How long does the entire editorial process take?
Ideally, we can streamline the process to be completed within a few months of submission:
- Editor connects your manuscript to faculty/graduate reviewers – 3 weeks
- Reviewers submit round 1 review comments – 2 weeks
- Authors submit round 1 revisions – 2 weeks
- Reviewers submit round 2 review comments – 2 weeks
- Authors submit round 2 revisions – 2 weeks
- Editors send copyedited manuscripts to the author – 2 weeks
- Authors submit copyedited revisions – 2 weeks
- Editors send typeset manuscript to author – 2 weeks
- Authors confirm typesetted manuscript – 2 weeks
- Manuscript is added to the next available publication – varies in time
However, this is not a strict guide. We understand reviewers and authors may require more time to complete their revisions and address necessary comments, which may include an extra round of review. Authors are encouraged to submit revisions on time, and we thank you for your patience if your manuscript requires more review or extra time for copyediting and typesetting.
If you require more time for your review or revision, we are flexible with extensions. Please email your corresponding editor!
What are copyediting and typesetting?
Copyediting: Second stage in the review process where the editorial team helps edit the manuscript for reading clarity. CJUR is multidisciplinary, so our aim is to provide an external perspective on whether certain sections should be reworded or clarified.
Typesetting: Third and last stage in the review process where the editorial team formats the manuscript to be publication-ready. This is the version available for readers found under the Articles tab.
I undertook independent research and do not have a direct supervisor. Can I still submit to CJUR?
Yes, if you are able to obtain faculty endorsement within the field of the subject matter, and you meet all of our eligibility criteria.
In the submission form, we require the signature of at least one (1) faculty member in your relevant discipline who supports your publication (e.g., for a manuscript focused on the intersections of biochemistry and archaeology, approval must be obtained from a professor in either biochemistry, archaeology, or both). This means that you have asked an expert in the field to thoroughly review your manuscript and offer feedback to ensure accuracy, clarity, and overall quality. This supervisor does not necessarily need to be listed as an author for the manuscript.
Faculty endorsements may include professors or principal investigators, but exclude graduate students.
I graduated in 2024. Am I still eligible to submit to CJUR?
We only accept submissions from authors who have graduated in the current or previous academic calendar year. We are currently in the 2025/2026 academic year.
- If you graduated in the 2023/2024 academic year or earlier, unfortunately, you are no longer eligible to submit to CJUR.
- If you graduated in the 2024/2025 academic year, you are eligible to submit to CJUR.
My manuscript was rejected or revisions were requested by the editor before an initial decision was made. Can I still resubmit the manuscript after I have revised it?
Yes, we allow authors to resubmit manuscripts twice if they are sure that they have addressed all comments from the editors and the reviewers completely and thoroughly. The limit is in place to ensure that authors are able to receive feedback and act on suggested revisions.
How should I format my manuscript?
We require authors to use our submission templates as detailed in the Required Documents section of our Publish With Us! Page. Please keep mandatory headings and remove all the comments in italics. This helps us edit and typeset your manuscript more easily!
Am I allowed to publish the manuscript or part of the manuscript in another publication?
Authors submitting manuscripts to the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research must ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere, in part or in full, in any language.
If a duplicate publication is identified before or after acceptance, the manuscript will be rejected, and published articles may be subject to retraction. The journal reserves the right to notify the author’s institution and other relevant parties about breaches of publication ethics.
Am I allowed to use generative AI or AI-assisted tools?
Please read our policy on generative AI and AI-assisted tools below. Any further questions can be directed to cjur.uro@gmail.com.
Rights for Authors
Usage Policies
The posting, reproduction, transmission, or other distribution or use of the article submitted or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption (see below) or by written agreement of the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research, requires credit to Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research as copyright holder (e.g., Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research © 2025).
General Terms and Conditions
The failure of the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavour to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.
Personal Use Exemptions
The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from the Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research, provided the author does not alter the format or content of the articles, including the copyright notification:
- posting of the article on a non-commercial course website for a course being taught by the author at the university or college employing the author;
- storage and back-up of the article on the author’s computer(s) and digital media (e.g., external hard drives, back-up servers), provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by persons other than the author(s);
- posting of the article on the author(s)’s personal website, provided that the website is non-commercial; and,
- posting of the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial open access institutional repository or other non-commercial open access publication site affiliated with the author(s)’s place of employment (e.g., a biochemistry student at the University of British Columbia can have their article appear in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Biochemistry online publication series)
Plagiarism
The Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research is committed to maintaining academic integrity and ethical research practices. Plagiarism, which includes using another person’s ideas, words, or work without proper acknowledgment, is a serious breach of these principles and will not be tolerated.
All submissions to the journal must represent original work. Authors are required to properly cite all sources, including direct quotes, paraphrased material, data, and ideas derived from other works. Authors found by our reviewers or the editorial board to have engaged in plagiarism or related unethical practices will face rejection of their submission and may be barred from future publication in the journal. In cases where plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal reserves the right to retract the article and issue a public statement.
We encourage all contributors to familiarize themselves with academic citation standards and act in accordance with the ethical guidelines of their respective fields. Upholding academic integrity is a shared responsibility that is essential for fostering trust, credibility, and innovation in scholarly communication.
Policy on Generative AI and AI-assisted Tools
For scientific writing
Authors are only permitted the use of AI-assisted writing tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to improve manuscript readability; thus, large language models (LLMs) and chatbots are not to be included as co-authors of a manuscript. When used, authors are required to disclose this in the acknowledgements section; this statement is to be included in the published journal article. Ultimately, the authors must ensure their manuscript is accurate and plagiarism-free and that references are accurately cited.
For images and figures
The Canadian Journal of Undergraduate Research does not permit the use of generative AI for images or figures in manuscripts without explicit permission. This includes enhancing, removing, moving, or introducing features.
It must be noted that this policy does not prevent the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in research methods, as this is common in many fields. A complete description of the use of AI must be provided in the methods section if this is the case. For instance, “Portions of the statistical analysis were assisted by Python libraries and reviewed with ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-5, 2025 version) for coding efficiency. All outputs were validated by the authors.”
Failure to comply with this policy will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript and deletion of the author’s account from CJUR’s Open Journal Systems database. Furthermore, CJUR understands that the use of AI in scientific research is constantly evolving, and we are determined to develop our stance on ethical technological use in tandem with these changes.