Undergraduate Research at the Scholarly Commons

While the research conducted by graduate students and faculty has been a trademark of the University of Illinois for over a century, undergraduate research is often overshadowed. Why is undergraduate research important? As the Office of Undergraduate Research explains, “Our [mission] is guided by the philosophy that all Illinois undergraduate students should learn about current disciplinary research, take part in research discussions, and be exposed to research experiences in their regular coursework.” Learning how to do research in a field is quickly becoming part of what it means to learn a field.

As a source for digital content creation and scholarly communication, the Scholarly Commons has built on this mission to provide a digital publishing base for these bright students through the Undergraduate Research Journals. These journals have the dual purpose of showcasing the work our undergraduates are doing while giving experience to students, both undergraduate and graduate, in running their own academic journals.

Through the open-access framework of Open Journal System, these journals present work from disciplines across campus ranging from English to Agricultural sciences. Some of these journals have had print runs in the past, or continue to print conventionally, while others are taking advantage of the online format to start new publishing opportunities.

The Illini Journal of International Security is one such journal. Through the Program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security, IJOIS is a new journal publishing this year accepting cross-disciplinary approaches to international security issues.

Our Undergraduate Research Journals are a window into the exciting work being done by undergraduates across campus, and we encourage our readers to check each of the journals out at https://ugresearchjournals.illinois.edu/.

-Posted on behalf of Dylan Burns

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