Student Editor for UReCA
The NCHC sponsored Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity (UReCA) Online Journal
http://www.nchc-ureca.com/
"UReCA is sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council, and is currently managed, edited and produced by a team of ten undergraduate students from three different regions and a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Though diverse, we share a common goal: the production of a prestigious national journal, for honors students, by honors students."
"UReCA is sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council, and is currently managed, edited and produced by a team of ten undergraduate students from three different regions and a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Though diverse, we share a common goal: the production of a prestigious national journal, for honors students, by honors students."
Last semester I applied to be a student editor for UReCA, a multidisciplinary national research journal. After being accepted for this position, I traveled to Bryce Canyon, Utah, with several other student editors and three faculty advisors from around the country to participate in a workshop. Although we were strangers at the beginning, we quickly became close, bonding as we camped in the wilderness and collaborated on a project that was important to us all and the broader honors community. This adventure became very reflective of the work we were doing with the journal. We somewhat felt like pioneers in uncharted territory with a new journal, just as we all had come to a new place together. Working together was a vital part of this experience. At the end of the workshop, we had a hike to the edge of the Canyon, where we discussed the importance of our commitment to UReCA and what we had learned in our time at the workshop.
My initial interest in editing UReCA stemmed from the prospect of collaborating with other students to streamline academic and creative works before their publication. Disseminating these results to communities is an exciting process for these writers, and I have been on the other side when working to publish "Tinta" earlier in my academic career. Before attending the workshop in Utah, I assumed that it would be a weekend of editing, editing, editing! However, it was not just that. The experience was humbling, as we got to make executive decisions about the direction of the journal, which is only in its second year of publication. It was a lot of pressure to think about what pull I had in this journal's trajectory. Sometimes I was intimidated by the other students, who had more experience working with publications. However, I found my voice regardless and drew upon my experiences. It was helpful when we split into three teams during our workshop, and I was part of the "Big Decisions" committee. We drafted a letter to Honors Programs and Colleges (found in the first pdf below) to explain more about the journal and call for more submissions. We also brainstormed how to gain more submissions. This year we have grown and received over 70 submissions from undergraduates in various disciplines!
At the end of August, I reviewed both creative and academic works, using the rubrics that we created during our workshop. At the end of the boot camp, we had to work to negotiate these rubrics and look at various works to make sure they were clear enough for us as reviewers. Each discipline that I have reviewed has its own conventions and writing style, which is important to distinguish in the rubric. Although each reviewer is from a different part of the country, we still work together to accomplish editing tasks and communicate through group chat on Slack. We also use Google documents to communicate deadlines. The journal will be published at the beginning of November, and I am so excited to see what has been created this year.
My initial interest in editing UReCA stemmed from the prospect of collaborating with other students to streamline academic and creative works before their publication. Disseminating these results to communities is an exciting process for these writers, and I have been on the other side when working to publish "Tinta" earlier in my academic career. Before attending the workshop in Utah, I assumed that it would be a weekend of editing, editing, editing! However, it was not just that. The experience was humbling, as we got to make executive decisions about the direction of the journal, which is only in its second year of publication. It was a lot of pressure to think about what pull I had in this journal's trajectory. Sometimes I was intimidated by the other students, who had more experience working with publications. However, I found my voice regardless and drew upon my experiences. It was helpful when we split into three teams during our workshop, and I was part of the "Big Decisions" committee. We drafted a letter to Honors Programs and Colleges (found in the first pdf below) to explain more about the journal and call for more submissions. We also brainstormed how to gain more submissions. This year we have grown and received over 70 submissions from undergraduates in various disciplines!
At the end of August, I reviewed both creative and academic works, using the rubrics that we created during our workshop. At the end of the boot camp, we had to work to negotiate these rubrics and look at various works to make sure they were clear enough for us as reviewers. Each discipline that I have reviewed has its own conventions and writing style, which is important to distinguish in the rubric. Although each reviewer is from a different part of the country, we still work together to accomplish editing tasks and communicate through group chat on Slack. We also use Google documents to communicate deadlines. The journal will be published at the beginning of November, and I am so excited to see what has been created this year.
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