Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2

On Monday, July 1st, 2024, went live with four undergraduate research articles. The issue celebrates the work of undergraduate researchers representing three academic colleges: College of Liberal Arts, College of Sciences, and the Greenspun College of Urban
Affairs.

At 51ԹϺ, students and their mentors are encouraged to submit their research to Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal.

updated spectra 2024 cover

About Spectra

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is a bi-annual (i.e., fall and spring issues), peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, open-access journal primarily dedicated to the publication of undergraduate student research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. If and when possible, Spectra also publishes well-qualified undergraduate research from other institutions.

Spectra is committed to advancing responsible and ethical conduct of research, academic integrity, civil discourse, open and critical inquiry, and fair and unbiased representation of undergraduate student research across the academic spectrum.

Spectra Logo

Spectra Awards

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal Cover Artwork Award
Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal Best Article Award

Workshops

OUR offers workshops on how to write abstracts, annotate bibliographies, cite properly, prepare manuscripts for publication, and review manuscripts for publication, encompassing many stages of the writing spectrum.

To sign up for these workshops, please go to OUR’s RSA page.

Aim

The main objectives of SPECTRA are to:

  1. Develop and improve research publishing skills by means of peer review process whereby scholarly feedback received,
  2. Provide undergraduate authors with the opportunity to engage in collaboration with their peers and faculty members, both in their research and during the publication process,
  3. Promote, expand, and enhance undergraduate student research participation at 51ԹϺ,
  4. Support and reward undergraduate students’ research involvement and add value to their overall education, professional development, and career readiness,
  5. Elevate the status of undergraduate research education at 51ԹϺ.

Scope

As OUR defines research in the broadest and most inclusive way, SPECTRA invites submissions from the following disciplines:

  • AHS – Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Fine Arts, Business, Education, Hospitality, Liberal Arts, Urban Affairs
  • HNSE – Health and Natural Sciences and Engineering: Engineering, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Sciences including Math, Geoscience, and Life Sciences

We encourage submission of original research that is well written and accessible to a wide audience and accept the following forms of literary and empirical work:

  1. Primary research articles
  2. Primary review articles
  3. Research protocol articles
  4. Thesis-based research articles from laboratory and field work, term papers (with the approval and endorsement of the instructor), or other faculty-supervised projects.
  5. Creative writing including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and prose
  6. Visual arts and photography

Editorial Board

  • Rafael Oganesyan, Ph.D., Editor-In-Chief, 51ԹϺ Director of Undergraduate Research
  • Sydney Elliot, Managing Editor, 51ԹϺ Office of Undergraduate Research

Advisory Board

  • Eda Anlamlier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, 51ԹϺ Marketing and International Business
  • Seyhmus Baloglu, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, 51ԹϺ Hospitality Management
  • Emma Bloomfield, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, 51ԹϺ Communications Studies
  • Valarie Burke, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Services, 51ԹϺ Graduate College
  • Janet Dufek, Ph.D., FACSM, 51ԹϺ Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor
  • Jorge Fonseca Cacho, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Faculty-in-Residence, 51ԹϺ Computer Science
  • Andrew Hanson, Ph.D., Dean, 51ԹϺ Honors College
  • Sarah Harris, Ph.D., Professor, 51ԹϺ Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Dustin Hines, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, 51ԹϺ Psychology
  • Phillip Honenberger, Ph.D., Part-time Instructor, 51ԹϺ Philosophy
  • Kyle Kaalberg, Ph.D., Executive Director, 51ԹϺ Strategy and Strategic Initiatives
  • Gwen C. Marchand, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Projects and Associate Professor, 51ԹϺ College of Education
  • Cian McMahon, Ph.D., Associate Professor, 51ԹϺ History and Honors College
  • Kathryn Rafferty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor-in-Residence, 51ԹϺ School of Life Sciences
  • Kurt Regner, Ph.D., Professor-in-Residence, 51ԹϺ School of Life Sciences
  • Eduardo Robleto, Ph.D., Professor, 51ԹϺ School of Life Sciences
  • Rian Satterwhite, M.Ed., M.A., 51ԹϺ Director for Service Learning and Leadership

  • Dean Smith, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, 51ԹϺ Nevada Extreme Conditions Laboratory

  • Michelle Tusan, Ph.D., Professor, 51ԹϺ History
  • Andrea Wirth, M.S., 51ԹϺ Interim Head of Scholarly Communication Initiatives/Scholarly Communication Librarian
  • Brad Woods, Ph.D., 51ԹϺ Executive Director of the Office of Research Integrity; Research Integrity Officer
  • Shaoan Zhang, Ph.D., Professor, 51ԹϺ Teaching and Learning
  • Erin Zimmerman, Ph.D., Director, 51ԹϺ Writing Center

Instructions for Authors

  • As we publish two issues in fall and spring semesters, we encourage undergraduate researchers to submit manuscripts for review on an ongoing basis with no specific deadlines.
  • For all manuscript submissions, students must be under the supervision of a faculty member or gain approval from the appropriate faculty member prior to submission.
  • Authors will retain the rights to their original work.
  • Submitted articles must be original work that has not been published or accepted or under review for publication elsewhere. Conference papers presented orally or poster presentations do not count as publications and are eligible for publication.
  • OUR does not charge submission or processing cost to authors to publish in Spectra.

OUR manages Spectra and the entire publication process, from submitting a manuscript to its review, revision, acceptance, and final publication, using the .

To submit your manuscript, please go to:  and click on “Submit Article” link.

  1.   Before you begin, please be sure you have the following items:
                    Article Title
                    An abstract (separate from the article body)
                    Keywords for your article (optional)
                    Article in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word, or RTF.
  2. Articles must be submitted without a title page, abstract, or page numbers. These will be provided by the system. This is especially important so that you do not include any identifying information about the authors, as the article you submit will be sent to reviewers
  3. All manuscripts should have 1-inch margins on all sides
  4. All text should be formatted in single column and double-spaced
  5. Limit manuscript sections and sub-sections to 3 heading levels. Make sure heading levels are clearly indicated in the manuscript text
  6. Please cite primary and secondary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books and book chapters, government reports, and other legitimate published data etc.) and avoid grey literature (e.g., websites, blog posts, working papers, newsletters, social media posts, meeting notes, and personal notes)
  7. Times New Roman font type and 12 point font size should be used
  8. All text must be left-aligned and all paragraphs must be indented
  9. All pages must include page numbers (top, right-aligned) and continuous line numbers

  • Primary research articles, primary review articles, research protocol articles, and thesis-based research articles must use “APA style,” following The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition for specific guidelines provided below:
  • Authors submitting creative writing including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and prose should use “MLA style” and consult the following links for specific guidelines and instructions: 
  • To help with your reference management, consider using some of the tools listed below:
    • : A free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research
    • : Generate references, citations and bibliographies in a whole range of journal styles with just a few clicks

Avoid Plagiarism

Please consult the resources below to learn more about writing with integrity and avoid plagiarism:

  • provides resources about plagiarism in academic writing

Manuscripts for the following submission types should contain the sections listed below:

  1. Primary research articles
  2. Primary review articles
  3. Research protocol articles
  4. Thesis-based research articles

Please note that the items #1 through 4 will be blinded during the submission stage to remove any identifiers about the authors but will still be submitted through the online submission portal to the editors. Abstracts will also be submitted during the initial submission through the same online portal.

1 Full Title Page The title of the article
2 Full names and credentials First M. Last, BSc Student [1]*, First M. Last, PhD [2]
[1] Department of X, University of Y, City, State, Country, Postal, Email Address
[2] Department of W, University of Z, City, State, Country, Postal, Email Address
3 Corresponding author *Corresponding author’s email address goes here
4 Author ORCID ID# Full Name:
5 Abstract

Not to exceed 250 words

  1. Introduction - Concisely describe the context and purpose of your research
  2. Methods - Concisely describe how the research was conducted and quantitative or qualitative methods and techniques used without details
  3. Results - Summarize your most important and main findings
  4. Discussion - Concisely describe the study implications and future directions
6 Keywords keyword1; keyword2; keyword3; keyword4; keyword5; keyword6
7 Introduction
  1. Research objective(s) - Describe the main objective(s) of your research
  2. Conceptual/theoretical framework(s) - Embed your research within relevant and pertinent theoretical or explanatory framework(s) and note any relevant controversies or disagreements in the field
  3. Literature review and background - Include a brief review of the key literature and provide background that puts the manuscript into context and allows readers outside the field to understand the purpose and significance of the study
  4. Significance and contribution(s) - Define the problem addressed and why it is important
  5. Research question(s) - Present your specific research questions
8 Methods
  1. Design and protocol - Provide enough detail to allow suitably skilled investigators to fully assess and replicate your study
  2. Materials and sampling - Provide details about your materials, sample size, and sampling strategy
  3. Types of analysis - Provide details about your analytical framework and techniques
9 Results Present your results and describe your key findings
10 Discussion Interpret your results
11 Conclusions
  1. Main conclusions - Describe the conclusions that can be drawn and/or can be generalizable
  2. Importance to the field - Explain how the results relate and contribute to your field
  3. Broader implication and future directions - Provide a succinct explanation of the implications of the findings, particularly in relation to previous related studies and potential future directions for research
12 List of abbreviations used If abbreviations are used in the text they should be defined in the text at first use written in full with the abbreviation in parentheses. A complete list of all abbreviations used should be provided in a section called List of Abbreviations directly following the Conclusions section.
13 Conflicts of Interest The “Conflicts of Interest” section should declare any real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest between the duties or responsibilities related to research, and personal, institutional or other interests associated with each author. Conflicts of interest can exist when an author’s interpretation of data or presentation of information may be influenced by their personal or financial relationship with other people or organizations. If all authors have no conflicts of interest, please state “The author(s) declare that they have no conflict of interests.”
14 Ethics Approval If the study reported in your manuscript required review by your institution's review board (IRB), please provide the details in this section. If your study involved human participants, please describe the steps taken to gain the consent of the study participants.
15 Authors’ Contributions According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to:
  1. Conception and design, analysis and interpretation of data
  2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
Please outline the contributions made by each author marked by their initials:
  • ABC: contributed to the research design, collected and analyzed data, drafted the manuscript, and approved the version to be published.
  • DEF: contributed to the research design and planning, assisted with data collection and analysis, approved the version to be published.
  • GHI: substantially contributed to the research design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, revised the manuscript critically, and approved the version to be published.
16 Acknowledgements Please acknowledge anyone who contributed towards the article but did not meet the criteria for authorship. Examples of such contributors include those who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, a department chair who provided only general support, or those who contributed as part of a large collaboration group. Authors should obtain permission to acknowledge all those mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.
17 Funding Please include all funding sources associated with your study. If the study was unfunded, please state “This study was not funded”.
18 References

Primary research articles, primary review articles, research protocol articles, and thesis-based research articles must use “APA style” and authors submitting such work should consult The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition for specific guidelines and instructions.

Authors submitting creative writing including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and prose should use “MLA style” and consult the following links for specific guidelines and instructions.
19 List of Figures Figures should be provided where it should be displayed in the word document text file. Each figure should be able to fit on a single page in portrait format, and they should be numbered in the order in which they appear cited in the manuscript (i.e. Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Each figure must be accompanied with a caption directly below it. Please note that Spectra only publishes articles in online formats, and therefore, there are no additional charges for the use of color figures. Important: It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission from the copyright holder to reproduce figures that have previously been published elsewhere, which should be scanned and emailed to the editorial office in case of acceptance together with your Publication Agreement Form.
20 List of Tables Tables should also be provided where it should be displayed in the word document text file. Each table should be able to fit on a single page in portrait format, and they should be numbered in the order in which they appear cited in the manuscript (i.e. Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Each figure must be accompanied with a caption directly above it. All tables should be formatted using the “Table object” (i.e. Insert > Table) in a Microsoft Word to ensure that columns of data are kept aligned when the file is sent electronically for review. Important: It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission from the copyright holder to reproduce figures or tables that have previously been published elsewhere, which should be scanned and emailed to the editorial office in case of acceptance together with your Publication Agreement Form.
21 Additional Files For figures and tables that are too large to be included with the manuscript file, please upload them as multimedia appendices. Other additional file types that you wish to accompany your manuscript may include research instruments (questionnaires), movie files, original/raw data (SAS/SPSS, Excel, Access database, etc.). Important: It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission from the copyright holder to reproduce any additional file that have previously been published elsewhere, which should be scanned and emailed to the editorial office in case of acceptance together with your Publication Agreement Form.

To submit your manuscript, please go to: and click on “Submit Article” link. In addition, please submit a cover page to our@unlv.edu, including the following information and copy your faculty mentor:

  • Author(s) full name, institutional affiliation (i.e., University, College/School, and Department), and rebel e-mail address
  • Author(s) role(s) and contribution(s) to the manuscript
  • Research mentor’s name, affiliation information, and e-mail address
  • Keywords (4-6) to enable successful database searches. Be strategic to make your work easily detectable with widest accessibility.
  • A 100- to 250-word abstract of the manuscript, typed double-space, not indented, and with the same type and style of language found in the original manuscript. Summarize the study’s contribution to the scientific literature.
  • Manuscript in Microsoft Word format (DOC, DOCX) or RTF. Manuscripts maybe 3000 - 5000 (maximum) words or longer if approved by Spectra editors. The word limit must include all text including acknowledgements and references.
  • Any camera-ready graphics and photographs
  • An endorsement from the faculty mentor who attests that:
    • They have read the manuscript
    • The planning, execution, and writing of the manuscript represent primarily the work of the undergraduate student(s).
  • The use of human subjects or animals for research purposes is regulated by the federal government and individual institutions. All authors of manuscripts in this journal describing research involving human subjects or animal experimentation should obtain approval from their Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), as appropriate, prior to manuscript submission. A statement of IRB or IACUC approval must be included in the Materials and Methods section. Documentation of IRB or IACUC status must be made available upon request.

Spectra is an Open Access publication; all articles are freely available online immediately upon publication. With few exceptions, articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, where readers may reuse the materials with proper citation to the original.

Articles in Spectra are freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly cited. For more information, visit the Creative Commons licenses page. Copyright is retained by the author(s). Where an author is prevented from being the copyright holder (i.e., U.S. government employees), the copyright line and license statement in individual articles will be adjusted. Please contact the editors during or immediately after submission of your paper.

Users of the Digital Scholarship@51ԹϺ website and/or software agree not to misuse the Digital Scholarship@51ԹϺ service or software in any way. The failure of Digital Scholarship@51ԹϺ 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 endeavor 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 Digital Scholarship@51ԹϺ and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

SPECTRA Resources

  1. Spectra Manuscript Submission Cover Letter Template
  3. Spectra Expected Manuscript Sections
  6. Spectra Manuscript Template
  7. Spectra Manuscript Sample
  8. Spectra Peer Review and Critical Thinking Guide
  9. Spectra External Reviewer Questionnaire
  13. Spectra Revisions Tutorial