Aletheia is one of the nation's few peer-reviewed journals for undergraduate scholarship. In keeping with the strong tradition of student involvement at all levels of Alpha Chi, this provides a forum for students to become actively involved in the writing, peer review, and publication process.
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When you go from writing for your professors to writing for publication, you’ll need to understand the concept of peer review. In academic publishing, members of your relevant field (your peers) seek to maintain standards of quality, improve performance, and provide credibility. Before your article is published in a scholarly journal, it first must be deemed appropriate subject matter for the journal and up to the journal’s standards of quality. Impartial scholars in your field will review the manuscript for accuracy and assess the validity of the research methodology and procedures. It is not uncommon for peer reviewers to suggest revisions, or, if they find the article lacking in academic validity and rigor, to reject it. Click the "Begin Here" image below for a great infographic version of this information!
Infographic by Andrew Bailey
Alpha Chi member Abigail Manis from the Lindenwood University, Missouri Pi chapter talks in this video, about her experience with Aletheia’s publishing process. You may read her published work in Aletheia Volume 4, Issue 2.
What does blind peer review mean?
Peer review points to the high quality not only of the journal, but also of your article. Aletheia goes a step further by using a blind peer review process. This means that your work is carefully and thoughtfully vetted by impartial experts in your field. So your article, if published in Aletheia, shows that your research has been reviewed for quality and substance and that you are making a significant contribution to your field. That’s a big accomplishment to help you to stand out in the crowd. You may list your peer-reviewed publication on your CV or resume—not many undergraduates can do that!
Aletheia Role for Graduate Student Members
Alpha Chi’s graduate student members are invited to experience the peer review process from the review side, writing assessments of submissions in their academic field as part of the double-blind review process. If you are interested in serving as a peer reviewer for submitted manuscripts, please email aletheia@alphachihonor.org with your area (or areas) of expertise, the name of your graduate program and school, and your expected graduation date. This information will be kept in a database of potential graduate student reviewers. When a manuscript is received that matches the expertise of a graduate student, the Editors will recommend these students as reviewers when assigning the manuscript to a Manuscript Editor. Selection of Graduate Student Reviewers will be at the discretion of the Manuscript Editor.
The following information and documents outline our version of the process: