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Undergraduate research journals are periodicals that publish work by undergraduates, or work done with undergraduate participation. The widest directory of them is the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) listing, and one well-documented example is the American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR). This page shows where to find undergraduate research journals, what a journal’s own pages let you check before you submit, and how the free-versus-fee question works. Facts below were read from the CUR and AJUR sites on 2026-11-07.
What undergraduate research journals are
An undergraduate research journal (also searched as “journal of student research”) publishes scholarly or creative work by undergraduate students, usually with a faculty mentor involved. Some are run by one university, some by a discipline, and some are multidisciplinary and national. They differ in who reviews submissions, what they charge and where they are indexed, so the journal’s own About and Submissions pages matter more than its name.
Where to find them: the CUR listing
CUR maintains the Undergraduate Research Journal Listing at cur.org/engage/undergraduate/journals/listing. It is an alphabetical list with a search box. Three statements on that page shape how you should use it:
- The list is “provided by CUR for informational purposes only.”
- It is “populated by self-entry by the journal and is not validated by CUR,” and journals add themselves through a “POST YOUR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL” form.
- “CUR does not evaluate or endorse any specific journal,” and “some journals listed below may require payment for publication.”
In practice, appearing on the list says that a journal registered itself, not that anyone checked its review process. The list is a place to start, and every journal on it still needs the checks in the section below. Many university libraries and undergraduate research offices publish their own lists as well, which can add discipline or campus context.
Worked example: the American Journal of Undergraduate Research
The American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR, ajuronline.org) shows what a journal’s own pages should tell you. Its site describes it as a “national, independent, faculty peer-reviewed, open-source, quarterly” journal “established in 2002.” From the same site:
- Who can submit: work “written by undergraduates and with undergraduates’ participation”; submissions from outside the United States are accepted if they are of broad interest to US and international readers.
- Cost: published “at no cost to authors.”
- Identifiers: each manuscript receives a DOI.
- Indexing: the site states the journal is indexed internationally by EBSCO and Crossref.
- Where the details live: the “Submissions and Review” page covers the process; “History and Editors” is the About page.
Note the pattern: each claim is something the journal states about itself, and each can be checked against the page. This is a description of what AJUR publishes about itself, not a ranking.
How to check a journal before you submit
- Find the review statement. Look for who reviews manuscripts (faculty, outside experts, student editors) on the journal’s Submissions or Review page. AJUR, for example, states “faculty peer-reviewed.”
- Find the eligibility rule. Check whether authors must be current undergraduates, recent graduates, or whether mentor-coauthored work is accepted.
- Find the fee statement. Search the site for “fee,” “charge” or “article processing charge.” CUR warns that some listed journals may require payment, so absence of a statement is not a statement of no fee.
- Check for a DOI. A journal that assigns DOIs says so in its policies, and the identifier on a published article should resolve to it.
- Check indexing claims at the index. If a journal says it is indexed by a named service, confirm it on that service’s own site. For open access journals, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) publishes its own list.
- Read recent issues. Confirm the journal publishes regularly and that the archive matches what the site says.
- Ask your mentor. Faculty mentors usually know the norms of the field and can tell you whether the venue suits your discipline and your goals.
Free journals and fee-charging journals
Whether a journal is free to publish in is stated by the journal, not by the CUR list. Some venues, like AJUR, state that there is no cost to authors; CUR notes others may charge. Journals that charge neither authors nor readers are often described as diamond open access. Because the CUR list does not record fees, check each journal individually and settle the question before submission, not after acceptance.
Strengths and limits of the main starting points
| Starting point | What it offers | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| CUR Undergraduate Research Journal Listing | Alphabetical, searchable list; journals add themselves | Does not validate, evaluate or endorse journals; fees not guaranteed absent |
| A single journal such as AJUR | Self-stated review process, eligibility, no author fees, DOIs, indexing | Covers only that journal; claims are the journal’s own |
Alternatives to a dedicated undergraduate journal
Undergraduate work is not limited to student-only journals. Other routes include presenting at a conference, posting a preprint, or co-authoring with a mentor in a general journal. Funded programs often lead to such outputs; see summer undergraduate research experiences and undergraduate research award programs.
FAQ
Does a journal of undergraduate research have an impact factor?
Neither the CUR listing nor AJUR’s site, as read on 2026-11-07, states an impact factor, so this page does not give one. Ask the journal or check its site; do not rely on a figure that is not published by its source.
Are there free journals for undergraduate research?
Yes. AJUR states it publishes “at no cost to authors.” CUR warns that some listed journals may charge, so confirm each journal’s fee statement.
Is there a journal of undergraduate research in the humanities?
The CUR listing is searchable, and the AJUR site describes scholarly and creative manuscripts across disciplines. Use the CUR search box with your discipline and read each journal’s scope page.
Can I publish if my work was done with a faculty mentor?
AJUR accepts work “written by undergraduates and with undergraduates’ participation.” Other journals set their own rules, so check each Submissions page.
Sources
- Council on Undergraduate Research, Undergraduate Research Journal Listing, read 2026-11-07.
- American Journal of Undergraduate Research, ajuronline.org, read 2026-11-07.
