What We Accept
We accept life science submissions year-round on a rolling basis. Authors must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate at UC Davis or have graduated within the last quarter to be eligible for submission.
Categories
News
Covers recent studies, discoveries, or developing events in the life sciences using primary literature and scientific experts as sources whenever possible
Features
Includes interviews, profiles, case studies, long-form stories, and undergraduate's research
Literature Reviews
Synthesizes multiple and thoroughly sourced primary sources (research studies) to describe a specific field’s current developments and unanswered questions for a technical audience
Science and Society
Explains a discovery, study, or ongoing biological issue and explore the broader impacts of this development on society
Book Reviews
Introduces a life sciences book written for a general audience and provide a well-informed opinion about it
Arts
Visual art, graphic design, photography, poetry, and video submissions
Undergraduate Research
Original scientific research conducted under a faculty supervisor or independently, such as projects presented at the Undergraduate Research Center's Conferences.
Submission Instructions
Is your submission in Psychology?
All psychology pieces are published in our sister journal The Aggie Transcript: Psychology. Instructions for submitting can be found here.
1. Convert your document into a Google Docs-supported file format
- e.g. Google Docs file (with shared link), Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx), or PDF
2. Add to the top of the first page the following information:
- Category and Name (e.g. NEWS: Your Name)
- Major and expected graduation year (e.g. Biological Sciences, Spring 2025)
- Author's Note: Why did you write this piece and for whom? Walk us through why you chose this topic specifically, and end with what you want your readers to take away from your piece. As the author, you can shape it however you want!
3. Special categorical requirements if applicable
- Arts:
- Attach a high-resolution image file, video file, or video link to your email. Art submissions must be scanned to ensure online and print quality.
- Title your work and provide an Artist’s Note (equivalent to Author's Note) to accompany your submission. If applicable, include dimensions, medium, location, equipment, etc., in your note.
- Ensure proper copyright and/or intellectual property ownership before submitting.
- Undergraduate Research:
- Manuscripts from research supervised by a faculty advisor (e.g. senior thesis) must include an approval by that advisor verifying that they oversaw the project and give permission to publish its results. The advisor's email can be CC'ed on the submission email.
- Manuscripts from independent research projects must undergo a peer review process by a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar matched to the author(s). Contact aggietranscript@gmail.com for more information.
- Faculty-supervised research have the voluntary option to undergo peer review.
- Manuscripts should include the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. View this document for guidance on how to structure each section of your research article.
4. Email your submission to aggietranscript@gmail.com
Editorial Timeline
1. Submission
The editorial board reviews a submission and makes a decision about whether to accept the article.
2. Editorial review
Upon acceptance, submissions will be reviewed by at least two editors. Editors add suggested edits to a Google Drive file and complete an editorial feedback form within one week.
3. Author revisions
Authors are given one week to make revisions to their submission. Editorial review and author revisions may repeat over multiple weeks, lasting several rounds of editing.
4. Publication
Once editors approve the submission for publication, it is published on our website. Online submissions may be included in our next print edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What counts as "life sciences"?
- We broadly consider it as any topic that studies organisms, life processes, or has direct applications/implications to the former two. Wholly abiotic topics are sometimes accepted depending how well they fit the third criterion.
- Will my article be published on the Print Edition?
- We publish between 20-25 articles per biannual issue or 50-55 articles per annual issue. Articles are selected through a voting process by the editorial board. We consider every submission, so yours' will have a chance!
- I haven't heard about graphics at all despite having submitted the graphics form. Is there something I should do?
- The Design Team works on a separate schedule from editing, so illustrations may be completed anywhere from during the editing process to a few weeks after your article is published online, depending on their workload. If you need your illustrations prioritized, don't hesitate to email a request to aggietranscript@gmail.com!
- I graduated from UC Davis more than a quarter ago but have a piece written when I was an undergrad. Is it still eligible?
- Yes, we may accept it if the piece was written under faculty supervision. This includes writings from a class, such as a UWP paper, where the supervisor is the course instructor. Timing of the piece must be verified by the supervisor.
- Can I publish my senior thesis or capstone project?
- If your supervisor gives permission to have its results published, yes!
- I co-authored a piece with colleagues who are not UC Davis undergrads or affiliated with UC Davis. Is it eligible?
- We may accept it if you are the first author. All co-authors must give permission to have the piece published at The Aggie Transcript.
- I wrote a piece through a program outside of UC Davis, but am currently an enrolled undergrad. Is it eligible?
- Eligibility will depend on the nature of the program at the Editor-in-Chief's discretion on a case-by-case basis. The largest weight to discretion is whether the piece is still representative of what a student is capable of as a UC Davis undergraduate. This can include whether the program is affiliated with UC Davis, such as a study-abroad course, or whether the author's experience at UC Davis had a significant influence (e.g. UC Davis coursework contributed to demonstrated writing, subject knowledge, or research skills). Please email aggietranscript@gmail.com if you have a particular piece in question!