About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Agora: Political Science Undergraduate Journal is an online peer reviewed journal that publishes scholarly work done by undergraduates in the field of political science.

Following in the tradition of peer-reviewed academic journals, The Agora seeks to represent the finest work of undergraduate students in the field of political science.

For undergraduate students, the opportunity to showcase, edit, and publish written work is often limited. In response to this, this journal was launched to provide an outlet for students to submit and review academic papers outside of the traditional student-teacher relationship.

The Agora has two objectives: to give undergraduate students a chance to have their scholarly work published and to involve students in the process of peer-review. Ultimately, The Agora aims to provide a valuable academic experience for students in a professional publication format.

Peer Review Process

The Agora uses a peer review system to review all articles in order to ensure the journal represents the finest work of undergraduate students.

The peer review system used by The Agora has two general steps:

  1. All articles are first peer reviewed by fellow submitters. All individuals wishing to have their paper printed will be required to edit two other papers that have been submitted. Papers will be distributed for review after the final submission deadline has passed. Reviewed papers will then be returned to the submitters in order to allow them to make changes. At that point, authors will also be informed of the final deadline to submit changes.
  2. Once the final versions of papers have been submitted, the journal’s editorial board will look at the recommendations of the editors and determine final acceptance for publication.

Publication Frequency

The Agora: Political Science Undergraduate Journal is published biannually. Typically, there are two submission deadlines: early October and early February. Completed issues are then published in December and May. Check out our front page or the announcements tab for the latest deadlines for publication.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

How To Submit

If you would like to submit a paper to The Agora, please consult the following steps first:

  1. As most of our papers are originally completed for a class assignment, we ask that you take any feedback given by professors and incorporate it into the version that you submit.
  2. Ensure that your paper conforms to all the requirements listed under Author Guidelines.
  3. Ensure that your paper conforms to all the requirements listed under Formatting.

Papers can either be submitted to us directly at theagora@ualberta.ca or they can be submitted through our journal’s webpage. See below for details.

Submitting Online

If you are looking to submit an article online, please follow these steps:

  1. Register for the site as an 'author' in order to receive a username and password.
  2. Log into the site using your username and password. Choose 'User Home' from the top menu bar.
  3. Choose 'Author' from the list of user roles listed. If this is your first time 'Author' will be the only role you are able to select anyway.
  4. You are now at the page were you can make new submissions as well as manage active ones. Choose 'Click Here' under the 'Make a New Submission' header.
  5. Now follow the instructions onscreen to complete the submission process.
  6. You should receive an e-mail confirming your submission.

Having trouble? Either contact us at theagora@ualberta.ca for support or you can submit by e-mail. See below for details on how to submit by e-mail.

Submitting by E-mail

If you are looking to submit an article by e-mail, please follow these steps:

1. Put your name in the subject line:
Submission: [Your Name]
2. Please include your abstract in the body of the e-mail (seperate from the article itself)
3. Please include the name of your school in the subject of the e-mail.

All submissions submitted by e-mail should be sent to theagora@ualberta.ca

Sources of Support

The Agora would like to thank the Political Science Department at the University of Alberta for its continued advice and support. Furthermore, it would also like to thank the University of Alberta's library system for both its advice and agreeing to host our journal on its servers.

http://www.politicalscience.ualberta.ca/

http://www.library.ualberta.ca/

Journal History

The idea for The Agora was first concieved in 2010 by a group of undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. The first issue was then published in Winter 2011, and issues have been rolling off the press since then!

Founding Editorial Board 2010-2011
Tyler Dawson
Dave Cherniak
Chris Berger
Jen Melton
Kelly Freer
Claire Himsl
Brendon Legault
Aaron Aitken

Editorial Board 2011-2012
Aaron Aitken
Brendon Legault
Claire Himsl
Kelly Freer
Kevin Pinkoski
Mandi Deren-Dubé
Spencer Dunn
Jed Johns