• Submission Checklist
• Format Guidelines
• Selection Criteria
• Publication Schedule

Submission Checklist

Please submit this form with the electronic copy of your manuscript for review.

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Guide for Faculty Mentor:
(Faculty mentor will be recognized as an associate editor for their student’s submission)

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Format Guidelines

Style Manual. The official style manual for The Eagle Feather:

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2008. Print.

Authorship. TEF is a journal for undergraduate scholars attending the University of North Texas; therefore, all research articles submitted should have an undergraduate student at UNT as the first author. The research reported in the article and the writing of the article should be substantially that of the undergraduate scholar. Because it is expected that undergraduate scholars are still apprentices-in-training in their area of research, it is the policy of TEF to also include faculty mentors as associate editors of their student’s publications. This policy recognizes the substantial role faculty mentors play in developing and shaping the research and publications of their students.

Types of Articles. Articles published by undergraduate scholars in TEF are primary articles that have not been previously published. Types of articles may include reports on empirical quantitative and qualitative research, policy analysis, historical analysis, case studies, critical reviews of literature in an area, theoretical articles, methodological articles, critical literary or artistic analyses, and technical reports. Research can be in any basic or applied field of study, including the physical and natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, education, engineering, and the arts. Invited articles may also be included at the discretion of the Editorial Board including highlights on innovative undergraduate teaching, students as authors, and keynote speeches at UNT’s annual University Scholars Day conference held in the spring of each academic year.

Title Page. The title page should include the name of the article (10-12 words in length), the name and department affiliation of the student scholar and mentor, and a footnote with acknowledgments of grant agencies, organizations, institutions, or people who contributed substantively or financially to the research. The title should be bolded, centered, and single-spaced. All other material on the title page should be normal text (no bold text or italics), left justified, and single-spaced.

Biographical Sketch and Photo. The student scholar should attach a biographical sketch of no more than 150 words, which includes the scholar’s major area of study, previous professional presentations and publications, current activities, and future plans. Faculty mentors should edit these sketches.

A digital color photo (headshot) of the student author should be attached for publication in the journal.

• The dimensions of the photo should be 5 x 7 inches or 360 x 504 pixels.
• Feature a solid-colored or otherwise unobtrusive background that does not take away the focus from the subject.
• The photo should be cropped around the mid-arm/shoulder area, leaving space above the head.
• Use a flash setting for better lighting and focus.
• Save the photo in JPEG (.jpg) format.
• Reference this headshot for guidance.

Abstract. The abstract should start on a separate page. It should be no more than 150 words in length and should be double-spaced. The abstract should concisely describe the research contained in the article, and should be edited by the faculty mentor.

Text. The text of the article should be approximately 20 doubled-spaced, typed pages and should conform to the following standards which supersede any other style manual instructions for the preparation of manuscripts:

• Paragraph indention. All paragraphs, including the first one in a new section, should use an indentation of .5”.
• Justification. Text should be left-justified, and not right-justified.
• Margins. Margins should be 1” all around (top, bottom, left and right sides) for the text, as well as the reference list and all tables and figures.
• Spacing. Headings should be double-spaced, as is all other text. No extra lines or spacing should be included before or after new paragraphs.
• Running head. The running head and page numbers should be included in the top right-hand corner of each page. A short running head of no more than 40 characters and page numbers should begin on the biographical sketch page (page 2 in the manuscript) and should be located in the top right-hand corner of the abstract page. The running head and page numbers should continue on each succeeding page.
• No section breaks. Do not use section breaks as this disrupts the continuity of numbering pages in the text.

Tables and Figures. Tables and figures should be prepared using Word 2003 or higher and should be “camera-ready” when submitted for review by TEF and should conform to the following standards:

• Numbers in tables. Numbers in tables should be right-justified within cells of the table.
• Tables numbered sequentially. Each table should be labeled sequentially in the order that it appears in the article.
• Figures numbered sequentially. Each figure should also be labeled sequentially.
• Titles of tables and figures. Tables and figures should be able to stand alone for the reader; each table and figure should have a descriptive title that tells the reader what information is contained therein.
• Placement of tables and figures. Tables and figures should be presented separately at the end of the manuscript, with all tables listed first in numerical order, followed by all figures in numerical order.

References, In-text References, and Endnotes. The references and in-text references or endnotes should be meticulously prepared, conforming to the previously cited MLA Style Manual. The reference list, bibliography, or works cited list should contain only references actually used in the manuscript. References should be used judiciously and only when absolutely relevant to the research topic or design. More than 30 references are discouraged. The reference list, bibliography, or works cited page should begin on a new page, be double-spaced, and have a .5” hanging indent after the first line; that is, the first line of each reference should be flush with the left margin, and all others indented .5”. The running head and page numbers should be included in the top right-hand corner of each page.

In general, in-text references or endnotes are to be used for citations to material in the text. Footnotes are not acceptable for publication in TEF and must be converted to endnotes by the author.

Copyright Release for Quoted Material and Artwork. If the work of another author is quoted extensively or if published artwork, tables, or figures are reproduced in the manuscript, it may be necessary to obtain permission to use the material in The Eagle Feather. Authors are responsible for providing all relevant permissions to the TEF editor when the manuscript is submitted for review. Failure to obtain such permissions may result in the article not being published.

Research Integrity and Compliance. The University of North Texas and The Eagle Feather subscribe to the highest standards of research integrity and compliance. Student scholars and their mentors are responsible for ensuring that the work included in manuscripts submitted to TEF conforms to the university guidelines for research integrity and compliance. These guidelines are presented in detail on the UNT website by the Office of Research and Economic Development. Student researchers should be especially vigilant to observe the federal guidelines in the following five areas: (1) use of animals in research, (2) use of humans in research, (3) financial conflict of interest, (4) research misconduct, and (5) export controls. Student scholars and mentors are responsible for complying with all guidelines for research compliance for the manuscripts submitted. Only manuscripts that are in full compliance with the guidelines may be published in TEF.

Plagiarism and Fabrication. Plagiarism is “use of another’s thoughts or words without proper attribution in any academic exercise, regardless of the student’s intent, including but not limited to: (1) the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement or citation; [and] (2) the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in selling term papers or other academic materials.” Fabrication is “falsifying or inventing any information, data or research as part of an academic exercise.” (Definitions retrieved from Policies of the University of North Texas, 18.1.16. page 4, Student Standards of Academic Integrity, http://www.unt.edu/policy/UNT_Policy/volume3/18_1_16.pdf.) The student scholar and faculty mentor should ensure that the material submitted does not contain material that has been either plagiarized or fabricated.

Word Processing. The manuscript should be prepared with Word 2003 or higher using Times New Roman 12-point font. Bolding should be used in the title, and in the major headings in the text. Bolding should not be used in titles of tables or figures. Margins should be 1” all around in 8 ½” by 11” image. All text and the reference list should be left justified.

Electronic Submission and Checklist. Authors wishing to submit manuscripts for review should use the submission checklist available on this site to assemble the documents that are required to accompany the manuscript. Faculty mentors must certify that the paper is original research conducted by the student author, is ready for publication, and conforms to all federal guidelines for research integrity and compliance at UNT. The faculty mentor will be copied on all emails to the student author. The checklist and research paper should be submitted electronically at the same time to the journal at eaglefeather@unt.edu. Authors will be notified when their materials have been received and their file is complete. When the file is complete, the manuscript will be reviewed by two reviewers. Manuscript reviews with a recommendation for acceptance or rejection will be returned to the authors within three weeks from the time the manuscript file is complete. Any requested revisions in the manuscript are due back to TEF within two weeks. All comments and questions should be submitted to the Editor of The Eagle Feather.

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Selection Criteria

The Eagle Feather is a journal dedicated to publishing original research articles from undergraduate research scholars who are currently enrolled at the University of North Texas, or who have been enrolled in the past academic year. The research may be in any area of academic study offered at UNT. Undergraduate scholars must have a faculty mentor as a sponsor who has been involved in advising and/or supervising the scholar in the research project. The research paper submitted must conform strictly to the format guidelines to be considered for review, and must be submitted with a signed release form from both the student scholar and the faculty mentor. The research must not have been previously published and must be free of plagiarized or fabricated material. The research must adhere strictly to the research compliance regulations at the University of North Texas.

Authors wishing to submit manuscripts for review should use the submission checklist available on this site to assemble the documents that are required to accompany the manuscript. The materials should be submitted at the same time to the journal electronically at eaglefeather@unt.edu. Authors will be notified when their materials have been received and their file is complete. When the file is complete, the manuscript will be sent out to two reviewers with a request for a completed review within two weeks. Manuscripts will contain the names of the undergraduate scholar and the faculty mentor; i.e., the reviews will not be blind. Manuscript reviews with a recommendation for acceptance or rejection will be returned to the authors within three weeks from the time the manuscript file is complete and the manuscript is sent to the reviewers. Any requested revisions in the manuscript are due back to TEF within two weeks. All comments and questions should be submitted to the Editor of The Eagle Feather at eaglefeather@unt.edu.

The review guidelines for the reviewers are available on this website. Manuscripts received will be evaluated on the quality of the research article including, as relevant, clarity of the research question, goals, and objectives; theoretical foundation; literature review; methodology, analysis and interpretation of data; presentation of conclusions; and formatting and style of the manuscript. The Editorial Board will make the decision to either accept the manuscript with no changes, to accept with suggested revisions, or to not accept the manuscript. All undergraduate scholars and faculty mentors submitting manuscripts will receive copies of the comments from the two anonymous reviewers and a letter from the editor evaluating the merits of the manuscript. Any questions should be directed to the Editor of The Eagle Feather at eaglefeather@unt.edu.

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Publication Schedule

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