The Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Sciences and Technology (URNCST) Journal was launched in 2017, and is a leading publisher of undergraduate research spanning broad and multidisciplinary fields. Undergraduate research conferences and case competitions are held globally, yet their abstracts often go unpublished, thus the URNCST Journal was established to provide undergraduate conference planning committees with a meaningful way to establish their legacy as well as provide undergraduate students attending these conferences with the opportunity to see their abstract formally published. Furthermore, the journal promotes innovative undergraduate research education initiatives, such as the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper and the URNCST Journal Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Encyclopedia Entry Initiative which provides exceptional undergraduate researchers with the opportunity to receive mentorship from a graduate student on a defined research topic, and draft and submit a full-length manuscript to be considered for publication in the journal. The journal also provides the opportunity for graduate students, professors, and other research faculty alike who have a passion for supporting their own undergraduate students, and undergraduate researchers internationally, to contribute to our editorial board and/or peer-review process.

The URNCST Journal provides a unique platform for undergraduate students to publish their abstracts in, and fills a significant gap that has been lacking for years. Undergraduate researchers typically spend 3-4 months as part of a summer studentship or research placement course contributing to a piece of a larger study belonging to a graduate student or professor. Thus, it is not uncommon for the undergraduate researcher to not have sufficient data to publish their work in a professional-level journal. One option then is for the undergraduate researcher to submit their work to an undergraduate-level research conference, however, very few conferences publish their abstract books. Of the few that do, even fewer index their abstract books to a scholarly database such as Google Scholar, and thus, an undergraduate researcher's work may never be found even if the journal publishes in an open access format.

One key feature that the URNCST Journal prides itself on is its continuous publication frequency. The URNCST Journal endeavours to shorten the time between submission and peer-reviewed decision, as this advantages our undergraduate student authors in multiple ways. A faster turn-around time allows undergraduate students to showcase their work to a prospective summer student, research placement and/or senior thesis supervisor sooner, and also allows candidates applying to graduate and/or professional school programs to showcase their work to admissions committees in a timely fashion.

Aims and Scope

The URNCST Journal primarily publishes abstracts for undergraduate-level conferences and case competitions internationally in the areas of natural and clinical science and technology., as well as full articles by invitation. The authors, in either case, must be undergraduate (i.e. BSc, BEng, BA, etc.) or professional-undergraduate (i.e. MD, DDS, PharmD, OD, RN, etc.) students who conducted research in a natural or clinical science or technology discipline. A submission to the URNCST journal is acceptable, if the first author is a graduate of an undergraduate program or is a graduate student at the time of submission, but conducted the research contained within their manuscript while enrolled as an undergraduate student.

Examples of acceptable research submissions in a natural or clinical science or technology discipline include, but are certainly not limited to, the following:

○ Biology

○ Chemistry

○ Earth and Environmental Sciences

○ Medical, Health, and Clinical Sciences

○ Physics

○ Psychology*

○ Technology

 

*The scope of the article submission must fall within that of the natural or clinical sciences.

 

Please note that the URNCST Journal does NOT typically accept the following types of article submissions:

1. Articles from individual undergraduate authors (i.e. primary article, review article, or clinical case study) that have not been selected to make a submission to the journal through an undergraduate research conference or the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper or the URNCST Journal Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Encyclopedia Entry Initiative.

2. Abstracts/articles with a first author who was not an undergraduate or professional-undergraduate student at the time they conducted the research contained within their manuscript (i.e. MSc, MA, MPH, PhD, EdD, etc.), with the exception of conferences that accept research abstracts from undergraduate and graduate students.

3. Abstracts/articles that focus on research outside of a natural or clinical science or technology discipline (i.e. humanities, social sciences, fine arts, etc.), unless there is a linkage between scopes such as an interdisciplinary conference.

4. Articles that do not meet submission criteria include perspective, commentary or opinion pieces. Abstracts may only be submitted when there is an active call (i.e. for a conference).

Target Audience

While the URNCST Journal’s primary authors are undergraduate student researchers, our readers include authors and academics of any and all kind. The URNCST Journal is a platform that undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, and independent researchers alike can freely access.

Types of Articles

Conference Planners: The URNCST Journal's main focus is to publish abstracts accepted by undergraduate and/or professional-undergraduate research conferences. As the journal's scope is already broad and multidisciplinary, in order for a conference to be eligible to publish their research abstracts in the URNCST Journal, the content of their abstracts must contain a natural and clinical science and/or technology component. For example, the URNCST Journal will publish the abstracts for a general science conference, and even a science and arts conference, but not a solely arts-based research conference. Conference planners and abstract book authors themselves do not necessarily have to be undergraduate students. Please note that as of January 2021, the URNCST Journal publishes conference abstract books free of charge. If you are on the planning committee of an undergraduate research conference, and are interested in publishing your conference abstract book in the URNCST Journal, please view the Instructions for Conference Planners page and contact us at editor@urncst.com for full terms and conditions.

For Selected Individual Authors: The URNCST journal typically only publishes articles written by individual undergraduate researchers if they were selected to submit an article at a research conference that had their abstract book published by the journal OR had their abstract accepted through the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper or the URNCST Journal Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Encyclopedia Entry Initiative. Full length manuscripts are submitted as one of three types of articles as follows: 1) primary research, 2) review, and 3) research protocol. Please familiarize yourself with the formatting guidelines for each article type which can be found on the Instructions for Authors page.

Unsolicited Manuscripts: Unsolicited manuscripts are considered, but on a case-by-case basis to ensure quality submissions; if you wish to submit an unsolicited manuscript, please contact the editor at editor@urncst.com to discuss the suitability of your article submission before making a submission. Unsolicited manuscript submissions that have not been approved by the editor will be subject to immediate rejection.

Peer Review Process

Conference Planners: It is expected that the undergraduate conference planning committee will hold their own peer-review process to screen for which abstracts they wish to see presented at their conference. The URNCST Journal requires that each planning committee will take the necessary steps to ensure that all abstracts are sufficiently worthy of publication and that consent has been obtained from all authors of all abstracts to have their work published in the journal.

For Selected Individual Authors: Prior to submission, authors must ensure that all studies described in the manuscript have been conducted ethically (i.e. if your study involved human or animal participants, you are required to state in your manuscript that your study was approved by your institution’s research ethics board). Authors should only submit original material and ensure that the methodology is appropriate for the study conducted, and that the results, discussion, and conclusions are reported appropriately and accurately. It is expected that the first (undergraduate) author will consult their research supervisor to ensure that the manuscript meets all of these criteria prior to making a submission to the URNCST Journal. If the section editor finds that one or more of these criteria are not met when reviewing a submission, they will contact the author to make the necessary revisions prior to sending the manuscript out for peer review.

During the submission process, authors should provide the names of up to 4 peer-reviewers with whom they do not have conflicts of interest, and who they believe are suitable experts in reviewing their study. Authors should also declare the names of people who they do not wish to serve as peer-reviewers.

Upon receiving a manuscript submission, the manuscript will be assigned to a section editor who will first determine if the manuscript adheres to the following three conditions: 1) the first author is/was an undergraduate student and the last author is the first author’s supervisor, 2) the manuscript meets the criteria outlined in Instructions for Authors and 3) the manuscript falls within the scope of the URNCST journal. If all three conditions are satisfied, section editors will send the manuscript out for peer-review to at least 2 experts in the field, which may or may not include one or more author-suggested peer-reviewers. The URNCST Journal section editors and peer-reviewers will both be acknowledged in the published manuscript should it be accepted for publication.

Once at least 2 peer-reviewers have submitted their review and a section editor has had the opportunity to review their comments and deems that no further peer-reviewers are required, the section editor will contact you to inform you of our decision on whether to accept your manuscript and whether further modifications are required to improve the quality of your article. If your manuscript is rejected by the section editor, this decision is final and cannot be appealed. If your manuscript is recommended for acceptance pending major or minor revisions, the section editor will provide further instruction and a turnaround time during which you will have the opportunity to address the requested revisions, after which your revised manuscript may or may not be sent back to the peer-reviewers at the section editor’s discretion. If the section editor informs you that your manuscript is suitable for publication, s/he will provide you with all the necessary details to move forward with the publication of your article and you will also be required to complete a publishing agreement form (provided by the editor upon acceptance).

Journal Structure and Format

The URNCST Journal is an innovative undergraduate research journal that publishes abstracts and articles on an ongoing and continuous basis, meaning that your manuscript is published online immediately following their acceptance as opposed to being published when a certain number of articles have been accepted. Thus, the URNCST Journal issues and volumes are time- and not article-dependent, where the journal will archive 12 issues per year (i.e. 1 per month) and 1 volume per year.

The URNCST Journal strives to be an environmentally-conscious journal and thus only publishes articles in easily accessible online formats.

Open Access Policy

The URNCST Journal is an open access publisher meaning that all articles can be accessed and read by anyone with an internet connection. The Budapest statement (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read) defined open access as follows:

“There are many degrees and kinds of wider and easier access to this literature. By 'open access' to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.”

Copyright is retained by the authors and articles can be freely used and distributed by others. Articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published by the URNCST Journal, is properly cited.

Journal Indexing and Social Media

A section editor will inform you once an article is published in the URNCST Journal. We will also write a message promoting your article on the URNCST Journal Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages, though you are certainly welcomed (and encouraged) to share your published article with your own social media networks too! All articles published in the URNCST Journal are indexed in Scopus and Google Scholar.

Journal Governance

The URNCST Journal’s Editorial Board is comprised of accomplished graduate students, graduate degree holders, professional degree holders, researchers, and exceptionally talented undergraduate students/graduates with an interest in undergraduate research and expertise in one or more subject areas comprising the scope of the journal. Members of the Editorial Board are appointed by the Editor-in-Chief for a renewable 3-year term. If you are interested in joining the URNCST Journal’s editorial team or nominating a colleague, please email us at application@urncst.com, indicating to us below which role they wish to undertake. Please note that all applicants will be required to submit their CV containing their education, relevant work-related experience, and a list of research publications, along with any other items the applicant feels will demonstrate his/her suitability as a board member.

Please note that we are currently only recruiting for the following positions: 1) Associate Editors and 2) Editorial and Advisory Board Members. Note: Those interested in serving as a mentor for the URNCST Journal Mentored Paper and URNCST Journal Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Encyclopedia Entry Initiative initiatives should apply for the position of "Associate Editor".

The URNCST Journal roles are outlined below as follows:

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief will:

○ set and/or review with members of the editorial board the journal’s policies, including those regarding authorship, peer review, quality control, and ethical issues;

○ monitor and maintain agreed policies;

○ ensure that the journal’s processes are transparent to stakeholders;

○ take final responsibility for the editorial content of the journal;

○ maintain editorial independence;

○ make final decisions on manuscripts;

○ manage and organize the editorial office and ensure good working practice;

○ attract authors to submit quality manuscripts to the journal;

○ try to develop the journal in every way possible;

○ plan for the future of the journal;

○ represent the journal in national and international forums.

Managing Editor and Deputy Editor(s)

The Managing Editor and Deputy Editor(s) will:

○ assist the Editor-in-Chief in all of his or her aforementioned roles.

Associate Editors

The Associate Editors will:

○ assist the editor in implementing the policies of the journal and in monitoring the efficiency of its systems;

○ correspond and work with authors and reviewers;

○ review and revise papers for quality and relevance;

○ recommend a course of action for submitted manuscripts in their specialist area.

Assistant Editors

The Assistant Editors will:

○ assist the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Deputy Editor, and Production Manager in all of his or her aforementioned roles.

○ correspond and work with authors, editorial board members and reviewers;

○ manage and maintain the manuscript tracking system;

○ communicate decisions to authors and deal with queries;

○ ensure efficient flow of papers through the editorial office, and develop improvements in the management of papers.

Development and Communications Liaison

The Development and Communications Liaison will:

○ seek out networking and legacy-building opportunities for the journal;

○ propose recruitment strategies ensuring diversity and capacity among associate editors, editorial and advisory board members, and other journal staff;

○ harness strategic partnerships with other open access organizations/journals to increase readership and maximize publication impact;

○ provide the Editor-in-Chief with proposals and develops methods to improve the journal's community engagement;

○ liase with organizations and individuals interested in supporting the journal and directs strategic marketing and public relations;

○ recommend and develop innovative initiatives that allow the journal to promote and advance undergraduate research.

Engagement Leads

The Engagement Leads will:

○ assist the editor in coordinating the journal's promotional/marketing team;

○ organize and coordinate journal competitions.

Production Manager

The Production Manager will:

○ ensure that the correct structure for the corresponding section of the journal has been followed;

○ improve the presentation and wording so that the text is easy to read and understand;

○ develop and maintain a style sheet as a record of decisions taken concerning spelling, hyphenation, format, etc.;

○ ensure correctness and consistency in the use of terms, especially technical ones;

○ eliminate unnecessary and repeated material, simplify long and complicated sentences, eliminate unnecessary words;

○ check that tables and figures are correctly cited in the text;

○ advise on the selection and effective use of tables and illustrations;

○ edit tables and figures so that they prove their point and their information ties with the text; check all totals and percentages;

○ ensure that all cross-references are correct and that all bibliographic citations match the reference list;

○ check that the references used are not grossly or overwhelmingly outdated;

○ ensure that the article is complete – that it has the author addresses, email contact numbers, etc.;

○ mark up the manuscript or proof with all necessary instructions for composition or printing.

Editorial and Advisory Board Members

The Editorial and Advisory Board Members will:

○ act as a source of advice and support to the editor;

○ act as reviewers or suggest reviewers;

○ discuss and solve any problems that might face the journal;

○ contribute to the writing of editorials and invited articles;

○ solicit articles for the journal;

○ make policy decisions and approve the journal’s by-laws;

○ supervise and monitor the implementation of journal policies;

○ make decisions on financial issues;

○ help in decision-making when reviewers’ opinions on submitted manuscripts are not in agreement;

○ serve as the journal’s representative to the international scientific community;

○ use their professional influence to help raise the profile of the journal.

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief

Jeremy Y. Ng, HBSc (McMaster University), MSc (University of Toronto), PhD (McMaster University)

 

Managing Editor

Umair Majid, HBSc (McMaster University), MSc (McMaster University), MEd (Queen's University), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

 

Deputy Editors

Neha Dhanvanthry, HBSc (McMaster University), MPH Student (University of Waterloo)

 

Associate Editors

Patricia F. C. Acosta, BSc (University of Guelph), MSc (University of Guelph), PhD Student (University of British Columbia)

Ramis Arbi, BSc (Sabanci University), PhD Candidate (McMaster University)

Miriam Basta, BSc (York University), MB BCh BAO LRCP & SI Student (Royal College of Surgeons Ireland)

Noah Campbell, HBSc Student (University of Windsor)

Busra Canik HBSc (University of Toronto), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Utkarsh Chadha, B.Tech. (Vellore Institute of Technology), AMIMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers UK), MEng (University of Toronto), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Zi Yan Chen, BSc (University of Toronto), MSc (University of Toronto), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Ricky Chow, BSc (McMaster University)

Isabella Churchill, BSc (Brock University), MSc (McMaster University), MD Student (University of Ottawa)

Jeremy Cohen, MSc (University of Guelph), PhD Student (University of Waterloo)

Brad S. Currier, BSc (Lindenwood University), MSc Student (McMaster University)

Avi DasGupta, HBSc (University of Toronto), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

Vinita Dhir, HBSc (University of Waterloo)

Curtis D’Hollander, MSc (University of Toronto), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Pallavi Dutta, BSc (McMaster University), MSc eHealth (McMaster University)

Yousif Eliya, BSc (McMaster University), MSc (McMaster University)

Kaila Gabriel, BSc (University of Guelph), MSc Student (Queen’s University)

Alita Gideon, HBSc (York University), MSc Student (York University)

Ella Guo, HBSc (University of Saskatchewan), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Emily Hartung, MSc (McMaster University), PhD Candidate (McMaster University)

Megan M. Y. Hong, BMSc (Western University), PhD Candidate (Western University)

Mackenzie Hsu, BSc (Queen’s University), MSc (Western University)

Anisha Hundal, HBSc (University of Toronto Mississauga), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Bismah Jameel, HBSc (McMaster University)

Sonya Kouthouridis, MEng (McGill University), PhD Student (McMaster University)

Tara Kuhn, MSc (McMaster University), PhD Candidate (University of Waterloo)

Carissa Kwan, BSc (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Nicole LeBlanc, HBSc (University of Guelph), PhD Student (University of Waterloo)

Jong-Hwan Joseph Lee, HBSc (University of Toronto), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

Pierre Lemieux, MSc (York University), PhD Candidate (York University)

Jennifer Ma, HBSc (McMaster University), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

Xiaomeng (Simone) Ma, MSc (Johns Hopkins University), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Frank Mazza, University of Toronto (HBSc), University of Toronto (MSc), University of Toronto (PhD)

Nadeen Mahmoud Meshry, BDS (Alexandria University), MSc (University of Pittsburgh), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Randa Mudathir, BSc (Western University), MSc Candidate (Western University)

Afnan Munshi, MSc (University of Ottawa), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Siobhan O’Brien, BSc (University of Victoria), MSc (Dalhousie University), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Montserrat Mora Ochomogo, BEng (Tec de Monterrey), PhD Candidate (Queen's University)

Courtney Ostromecki, HBSc (Queen's University), MSc Student (University of British Columbia)

Vinay Patel, BTech (Indian Institute of Technology), PhD Student (McMaster University)

Dusan Pesic, BSc (McGill University), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

John Read, BSc (McGill University), MSc Student (McGill University)

Reagan Reid, BSc (York University), MSc Student (York University)

Harveen Saini, BSc and Leadership Certificate (University of Calgary), MPH Student (McMaster University)

Amel Sassi, BMSc (Western University) MASc Student (University of Toronto)

Clara Rose Schott, BMSc (Western University), PhD Candidate (Western University)

Ayla Shahid, HBSc (University of Toronto), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Saameh A. Siddique, Hon. BASc (McMaster University), MBS Student (Rowan University)

Emily Smith, HBSc (McMaster University), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Monika Snowdon, MSc (University of Guelph), PhD (University of Waterloo)

Katelyn Sushko, BScN (McMaster University), PhD Candidate (McMaster University)

Andy Man Yeung Tai, BSc (University of Toronto), PhD Student (University of British Columbia)

Yu Bin Tan, HBSc (University of Toronto), MD Candidate (Duke-NUS Medical School)

Olivia Tong, MSc (Western University), PhD Student (Western University)

Jinny Tsang, HBSc (University of Toronto), PhD Student (University of Toronto)

Foram Vyas, HBSc (University of Toronto), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Sera Whitelaw, HBSc (McMaster University), MSc (McMaster University)

Mia S. Wilkinson, BScH (Queen’s University), PhD Candidate (Queen’s University)

Jennifer Williams, HBSc (Queen's University), MSc Student (Queen's University)

Micaela Wiseman, MSc (University of Oxford), PhD Candidate (University of Toronto)

Elly Wong, HBSc (University of Toronto), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

Bi-ru Amy Yeung, HBSc (University of Toronto), MSc (University of Toronto)

Miray Youssef, BSc (University of Guelph), MSc (Western University)

 

Assistant Editors

Dorna Ahmadi Aliabadi, BSc Student (Western University)

Aleenah Khan, BSc Student (McMaster University)

Chun Ju Liang, HBSc Student (University of Toronto)

David Nasri, BHSc Student (McMaster University)

Ahmad Yasir Omar, BSc (McMaster University)

Anika Ranadive, BHSc (McMaster University), MD Student (McMaster University)

Ankush Sharma, BSc (McMaster University)

 

Development and Communications Liaison

Chun Ju Liang, HBSc Student (University of Toronto)

 

Conference Outreach Liaison

Dorna Ahmadi Aliabadi, BSc Student (Western University)

 

Engagement Leads

Grace Li, BMSc (Western University), MSc Student (Western University)

Ankush Sharma, BSc (McMaster University)

Hamas Tariq, BSc (McMaster University)

 

Production Manager

Halton Quach, BSc (York University)

 

Editorial and Advisory Board

Humayun Ahmed, BA (Drake University), MSc Student (University of Toronto)

Sohaib Ahmed, HBSc (University of Toronto)

Molly Cowls, HBSc (McMaster University), MD Student (Queen's University)

Ayomide Fakuade, BSc (York University), MD Student (Dalhousie University)

Jamie Ghossein, BSc (University of Ottawa), MD Student (University of Ottawa)

Sophia Glisch, HBSc Student (University of Toronto)

Jonathan Hunter, MB, BCh, BAO Student (University College Dublin)

Rosemary James, MB, BCh, BAO Student (National University of Ireland, Galway)

Neethu Pavithran, HBSc (McMaster University), MSc Student (McMaster University)

Vedish Soni, BHSc Student (McMaster University)

 

Trademarks

Certain material found on this Website (including without limitation certain graphics, icons, HTML, javascripts, color schemes, multimedia, logos, photographs, and copywriting) is protected by copyright. Certain names, graphics, logos, icons, designs, words, titles or phrases on this Website may constitute trade names, trademarks or service marks of the URNCST Journal or Open Journal Systems. Trademarks may be registered in Canada and in other countries, as applicable. The display of trademarks on pages at this Website does not imply that a license of any kind has been granted.

Fee Schedule

The URNCST Journal strives to keep submissions free of charge, however, we require that authors of certain publication types pay a minimal one-time publication fee to publish their article. While just as you would pay for transport, food, the printing of a poster, and registration to attend a conference, the URNCST Journal fees are the primary source of revenue that allows us to cover our costs associated with maintaining our web domain/hosting, open access system, peer-review, copyediting, typesetting, improving the visibility of your articles, and publication association membership fees.

 

Our fee schedule is as follows:

Article Type	Submission Fee	Publication Fee
Conference Abstract Booklet	$0 CAD	$0 CAD; Inquire with us at editor@urncst.com for full terms and conditions.
Mentored Paper (Review or Protocol)	$0 CAD	$350 CAD for all manuscripts submitted after December 31, 2022
Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Encyclopedia Entry Initiative	$0 CAD	$350 CAD* *The promotional fee of $250 CAD will still be honoured for Round 1 participants who have not yet published their article.
Primary Research, Review (Comprehensive Literature, Scoping, Systematic or Meta-Analysis Review), or Research Protocol	$0 CAD	$350 CAD for all manuscripts submitted after December 31, 2022; Sometimes discounted or covered by conference, if a conference proceeding.
Editorial	$0 CAD	$0 CAD
Conference planning committees should always contact us before making a submission to the URNCST Journal; those who wish to publish additional articles beyond their abstracts (i.e. short reports) should also indicate this clearly at the time of contact. The URNCST Journal strives to keep publishing costs affordable by offering a number of different payment models to better serve authors.   Note: An article publication fee of $300 CAD will be honoured for all manuscripts submitted before January 2023 and all conference proceedings with agreements made prior to January 2023.

Corrigenda and Addenda Policy: Effective April 2024, authors wishing to submit corrigenda or addenda to already published articles (i.e. additional sentences), incorrectly spelled names, missing acknowledgements, missing affiliations, etc. should contact editor@urncst.com. Authors are advised that they are subject to a fee of $20.00 CAD PER corrigenda or addenda, if the error(s) and/or omission(s) were already in the proofs approved by authors.

Refund Policy: Authors are expected to secure funding and intend to pay the article publishing fee BEFORE submitting their article for consideration by the URNCST Journal. It is a tremendous amount of work on behalf of the entire publication's editorial and production team to process a manuscript from submission to production (not to mention that the URNCST Journal has no submission fees and no fees are ever levied on articles that are rejected). Thus, the URNCST Journal will only issue a refund on an article publication fee if 1) an error in publication is identified whereby the fault lies with the journal and 2) this error cannot be corrected (it is usually the case that such an error can be corrected free of charge to the author(s)).

 

Publication Ethics and Misconduct

The URNCST Journal seeks to publish undergraduate research of the highest quality and takes publication ethics and misconduct very seriously. The URNCST Journal is a follower of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)'s Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals; our listing can be found here. Whether you are an editor, peer-reviewer, or author, if you are unfamiliar with publication ethics and misconduct, please take a moment to read about it on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) website here. In the event of an URNCST Journal team member suspecting a case of misconduct, the URNCST Journal will handle each situation on a case-by-case basis by referring to the COPE flowcharts. A full copy of the URNCST Journal's Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement is available here.