The Nevada State Undergraduate Research Journal is a new student-run, peer-reviewed research journal for undergraduate students in the Nevada System of Higher Education.

"The research journal is a way for students to get their research published." Michael Collopy, the assistant vice president of research for the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Research, said. "It will be a biannual academic journal where the scholarly findings are peer-reviewed prior to publication."

The journal is run by senior co-editors Alex Sunderland, a biotechnology student who is minoring in business administration, and Kristina Pomerleau, who is majoring in neuroscience and wildlife ecology and conservation. Sunderland and Pomerleau are excited to be part of the launch of the research journal.  

"We want this to be a success," Sunderland said. "We want what is being published in the journal to be on the same tier as highly regarded academic research journals."  

According to Sunderland, research that is published is beneficial to increasing the prestige of the undergraduate's work, which can be especially important for students planning on continuing their education through graduate school. The journal will also be a way to highlight the high level of research that is being conducted in Nevada's higher educational institutions.   

The first journal is set to be published this fall. The editors are looking for graduate student volunteers and NSHE faculty members to help review the submissions. Sunderland and Pomerleau are going to great lengths to ensure the journal has a high-level of academic validity.   

"We are trying to set a precedent," Sunderland said. "We have taken a lot of time to think about what we are doing and how we are doing it as it applies to the future editors. Future editors will be able to change procedures but we want to lay a strong foundation."­­­  

Submitted research must have been conducted as an undergraduate student and can be submitted up to one year after a student finishes their undergraduate degree. Students from all majors are encouraged to submit their research to Nevada State Undergraduate Research Journal's website. The website is also a resource for students to learn about grant opportunities to help fund research.  

"With our first issue, we want to do our best to get a broad variety of journals from multiple schools within the Nevada System of Higher Education," Sunderland said. "As the journal picks up, hopefully we will increase the engagement from all the colleges and schools."  

Submissions for the journal will be accepted year-round, and the deadline for the first publication has been extended from May 31 to June 30. For more information, visit http://nsurj.com/.