Teaching Scholarship with an Undergraduate Research Journal

1. Teaching Scholarship with an Undergraduate Research Journal Doug Glazier Department of Biology JUNIATA COLLEGE

2. Ultimate goal is to nurture students to be scholars

3. Scholars who can effectively: • Create/discover new solvable questions • Devise appropriate tests • Collect appropriate data • Analyze data • Interpret data • Display summaries of data • Present clear, concise, organized accounts of one’s study, both orally & written

4. Scholars who can effectively: • Connect one’s work to that of others • Critically evaluate others’ work • Summarize work in one’s field • Identify ways to advance one’s field • Review & edit others’ work • Do all of the above ethically

5. How? By engaging students in writing, reviewing and editing papers for a research journal

6. How? By engaging students in writing, reviewing & editing papers for a research journal

7. Outline of this Talk • Brief history & rationale for undergraduate research journals (URJs) • Types of URJs • Assessment of URJs • Alternatives to URJs • History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Looking for advice on how to improve JER

8. Brief history & rationale for undergraduate research journals (URJs) Website Sources: Undergraduate Journals (Council on Undergraduate Research) (http://www.cur.org/resources/students/undergraduate_journals/) The Undergraduate Journals and Conferences Directory (Meryhurst College) (http://upd.mercyhurst.edu/) Undergraduate Research and Creative Journals (Middle Tennessee State University) (http://capone.mtsu.edu/hcevents/journals.html) Philosophy Undergraduate Journals (Trinity University) (http://web.trinity.edu/x5950.xml) Undergrad Philosophy & Religion CFPs (http://undergradphil.blogspot.com/p/undergraduate-philosophy-journals.html) & random Google searches……

11. Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society Bios (1930) JSTOR Lambda Epsilon Chapter at Juniata College 1970: Students have presented at regional & national conferences Sponsored annual campus research symposia (1997-2004) LAS Google website: https://sites.google.com/site/jctribeta/home

12. Brief history & rationale for undergraduate research journals (URJs) • Recognizing/highlighting student achievement • Encouraging engaged learning and creative studies • Providing opportunity for students to express ideas • Promoting dialogue in college/academic community • Providing publishing experience as writers, reviewers & editors • Preparing students for postgraduate /professional work

13. Types of URJs • Subject matter • Sponsors • Staff (e.g., students, faculty &/or others) • Source of submissions (e.g., undergraduate &/or • graduate students, faculty, etc. within &/or • outside institution) • Audience (within &/or outside institution)

14. Types of URJs • Subject matter • Sponsors • Staff (e.g., students, faculty &/or others) • Source of submissions (e.g., undergraduate &/or • graduate students, faculty, etc. within &/or • outside institution) • Audience (within &/or outside institution)

15. Subject matter of Undergraduate Research Journals

16. Subject matter of Undergraduate Research Journals

17. Arts, Humanities &/or Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Journals

18. Arts, Humanities &/or Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Journals

19. Natural Sciences, Math &/or Technology Undergraduate Research Journals

20. Natural Sciences, Math &/or Technology Undergraduate Research Journals

21. Types of Organizations that Sponsor Undergraduate Research Journals

22. Types of Organizations that Sponsor Undergraduate Research Journals

23. Types of Organizations that Sponsor Undergraduate Research Journals

24. Assessment of URJs Virtually non-existent! Assessment of Undergraduate Research Experiences

25. Alternatives to URJs Publish in professional journals Advantages & Disadvantages

26. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum

27. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Print version started in 1998 as part of BI 301 General Ecology Laboratory course

29. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Print version started in 1998 as part of BI 301 General Ecology Laboratory course • Online version started in 2001 (on Juniata College Ecology webpage)

30. Journal of Ecological Research PROTOCOL-EXAMPLE PAPERS-ECOLOGY ONLINE

31. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Print version started in 1998 as part of BI 301 General Ecology Laboratory course • Online version started in 2001 (on Juniata College Ecology webpage) • BI 301CW started in 2012: students learn about peer review and editing scientific journals

32. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Print version started in 1998 as part of BI 301 General Ecology Laboratory course • Online version started in 2001 (on Juniata College Ecology webpage) • BI 301CW started in 2012: students learn about peer review and editing scientific journals • In 2014 the 15th volume will be printed

35. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum • Understanding all of the steps of doing science • Understanding how scientific journals work • Professional formatting • Peer-reviewing • Roles of editors • Archival function of journals • Using in job & school applications • Papers cited in professional literature

36. History & apparent benefits of Juniata’s Journal of Ecological Research (JER) in the context of the Biology Department curriculum BI 189: How to write good scientific papers ↓ BI 289: How to be a professional biologist ↓ BI 301: How to publish good scientific papers BI 301CW: How to review and edit scientific papers (SIMULATIONS) ↓ BI 389: How to write research proposals ↓ BI 489: How to engage in independent, potentially publishable research (REAL DEAL)

37. ꞉ ꞉

38. Looking for advice on how to improve JER Online search engine Improving lab & CW components of BI 301 (evaluating individual contributions to group reports; teaching & learning of peer-reviewing and editing) Adding Discussions of research & publishing ethics Methods of assessment

39. Major objective in 2012 syllabus BI 301CW: “To enhance your understanding of scientific writing by giving you the opportunity to learn how a scientific journal is edited and published. Your assignments will involve writing about the nature of scientific journals, the editing process, and your experiences as editors of JER, as well as an individually written version of your final research report for BI 301.”

40. Nature of Scientific Journals Discussion questions: What is (are) the purpose(s) of scientific journals (and the articles that they contain)? Who are the authors and who are the readers? How are scientific articles structured and why? What is the writing style and why? Who runs scientific journals? What are the relative roles of academic and commercial interests in publishing scientific journals? (Corollary issues related to printed vs. electronic publication of scientific journals, and how they are paid for). How do scientific journals differ from newspapers and popular magazines?

41. Editing Scientific Articles Discussion questions: Why are scientific articles peer-reviewed? Evaluate the pros and cons of peer review. Who are the reviewers and what are they expected to do? What duties are performed by the editors of a journal? What kinds of editors do scientific journals have and what are their specific functions? Describe the various kinds of editing that occur before a scientific article is accepted for publication.