Submissions

Now accepting research, scholarly, creative, and cover art synopsis submissions by undergraduates for potential publication in Volume 12.

View the Synopsis Application

Explorations is an interdisciplinary journal open to all undergraduate students from all disciplines who have conducted research or creative scholarship under faculty mentorship at Texas A&M University. Explorations uses a double blind referee process. Approximately 15-20% of submissions are accepted for publication each year.

Submission Timeline

Dates	Description
February 3, 2020	Synopsis Submission Deadline Submit a synopsis of your research or scholarly work by this date to be considered for publication.
February 21, 2020	Synopsis acceptances will be issued by this date.
March 18, 2020	Full Manuscript Deadline By invitation only, if synopsis is accepted.
April 9, 2020	Full manuscript acceptances will be issued by this date.
April 15-May 1, 2020	1-on-1 meetings with Explorations editors to refine full manuscripts in preparation for the final article submission. Contact editorial teams with questions.
May 5, 2020	Final article, original files, faculty approval, and required paperwork deadline
Summer semester	Articles undergo two additional rounds of editing by LAUNCH staff and a professional editor. Authors must stay in contact with Explorations staff to manage edits and approvals, and to answer any questions staff may have about article content or design.
November 2020	Journal Release

General Editorial Guidelines

See final article templates and guides:
See full manuscript templates and guides:
Articles
- 2,500 max for full manuscripts (various file formats allowed on Explorations Interactive, however, figures worth 300 words in printed copy)
- Figures, images, tables, etc., must be placed in the document and labeled consecutively with captions and/or titles
- Maximum of 10 references/citations
Cover Artwork
- Full design must be 8.625" by 11.125" (Portrait Orientation). This means that your 8.5” x 11” document includes a 1/8” bleed. Your design must extend to the edges of the document (i.e. Do not leave the bleed area blank unless it is intentional for the design).
- At least 300 dpi. Vector format is preferred for digital artwork.
- Note that we will place the Explorations and Texas A&M University logos, as well as a “tab” with the volume number and release date, on the cover design. See past issues for examples.
Faculty advisor approval required and involvement encouraged at all publication stages

Volume 12 Synopsis Prompts

Question/Category	Scholarly	Creative Works	Cover Artwork
Your Process	What research question does your project address?	What research question does your project address?	What subject matter does your artwork address?
Your Question	Why is this research important and how will it contribute to your field?	How does your work engage with disciplinary paradigms, such as genre, school, style, or form?	How does your work engage with disciplinary paradigms, such as genre, school, style, or form?
Connect to Your Discipline	Briefly describe your methods or theoretical framework.	Briefly describe your methods, technique, and/or process, and explain how they are connected to your final product.	Briefly describe your methods, technique, and/or process, and explain how they are connected to your final product.
Significance: The "Wow" Factor	Explain why this project is a timely, significant, and relevant research project.	What new knowledge did your work produce?	What is the broader context of your artwork? What new knowledge does your artwork produce? How should your artwork be interpreted by your target audience?
Project Outcomes	Do you have outcomes or results from your project? If yes, please expand on those outcomes. If no, please provide a brief timeline of your expected outcomes.	Have you produced an artifact, and have you had an exhibition, performance, or public display of the work? If yes, please explain. If not, please provide a brief timeline of when you expect to complete your artifact and public exhibition/ performance/display.	Is your cover artwork an original piece for Explorations, or has it been displayed/exhibited/published elsewhere? What role do you see your cover artwork serving the Explorations journal?
Your Individual Contributions	If you are part of an ongoing research project (i.e. lab, grant, database, etc.) or part of a team, describe your specific contributions to the project. If this does not apply to you, please write N/A and a sentence explaining why.	If you are part of an ongoing research project (i.e. performance, musical group, installation, etc.) or part of a team, describe your specific contributions to the project. If this does not apply to you, please write N/A and a sentence explaining why.	If you are part of a team or collaborative group (undergraduates only) that produced this cover artwork, describe each member’s specific contributions to the project. If this does not apply to you, please write N/A.

Note to Authors of Cover Artwork Submissions: You will also be asked to upload a draft version of the proposed cover artwork. All Cover Artwork submissions must be entirely original (use of stock photography or other images found online is strictly prohibited).

Direct questions to explorations@tamu.edu.