You’ve finally refined all your evidence in your psychology research paper. Or maybe you just wrote the final sentence of the epic conclusion to your short story. Are you ready to submit it? Here are some quick tips to help you get your piece in tip-top shape before you send it to the LOGOS staff for publishing consideration.
1. Make sure it represents YOU!
At LOGOS, we want to see unique and exciting approaches to any and all academic disciplines. Is this a piece you would be proud to have your name attached to in a journal that thousands of people will read for years to come? If you’re not passionate about your work, don’t submit it!
2. Give yourself TIME
You’ve heard the saying; time and money are two things that no one has (or at least, has enough of). However, if you’re reading this article right now, you still have 24 days to finalize your piece. Don’t wait until the last minute! Just like your professors, the staff at LOGOS can almost always tell when a piece has been worked on for multiple days versus just rushed through in a couple hours. If you want a shot of making it into the journal, do yourself a favor NOW and plan time in your schedule to work on your piece.
3. Feedback, feedback, and more feedback!
Do some rewriting on a short story piece based on the comments you received in class from your peers. Schedule a time to meet with your professor to talk about how you can strengthen the evidence you presented in a research paper from their class. The Writing Center is also a FREE tool, and a lot of the Writing Consultants are English majors. In other words, they have a knack for helping you solve your pesky writing troubles, especially if you need guidance in refining the thesis and other major aspects of your paper. The more people that look at your piece, the more ideas they might give you to make it even better!
4. Take a (short) break
After you’ve allowed your eyes to unglue themselves from a project for even a couple days, you may find yourself bringing fresh perspectives or even new ideas when you sit back down to work on it again. It also helps save your sanity, especially when you’re at the point when you need to cut out the clutter words or clean up your sentences.
5. Double-check ALL the LOGOS submission guidelines
Have you ever screwed up an assignment because you didn’t read the directions first? The LOGOS website has the guidelines laid out for you; go ahead and click on the link below! Trust me; when you’re brain-dead after midterms, you’ll thank yourself for making sure that your abstract is a quick summary of your research instead of a long page that repeats your conclusion. Making major changes close to the deadline can be a hassle!
https://www.missouristate.edu/logos/Submission-Guidelines.htm
6. Let it simmer if it needs to
Not sure if your piece will be ready to submit in one month? Maybe it needs extensive reworking in a couple places or perhaps a major overhaul? Don’t worry; you can always submit it to LOGOS next year. However, don’t be confined to Missouri State’s academic journal in the time between now and next March. Research other places that you can publish your work; thousands of possibilities await you! Check out the link below to see a list of journals, but make sure to do your own research or talk to your professors before submitting your work. They may even have some ideas for places you could check out!
https://library.sacredheart.edu/undergradpublishing/journals
7. Have fun with the process!
Your time here as an MSU undergraduate student will help you develop your knowledge in your field (or fields!), grow in the ways you communicate your ideas, establish professional connections, and much more. Submitting to LOGOS is a gateway to all of these possibilities; take advantage of it! We can’t wait to review your piece!
