Publication is an exciting opportunity that allows a writer to share their work with a broader audience and to establish themselves in their field. When I finished my undergraduate thesis, a professor encouraged me to submit it to academic journals for publication. I didn’t even know this was a possibility, but by the end of my final semester, I became a published author.
Where to Publish
Like me, many students are unaware of the vast opportunities available for publishing their work. For both creative writing and academic writing, there is a wide variety of publications seeking work from college students at the undergraduate level and beyond. Here is a short list of spaces that publish student work:
- Girl Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Undergraduate Work: This is a feminist journal that publishes undergraduate writing and research on topics related to the experience of girls, girl empowerment, body image, gender inequities, and more.
- Inquiries Journal: This journal, formerly known as Student Pulse, publishes work by students at the undergraduate level and above. It covers a broad range of topics under the umbrella of social sciences, art, and humanities.
- BIOS: This is a quarterly journal curated by the Beta Beta Beta society. It publishes undergraduate research and writing in the biology field.
- AGNI: This creative writing journal publishes prose, short fiction, poetry, and essays. It also offers paid writing opportunities, particularly for new writers being published for the first time.
These links are only a starting point. There are several lists online of journals that accept student work, such as this one from George Washington University or this one from the University of Maine. If you’ve never considered submitting your work for publication, I encourage you to explore journals that cater to students and authors who are in the early stages of their writing careers. Your work deserves a global audience!
What to Expect
Every writer’s journey to publication will differ, so I can only speak to my own process from class paper to published essay. First, my work was subject to multiple revisions before I even considered publication. This is just the nature of writing a thesis. However, you may choose to make additional revisions to your work to suit the needs of a certain publication. After finishing my final revision, I began researching publications that would be a good fit for my essay. Most journals will provide a detailed description of the material they’re seeking to publish, much like the descriptions provided above. These descriptions will help you determine which journal best suits the content and style of your writing. After choosing two or three journals, I emailed my work to the editors. It is important to note that some journals will not accept your work if you’ve submitted it to other publications. Be mindful of this as you send your writing out into the world!
As a final note, submitting your work for publication can be a vulnerable experience. Many writers have experienced the pain of rejection after sending their masterpiece to an editor. It is important for writers to be kind to themselves. After all, editors can not publish every piece of writing they receive! If you do experience the unfortunate situation of having your writing rejected, try to frame it as a learning experience. Can the editor or someone you trust give feedback on how to improve your writing? Maybe the publication itself wasn’t a good fit, and you should try submitting to a different outlet. At the end of the day, you can be proud of yourself for taking a risk and sharing your work with others.