BISF Student Journal

Once a year in the spring 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 2007–2008 BISF Journal should be submitted via email to akziker @ 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 Spring 2008 issue, articles must be submitted by March 15, 2008.
  • News & Views submissions are closed for the 2007–2008 academic year. You may, however, submit for next year at any time.
  • If you are completing a research project later than March 15 and are a non-graduating student, we will happily accept your submission at the end of this year for consideration in the 2008–2009 issue!

BISF Prize for Outstanding Policy Research

  • At the end of the academic year, the BISF Research Committee will award a modest cash prize to the published article deemed most outstanding.

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