1. “Auctus.” Virginia Commonwealth University.
2. Auctus is an undergraduate research journal published by the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. First published in 2008, Auctus is “... dedicated to publishing exemplary undergraduate research in natural sciences, engineering, humanities and creative scholarship ...” (Auctus 2009). The journal’s stated mission is to recognize and disseminate the original research of undergraduate students at VCU and other universities, while also promoting engagement in research in scholarship and fostering a community of emerging researchers.
3. Auctus publishes once per year in the spring. As Auctus is only 2 years old, the journal has only printed 2 issues (2008 Spring and 2009 Spring), with only the 2009 Spring issue being available online. However, to support the journal’s core principle of accessibility and engagement, the editorial staff is working to make every issue of the journal available online. The journal publishes research findings, technical papers, expository articles, essays, fiction, poetry, creative writing, photography, videos, and other creative works from all disciplines. Auctus is edited by a board of undergraduates with faculty assistance, and is published in Richmond, Virginia. Auctus receives foundational support from the VCU Honors College, the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, and VCU Libraries (Auctus 2009). The supporters of Auctus also sponsor an annual conference called the “Poster Symposium For Undergraduate Research & Creativity”, first held on April 22, 2009 (Auctus 2009).
4. Auctus is designed primarily for an audience of undergraduate researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University, but also wishes to showcase the work of undergraduate students to other universities and graduate schools (Auctus 2009). The journal is reviewed by a board of undergraduate students who are assisted by faculty members.
5. Auctus publishes undergraduate work from disciplines in the natural sciences, engineering, and the humanities (Auctus 2009). The journal limits it submissions to those written by an undergraduate author and cosigned by a faculty member who is knowledgeable in the field of the submission. Authors may continue to submit up to one year after their graduation. Under no circumstances will the journal reprint, in part or in whole, and work that has been previously published in any other source. Undergraduates from institutions other than VCU may submit to the journal, so long as their submission is cosigned by a faculty member at their institution.
Submissions are selected for publication by a blind review process at the end of every spring semester. Resubmissions of revised manuscripts are not accepted, although authors are allowed to withdraw their submission and re-submit it the following year. Although authors may submit up to three works to Auctus in a given selection period, only one submission per author will be published in a given issue. Auctus also permits authors to submit their work to Auctus and another publication simultaneously.
Auctus requires that all submissions be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font. All submissions must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins. Along with each full submission, the author is required to include an abstract of no more than 250 words and a short biography and picture of the submitting author. As well, the submission itself cannot be longer than 25 pages unless it is the work for multiple student authors. The submission itself is to be electronically submitted to Auctus via their VCU email address.
References
Auctus. 2009. “Auctus: Research and Creative Scholarship Journal at VCU.” Retrieved September 16, 2010 (http://www.auctus.vcu.edu/index.html).
