BISF Student Journal

Once a year in the fall semester, the Baker Institute Student Forum will publish The Rice Cultivator: A Student Journal on Public Policy. We offer exceptional Rice undergraduates engaged in original research an opportunity to publish their findings.

We encourage all Rice students to take advantage of this unique opportunity to contribute to knowledge and enhance public dialogue about important public policy issues!

The BISF journal will publish articles related to public policy broadly defined—including research related to health, medicine, sustainability, energy, or science as well as economics, international relations, religion, education, or politics. Students from all academic schools are encouraged to submit their work!

If I am not currently doing a major research project, can I still write something for the journal?

  • Yes! In addition to research articles, the BISF Journal will publish a “News & Views” section and a Book Review section (contingent on submissions).
  • The “News & Views” section will feature short briefs on current national or international policy issues. They should summarize and analyze a topical event or issue, and they may provide some editorial or evaluative comment. Suggested length: 300 to 600 words.
  • The Book Review section (contingent on submissions) will feature critical evaluations of recent books on a range of topics related to public policy. We have a list of suggested titles, or you may suggest a book. Ideas include Kolbert’s Field Notes on a Catastrophe; Alan Greenspan’s Age of Turbulence; any recent book on the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Suggested length: 750 to 1000 words.

How to Submit

  • Articles for the 2009–2010 BISF Journal should be submitted via email to gabler @ rice.edu.
  • Each submission will undergo a review and revision process. If you have a promising research article, you may submit it for consideration even if it is still a work-in-progress or a rough draft.

Format and Style

  • Article length may vary, and there are no length requirements. Most submissions range from 15 to 25 pages. For articles more than 50 pages in length, the Research Committee will work with the author to edit and shorten the submission.
  • Articles should be double-spaced with standard font and margins.
  • Students may follow their academic discipline’s conventions for citations, but in-text parenthetical citations, followed by an Authors Cited list, are the BISF journal’s preferred style.
  • Tables, charts, graphs, or data set information may be included in the body of the article or at the conclusion of the piece.

Timeline & Submission Deadlines

  • Articles are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
  • For consideration for publication in the Fall 2009 issue, articles abstracts must be submitted by April 17, 2009.Manuscripts or rough drafts may be submitted in lieu of an abstract.
  • News & Views submissions are currently being accepted for the 2009 issue. Submissions received before mid-fall (exact date TBD) will be considered for publication in the 2009 issue.
  • If you are completing a research project later than April 17 and are a non-graduating student, we will happily accept your submission at the end of this year for consideration in the 2010 issue!

BISF Prize for Outstanding Policy Research

  • At the end of the academic year, the BISF Research Committee will award cash prizes to the published articles deemed most outstanding.Awardees will be honored and announced publicly at the annual journal launch party in the fall.

« Return to index