SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal

The SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal is an annual, open-access publication (ISSN 2632-6302). We publish outstanding work from across the humanities and social sciences, showcasing the regional and topical diversity of undergraduate scholarship at SOAS and disseminating original student research to the broader academic community. 

Founded in 2018, the journal is run by an all-student Editorial Board, who gain valuable professional experience reading submissions, editing accepted papers and preparing each issue for publication in both online and print form. We are supported by an advisory board of SOAS academics.

Submissions

The SOAS UGRJ accepts submissions of full-length articles (up to 6,000 words), brief research reports (up to 1,500 words) and literature reviews (1,500-3,000 words).

Our 2021 issue (Vol 2) is hot off the press, with six full-length articles addressing issues in international relations, political economy of race and ethnicity, material culture and memory, music and protest, and ethnic identity.

We review manuscript submissions on a rolling basis. Learn how to submit your work for consideration in the section below.

Join us!

Members of the SOAS UGRJ Editorial Board receive training in the fundamentals of academic editing and publishing, and develop useful transferable skills in project management, teamwork, layout, publicity, editing and publishing. With an ethos of curiosity, collaboration and commitment, our editors are passionate about sharing ideas and building intellectual community within the SOAS student body and beyond. If this sounds like you, we welcome your application to join us.

We are now accepting applications to join the 2021/22 Editorial Board.

Journal Issues

The SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal (SUGRJ) is an annual, open-access journal published under the auspices of the Library, Learning and Research Directorate at SOAS, University of London. A student-run research publication, it aims to showcase the regional and topical diversity of undergraduate scholarship at SOAS and to disseminate the results of original student research to the broader academic community. ISSN 2632-6299 (Print) | 2632-6302 (Online)

Submission guidelines

The SOAS Undergraduate Research Journal welcomes submissions from across the social sciences and humanities, addressing any region in the world. We review and accept work on a rolling basis, publishing in pdf form on our website as well as in complete issues.

Before submitting work for consideration, we encourage you to take note of the following guidelines. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will not be reviewed.

Who can submit

  • Current undergraduate students at SOAS
  • Students who have graduated from SOAS within the last two years

Submission criteria

  • Word count between 1,000 and 6,000 words, including notes and reference list, as follows:
    • Full-length academic article (2,000 to 6,000 words)
    • Analytical literature review (1,500 to 3,000 words) 
    • Brief research report (up to 1,500 words)
  • Based on research conducted as a student at SOAS, either for a module or as a research assistant:
    • If the submission is based on coursework from a SOAS module, the original coursework must have received a mark of 67 or higher. 
      Submissions based on coursework must be accompanied by a copy of the TurnItIn page showing the mark and marker comments. If you do not have access to BLE, the Student Support Officer or module convenor should be able to download this for you.
    • If the submission is based on research undertaken while working as a research assistant, the work must be accompanied by a letter of support from the research supervisor.
    • An extended essay or ISP may be shortened into any of the acceptable formats above.
  • Revised from original coursework, in response to marker feedback and with a wider readership in mind.
  • Formatted as follows:
    • Harvard referencing style, ending with a complete list of references cited. 
    • Times New Roman, font size 12
    • 1.5 line spacing
    • 2.5cm/1-inch page margins
    • Full, descriptive article title (do not reproduce an essay 'title' assigned for a module)
  • Include an abstract (100-200 words) and five keywords reflecting the paper's content
  • Have a cover page with the following information:
    • Author’s full name
    • Degree title
    • Module or project title (if a research assistant)
    • Year of study in which the original essay was written
    • Current year of study / graduation date

If you are unclear about these criteria, please do not hesitate to contact the editorial team: soasugrj@soas.ac.uk

How to submit

Please send your complete submission -- cover page, abstract and keywords, and the work itself -- as a single Word document (.docx), accompanied by the TurnItIn feedback (.pdf), to: ugrjsubmissions@soas.ac.uk

In the subject line, indicate the relevant academic subject area(s), e.g., International Relations, African Studies, Linguistics, Anthropology, etc.

Be sure to include all elements indicated in the guidelines above. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed and will be returned to the author.