Article Types

Submitting to OSURJ

Thank you for your interest in submitting to the Ottawa Science Undergraduate Research Journal (OSURJ).
Please review our submission guidelines carefully for formatting and structural requirements before submitting. All manuscripts must be submitted through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) portal.

Peer-Reviewed Section

Original Research Articles

Maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract and references)

Definition:
Reports of original research conducted by uOttawa student(s) in which a research question is investigated and results are analyzed and interpreted.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (150–250 words, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Supplementary Information (if applicable), Acknowledgements, Competing Interests, References.

Requirements:
Supervisor signature and consent required.

Honours Project – Research Article

Maximum 3000 words (including abstract and references)

Definition:
Reports of original research conducted as part of a uOttawa Honours thesis.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (150–200 words), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Supplementary Information (if applicable), Acknowledgements, Competing Interests, References.

Requirements:
Supervisor signature and consent required.

Innovative Methodology

Maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract and references)

Definition:
Peer-reviewed articles describing a novel experimental or analytical method, or a substantial improvement to an existing method, demonstrated with proof-of-principle data.

Submissions must:

• Describe methods in sufficient detail for replication

• Discuss advantages, limitations, and applications

Components: Keywords, Abstract (150–250 words), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Supplementary Information (if applicable), Acknowledgements, Competing Interests, References.

Requirements:
Supervisor signature and consent required.

Communication Articles

Maximum 1500 words (excluding abstract and references)

Definition:
Short reports of preliminary findings, limited-scope studies, or negative results.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (≤150 words), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Supplementary Information (if applicable), Acknowledgements, Competing Interests, References.

Requirements:
Supervisor signature and consent required.

Review Articles

Maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract and references)

Definition:
Articles synthesizing current literature in a defined scientific field, identifying knowledge gaps, and proposing future directions.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (200–250 words), Background, Main Text, Conclusions, Declarations, References.

Non-Peer-Reviewed Section

Opinion / Perspective Articles

Maximum 1500 words

Definition:
Scholarly opinion pieces presenting a well-researched perspective on a scientific issue, policy topic, or emerging research direction.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (100–150 words), Main Text, References.

Commentaries

Maximum 1500 words

Definition:
Short pieces written about recent, high impact studies published by other journals and brought to the readership of OSURJ. Present the new ideas and viewpoints of the studies and discuss their implications. Also includes the option to write “Classics” which feature historic publications and discuss the impact of the paper in the specific field and on the author’s own work. Also accepted under the title of “Commentaries” is “UOttawa Highlights” which features a recently published work (less than 1 year) from the University of Ottawa and explains the contributions to the field as well as potential applications of its findings.

Components: Keywords, Abstract (≤100 words), Main Text, References.

Components: Keywords, Abstract, Main text (including introduction), References.