is often around five paragraphs.
Literature Review
The Literature Review should argue the author’s work is a necessary addition to the research community. Therefore, the narrative should clearly cover: the main issue the research community is trying to figure out, how far they have gotten in the process, and how your project can help get closer to answering the bigger issue. This section is often four to five paragraphs.
Research Design
The Research Design must describe, in a very, very detailed manner, what data the researcher used, how exactly they got the data (collection), and what the researcher did with the data to answer the question (analysis). This section is very often three or four paragraphs.
Analysis
In this section, the author presents the data that answers the research question. Keep in mind, it presents all the relevant data, not just the material cherry-picked to support the thesis. Therefore, authors may have to present and explain some data that could complicate their thesis. The world is a complicated place, so analyses that seem too-perfect-to-be-accurate usually are. This section is normally around thirteen to fifteen paragraphs—a few strategic subheadings can be very helpful signposts for the reader in this section.
Discussion
The Discussion section describes the implications of the Analysis section, and three strategies can be utilized by authors: connect the analysis findings back to the previous literature of the Literature Review, apply a social theory to help frame the data, or present some evidence-based and plausible policy recommendations implied by the data. Authors most often do the first option and then either the second or third option—it is not common to try and tackle all three options. This section is usually about five paragraphs with possibly two subheadings.
Conclusion
The final section is normally only a paragraph or two to reiterate to the reader the one or two absolutely most important take-aways from the project.
Each section should have an all caps centered heading—no bold nor italics included.
Subheadings are simply two to four word phrases bolded and justified to the left.
Kansas Undergraduate Journal of International Studies
Review Rubric
Each of the following items will be scored on a scale of 1 to 10, and this score will help determine publication. Qualitative feedback will be provided at the end to contextualize the score.
- The Introduction provides clear and relevant background, explains the original question, and then states and explains the thesis of the article.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The Literature Review does NOT provide more background; the Literature Review DOES explain the large problem researchers are wrestling with, shows how previous researchers have tried to answer it, and explains how your project will help them get to the bottom of it.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The Research Design explains the data, collection, and analysis with extremely meticulous detail.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The Analysis section is an organized presentation of how the data proves the thesis statement; the paragraphs align in a clear narrative order that develops the argument over time.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The Discussion section explains how the project moves the conversations established in the Literature Review forward (your contribution). In addition, authors may also develop theory or present feasible policy proposals if appropriate.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The Conclusion summarizes the one or two main takeaways the author wants remembered.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
- The drafting skills are impeccable, so very little copy editing is even necessary.
No! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Definitely!
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Feedback: Revise and Resubmit Accept with Revisions Accept
STYLE NOTES
The formatting requirements for the manuscripts are listed on the submission section of the website portal. These style notes are more for the structure and mechanics of the document. Editors may require revisions focused on these tips before publication or further review, so it is best to try to conform to as many of these as possible before your initial submission.
Structure
Each paragraph of the manuscript should have one very clear point or purpose, which should always be most clearly stated in the first sentence of the paragraph. After explaining the point, the middle of the paragraph should be supporting data or illustrations to legitimize the point. The ending of the paragraph should explain why this point is so important for the paper—avoid repetitive and redundant summarizing at the end.
Authors should try to use somewhere between six to nine sentences for each paragraph to do the three tasks listed above. Less than six sentences usually does not develop the point enough. However, ten or more sentences usually indicates a paragraph trying to do more than one purpose and should be broken apart.
Mechanics
Authors should write in the active voice as often as absolutely possible and avoid passive constructs. If authors are unaware of what the passive voice is, they are strongly encouraged to investigate and practice before submission.
Authors should also use pronouns only when absolutely necessary and privilege clear and concrete nouns in the prose. There are no restrictions on the type of pronouns in the document, simply only use them when no other option exists. Concrete terms increase readability a substantial amount and greatly streamline clutter.
Commas are also only used in specific cases and are not as common as writers may think. Try to analyze each time a comma appears to make sure it is absolutely necessary.
Finally, the manuscript should be devoid of basic typos and grammatical errors. The most effective way to find these is to read the manuscript in a loud strong voice. The author’s eye will often miss micro-level errors after many reads, so hearing the text is often more effective.
