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Submission

Be a part of our semesterly, interdisciplinary publication.

Eligibility

  • The primary author must be a currently enrolled Michigan State University undergraduate or a recent MSU alumnus, provided the work was completed during their time at MSU.

  • Both individual and collaborative submissions are welcome.

    • For collaborative work, at least one author must meet the eligibility criteria above.

    • All contributors must be appropriately credited.

Scope of Submissions

SPARC accepts:

  • Original research papers

  • Literature reviews

  • Scholarly essays and analyses

  • Creative and critical writing

  • Artist statements and reflective or practice-based work

  • Interdisciplinary or hybrid academic work

We welcome submissions from all fields, including but not limited to:

  • Humanities and Literature

  • Creative Writing and Rhetoric

  • Visual and Performing Arts

  • Social Sciences

  • Natural Sciences

  • Engineering

  • Interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary work

 

All submissions must represent the student’s own scholarly or creative contribution and be presented in a form appropriate to the discipline or genre. SPARC encourages work that bridges disciplines, occupies academically interstitial spaces, or presents specialized inquiry in a way that is accessible to a general academic audience.

Submission Requirements

  • Submit the manuscript with appropriate formatting (see below).

  • To ensure the integrity of the double-blind peer-review process, submit both a complete manuscript as well as  an anonymized version with identifying information removed.

Manuscript Format & Structure

Formatting

  • 12-point font (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial)

  • Double-spaced

  • 1-inch margins on all sides

  • Google Docs or Word (.docx)

  • Recommended length: up to 15 typeset pages

  • Page numbers in the top right corner

Structure

The structure of submissions will vary by discipline and genre.

Typical research manuscripts include:

  • Title

  • Author Name(s) and Affiliation(s)

  • Abstract (approximately 200 words)

  • Main Text (e.g., Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion)

  • Acknowledgments (optional)

  • References

  • Figures and Tables (embedded or placed at the end)

Humanities- and arts-based submissions, including creative work, may follow field-appropriate conventions, provided the work is clearly organized and professionally presented.

Citations, Figures, and Style

Citations

  • Use author-year parenthetical citations (e.g., Nguyen, 2022).

  • Every in-text citation must correspond to an entry in the References section.

References (at the end of the manuscript)

Cite journal articles, books, book chapters, and websites consistently.

  • Journal Article:

LastName, FirstInitial., LastName, FirstInitial., and LastName, FirstInitial. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name Volume, Page–Page.

Example:

Noctor, S.C., Martinez-Cerdeno, V., Ivic, L., and Kriegstein, A.R. (2004). Cortical neurons arise in symmetric and asymmetric division zones and migrate through specific phases. Nature Neuroscience 7, 136–144.

  • Book:

LastName, FirstName. (Year). Book Title. Publisher.

  • Book Chapter:

LastName, FirstName. (Year). “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Editor FirstName LastName, Page–Page. Publisher.

  • Website:

LastName, FirstName (if available). (Year). Page Title. Website Name. URL

Figures and Tables

  • Figures must include captions placed directly below them.

  • Tables must be submitted as editable text, not images.

  • All axes, labels, and units must be clearly readable.

  • Non-original figures or tables must include proper credit or citation.

Style

  • Writing should be clear, well-structured, and accessible to a general academic reader.

  • Define technical terms when necessary.

  • Use consistent formatting and check grammar and spelling before submission.

Coursework, Research Groups, and Permissions

Submissions may originate from coursework, including honors options, capstone projects, independent studies, studio-based courses, or writing workshops, provided the work demonstrates independent intellectual or creative contribution beyond standard or recurring course assignments.

​

Projects that are:

  • Repeated across multiple course offerings

  • Closely guided by uniform prompts

  • Substantially similar to work produced by many students in the same course may be less suitable for journal publication unless they demonstrate novel insight.


​If your submission is based on work completed:

  • In a faculty research group or laboratory

  • As part of a paid research or professional assistant position

  • Using lab-owned or faculty-owned data or materials, you must obtain approval from your Principal Investigator or supervising faculty member before submitting.

In many cases, literature reviews, reflective analyses, or independently developed scholarly or creative work related to lab or group research are acceptable with permission. Primary research outputs owned by a lab or faculty member may not be eligible for publication.

 

Submissions must not include confidential or restricted information, unreleased experimental results, or material you do not have permission to publish. If you are unsure about eligibility, contact the SPARC editorial board before submitting.

Editorial Review & Decisions

SPARC is a selective, peer-reviewed journal. Submission does not guarantee publication.

​

Submissions may not be accepted if they:

  • Do not meet eligibility or originality expectations

  • Are too similar to standard or recurring course assignments

  • Lack sufficient independent contribution or novelty

  • Fall outside the scope of the journal

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A decision not to publish does not reflect the quality or value of the work. Many projects are well-suited for posters, symposia, interviews, or future development into publishable scholarship.

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Authors are encouraged to reach out to the editorial board with questions or to discuss potential future submissions.

Questions may be directed to the Editors-in-Chief at
parekhn4@msu.edu and gandhij6@msu.edu

Photo illustration by Dora Lei

Submission guidelines

SPARC publishes original student-work in multiple formats. Student authors must identify the category that best fits their submission, following the guidelines below. In most cases, we do not impose strict limits on word count or page number. However we strongly advise that you adhere to the following recommendations:

    • Papers should ideally be no more than 15 typeset pages. 

    • The manuscript should be of a similar style and structure to that of typical articles published in professional journals.

    • In general, your manuscript submission might include sections for an Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References, and Figures/Tables.

    • Supplementary Materials may be submitted along with the manuscript in a different file.

    • This paper cannot be the legal or intellectual property of the student’s employer, lab or faculty and shall not contain observations, results and/or claims that are part of a larger, developing paper/project. 

    • Must be a complete research paper that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on relevant research. 

    • Reviews should be no longer than 10 pages however longer review articles will be accepted on the basis of the quality and quantity of discussion points. 

    • Reviews must include an abstract, an introduction that outlines the main theme, brief subheadings, and an outline of important unresolved questions.

    • Submissions of this format include short stories, poetry, and essays.

    • Needs to include a title of the piece.

    • Work must be independent.

    • Must not be longer than 2000 words.

    • Submissions of this category can be:

    • Viewpoint articles: which express the submitter’s views on a topic or field of interest.

    • Scholarly responses: a perspective article in the academic context that expresses views on recently published work.

    • Opinion articles: usually offer constructive criticism of existing work, acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses. 

    • These pieces are designed to provoke a discussion by challenging current understanding of a particular issue or topic.

    • Articles/essays are shorter submissions not exceeding 1500 words. 

    • Submissions in this category must not contain political and religious bias. While scientific analysis of these topics is welcome, personal opinions must not be alluded to or enforced. Claims over right or wrong must not be made with the intention of persuasion. 

    • A solution-based summary of a technological or business problem that is no more than 1500 words. 

    • Business models must be original and innovative. Computational problems must be backed by code scripts and/or simulations of the code output. 

    • An overview of the artist’s work, medium, motivation, and body of work. 

    • The artist/creator must select 1 developing work or project to feature in the submission and highlight its key features and their creative process in depth. SPARC is looking for personal stories and experiences that serve as artistic inspiration for our readers. 

    • Any medium/artistic style is welcome. 

    • Completed work must be submitted by the mid-semester deadline to be featured in the issue. 

    • It is important to understand that SPARC is an academic journal so we follow a general theme of academia and education in our video submissions. 

    • Submitted work should be informative.

Submissions

Submissions open!

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