Call for submissions: UK’s open-access, interdisciplinary undergraduate research journal
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 9, 2025) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is accepting submissions for the 2025-26 issue of Aperture, an open-access, interdisciplinary student journal.
The journal showcases the rich and diverse scholarship conducted by UK undergraduates and promotes the advancement of knowledge by publishing reports of their unique experiential endeavors. Aperture is edited and produced by an undergraduate student editorial board of peer editors, ensuring a platform that reflects the perspectives and contributions of their fellow peers in academia.
“Aperture presents a distinct avenue for undergraduate researchers and their mentors to share the outcomes of the research endeavors with the UK community and, given the digital format, across the globe,” said Chad Risko, Ph.D., OUR faculty director and professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
As a journal dedicated to undergraduate scholarship, Aperture only accepts submissions of original work conducted and written by current or recent undergraduate students. For recent graduates, submissions must be received within 12 months of the conferral of their first undergraduate degree.
Students can submit a full-length manuscripts, abstracts and brief reports online. The journal will focus on research culture at UK with spotlight articles on student researchers and current topics in research. Manuscripts that have been published or have been accepted for publication elsewhere, or are under review with another publication, are not eligible.
Submissions are accepted from all disciplines and categories including:
- Agriculture
- Artistic and musical creations
- Biological and life sciences
- Business and economics
- Creative writing and poetry
- Cultural and language studies
- Design (architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, product design)
- Environmental studies
- Honors thesis (expedited review process)
- Humanities
- Mathematics and quantitative studies
- Medical and health sciences
- Physical and engineering sciences
- Social and behavioral sciences
Each submission goes through four stages of review. The student’s adviser or principal investigator reviews and approves the paper. Then Aperture’s editorial team assesses the submission to ensure adherence to the journal’s submission guidelines, checking for errors or inconsistencies. The third stage involves a thorough review by graduate students or faculty advisers specializing in the specific research field under discussion. In the final phase of review the editorial team revisits the revised paper to confirm that all necessary changes have been incorporated and to ensure the article is polished and ready for publication.
Current deadlines
The submission deadline is Jan. 23, 2026. To assist students interested in submitting their research or scholarly work to Aperture, the team is hosting a Publisher’s Panel 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, via Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend and ask questions regarding submission requirements, formatting, research disciplines and more.
- Additional information on the call for entries and the submission form is online.
- Additional information on eligibility and formatting requirements is online.
About Aperture
Founded in June 2023 and supported by the UK Office of Undergraduate Research, Aperture is an entirely student-led organization dedicated to promoting a culture of curiosity. The inaugural edition of Aperture Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) launched June 1, 2024.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.