Publication

Publishing your research in an academic journal is another way to share your scholarly contributions with a larger audience, expand your professional network, and build your scholarly and professional reputation. Faculty, post-doc, and/or graduate student mentors can advise you on what work is ready to be published and how to do so. If you've done significant, independent work on a research project, you might be considered the work's "first author." If your work contributes to a body of work pursued by a group of people, you may be considered a "co-author." Academic journals, managed by national and international professional organizations in various fields, invite submissions from researchers at every level, while others journals specifically publish the work of undergraduates. Review of submissions is conducted by a panel of "peer-reviewers," comprising of faculty, other researchers, and other members of the academic community who will judge the validity, soundness, and novelty of your work. Your work will likely receive feedback that needs to be addressed in another round (or several rounds) of submission before acceptance for publication. Not only is publishing a good way to practice academic writing, but it's also a great exercise in receiving and responding to professional feedback.

Instead of a research article, you might consider publishing a literature review with a faculty research advisor. In contrast to research articles, literature reviews give comprehensive syntheses and analyses of existing research in a field. Creating a literature review requires understanding what others have published about a topic, being able to articulate what advances have been made and what gaps and questions still remain. Composing these reviews, like research articles, relies on patience, attention-to-detail, and ability to communicate complicated findings succinctly and simply. 

If you are thinking of publishing your research or a literature review of work in your field of interest, consult with your research advisors on how to get started. Publishing takes patience and hard work but is a worthwhile endeavor and celebration of your research efforts!