Journal of Undergraduate Social Science and History
News and Announcements
- Paper Competition: The 16th Annual PLACES Student Paper Competition is now underway! Please download the flyer for details. The deadline for submissions is April 26, 2025. Please email submissions to place-science@oneonta.edu.
- Open Call: We have an open call for papers! Please share this with any and all who may be interested in publishing their work with us. Though we are based out of SUNY Oneonta, any undergraduate student in the world is eligible to submit work, including those who recently graduated (within one year). Collaborations with faculty are welcome, provided the first author is a student. Please visit our page for authors if you are interested in submitting a manuscript.
- Peer Review: In addition to authors, we are also in search of undergraduate students who are willing to serve as peer reviewers. We use a blind peer review process to ensure that our submissions are held to a high standard. If you are interested, then please, sign-up to be a peer reviewer!
16th Annual PLACES Paper Competition
Deadline for Submissions: April 26, 2025 (by 11:59 pm)
Email to: place-science@oneonta.edu
Overview
The PLACES Paper Competition will accept any paper written by a SUNY Oneonta undergraduate student. Papers should address some contemporary social, political, or historical topic of concern. Examples include sustainability, poverty, environmental change, peace and conflict, education, politics, NY State history, architecture, health, religion, identity, diversity, etc. There are two categories (below).
Category I: Short Essay
Prize: $50.00 gift card to Red Dragon Outfitters, Automatic publication in SOAR Journal
Length: up to ten double-spaced pages in length, not including references and title page.
Type: Submission could be a research note, literature review, or book review.
Category II: Long Essay
Prize: $100.00 gift card to Red Dragon Outfitters, Automatic publication in SOAR Journal
Length: 11-30 double-spaced pages, not including references and title page.
Types: research papers, extended review essays, analysis of data or evidence (research article).
Submission Criteria
Papers must be formatted as Word documents, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with margins of 1 inch; include a title page with the author’s full name, email address, title of the paper and submission category (Long or Short); include a references page. We recommend APA style formatting for most social science papers, or Chicago Manual of Style for historical papers. These are the standards used by SOAR, and this will facilitate the publication process for the winners. Papers may not be co-authored with faculty or other students. One submission per student.
About
SOAR: Social Science is a social science journal that publishes undergraduate research. We accept submissions on a rolling basis and release a new issue annually in December.
SOAR: History is a history journal that publishes undergraduate research. We accept submissions on a rolling basis and release a new issue annually in December.
Mission Statement
SOAR is SUNY Oneonta's open-access undergraduate journal. This selective peer-reviewed forum is student-run and faculty-advised. The primary goal is to provide undergraduate students from any university with an outlet for publishing rigorous academic research.
History of SOAR
In September of 2016, four undergraduate students working with Dr. Gregory Fulkerson, created SOAR (SUNY Oneonta Academic Research), an undergraduate social science research journal. Founding and succeeding members develop scholastic leadership, experience real-life career rehearsal, and practice scholarly writing.
SOAR: History published its first issue in 2023.
SOAR will always remain student-run and faculty-advised to ensure the integrity of the journal and uphold our commitment to student growth and experience. To ensure a collaborative experience at SOAR, new team members are mentored one on one by previous members. Although SOAR takes article submissions from any university, our editorial board is SUNY Oneonta based. If you are interested in joining SOAR as an editor or peer reviewer, please contact us at soar@oneonta.edu.
Submit a Manuscript
Ready to send in your submission? Please visit the Information for Authors page.
Logo Designer
Marissa Hogan was a sophomore artist, graphic designer, and photographer at SUNY Oneonta. Her design was inspired by the highly valued scholarly journals of our time. She looked for inspiration in common journals such as TIME Magazine and National Geographic, as well as lesser-known academic journals. These designs, as well as her design for SOAR, illustrate a timeless and professional style. The dragon element in her design ties in with SUNY Oneonta’s mascot directly, showing pride in the school and the great intellect that derives from it.